Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
parture from Balestrand, then return on the 11:30 departure from Vik, arriving
back in Balestrand at 11:50—just in time to join a 12:00 glacier excursion (de-
scribed below). Because schedules can change, be sure to double-check these
times at the TI or
www.norled.no
. Since cars can't go on this express boat,
drivers
must go around the small Esefjord to the town of Dragsvik, then catch
the ferry across the Sognefjord to Vangsnes (a 20-minute drive from Vik and
the church).
Visiting the Church:
Originally built around 1140 and retaining most of
its original wood, Hopperstad was thoroughly restored and taken back to ba-
sics in the 1880s by renowned architect Peter Blix. Unlike the famous stave
church at Urnes (described later), whose interior has been rejiggered by cen-
turies of engineers and filled with altars and pews, the Hopperstad church
looks close to the way it did when it was built. You'll see only a few non-
original features, including the beautifully painted canopy that once covered
a side altar (probably dating from around 1300), and a tombstone from 1738.
There are only a few colorful illustrations and some very scant medieval
“graffiti” carvings and runic inscriptions. Notice the intact chancel screen (the
only one surviving in Norway), which separates the altar area from the con-
gregation. As with the iconostasis (panel of icons) in today's Orthodox faith,
this screen gave priests privacy to do the spiritual heavy lifting. Because Hop-
perstad's interior lacks the typical adornments, you can really grasp the fun-
damentally vertical nature of stave church architecture, leading your gaze to
the heavens. Follow that impulse and look up to appreciate the Viking-ship
rafters. Imagine the comfort this ceiling brought the church's original parish-
ioners, whose seafaring ancestors had once sought refuge under overturned
boats. For a unique angle on this graceful structure, lay your camera on the
floor and shoot the ceiling.
