Contrary to expectation, we were treated to yet another display of perfectly acceptable weather in Sogndal today, offering us the chance to meander around the city a little further. My parents have already seen much of the city, of course, but all of it is new to me, so any opportunity for aimless wandering is a welcome one as far as I am concerned.
Early in the day’s exploring, I became acquainted with Gjest Baardsen, a nineteenth-century local of SogndalsfjĆøra most famous for his criminal shenanigans that landed him in Akershusfestning (bonus points if you remember it from my earlier Oslo posts!) for 18 years. In his later life, he produced a number of memoirs and pieces of prose, earning him one of the wildest Wikipedia entries I can remember: “Norwegian outlaw, jail-breaker, non-fiction writer, songwriter and memoirist.” Though he apparently fancied himself a Robin Hood-esque “criminal for the people,” further scrutiny evidently disputes his claims of altruism. Nevertheless, he was more than happy to share a photo with me.
After this look into Sogndal’s past, it was time for a peek at the future. Loftesnesbrua, a steel bridge that crosses Sogndalsfjorden, was built in late 2017/early 2018 and has received awards for its construction. While we intended to cross the bridge on today’s walk, we eventually decided to save our strength (and get out of the chilly breeze), so we shelved the crossing for another time.
The rest of our day was spent in conversation with Arnor, Kari, Geir, Erik, and Kari, and I also had my first introduction to Kristine, Geir and Marit’s daughter. A promising forecast has emerged for the coming weekend, so we have started to cook up plans for some more exciting sightseeing on the horizon.
Where the Waterfalls Mean Home 