HAPPY NEW WEEK!
I hope everyone has a joyful week. The Brood X cicadas were screaming today on my patch. About a week ago, I noticed some big holes at the bottom of my trees. Various critters dig holes in my yard, so I didn't think much about it. Since then, I've seen articles about some of last year's Brood X cicadas popping up this year. Apparently, some of the bugs, called "stragglers," decided to sleep in, and they're appearing this year instead of last year. In most cases, it's because our soil didn't warm up to the required 64 degrees Fahrenheit until too late to wake them up in 2021. So, some of the noisy screechers decided to hit their snooze alarm and climb out this year instead!
There were so many of these, I decided to only photograph the most interesting ones.
A lady sheltering from the rain. She is entirely knitted, except for her umbrella.
The Gruffalo!!
All kinds of local symbols
Vikings!
The ship was waiting for us. We had a Norwegian menu that day for lunch, and I chose to have their traditional soup which was ham based, with a sort of broth consistency, and had root vegetables in it. Delicious!
PatO: Thanks for catching my dollars to pounds error.
Lindybird: I had a time imagining driving on roads through those mountains to the bridge. Those tidy villages remind me of Switzerland during a visit eons ago..... Oh Lord. Maybe the knitted tree goodies are what folks are reduced to during those lonng winters. :-) Wonder if they have associated contests? Very ingenious anyway.
AQ Maybe Lindy's pix could inspire a new knitting project for you? :-))
We then set off on our excursion. We had a knowledgeable local guide on the coach with us, and he told us all kinds of interesting things about both local history and national traditions. It is traditional for roofs to be covered in this kind of turf, for instance: insulation!
The previous coach trip before ours had been delayed by roadworks. This was in fact, maintenance work on the roof of the many tunnels which the road wound around as the insides of the tunnels were continually being compressed by the weight of the mountain above. The inhabitants are accustomed to being told to wait between 20 minutes and half an hour whilst the workmen did what was necessary. Sure enough, when we got to the spot he expected, we had to wait 20 minutes.
He played us some local music on a recording, which was clever fiddle playing and very jolly. Then he told us how some of the many road and rail tunnels were built, after the time when the oil was discovered which made their nation rich. Before then, Norwegians were mostly simple fishermen and traders. But they had to decide how best to invest the millions which were pouring into the nations coffers. Very sensibly, they decided to think of the future, and not cut taxes. Instead, they made a healthcare system which means that now, they have a completely free of charge arrangement, except for a small charge initially, to make an appointment to see a doctor. Everything else, however complicated, is absolutely free, including physical therapy if needed, and psychological care. They also care for the needs of the old. Youngsters get free schooling right up to University stage and even then might get a grant which never needs repaying. They begin going to school at 6 years old, although most do go to a nursery of some kind before that.
We wound our way up through the mountains, which were all around. When we got out of the coach, this was the view from what seemed like the top of the world.
We walked down a modern path and onto a metal platform jutting out, to see the astounding waterfall. This is the left hand side of it. Edit: the tiny green things are not plants, but tall trees!!!!
This is the righthand side of the waterfall, The Voringfossen. I just Googled it, as I had forgotten the dimensions, but it's a total drop of 182 metres.
The two branches of the fall meet together here and plummet down. It was quite a sight.
The surrounding landscape looks grim even in spring but there were several groups of buildings around, and they are nearly all holiday chalets, used for skiing in winter and cross country travel mostly on skis, plus summertime homes for those who enjoy trekking this stark dramatic landscape.
One of the modern chalets. Nearly all built on stilts.
More water everywhere around, on our way back down. Of course, luck would have it that we got caught out by the roadworks again. The guide then explained about wildlife - there used to be bears, but they were driven away. Its hoped they might return. There are also wolves but rarely seen. Many kinds of squirrel and also lemmings, which are like guinea pigs, a small mammal which commits suicide by drowning if they become over populated.
By the time we got through the various tunnels, we were over 40 minutes late to be back, but the ship waited for us!
Views from the coach window on our way back.