The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1884-04-25
NOR WAY.

THE PECULIARITIEs AND HOME LIFE OF
THE FAR NORTHERN PEOPLE.
Mrs. Sarah K. Bolton in The Congregation
alist.
We were three days crossing the
rough North sea, from Hull, on the
English coast, to Bergen. The first
persons met on the steamer were Mrs.
Ole Bull and her friends, Mrs. James
T. Fields and Miss Sarah o. Jewett, on
their way to the beautiful home of the
former, which occupies the whole
island of Lyso, near Bergen. The
memory of Ole Bull is precious to every
Norwegian, and his wife receives great
honor from them.
Nearly all the people have blue eyes,
and hair like tow, while the horses and
dogs are of this same creamy color.
One street was quite covered with fir
twigs on account of funeral on that
day. The body is kept for eight days,
and then, between the house and the
church, the way is made green and soft
for its burying
The next morning we were in Bergen,
the quaintest city I have ever seen.
Artists come here in great numbers to
paint the picturesque white houses with
red roofs, and picturesque people. l
saw for sale here beautiful picture of
Ernest Longfellow, of Cambridge.
We rode up the Sogneford (the word
means a narrow arm of the sea- to
Lmrdal, where we must needs go for
car;oles. The bay is unsurpassed for
beauty. One feature of the journey
gave me great satisfaction. My hus.
band paid for his ride a little oven
twelve kroners ($3), being man; I, be-
cause they considerably account a wife
only part of the husband, paid half
the sum.
Soon after we had started in our
carioles we overlook Nils Gierre, a
student from Minnesota, studying in
the university of Upsala. As I was
anxious to visit some of the homes of
the peasants, Nils acted as our guide.
The kind people welcomed US most
heartily when they learned we were
from America, the land they all long to
see before they die. Several homes
had but one room each, while others had
one below and one above. Here
in one corner was the hand
loom, where the bedding and
clothes were woven; in the other,
square box that could be drawn out as
a bed; and in third, huge pile of
stones, with hole for fire in the centre,
and an iron kettle hanging over it.
In the upstairs room stood balf
barrel of the Norsk beverage, which we
were invited to enjoy. 1t is sour milk,
replenished day by day, and allowed to
ferment, when it will intoxicate Seeing
that we did not imbibe deeply, the
hostess said to our young guide: We
clean our barrel two or three times a
year, while most people rarely OF never
clean theirs" The taste to me was an
extraordinary combination of vinegar
and mould.
The ride through the country was
charming beyond description. The
road winds through a valley made by
the river Lera, foaming torrent which
has forced it's way through great lodges
of rock. Sometimes we rode for rods
through tunnels cut in the solid stone,
taen along the brink of a precipice and
chen where half dozen waterfalls wet
us with their spray, making rainbows
in the sunshine. We stopped at the
church of Borgund, the most fantastic
structure lever saw, four Gothic houses,
one above another, the whole covered
with tarred shingles and rich in Runic
inscriptions.
Our meals at the stations were lax
and fad-brod, the latter made from
water and barley or oat meal, rolled
into 'pasteboard sheets about ten feet
across. Once I saw ''Tyk milk" was to
be had, and called for it, but found that
it was very thick sour milk of an uncer-
tain age.
The Scandinavian race is, believe,
the most polite in the world. From
little boys of 6 to men of 60, both rich
and poor, all take off their hats to each
other. Fishermen at their hard work
do not forget to lift their weatherbeaten
caps to one another.
Living is very cheap in Norway. 25
cents buying fine dinner. Berries are
generally given you in soup plate
filled to the brim with cream.
Scores of people asked us about Paul
du Chaillu, whom they greatly esteem.
CREKA TION At ROME