What Anna's Up to Now: Eidfjord, Vøringfossen and Kjeåsen

Eidfjord is in the innermost part of the Hardangerfjord. There is a nature center there which has a very impressive scale model of the region, as well as exhibits about the lifestyle and culture of the inhabitants, the reindeer herds and the trout fishing operations.

Yes, this is a goat on the roof of a shop, that's how they keep the grass on the roof trimmed.

Children's Hardanger Bunad (regional rural garments of Norway)

Norwegian sweaters for sale!

Herd of stuffed reindeer in the exhibits

Dramatic scenario exhibit!!!

Statue of Viking huntsman in the exhibits

Next on the agenda was an overlook to see Vøringfossen, a magnificent waterfall with a 182 meter vertical drop. They have a nifty hotel built by the overlook and there are some very nice walking areas. The landscape is very interesting and since its is so close to the tree-line, there are remarkable types of vegetation that is only seen higher above sea level.

Bare birch trees speckle this landscape since autumn has already seemingly come and gone.

View walking up to the overlook.

Lingonberries grow wild around here, as do crowberries, blueberries and the sweetest raspberries I've ever had.

Bare birch trees

Vøringfossen

After the waterfall, I went to Kjeåsen, a mountain-plateau farm which is at least 400 years old and lies close to the treeline, 530 meters above the fjord. It has been called the world's most "inaccessible" farm and up until the 1970s the only way to reach the farm was a step vertical climb of bare rock-face up the side of the mountain. There has been at least one book written about the family who lived up here and the stories are fascinating. Apparently, if someone was old, they would decide when to descend the mountain so as not to put their loved-ones through the inconvenience of removing their body from the farm if they were to die up there. For some more information the wiki page is: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Kjeåsen&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8. Hit the first "result" and "translate", can't seem to get the link to work directly.