Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Local Guide:
Bjørg Bjøberg, who runs the Golden House art gallery,
knows the town well and is happy to show visitors around (500 kr/1.5 hours,
mobile 91 56 28 42).
Car Rental:
The Kviknes Hotel can arrange a one-day car rental for you
(tel. 57 69 42 00), or contact the Balholm Car Rental agency (tel. 41 24 82 53,
Balestrand Harborfront Stroll
—The tiny harbor stretches from the aquar-
ium to the big, old Kviknes Hotel. Stroll its length, starting at the aquarium
(describedlater)andlittlemarina.Acrossthestreet,atTheVikingShipshack,
a German woman named Carola sells German sausages with an evangelical
zeal (see “Eating in Balestrand,” later). Next door, the Spindelvev (“Spider's
Web”) shop sells handicrafts made by people with physical and mental dis-
abilities. A local home for the disabled was closed in the 1980s, but many of
its former residents stayed in Balestrand because the government gave them
pensions and houses in town.
Then, in the ugly modern strip mall, you'll find the TI, supermarket, and a
community bulletin board with the schedule for the summer cinema (the little
theater, 800 yards away, runs films nightly in their original language). On the
corneristheGoldenHouseartgallery andmuseum(described later). Justbey-
ond that is the dock where the big Bergen-Sognefjord express catamaran ties
up.
Across the street is a cute white house (at #8), which used to stand at the
harborfront until the big Joker supermarket and Kviknes Hotel, with its mod-
ern annex, partnered to ruin the town center. This little house was considered
historic enough to be airlifted 100 yards to this new spot. It's flanked by two
other historic buildings, which house a gallery and an artisans' workshop.
Farther along, find the rust-red building that was the waiting room for the
19th-century steamer that first brought tourism to town. Today it houses the
Norsk Reiselivsmuseum (Norwegian Travel Museum). It's filled with histor-
ic photos, described in English, that show this part of Norway over the last
150 years (free and open daily). In a few years Balestrand is hoping to build a
