Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sigrid Undset Country
Winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1928, Sigrid Undset
(1882-1949) still enjoys an international audience. She lived and wrote
about this area in central Norway, and was known for her novels about
Scandinavia in the Middle Ages. Her
Kristin Lavransdatter
became an
international bestseller. Her books have been translated into all the
major languages of the world. Undset wrote 36 books and was a great
storyteller who was particularly adept at exploring human psychology.
Born in Denmark the same year as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf,
Undset came to Norway at age 2, where in time she devoured Norse
sagas, finding inspiration for her later work.
In 1919 she moved to Lillehammer, after a life in Oslo, the subject of
many of her novels. An outspoken critic of Nazi Germany, she fled in
April 1940 when the Germans invaded her country. She went to neu-
tral Sweden, not wanting to be taken hostage by the Germans. In the
1940s she came to the United States to plead her occupied country's
cause. Upon her return to Norway in 1945, she lived for another
4 years, but never wrote another word.
You can recapture some of the atmosphere of Undset's prize-win-
ning trilogy,
Kristin Lavransdatter,
by visiting the
Jørundgard Midde-
lalder Senter
at Sel (
&
61-23-37-00
). This medieval farm was re-created
in 1995 for the Liv Ullmann film
Kristin Lavransdatter.
The film helped
put Undset back on the Norwegian cultural map, especially among
young people.
The farm lies in Nord-Sel, 15km (9
1
⁄
4
miles) north of Otta, which is
reached along E6. The center consists of 16 buildings and a conse-
crated stave church. You can join in a guided tour and taste foods of
the Middle Ages. The center (
&
61-23-37-00
) is open for guided tours,
costing 60NOK ($8.50), daily from 10am to 6pm from June to mid-
September.
items made in Lesja. From June 20 to August 18, it is open daily from 10am to
5pm, charging 35NOK ($4.95) to enter. Children 14 and under enter free.
WHERE TO STAY & DINE
In addition to the choices below, the
Rondane Spa
(
&
62-23-39-33
) at the
gateway to the Rondane National Park is the only spa-hotel in this region of cen-
tral Norway.
Bjorligard Hotell
This is the area's most appealing hotel. It evokes a large,
contemporary chalet, thanks to exposed planking, weathered siding, and a
design that might have been inspired by a mountainside lodge in Switzerland.
Redecorated and renovated in 1995, it lies within a 7-minute walk from the vil-
lage ski lifts. It attracts a sports-oriented and in many cases rather youthful clien-
tele. Public areas contain paneling, a blazing fireplace, rustic artifacts, and cozy
comfortable seating nooks. Bedrooms range from midsize to spacious, including
16 units with four-poster or king-size double beds; all come with views over the
surrounding landscapes. The midsize bathrooms are tiled and modernized, all
with tub/shower combinations.
