A Week of Adventures

This week has continued to be full of brand new experiences and forging new friendships.  On Tuesday we had a very informative meeting with the Oppland County deputy governor, and we had great discussions about the similarities and differences between Norwegian and American governmental structures.  We then toured the National Olympic Museum and then were transported about an hour up into the mountains where we stayed at Venabu Fjellhotel, a ski resort near Rondane National Park.

Tuesday night we met with the Rotary Club from nearby Ringebu, giving our regular presentation, but we were also treated to a beautiful slide show about the Ringebu region, Rondane, and the wild reindeer that populate the area.  On Wednesday morning, we rose early for shoeshoeing and then an exhilarating experience driving dogsleds through the magical white terrain around Venabu.  Later we visited Ringebu's Stave Church, the oldest wooden church in the world, and then Ringebu Folk High School, a fascinating institution for which there is no American equivalent.

Today we toured Maihaugen Friluftsmuseum, an outdoor museum of traditional Norwegian home archicture, and then had a tour of Lillehammer University College, which features Norway's only school for film production.  Tomorrow we'll continue with a tour of the local police station, followed by the art museum and possibly other adventures.