Lillehammer & the Peer Gynt Road - Norway - page 208

N-2669 Bjorli. & 61-24-44-00. Fax [phone]. www.bjorligard.no. 56 units. 910NOK ($129) double. AE,
DC, MC, V. Closed May and Nov. Bjorli lies northwest of Lesja along E6. Amenities: Restaurant; bar. In room:
TV, coffeemaker.
Brekkeseter The origins of this hotel date from 1772, when its cen-
tral core functioned as a farm for the midsummer production of hay, and the
spring and autumn gathering of moss (used as cattle feed) from the surrounding
mountains. Today, set directly atop the tree line (where the forest ends and the
rocky uplands begin), the site comprises 25 separate buildings, each an old-fash-
ioned plank-sided testimonial to the building techniques of yesteryear. The
largest of these, built in stages between 1772 and 1995, functions as a small-scale,
conventional hotel. None of the rooms in this part of the hotel have TVs or
phones, but the simple but cozy decor reflects the barren but beautiful landscape
outside. Each of the accommodations comes with a small bathroom with shower.
If you opt to rent one of the conventional bedrooms, it will come as part of a
highly unusual “three-quarter pension” plan, wherein breakfast, a full dinner,
and a boxed lunch (which you'll pack yourself from a wide choice of raw ingre-
dients) is included in the rates. If you opt to rent one of the cabins, it will con-
tain a full kitchen, and space for between 2 and 10 occupants, ideal for large or
small families. Its price will not include any meals. The hotel's location just out-
side the boundary of the Rondane National Park assures a plentiful supply of
mountain scenery, lots of reindeer grazing nearby, and a splendid sense of isola-
tion, plus easy access to hill climbing, trekking, and cross-country skiing (the
hotel rents skis on-site).
N-2673 Høvrigen. & 61-23-37-11. Fax [phone]. www.brekkeseter.no. 12 units, 17 cabins. 1,360NOK-
3,400NOK ($193-$483) double; 700NOK-1,800NOK ($99-$256) cabin (2-10 occupants). Rates for double
include 3 ⁄ 4 board; cabin rates do not include meals. AE, MC, V. Hotel closed Easter to mid-June and mid-Oct to
Christmas, but cabins are available. Amenities: Restaurant; babysitting; laundry service; availability of
trekking guides. In room:No phone.

Kids

6 Røros: Norway's Great Mining Town ™
159km (99 miles) SE of Trondheim; 399km (248 miles) N of Oslo
Tucked away in the mountains of eastern Norway, the old mining town of Røros
is now part of UNESCO's World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. It is the
most famous and evocative of Norway's mining towns.
More than 3 centuries old, it is known for its collection of 80 well-preserved
buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Many of Norway's old wooden
towns have long burned to the ground, but the Old Town of Røros is still so
authentic that film companies regularly use the town as an authentic backdrop.
One such film was An-Magrit, starring Liv Ullmann, adapted from the work of
Røros's best-known author, Johan Falkberget, who lived in the town until his
death in 1967. Some of Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking classics were filmed
in Røros as well, and it was used as a setting for Siberia in Solzhenitsyn's A Day
in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
Røros lies at the northern tier of the Osterdal, a valley to the east of Gud-
brandsdalen. It is famous because of its rich copper mines, which were launched
in 1644, and ran until going bankrupt in 1977.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE By Plane Røros Airport ( & 72-41-39-00 ) is a 4-
minute drive from the center of town. Widerøe Airlines, a partner of SAS, flies
to and from Oslo Sunday to Friday.