Visit to Iceland and the Scandinavian North

of the Viennese that they cannot live away from their Stephen's steeple; but here was a proof of the contrary, for there are

uilt portion is the best, for it at least has broad, tolerably long streets, in which the houses are of brick, and sometimes large. In the by-streets I

f wood, as in all stone houses in Scandinavia. The theatre seemed large enough for the population; but I did not enter it. The freemasons' lodge is one of the most beautiful buildings in the town; it contains two large saloons, which are used for assemblies or festivities of various kinds, besides serving as the meeting-place of the freemasons. The university seemed almost too richly built; it is not finished yet, but is so beauti

ails in all Scandinavian towns-is, that the names of the streets are affixed at every corn

uch nights as the almanac announces a full

ge warehouses, likewise built of wood, are situated; bu

e wares very beautiful, though not of home manufacture. Very

treets; the young men especially looked very ragged. They rarely begged;

uary or February, and usually last three months; but so much business had this time accumulated, that the king proposed to extend the length of the sess

the hall, and afford room for eighty legislators. Opposite the benches a table stands on a raised platform, and at this

r whether the orator spoke fluently. Unfortunately, the speakers I heard spoke the few words they mustered courage to deliver so slowly and hesitatingly, that I could not form

ur feet forward. You are then buckled in with a leather apron as high as the hips, and must remain in this position, without moving a limb, from the beginning to the end of your ride. A board is hung on behind the box for the coachman; and from this perch he, in a kneeling or standing position, directs the horse

it is at once bottled when made, and not sold in casks. The carts for the transport of these bottles consist of roomy covered boxes a foot and a

rty, and which my readers will excuse my describing, is made of fine white tin, and provid

enades; indeed, every road from the town leads to the most beautiful scener

The majority of the country-houses are built here. They are generally small, but pretty, and surrounded by flower-gardens and orchards. While there, I seemed to be far in the south, so green and verdant was the scenery. The

raised in it, but neither of them are of importance: one is raised to the memory of a

TO DEL

ns of Delemarken. I was indeed told that it would be a difficult undertaking for a female, alone and almost entirely ignorant of the languag

d comfortable progress of travellers. One is forced to possess a carriage, and to hire horses at every station. It is sometimes possible to hire a vehicle, but this generally consis

carriage, and, following the example of Norwegian dames, I seized the reins. I drove as if I had

enery are almost oppressive, and would be an inexhaustible subject for the painter. The vegetation is much richer than I had hoped to find it so far north; every hill, every rock, is s

ing us to Drammen; here forming a lovely lake on which boats were rocking, there a stream rushing through hills and meadows; and then again, the splendid expanse dotted with proud three-masters and with countless islets. After a five hour

ged was pretty and clean. My bedroom was a large room, with which the most fastidious might have been contented. The supper which they provided for me was, however, most frugal, consisting only of so

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s day, with the exception of the sea. But instead I had the beautiful river, until I had ascended a hill, from whose summit I overlooked a large and apparently populous va

peculiarity of Norwegian rocks is their humidity. The water penetrates through countless fissures, but only in such small quantities as to cover

fe to the monotonous landscape. The industry of the Norwegian peasant is very great; for every spot of earth, even on the steepest p

e. There is such an abundance of wood in Norway, that the streets on each side are fenced by wooden enclosures; and every field and meadow i

h as was fashionable in the last century, ornamented with a bunch behind, and with an immense shade in front. They are made of any mat

ttle caps like the Suabian peasantry, petticoats commencing under the shoulders, and ve

he centre of a splendid wooded valley. It is, like all the towns in Norway except Ch

olour of the water as it surged over the rock. It was about noon as I drove across the bridge; the sun illuminated the whole country around, and the

n a few hours in Kongsberg, I preferred to see the waterfall and believe the accounts of the silver-mine; which were, that the deepest shaft was eight hundred feet below the

es over the steep precipice with a sudden bound. The considerable depth of the fall and the quality of water make it a very imposing sight. This is increased by a gigantic rock planted like a wall in the l

that I might have a view of it from all sides; and each view seemed different and more splendid. I perceived the same yellow transparent colour which I had remarked in the fall at Kongsberg in

ated by the moon. The thought involuntarily entered my mind, how easily my guide, who sat close behind me on the vehicle, could put me out of the world by a gentle blow, and take possession of my effects. But I had confidence in the upright character of the Norwegians, and drove on quietly, devoting m

