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Driving from Oslo to Lærdal on June 12th we stopped at the Valdres Folkemuseum (founded in 1901) in Fagernes, Norway. We enjoyed the museum and then toured around the old buildings and grounds, including an old bus.  We then witnessed demonstrations of some old musical instruments. Then a stop at and Ulnes Church, built around 1265.

Then we had a 2-hour scenic drive towards Vang Municipality and stopped to visit the Høre Stave Church. The Norwegian stave churches are the oldest preserved wooden churches in Christianity, built in the 1100s. There are several types of stave churches, but what they all have in common are corner-posts (“staves”) and a framework of timber with wall planks standing on sills. These walls are known as stave walls, hence the name. There are only 28 Stave Churches remaining. This church community for Høre dates back to around 1179.

We arrived in the village of Lærdalsøyri, the administrative centre of Lærdal Municipality in Vestland County, Norway. We checked into the Lindstrøm Hotel and enjoyed a dinner in their dining room. Visitors come to see the old city center with its 161 wooden houses that date from 1700 to 1800. It is located near the head of Sognefjord, one of the longest fjords in Norway. The still waters from the fjord run through the village and provided a wonderful opportunity for reflection photos.

Along the way we went through many tunnels. They showed off the great lighting of our bus, as seen here from the back row.

Just a one night stay in this lovely village, then on to Bergen on June 13th.