Volkstanzgruppe Stainz

Norway


On August 16th, 2010 very early in the morning the members of the Volkstanzgruppe Stainz (VTG) started their journey to the north.

In the last couple of years the VTG visited folk dancing groups in the southern parts of Europe and therefore it was a nice change to head to the north to see the impressive fjords of Norway and to enjoy calm temperatures. The journey was particularly special for us because 25 years ago one of the first VTG journeys led to the city of Ålesund in Norway. So there are a few members of our group who had already taken part in the first journey.

On the first day we had a 1,100 km journey by coach which led us to our first hotel in Hamburg right next to the river Elbe. Also our youngsters Selina and Katja (3 years old) as well as Felix (4 years old) were very relaxed and enjoyed the time. On our second day the main question was if we could make it to the ferry to Denmark in time because several unexpected delays occurred. And finally five minutes before departure we were the last passengers who boarded the ferry! Unfortunately there was not a lot of time to relax because right after departure we came into very turbulent sea. Luckily it calmed down and the next morning most of us could enjoy the passage through the land neck to Bergen. We could see fascinating hillsides and rocks along the coast, typical Scandinavian houses with red-painted wood as well as impressive and majestic suspension bridges which connect both stretches of coast.

Karte Norwegen

On our 3rd day stage we saw cows and goats right on the winding main road and had the feeling (due to the vegetation) to be on the Weinebene (a ski and hiking resort not far from our home village Stainz). Late in the evening we finally reached our accommodation for the following week – a very well-equipped chalet in the middle of an idyllic forest with a stunning view over the fjord.

 

Aussicht Hodga
View from the chalet towards the fjord

Our days in Norway were filled with sight-seeing tours through Ålesund and romantic fishing villages on offshore islands (to be reached via tunnels of up to 4km length 180m below sea level). We saw light houses, visited a gigantic aquarium of the Atlantic ocean, an open-air museum with beautiful old stave churches and ships, little museums and the newly constructed football stadium.

Almost daily we had the chance to show our programme with folk dancing, cracking whips, „Schuhplatteln“ (slapping one's shoes and thighs), folk music and swinging flags at various events. Special attention and applause was given to our young dancers and to the “Volksharmoniker” (six folk musicians playing with . On of our performances took place in a school where we also had the chance to talk to 12-14-year old pupils about our countries, the cultures as well as sports and hobbies. We were able to enthuse the youth for our folk culture through a special programme. At one of the many dancing evenings with our hosts and their friends we said thank you for the cordial accommodation and the outstanding food with a Styrian menu consisting of a Schilcher cream soup, scrambled eggs with pumpkin seed oil, apple strudel and Schilcher (rosé wine, typical for our region). Hence we are not only ambassadors of the Styrian culture but also of the Styrian cuisine.

As with everyone of our journeys the day of saying goodbye came much too early. However we hope that the folk dancing group “Ivar Aasen” will accept our invitation to visit us in Stainz in 2011.
Our journey back home took us to the famous fjord of Geiranger which was breathtakingly beautiful with its almost vertically dropping cliffs together with several waterfalls. We then made a stopover in the capital Oslo where we got to know a lot about Norway and were very impressed by this very green city with its wonderful parks and museums of shipping. Of course also a visit of the famous Holmenkollen was obligatory. Departing at Malmö we took the ferry to Travemünde and after a short sight-seeing stop in Berlin we finally came back home after almost 5,000km by coach in total. We gained a lot of experiences, impressions and made many new friends.

Gruppenfoto gemeinsam mit Ivar Aasen
Group picture of the folk dancing groups Ivar Aasen and Stainz

“The best education for a clever person is found in travel.“
With this saying of Goethe in mind we are already curious where our next journey will lead us to.

View Pictures of our Journey...