The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-26
In THE NORTHLAND.
Hospitality Of the Norwegians
to Tourist Travellers.
BAD ROADS AN UNKNOWN THING
Hufs Of the PEASANTS On the Mountain
Sides Models OF Cleanliness-Ths
Poverty OF the People.

who is AZ present travelling IN Europe,
writes 70 her brother the following inter
esting sketch OF her experiences in Nor
way. where she - az present with party
OF friends. The Letter Is dated at
Frondhjean. June =. 1sss:
To-Day being cold and rainy have no
Inclination 70 60 ont, and great desire
20 write a letter 20 you all. so / have gone
10 my room and II company with Mrs 5,
enc CT our party OF eight. am writing
We arrived here las. night after q
fine overland trip 10 comfortable car
rtages OF 20 miles. through very grand
scenery-a combination OF Alaska and
Yosemite yaliey-and now. IL We pass
mountains Of less than & GO feet in height
no one looks At them Such grandeur In
waterfalls and mountains beggars de-
scriptSou and ! viii not try to describe
them
After leaving the Vega. our good
boat that brought Us safely over the North
sea- at Romsdale we took carriages hold
ing four In each and began our hong rids
with the sturdlest little mountain horses
ever saw We actually averaged forty
five miles a day with no sign OF fatigue
in the horses loaded down with four per-
cons. heavy wagon and the driver. be-
sides supply of oats. and only two horses
90 a wagon. We would stop 10 rest and
feed the horses every ten miles
You can imagine our accommodations
at the little mountain inns, and our food
was often 3 conundrum, but always clean.
as was every hotel or house we saw, in
eluding the humble peasants hut. The
little inns were always built OF logs. with
a roof covered FIRST with birch bark and
then soGdsd. Often IL was hard 10 tell
which grew the tsnickest on the roof OF the
houses. grass or Wild flowers. The sodded
roofing is almost exclusively used In Nor
way. outside OF the largest cities. Inside
the inns. the logs are plastered only where
they come close together. much as one
would putty window glass. but always
painted a delicate color Spotiess white
curtains were at every window, and each
window was full Of blooming plants: no
carpet anywhere except before a bed, and
often then there was but rug made OF
mountain goat skin: and sanded floors
sprinkled with sweet balssm. which per-
fumed the rooms There were feather beds
everywhere. one under you, another on
top and linen sheets.
THE atmosphere Is about Ike the last
OF November at home. I have slept under
two blankets. small feather bed and my
steamer rug ever since we came to Nor
way. OF course the nights are colder than
the daytime bat we are all wearing our
heaviest winter clothing. The air is so
bracing among the mountains. that one
THE people north of Bergen are stolid.
heavy and embarrassing. They are very
poor ard the young people look as old
as their seniors. All work hard. and when
you pass the women in the roads they
are always knitting heavy wooden socks
"a they walk along.
''One thing Norway can boast of be-
sides mountains and water falls and that
il perfect roads, constructed like the best
OF Tolfora roads in America They are al
ways in good condition everywhere. The
people do not seem TO know what dirt
roads are Another very lovely feature
is the numberless variety OF Wild flowers
most OF them strangers to us. but among
she mosn common are forget-me-nots,
small pansies Of every color. yellow violets
and daisies galore.
"One thing have yet TO learn IN this
country is how to spell. as one word often
contains the majority OF the alphabet. For
Instance the steamship company which we
patroaizs is known by the wonderful name
'Dampskibsselskab dst NordenCeldske
This Is no exaggeration. and there are
plenty OF words equally as long on every
hand. A mans occupation. as painted on
his store. often takes UP all the available
space.
AS we journeyea toward Throndlfjan,
the terminus of our overland tour the
country was less mountainous and easier
10 cultivate. About twenty miles from
here ! espied Walter A. Wood moving
machine In stable adjoining the hotel.
I thought 10 myself. This Is a long way
from home. or from where II was manu-
featured
1T would amuse A. TO see the ancient
mode OF farming here. The grass Is Just
beginning 10 be cut IN the mountains air
ny scythes. IL is dried on racks in the
sun before being put la the log barns.
which are built generally under the same
roof with the house In the winter the
wind blows so hard in this section that shs
same racks on which they dry the hay
serve as snow breaks. 10 prevent the wind
from carrying of the snow as Ia that
event the grass would be killed. II Is very
curious ard interesting TO See how these
poor people manage 90 get their crops cut
and lowered into the valley from the
mountain side. II Is done by means OF a
heavy wiro connecting the harvest field
with tho barn. They bind up what would
be a large forkful o, hay. put = on the
wire AMI let her GO In FEW seconds u
has arrived a. its destination. the barn.
or the log house used as such.
There are but few fences. Land own