If you ever find yourself in this part of our beautiful world, then I highly recommend dropping by…read moreto visit this beautiful church. It is located in Vik, Norway. Pretty scenery everywhere one looks!! There is an entrance fee to enter the church. I believe the proceeds go towards the upkeep of this historical place. We were fortunate to visit before the bus load of tourists arrived. This church is a wonderful example of Norwegian architecture from bygone days. It is a stave church. Most of these churches were constructed between the 11th and 13th centuries. This specific church was built in 1130 approximately. It has been restored by The Society For The Preservation Of Norwegian Ancient Monuments. Much of the building is still original, though, including many of the stave walls. Such a beautiful wooden church!! The Norwegian wood carvings both inside and outside are impressive. A "Must See" when in this part of Norway!!

I really enjoyed my visit to this church. Plus, there was no one else there, so we were able to…read morehave the place all to ourselves to explore. A few of us made a day trip out of this, renting bikes in Balestrand and biking to the ferry in Dragsvik and continuing on to Vik. Needless to say, it was a long bike ride, and the reward at the end was this beautiful church. The church is located on the outskirts of town, a few minutes from the main area of town. When we arrived, we had the place to ourselves. It was extremely peaceful, but also gave us a great opportunity to rest our legs after a bike ride that was more challenging than expected. The exterior of the church has some wonderful woodworking at the top with dragons radiating from the top. Inside the church is rather dark and austere. It's also pretty empty, no ornate decorations present. The church was built around 1130, so it has been around for a while, albeit with reconstructions over those 900 years. Regardless, it is an impressive structure and display of craftsmanship. The person collecting the admission can provide some additional information about the church. This was a great day trip, granted taking the long way, as we did not have a car and rented bikes. We moved at a healthy clip (or at least tried to) and it is a full day of activity, when you factor in ferry schedules and travel time. At the end of the day, you can look back fondly on soaking up the scenery along the route and seeing a wonderful example of Norwegian architecture. I would highly recommend this as a visit should you be in the area. It's worth noting that there are limited dining options in the town of Vik, in the event you are looking to coordinate a visit with a meal.

It had all the makings of a Hollywood thriller..intrigue, mystery, possible murder, and one widow's…read moreplight for revenge... June 2018: My cousin and I had a couple hours to kill, so we drove to Vangen Church in Aurlandsvangen to visit with some old relatives...centuries old. The white stone church sits in the center of small village where you can't miss it. We parked in the large lot in front of the church, and then scouted the grounds to locate the gravesites of our ancestors. While photographing the tombstones, we noticed how beautifully and immaculately the cemetery was maintained with gorgeous flowers. We did not explore past the cemetery though, so who knows what lies beyond the grave(s)? The church was open, so we decided to take a peek inside. We were the only visitors at the time, allowing us to fully experience the old building's acoustics, squeaks and creaks, and peaceful ambiance. Influenced by thirteenth century English Gothic architecture, the interior was simple with impressively thick walls (1.3-1.6 meters), and green carpeting that echoed the lush green backdrop of the fjord church. Five original windows remain, with stained-glass windows by Emmanuel Vigeland added in a restoration in 1926. But amidst the straightforward design and decor hid a more complex fixture...a plaque commemorating a man and a mystery worthy of a Dateline episode. The plaque was created by Trine Henricksdatter in memory of her late husband, merchant Niels Michelson from Bergen. Flash back to year 1613: Niels drowned during a trade expedition, though his widow suspected foul play. He was later buried at the Vangen Church. Keith Morrison, with furrowed brow, and curled hand on chin: "Then what happened?" The angry widow included a psalm of revenge on the plaque, Psalms 109:7, along with a motif of a wailing woman. She hoped the killer would feel guilty when he came to church and saw the message. Did the suspect ever return to atone for his actions? Was Niels' demise indeed a homicide, or merely just a drowning accident? While we stood alone in the quiet church contemplating these questions, the door shuttered. We wondered if it was just the wind, or perhaps Trine, still waiting to avenge her husband's death. Overall we couldn't imagine a better place to connect with our history, and to appreciate the beauty of this impressive old church. With that, our hour had come, and we had to depart Aurland to rejoin our (live) family. .