Programme

It is a great honour for us, as the founders of pilgrimage Balestrand, to invite you to the very first Pilgrimage wandering, Olsok 2014! (‘Olsok’ is the old mass day for St. Olav, our patron saint from the catholic time. Many of these saints’s mass days we still celebrate.)
This is an historical event, and we hope that you and many with you will participate! 

28th July: Arrival to Balestrand
In the evening: Meeting with film, film og informasjon

29. juli
Pilegrimsvandring til Kvamsøy
Pilegrimsgudsteneste i Kvamsøy kyrkje
Avduking av ‘skulpturen ‘Børtreet’ og signing av Børtrehuset

30. juli
Pilegrimsvandring til Tjuatoten
Alt. opplegg for dei som ynskjer ei mindre utfordrande løype

31.juli:
Avreise

You are free to choose to participate in the main Pilgrimage to Kvamsøy.

Practical information about lodging:

Balestrand has many possibilities to choose among.
Here is an oversite of the different alternatives:

Link to www.sjotun.com
Sjøtun camping is in walking distance from the express boat quay.

Link to www.booking.com/Dragsvik–Fjordhotel‎
Dragsvik Fjordhotell is beautifully situated at the  Sognefjord about 8 kilometre from Balestrand centre

Link til www.booking.com/Midtnes–Hotel‎
Midtnes is a family run hotel with rich traditions, 5 minute’s walk from the centre.
Midtnes hotell has given this special offer for pilgrims:
[toggle title_open=»Close Me» title_closed=»Open Me» hide=»yes» border=»yes» style=»default» excerpt_length=»0″ read_more_text=»Read More» read_less_text=»Read Less» include_excerpt_html=»no»]Prices given pr. person:
Overnight stay in double room 2 nights
Included breakfast and lunch pack…………..NKr 1050,-
Addition for room with a balcony…………… NKr 200,-
Overnight stay in double room 3 nights
Included breakfast and lunch pack…………..NKr 1550,-
Addition for room with a balcony…………… NKr 300,-
Extra for single room per night pr. natt ….. NKr 200,-
Dinner after ordering in the reception:
Price NKr 295,- pr pers. Is served at 19:00[/toggle]

Link til  www.kviknes.no/‎
Kviknes is among the Historical hotels of Norway
and is beautifully situated at the water fron of Balestrand centre.
Contact them for a special offer.

ENLISTING before 10th July
Contact:
Pilegrimsvandring Balestrand
Bjørg Frøisok Bjøberg
Fjærestad 44
6899 Balestrand
Mob.: 915 62 842
e-mail:  bjoergfb@online.no

With a kind reward from Bjørg og Arthur:
Here they pose in the Viking Oak… The thousand Year Oak…. one of the attractions at the PIlgreimage path.

Move mountains

The help of sherpas would have been great here!
Parts of the path have been callenging, indeed; some places the only possible trasee has been too steep to climb! I thought to myself; I had read about sherpas in ta neighbour village; If we only could have got them here. So I  thought loudly, and Jørgen got a glint in his eye and a smile on his cheeks……did not say anything……..
Next time I went for a ‘pilgrimage wandering’ on the path, I became quite emotional; There was the stone stairs… and another one with solid steps to take you up to the top……
Oh, that magical man… with his helpers! Now also a sherpa! No problem! Here they are, four strong and cunning lads: Jørgen, Erik, Arthur and Yngvar, who in each their way do a great contribution for the PATH! They saw trees, clear away the branches, tidy up and find good bends to make it better for the foot to tread…. 

Inner strength
If you have
ice in your belly
fire in your heart
an aware eye
and sharp sight
If you also have got
clear mind
a fluent toungue
and reward yourself
some quietness for thinking
Then you can
move the mountain

With every great work
you have to start small
If you’ll climb a ladder
you first enter
the lowest step
:::::

Click  ‘Open me’ then you’ll fint the ‘Programme for The first Pilgrimage in Balestrand…

[toggle title_open=»Close Me» title_closed=»Open Me» hide=»yes» border=»yes» style=»default» excerpt_length=»0″ read_more_text=»Read More» read_less_text=»Read Less» include_excerpt_html=»no»]Program

28th July: Arrival in Balestrand
In the evening: An assembling meeting with information, film and some coffee/tea and cakes

29th July
Pilgrimage to Kvamsøy
Pilgrim Service in Kvamsøy medieval church
Unveiling the sculpture ‘Worry tree’’…signing of the Worry Tree chapel

30th July
Pilgrimage to Tjugatoten mountain 1098 m
Alternative for those who want an easier route

31.juli:
Leaving Balestrand … or stay some more days on your own![/toggle]

Some small rain drops greeted us on the road…

…they were not followed by so many others….. warm weather… Now was the day and time for survey and some meditation on the pilgrim path! They have been clearing and together with Jørgen investigated about where the best trace would be …… Today Ingvar and Arthur were to show me the work the three of them had done. I could feel they were anxious and eager to hear my opinion. …..
IT IS GOOD!… The path turns around stones, creeps upwards on lingon clad slopes, twines around antiquated pine trees. Next the path climbs uphill on rounded big stones covered by moss and lichen…. soft and meak under your shoes….stones like memorial monuments give thoughts about those who were wandering underneath  the same tree crowns as we are…. and saw the same fjord as we do. A small rippling brook gave accompaniment to my thoughts … it made me sing inside .. We have just been celebrating that our Constitution is 200 years.. in a service in the church, and the choir sang ‘Old Norway, up north, is the land of our heritage’ … with this in mind I become solemn and respectful to the nature where we are allowed to be pilgrims …..

Some stones are boundary markers
that tell about the farm’s history
Some stones are brick stones
for stones walls around a field
Other  stones are in the brook
and have got rounded shapes
from joyful play with water
Then there are the old roadside guard stones
like lace edge
at the road
Then tere is the stone you cannot
describe
It is high or small 
knotted or smooth
rounded or flat
and you can not
be wrong when you see this one
It is the resting stone
for your lunchpack
or your meditation
::::::