The Stave Church on a Sunny Day

We don't have many days without some rain, so when we get a day with full sunshine it is a time for celebration. Everybody goes walking and the parks fill to overflowing. We visited a Stav Kirke that is located a few kilometers away.

It is just up here at the top of these switchbacks.

Stave Churches were built to mimic Medieval architecture but they were built with wood not stone. They were built in the 1100's and 1200's mostly. This is just after the Viking period so there are remnants of the pre-Christian period of Norway. You will find Mary sharing space with dragons in and on these churches.

 This church was built in 1150 in Fortun in Sogn county (just north of here). It was moved to this location in 1883 but burned in 1992. So, this one is an exact replica of the original.

Stav is the word for post and refers to the post and beam construction of the churches. Vertical planks fill in the many wall frames of these buildings. There is a large Stav Kirke that is still in use and is all original up in Sogn. After winter we'd like to go up and look at it.

Reminds me of the viking ships in design.

 Yes, it is all posts and beams here.

Of course the church was closed to visitors even though it was Saturday. Much of the tourist stuff shuts down in mid September and doesn't open again until May or June. So, we just got to look at the outside.

Another Norwegian traditional building technique is the "living roof"which is a good insulator and isn't supposed to leak. These are the toilets for the church site - cute huh?

Like everything else that you might expect to be free - these cost 10 kroner ($1.72 in this week's exchange rate) That is the same price as a shopping cart at the grocery store - not kidding. The handbaskets are free but the carts cost kr.10. If you are wondering; the church tour cost is kr80 per person. (just under $14)