commodations, whose exterior this resembled, my courage failed me; but I was agreeably disappointed when the peasant's wife led me up a broad staircase into a

he trip; for his peasant-host rarely can furnish him with these. His cows are on the hills during the summer; fowls are far too great a luxury for him; and his bread is scarcely eatable: it consists of large round cakes, scarcely half

able; but these I will mention in a future chapter,

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when I arrived the darkness of night concealed it. It is situated in a pretty wo

e, and walks beside you in a very sleepy manner; the horse knows its master's peculiarities by long experience, and is only too willing to encourage him in his slow, dull pace. I spent more than five hours in reaching Tindosoe. My next object of interest was the celebrated waterfall of Rykanfoss, to reach which we had to cross a large lake. Although it had rained incessantly for an hour, and the sky looked threatening, I at once hired a boat with two rowers to continue my journey without interruption; for I anticipated a storm, and then I should not have found a boatman who would have ventured a voyage of four or five hours on this dangerous lake. In two hours my boat was ready, and I started in the pouring rain, but rejoiced at least at the absence of fog, which would

eculiar. The mountains seemed to push before each other, and try whose foot should extend farthest into the sea. This

er which rocks and stones tower as mountains, present a very curious appearance. The most fearful rocks hang over the huts, and threaten to crush them by falling, which would inevitabl

a beautiful sight; but I would willingly have relinquished it for a day of sunshine. It is no trifle to be exposed to such a shower-bath from morning till night; I was wet through, and had no hope for better weather, as the sky was clouded all round. My perseverance was ne

See, where it is usual to stop a night as there is a pretty fa

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sants prophesied that it would remain wet. As I would not return nor wait for better we

es distant. The road runs through a narrow valley, which gradually narrows still more until it can only contain the river; and the traveller is obliged to ascend the heights and grope on along the sides of the mountains. Below in the vale he sees the foam of the waves surging against the rocks; they flow like a narrow band of silver in the deep chasm. Sometimes the path is so high that one neither sees nor hear

om mist, and I could still admire the extraordinary beauty of the fall and its quantity of water. I saw the immense mountain-rock which closes the valley, the tremendous pillar of water which dashes over it, and rebounds from the rock projecting in the centre of the fall, filling the whole valley with clouds of spray, and concealing the depth to which it descends. I saw this, one of the rarest and of the most magnificent of natural beauties; but alas, I saw it only for a moment, and had scarcely time to recover from the surprise of the first view when I lost it for ev

I had at last to determine on my return. I left my post almost with tears in my eyes, and turned my head more backw

the cold, the want of food, and, above all, the depressed and disappointed state of my mind, had so affected me, that I went to bed with a slight attack of fever, and feared that I should not be a

The journey to Delemarken had been represented to me as much shorter than I found it in

st 2

at five o'clock, but was obliged

it either happens that there is really no horse to be had, or that this is an ostensible excuse. The traveller is told that the horse has to be fetched from the mountain, and that he can be served in one and a half or two hours. Thus he rides one hour, and waits two. It is also necessary to keep the tariff, as every trifle, the saddle, the carriage, the harness, fetching the horse, the boat, &c., has to be paid for extra; and when the traveller does not know the fixed prices, he is certain to be dreadfully imposed upon. At every station a book lies, containing the legal prices; but it is written in the language of the district, and utterly unintelligible to the stranger. Into this book, which is examined by the judge of the district every month, one may ent

very indignant when I told them of the dishonesty of thei

refore took the shorter road to Christiania, by which I had come, although I thereby missed a beautiful district, where I should, as I was told, have seen th

evening, the amiable host wished to keep me waiting again two hours for a horse; and as this would probably have happened at every station, I was obliged to hire a horse for th

the hosts, the boatmen, the drivers, the guides, were as selfish and grasping as in any other country. I believe that kin

eamer along the coast to Hammerfest, buy a little vehicle and a good horse there, and then travel pleasantly, and without annoyance, through the whole country. B

ad, and always barefooted. Their cottages, built of wood and covered with tiles, are more roomy than those of the Icelanders; but they are nevertheless dirty and wretched

le

ania to Kong

g to the wate

gsberg t

kosoe to

e across the

the waterfa

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