SPOOKY TIMES IN AMERICA: VISIT SETESDAL
Today, still in pre-election 2024, we are visiting the Setesdal Valley of southern Norway. Where one-half of my family originates. The Nesets are Setesdal Valley people. Which is just fine, considering that in a way it represents a natural beauty and a way of life darn near too good to be true. One can apparently drive the length of it without seeing any signs of environmental disaster, dire poverty or rampant hatred of the “other.”
The Setesdal valley is centrally located in Southern Norway and easily accessible from continental Europe.
The highway RV9 passes through many villages and the landscape varies from flat countryside to wild and beautiful mountains. Around every bend, in the 210-kilometre long valley, new vistas and activities await you… In the Setesdal valley you will find living silver handicraft and traditional music. In the countryside or in exhibitions, you can see minerals from “the beginning of time”. Iron production from the Viking Age, local building styles, art and handicraft are exhibited in the valley’s museums…Choose peaceful days relaxing by your cabin or take a swim in the lake or go rafting in the foaming rapids. As you explore our impressive landscape, please show consideration for your surroundings for the benefit of future generations.
Have a nice stay in the Setesdal. (Setesdal visitor website)
My cousin Tone lives in Kristiansand, close to the southern tip of the Setesdal Valley. I’ve written about Tone and her family, and about the Valley many times in the past, both in this blog and in my book. Today, on this barely-fall day in Albuquerque, it makes me happy to say and show more. Perhaps you will enjoy a glance or two as well.
The big event for me, when visiting Tone and Simon, is what has become a bit of a tradition. A road trip a ways on up Setesdal with Simon, who is the perfect guide, knowledgeable about the big picture of the area, as well as happy to share family stories. Tone and Simon are about my sons’ ages, so they have a sense of time passing, of history and its grim possibilities, but are still young and hopeful enough to engage fully in everyday life. Perfect companions.
We headed north on a rainy day (an extra pleasurable experience for me, a resident of relentlessly sunny New Mexico–as I never fail to point out). As we are following the Otra River which will broaden into the lake known as Byglandsfjorden, the landscape is both of the super-scenic variety AND it leads to where it all started as far as I’m concerned, Neset (Neset Camping).
From Neset Camping, we head further north a short time, by Lauvdal, which as far as we can tell (Arne has looked at the records), was my grandmother Asborg’s original home.
Then on to Åraksbø, which came down to Tone and her brother from their father’s side of the family. Here’s an excerpt from a message Tone sent to me not long ago. We just arrived in Åraksbø – we also think it is cozy here. You have to come back asap! I spent almost all my holidays up here when I was a kid. The house was built by my grandpa. He was a municipal treasurer, so he was travelling around the county a lot. I think it was mostly my grandma who took care of the little farm. But they both died long before I was born. My dad was always working on the house to restore it. We had a big garden with lots of apples, and in winter we went skiing to the highest mountains here. I am glad that Oda & family and Erlend also like to be here, especially for Christmas and Easter… Norway is definitely a good country to grow up in. We are just complaining too much. I really hope things will get better in the US. If not, you should move to Norway. Anyway, you must come back to our little farm in Åraksbø.
I have dreams of staying in this village in this valley in this home sometime. It feels the ideal place to be whole within oneself.
There are such fascinating old structures here and there along the roadside.
Thanks Marj for your thoughts and great pictures of various aspects your childhood in Norway, county of Sedestal! Enjoyed reading about all of it, even about the salty butter you ate there, which tasted as salty butter should taste, as in France and unlike the one made here in the States (yes, they can’t or dare not start making real butter here, maybe as the US businesses might be afraid of being sued by people who may have been fallen terribly sick or having experienced a serious heart incident……
One other reason I liked your above post so much is that the only place in Norway where I had been, is Oslo and for one night only as follows: it is when I may have been at a WOMEX conference in Stockholm (another favorite city of mine in Scandinavia!) or at a similar one (that time solely about dance!), having planned to take a one-way trip from Stockholm to Oslo, as I wanted to get a taste of an 8 or 9-hour long trip by train and of the country side and forests between both capital cities (which I did!), besides also of a quick taste of Oslo where I remember I also attended a dance performance at the local Dansens Hus (located I remember within the city harbor!). My stay in Oslo was only for one night, as I had planned a return flight from Oslo to JFK, which made me change planes in London as I was trying then to fly mostly American Airlines…Today it is practically only Delta Airlines to which I had switched now 2 years ago already….So it was, remembering a saying in French language reminiscent of Homer’s “Odyssey” as follows: “heureux comme Ulysse qui a fait un beau voyage” and translated as follows: “happy like Odyssus who made a beautiful journey”! Wishing you Marj, a few more beautiful and memorable journeys like the above one or like Odyssus experienced…!