NORWAY - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 439

[e-mail]; www.maihaugen.no . One of the most interesting
objects of Norway's past on exhibit in the museum is the Garmo Stave Church,
which was built in the Ottadal Valley area in the 11th century and reassembled
at the museum in 1920. Another interesting exhibit is “Slowly We Conquered Our
Country,” Norwegian history from the Ice Age until tomorrow.
In the dock area of the city from mid-June to mid-August, you can see the
Skibladner, a paddle-wheel steamer launched in 1856 and still in service today.
Its nickname is White Swan. True to tradition, salmon and strawberries are served
onboard. It is really difficult to accept the fact that the vessel is now more than 145
years old and is in as good a condition now as the day it was launched. Some
things do get better with age!
Art lovers will not want to miss the LillehammerArtMuseum, one of the leading
visual-art centers of Norway. Exhibits alternate between international and Norwe-
gian art from the 1800s through today, with the core of the permanent collec-
tion composed of works by artists such as Dahl, Gude, and Munch. Guided tours
run Saturday and Sunday 1400 to 1500 or by prearrangement with the museum.
Hours: 1100-1600 daily. Tickets are NOK 100 for adults; free for children younger
than age 16. Visit www.lillehammerartmuseum.com . E-mail: post@lillehammerart
museum.com for further information.
After visiting Lillehammer, if you would like to return to Oslo via a different route,
board the bus to Gjovik in front of the railway station at 1545. You arrive in Gjovik
at 1625. Board the train for Oslo that departs at 1932. This train returns to Oslo by
a different route and arrives in the Oslo Sentral Station at 2130. The train service
is one-class only, but it's always clean and neat.
The bus fare from Lillehammer to Gjovik is NOK 95. You will have time to do
some fast sightseeing in this charming little town on the west shore of Lake Mjosa
before departing on the 1932 train to Oslo.