Wandering Harper: Long Day 2

June 6

We reveled in a dark room (fully closing curtains for the first time since the school) and slept later and more soundly than in a while. Having a private hotel room and our own bathroom helped immensely. We learned in the morning that breakfast was included, but Wayne and I hadn’t allotted time to eat because the group was planning to stop for waffles on the way to our next gig. We managed to squeeze in 10 minutes to grab a bite of free breakfast (eggs and sausage) before leaving. We packed up the bus and just made it to the Hella/Vangsnes ferry. From the ferry we spied some porpoises and what we think might have been a small whale. It spouted and had a broad back, and moved very slowly compared to the others. We arrived at the waffle place to find them closed, which was quite disappointing but allowed us to get photos of the town below, which I believe was Vik. I was gratefully we’d managed to find the time for breakfast earlier.

Then we headed back down the road, only to find that the road was officially closed for 2 hours, which would put us very late for our lunch/gig. To make matters worse, the area was so tight we couldn’t get off the bus while we waited. We made do by munching on shared food and then several folks got out their fiddles and small harps (all the larger harps were inaccessible) and started up a session. Just as it was getting going they suddenly found a break and let us through.

So, we weren’t as late as we feared for our gig. We were to play at the Gudvangen Mordtell, which on the Nærøyfjorden, one of only a couple of registered conservation sites in Norway. It is a breathtaking fjord, names for it’s narrow valley. We arrived near the end of the big tourist lunch rush, so we set on up and started taking turns playing. We were set up in a big dinner atrium, surrounded by glass, and with glass windows above. We could actually see a couple of waterfalls from our spot as we played. We had lunch/dinner in exchange for our concert – soup, salmon, veggies, and dessert. I was so full I didn’t want ice cream afterwards when I found it, a remarkable event.

After spending a short time exploring the area, we headed back to the bus and took a detour up a steep, narrow, winding road beside one of the stunning waterfalls. You could see the whole valley at each switchback, which was simply beautiful.

Headed towards Bergen, we hit another construction road-block and took a short break to watch Tom & Jerry videos on the bus TV screen, which was fun. The traffic at this stop was backed up as far as you could see, so it must have been blocked for quite some time.

We drove along the Hardangerfjorden and a piece of the Bjornafjorden, both picturesque. We stopped at another waterfall, Fossatun, which is unusual in that you can walk behind the falls.

From there we drove to Bergen and were settled into our private homes. Our hosts are very friendly and nice, and their children gave up their basement rooms for us. We have a working toilet down here, but the sink and shower are two flights up and shared between us all. We are here with Sue and Charlotte, the others are divided between two other homes.