July 12 – The Valley of Lavik

Svien and I (Sean) woke up early and took a run on the local trails. We started off a little quicker than I am used to running, and within 10 minutes I felt like a total wimp for wheezing and sputtering up a low hill while Svien didn't seem to even break a sweat! A little later Svien talked about how much he loves running, and about how he was on a running team which had taken gold six times in a relay race in Oslo – now I don't feel so bad :). Our friend Lance recently ran a ½ marathon in 1 hour 48 minutes, and we are so impressed...well Lance, Svien has beat you too: just 1 hour and 24 minutes! Lance is pretty much the fastest person that we know at home, so Svien is like lightning! Sean and I would like to return to Bergen to run the Knarvik ½ marathon some day...finishing hopefully not more than an hour behind Svien.

Today was a very special day. We took a road trip with Svien and Bibbi to Eksingerdalen and found the place called Lavik (for those who don't know, Lavik is Miriam's maiden name). This is the place for which our family is named, and the place they lived before some emigrated to the United States. Eksingerdalen is a steep-sided valley high in the mountains, with a narrow, flat, and grassy floor which seems ideal for raising cows and sheep; there is plenty of room to graze, but animals can't really escape because there are waterfalls in the narrow spots at each end of the valley. Svien was able to point out where the old family house once stood – a small and nondescript spot at the side of the road which is now home to another family's garage.

We got out of the car for a little while to wander and take pictures. It was nice to be able to walk in a field which so many generations might have walked in, breathe the fresh air, and contemplate what life must have been like up there. It was a charming and peaceful place, and I think it is a good history.

The drive was especially stunning. We followed the fjord nearly the entire way, through Modalen and Eksingerdalen, over a mountain pass, then along a river which fed the same fjord by a different route. The houses along the way were brick red, mustard yellow, olive green, white, and blue. It makes sense to paint everything so brightly when rain falls 300 days of the year, and the sun is visible for only a few short hours during the winter.

When we arrived home, Bibbi treated us to another wonderful traditional Norwegian dinner. We ate venison, which Svein had hunted himself, with the best gravy that has possibly ever existed (sorry Patrick, she's got you beat...I thought it was impossible too!). There were sides of mushrooms in sauce, potatoes, cauliflower, and a berry relish made from a Norwegian relative of the cranberry.