NORWAY - Scandinavia - page 524

much larger museum and visitors center; it may be under construction during
your visit.
Walk a few steps farther, and stop at the tall stone monument erected
to celebrate the North Bergen Steamship Company. Its boats first connected
Balestrand to the rest of the world in 1858. In front of the monument, some
nondescript concrete steps lead into the water. These are “The Kaiser's
Stairs,” built for the German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, who made his first
summer visit (complete with navy convoy) in 1899 and kept returning until
the outbreak of World War I.
Behind the monument stands one of the largest old wooden buildings in
Norway, the Kviknes Hotel. It was built in the 1870s and faces the rare little
island in the fjord, which helped give the town its name: “Balestrand” means
the strand or promenade in front of an island. (The island is now connected
to the hotel's front yard and is part of a playground for its guests.) Hike up
the black driveway that leads from the monument to the hotel's modern lobby.
Go inside and find (to your left) the plush old lounge, a virtual painting gal-
lery. All the pieces are by artists from this area, celebrating the natural wonder
of the fjord country—part of the trend that helped 19th-century Norway re-
connect with its heritage. (While you're here, consider making a reservation
and choosing a table for a smörgåsbord dinner tonight.) Leave the hotel lobby
(from the door opposite to the one you entered), and head up to St. Olaf's
Church (300 yards, described next). To continue this stroll, take King Bele's
Way (described later) up the fjord.
St. Olaf's Church —This distinctive wooden church was built in 1897. Con-
structionwasstartedbyMargaretSophiaKvikne,thewifeofKnutKvikne(of
the Kviknes Hotel family; her portrait is in the rear of the nave), but she died
in 1894, before the church was finished. This devout Englishwoman wanted a
church in Balestrand where English services were held...and to this day, bells
ring to announce services by British clergy. St. Olaf, who brought Christian-
ity to Norway in the 11th century, was the country's patron saint in Catholic
times. The church was built in a “Neo-stave” style, with lots of light from
its windows and an altar painting inspired by the famous Risen Christ statue
in Copenhagen's Cathedral of Our Lady. Here, Christ is flanked by fields