Thursday September 22 Kongsberg to near Treungen on Lake Nisser


Thought this Stave Church was one of the best we have seen.


We had an empty gas cylinder (we carry two 11kg cyclinders) and yesterday spotted a filling station not far away from where we camped so this was our first stop this morning, and it was done very efficiently at a cost of 250 NOK (NZ$38). We use this for the fridge, water heating, elements and stove and it seems to last approx. 3 weeks, although guess when it gets cooler and we are using it to heat the van will go through it a bit quicker.
Stopped to fuel up with diesel and were pleasantly surprised to see it at 10.89NOK/Litre. It varies so much, depending on the day of the week! We have even paid well over 13NOK in out of way places.
Had read up a bit about Kongsberg last night and found it had an interesting history as silver was discovered here in the late 1500’s, the only place in the world where silver could be found in its pure form and for two centuries it sustained the town, making it the biggest town in Norway. The silver works closed in 1805 but by then it was the site of the royal mint, which still employs staff today.  The Kongsbeg Kirke (church) was funded by the mine owners and evidently is one of the finest baroque churches in Norway. Thought it a good idea to visit but sadly we spotted a hearse and lots of cars, and the building was covered in scaffolding so a “no show”!
The River Lagen tumbles through town and there are some pretty impressive rapids so we parked Ruakiwi in the same parking area as yesterday afternoon and went for a walk to check them out. Certainly very impressive and enjoyed ambling over the town bridge that crosses the river, enjoyed the statues on the bridge and the plaques celebrating the silver industry. Found Kongsberg to have a good feel as we wandered through the streets again and picked up some supplies before heading off South West on E134. Decided to take what is marked on the map as a scenic route to Kristiansand, which it really was, and thoroughly enjoyed the drive even with another section of hairpin bends, but this time the road was a little wider.
Just past Nottoden at Heddal we stopped at another Stave Church, they have really caught our imagination, and this one was supposed to be the largest standing Stave Church…and once again it was closed! But it really was pretty impressive.
Onwards through a farming valley with lots of well painted farm buildings and once again we saw so many of the store houses decoratively placed in front of houses. Then it was a climb up in the mountains and saw the beginnings of a 7km tunnel due to be completed in 2019 that will cut many km’s off this road. The Norwegians certainly know how to deal with their mountainous terrain.
Back down through forested country to some large lakes and spotted a really nice pull off right beside the lake – perfect for an overnight stop.
Worked out tonight that we have been 32 days in Norway, and only 7 have been spent in campgrounds at a total cost of NZ$225. To be able to stop in some of the most scenic places at no charge is pretty special, and will certainly miss this when we get back to the rest of Europe.
 
The rapids in Kongsberg

The hills are full of colour at the moment.

Amazing details


These old huts and store huts looked to be in original condition

Picture perfect scenery

And more hairpins!

View from tonight's camp

The lake glowed as the sun set.

Comments

Pamlyn said…
Spelling and grammar , ten out of ten. Photographs one hundred out of ten.
Meg Lipscombe said…
You really are my Number 1 fan cub Lyn D! Thank you.
Anonymous said…
Hi guys.....we are enjoying your comprehensive reports. Very graphic. Keep them coming. Sorry to here of your window fault. We know what its like as our door locks played up while were in south island and we spent two days in Motueka with an electrician.
Anonymous said…
OOPS...Sorry didn't leave name re message about door locks. carson and colleen
Meg Lipscombe said…
Hi Carson and Colleen, well as you have probably read we were lucky to get a partial fix of the window, getting it back up! We are going to get a few jobs done in Dusseldorf towards the end of our trip and will get it properly fixed there. In the meantime the window is permanently up!Glad you are enjoying the blog, we are having a great time especially with such great weather.