Lærdal, Norway: Borgund Stave-Church

It's a good-sized ride from Flam to Oslo, and a couple of stops along the way to stretch out are always a good idea. Seeing the Borgund Stave-Church is a good reason to delay the trip for a while.

After all, how often do you see an 800-year-old church in some place other than a big city?

Most churches of this type were built between 1130 and 1350, but the plague of that era generally stopped most construction projects. The Norwegian versions are the only ones that have survived to this day. Twenty-eight are still standing, and the Borgund version has the fewest alterations of any of them. 

The inside of the place is a little like a plus sign. An altar is at one end, and entrances open from two others. It's fair to say that the church never had a big congregation, because it's tough to fit more than maybe a couple of dozen people in there. Very little daylight gets in; during our tour a big flashlight was needed for illumination. 

In 1868, this structure became a museum, and a new church was built next door. I was a little surprised that our guided tour did not visit the new place, which is still standing. Happily, there's a rest stop just down the road that can handle a tourist's necessities.