The National tribune., 1890-10-16
SCANDINAVIAN RAMBLEs.
The Fi0rds and Fields Of NOsway-WOnderful Mount
ain ScenerY-Cascades nd LibitunI-A Norwegian
Church-The Great Gotta Canal-Vislt to COpen J.
hagen-fiamlefs T0mb-IlIumnated Waterfalls

ain ScenerY-Cascades nd Libitum-k Norwegial
Chureh-ihe Great Gotta Canal-Vist TO CODen
hagen-Hamlets T0mb-Illumlnated Waterfalls
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: How mucf
| wish you had been with us in our triT
through Norway, especially between Odde or
the Hardringer Fiord, and the Hankelid Cea
tor, on top of the Hankelid Field. 1t was one
OF the grandest drives | ever took. Almost
from the very first we were in q narrow valley
with hardly room enough for more than tn,
rushing, roaring mountain river, and our road
| which. by the way, must have cost pretty
penny to build and keep it perfect repair
Every bit OF ground that can he cultivated is
made to yield its utmost. Where they can
| only raise grass they take care of that, and in
many places the ground is so steep that !
should think tho people would fall off when
moving, unless they tie themselves on, as thoy
do their children in some Of the mountain
| houses. They use n much shorter scythc than
! we do, and have racks which look like fences
on which thoy dry the hay. Al little dis
lance these look like immense caterpillars.
| The wind blowing through the grass dries it
much quicker than it would on the ground,
| which is desirable in country where they
have so much rain. They make pile of about
| 50 Kilograms, or 100 pounds, which they fasten
| up with rope. A man then sits down. passes
| his arms through the loops, and carries his
load down tho mountain TO tho barn. In
| several places we saw wire ropes running up
| tnS mountains 10 SEM down bundles OF hay
| and wood by. These come down with such
| speed that the sparks fly We drove all day in
the midst of this wild scenery. About noon
we reached the snow line and my friends had
game of SNOWFALL. Think of that in tho
| middle of July The valley was 80 narrow
that in one place a waterfall on the opposite
side threw its spray clear across our road
About 10 p. m. We came to snOwslide across
the road, aud had TO get ont Of our vehicle and
walk across it. 1t was very cold, aud was glad
when we got to our designation.
We had rooms in staJttr house. built in imi-
tatiOn of their stOrebOuses with the upper story
overbanging the lower one IL was new, and
putt OF Norway pine, vanished, the rooms
celIed, and what furniture there was made Of
the Same material. Our room was not more
Than by 8, but IL was as neat as wax, and so
we were happy, though there was a roaring fire
and we were very much crowded. The next
morning we break tasted on reindeer steak
potatoes and onions. They live on potatoes in
Norway. Indeed | tell my young people that
don't see why they don't have them for des.
sert, as they present in all the other courses
But shall never get over that day or the
scenery. The latter was indescribably grand.
Norwegian scenery is fierce but not frOWning
In many places tho huge rocks hung over as
though longing to crush tho man who dared
invade their solitude. We wore more than two
weeks In this delightful country sailing on the
which are equal TO those in the parks in
America. l can not say so much for their
trains, which are wearisomely slow. The OK
press trains run at the rate of Ii miles an hour
aud wait so long at the stations that all tho pas
sengers get out and walk around visiting their
friends, who are in the other compartments.
One day we went TO the Geiranger Ford
which. with Nearo and Lyngan, are considered
the finest fords in Norway. Ii is not very long.
IS quite narrow, with high mountains on either
side, running almost straight up from the water
TO the clouds. Not IA pleasant place for a ship
wreck or fire. On one mountau-side we
counted 50 waterfalls. One noted series of
waterfalls is called the Seven Sisters" though
there are really nine, side by side. We thought
them worry beautiful, until we turned aud saw
very large one on tho other side of the ford,
which seemed to come right out of the earth
and which rushed down with such force and
volume that the noise could be heard long
distance.
Near the top of ono of the highest mount.
aims We found a farm, and on il a woman
about 20 years old, who had never come down
into the valley until she WAS married. / won
dercd how | should have liked 10 stay in such
place all my life. For her it may have made
no difference for she knew no other place and
may have been averse To climbing those sleeps |
We spent one Sunday ut Yosse vagen, and
attended the church. The peasant worshi pcrs
their quaint costumes. They Nil seemed TO
want TO get into one pow and after all tho seats
we're Janned full the others would crowd in |
IN front OF those sitting. They sang n great
deal Ia nasal monotone, and ia very bad time. |
The minister read good deal, and delivered a |
long sermon, all IN monotone, and without a |
single gesture We staid until tho first inter. |
mission IN the services aud then came out. |
They kept il up until late in the afternoon
We went 10 Stockholm hut found IL So warm |
there that We did not enjoy il, and soon left |
We went part of the way TO Copenhagen on the /
famous Gotta Canal u very curious and inter
estng work. In all we made an ascent of 3E5 /
feet, each lock raising us 10 feet. Sometimes
we would go through five or six locks at a time,
and they looked like great stairs.
We remained az Copenhagen from Saturday
afternoon Till Wednesday morning and became
very fond of the Danish Capital. One day we
took tho train up 10 Helsignor, or Elsinore and
went to the Castle kronberg aud up onto the
Flag Battery, which commands the Sound. |
From there we had u very fine view of the
Sound, aud saw the German flee, sail ina
very grand sight. Ii was on this battery that
the Ghost appeared to Hamlet, and under 10 is
supposed TO be buried the man of whom Hans
christian Andersen speaks, aud who will rise
10 warn the Danes of any coming danger.
We next walked to the grave of Hamlet 1t
IS IN lonely corner of garden, ON a small
nil; above it is pile of stones put together
with mortar, and covered with a rough slab on
which are cut the words Hamlet's Grave"
We came down through Germany TO grand
I'D Switzerland One of our first visits was TO
Mont Piatus, so named because of the legend
hat Plate fled there after the death of Christ,
md, tortured by remorse. finally sought peace
~ drowning himself in the lake. The mount
in is over 5000 feet high, and is climbed by
abroad, which is "A very brilliant piece of en-
cheering In many places the angle of eleva-
ION Is rs degrees. | don't see why we didn't |
pill of. The train is forced up by a cog. wheel
n the center. II was very cold on the summit
nd we were glad to get down again, but we
arried away tho memory of wonderfully
rand Wow. The next day, while we were
aving a rain-storm below, we were treated 10
he sight OF magnificent snow storm on tho
FOUNTAIN. We next went TO Geissbaeh, where
n spite of pouring rain, we saw the cello.
rated falls Illuminated. IL was fairyland. S
here were seven cascades illuminated nj once
first In white, then red, and then one in
'hitc, another red Il third blue, n fourth vic. |
st, and so on The effect was magnificent
|. +. W., Lucerne Switzerland.
Victory Won TOO Late.
Detroit Free Press }
Detroit wholesale house sent an agent into
nc of the northern counties the other day To G