EUROPE - SCANDINAVIA - NORWAY : LOOKING FOR TROLLS
by Ursula Retief



The five specks were frozen on the green mountain slopes of eastern Norway’s Dovrefjell National Park. I held my breath. One, then another, stirred, and I knew we were seeing some of the prehistoric-looking musk-ox that roam this desolate terrain.

For a brief moment I had hoped against all logical belief that maybe, just maybe, I was seeing those mystical trolls. After all we were in Troll Park, that part of Norway north of Lillehammer – of Olympic fame – where they supposedly make their home.

I should have known better. The sun was shining and, as everyone in Norway knows, trolls emerge only at night and have to rush home to their caves before sunrise. If they’re touched by the sun, they turn into stone.

Troll Park is an area of mountains, a glacier, shimmering lakes, gently sloping hills and lush green valleys draped with waterfalls. We were there for a taste of its farmhouses, many of them born of necessity as guestfarms for the convenience of the Winter Olympics of ‘94. Now they’re a growth industry for Norwegian tourism.

It is a part of Norway rich with reminders and remains of centuries of civilization. here the plundering Vikings take a back seat. In Norwegian folklore this is where Ibsen’s Peer Gynt rode across the valley on the back of a reindeer. Here Nobel Prize-winner Sigrid Undset’s epic story of Kristin Lavransdatter, translated into more than 70 languages, was set and filmed.

Family and historical traditions are tightly woven into the fabric of the past and jealously guarded. At the distinctive Sygard Grytting farm, owners Stig and Hilde Grytting proudly showed us the superbly restored farm while their two sons – the 19th generation to live on the farm – played around us.

A huge room upstairs seemed ideal for parties or small weddings, and Stag confirmed that they had had many there. But they discovered that the ancient floors were damaged by the dancing revelers'’ feet so they stopped hosting them.

"The floors are fine now," said Stig, "but who knows what damage could be done in a hundred years time. And we have to think of the next generation."

Sygard Grytting is a 50-minute drive north of Lillehammer and in the middle of Gudbrandsdal Valley, one of the most scenic parts of Norway.

The ancient Pilgrims’ Road to Trondheim to the grave of King St. Olav passed through the farm in the Middle Ages. In Sygard Grytting’s inner courtyard you can inspect "Olavsloftet", the oldest of the farm’s 25 timber buildings still in use. Built in 1300, it served as a guest house for the pilgrims.

The family will share with you their knowledge of the old peasant culture, the old architecture, traditional cooking (the sumptuous meals at Sygard Grytting, including elk, reflect the traditional foods of the farm, and not forgetting Hilde’s after-dinner sour cream cakes), traditional costumes, archaeological findings and the myths about St. Olav and their pilgrim attic.

Several of the mountain farms here have roots dating back to the 13th century, and the unique stave churches are historical reminders of the period when Norway was converted to Christianity by St. Olav.

Each farm has its own charm and its own history. Each local host adds his own special touch to the farm. At the Bjerke Gard at Lillehammer, for instance, Annikken Bergerud transports guests back to the old Norway with a display of family clothes and costumes.

Bjerke, more than 1,000 years old, was an inn and posting station for pilgrims in the Middle Ages. One of its stone barns, overlooking the river and Lillehammer, functioned as a TV studio for CBS during the Olympics.

It has been in the same family since 1792. Annikken and Henrik Braastad have elegantly restored the farm buildings, and Annikken’s baked salmon could have come from any of Europe’s finest kitchens.

At Biri, between Gjovik and Lillehammer, is Krageberg, a farm since the 15th century and owned by the same family for five generations. Ola and Eva Krageberg have restored the 200-year-old stabburs (store house) in the ancient style. After a swim in the river or a horse buggy ride (Ola drove one of the horse-sleighs at the Olympic ceremony), Eva will tempt you with her special sour-cream porridge with melted butter and other delicacies.

Still following the Troll Trail north, Storhaugen in the mountains is a thriving goat farm with lovely log cabins in the old Norwegian tradition.

It has a fascinating history. Jorgine Boomer, hostess of the Waldorf Astoria in New York and a native of this valley, returned here to buy the farm. She built the timber houses and came back every year with her chauffeur, Baxter, to spend her holidays here, Marit and Magnar Slettede have maintained her standard of hospitality.

Further northeast, you will receive a warm welcome form Brit Ivar at Vingelsgard Gjestgiveri, a farm near the center of Vingelen village. When we were there, one of our party astonishingly managed three helpings of Brit’s traditional dry cottage cheese speciality, lavishly ladled with thick sour cream and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

Many of the guest rooms, in centuries-old farmhouses which have been restored and upgraded, have been kept in the old style but with modern facilities, some even with en suite bathrooms.

If course, if it’s your taste, some superb, modern hotels are available, often where you may least expect it.

Take, for instance, Roros, an old mining town whose entire center is an historical treasure of log-built houses, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. At its heart is the Quality Hotel Roros, run on international lines by Robin and Marianne Skaug and renowned for its cuisine.

On your way to Roros you will want to walk into Dovrefjell National Park, Europe’s last remaining, virtually intact, high-mountain ecological system.

The musk-ox share this wilderness with reindeer, wolverine and fox, and there are many rare plants.

After a long but easy climb, your guide will serve coffee freshly brewed on a hilltop with squares of chocolate. From a distance, the musk-ox may spare you a glance.

Musk-ox can attack if they feel threatened. The key words are care and respect. Keep this in mind if you should meet a herd or a stray beast when you’re in Dovrefjell. If not, you might still be there when the darkness falls and the trolls emerge.

Photo: courtesy Jørn Adde © Trondheim kommune
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