Welcome to Balestrand!

It is a great honour and joy to wish you welcome to the very first pilgimage in Balestrand. This idea was born 12 years back in time, so it is now become a teenager. On time to send the one out into the world! Will you join us? If your interest is caught, set the date in your agenda already now! To get new information and be updated…follow the ‘Pilgrimage news’ under the www.detgylnehus.no…..  Many pieces are to be organised… but so fare we are on the scedule!
Whom are a pilgrimage wanderer?… If we take a broad view of the matter; we are all of us pilgrims…life itself is a pilgrimage.  We have all… once in our lifetime… need of stopping…for one or two days, one or four weeks… and go in to the silent room. Such a room might be ‘nature’.
Our pilgrimage is going on in a very special sort of nature…. with connection to fjord, mountains and pieces of great historical and spiritual worths. It is like a complete oasis…. and we have tried to arrange oasises into the oases….in order to give your soul and mind and body a refill….. according to your needs….

Nature medicine
Nature is there
waiting for you
until you discover it
Nature comes
to a meeting with you
with all its fragrances and scents
Nature comes
with peace for your mind
harmony for your soul
There is blessing in every sigh
healing in every air movement
Is this what you call nature medicine?
:

[box type=»info» style=»rounded» border=»full»]Pilgrim. The word comes from ‘peregrino’ and referres to a person who is in foreign land… to be humble wandering with open senses and without predisposed attitude. You will be meeting with omeone… maybe… as well as meeting with yourself in a new way…[/box]

[box style=»rounded» border=»full»]More information is already available under our website …link to http://www.detgylnehus.no/en/pilgrimage-balestrand-project/[/box]

[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»]Ord til pilegrimen
Wander out!
You were born for wandering.
wander  out!
There is somebody you should meet.
Where? Whom?
You don’t know it yet –
maybe yourself?

Go out!
Your steps will be your words-
the path your song,
your tiredness your prayers –
and in the end – when all is past
your inner tranquility will speak to you.

Go out!
Alone or together with others –
but come out of your self!
You had rivals –
you will find friends and companions.
You met enemies –
you will find brothers and sisters.

Go out!
Your head don’t know
to where your feet will bring your heart.

Go out!
You were born for the road –
the road of the pilgrim.
Somebody will come to meet you –
search for you
so that you can find Him in all the Holy
at the end of the road –
in the deepest of your heart.
He is your peace!
He is your joy!

Wander!
God is already wandering
together with you.

Anonymous
Translated byGunnar Siqveland to Norweagian
Translated from there to English by Bjørg Bjøberg
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4th February is a great day!

To make a pilgrimage path … that is really a huge task! W have got many staring days in this project of ours. Today is the start of the preparing of a new parcell of the pilgrimage path…… the one that is leading the wanderer on to the really old village road towards Kvamsøy….. that one  i s  there … ready to tread the foot to wander on. The ‘trefoil leaf’ Jørgen Hundseth, Ingvar Åberge and Arthur Adamson have now started on the path finding and creating. Jørgen and Ingvar went out some days ago in order to mark the trace, put red ribbons on branches. Today Ingvar and Arthur are out there with motor saw and machete. The path has to ‘join’ with the nature to be good for walking. The ground has to ‘fit with the boots’…. Small adjustments…. some stones are nice to tread on, while others you have to stay clear of. As little break into the nature as possible…… 
The forest is full of trees, all are beautiful and some quite special… We will name them ‘mark trees’ and make a little sitting area with benches… for resting and reflection….. Some trees are unique!.. One of the most special trees in this area is ‘The Oak of a Thousand Years’ About which I will write a special blog… This one is to tell that we are ‘on the go’…. much work is still to do….. but I tell you: There is much behind us, as well….

Soft tones
i meet you
in the morning dew
Catch a melody
to take with you
on the wandering
out into the day

[box type=»note» style=»rounded» border=»full»]Pilegrimsled is a hiking road, a path or a road that leads to a destination of special religious/christian character/ In the ‘Pilgrimage Balestrand’ the Kvamsøy island and the little medieval church is one of the goals. Look up the link: http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilegrimsleden[/box]

Great day for pilgrims! – 22nd November 2013

Everu possible and impossible official bodies have said ‘yes’ (or not said ‘no’) to us building a little chapel for the ‘Worry tree’ on a ground on the island Kvamsøy. Inger Johanne and Bjarne Hjartholm, the property owners have all the time been positive to the project, and have been willing to give land for the house. Balestrand municipality, including all involved parts of administrastion, have given good advises and support in every part of the process. What a community! In Balestrand it is possible to be an ideamaker and -developer. Our experience is that it is not only an official body but they are human beings! People with knowledge and competence, and most worthfull of all: sight for walking and viewing.

Some grey weather from the morning changed gradually as the outer limits of the land mas marked. When Åsmund Land surveyor  had drilled the iron mark bars  ‘the boundary stones’ into the rock – 5 in number -, og got them marked to the GPS, the November sun was shining. Bjarne brought us back to the mainland by his little rowing boat, and – as in school essays – we all agreed on ‘that it had been a great tour’. We all knew that this was a historical day.

(Click the picture to see the whole picture!)

[box type=»info» style=»rounded» border=»full»]Kvamsøy island

Kvamsøy in Balestrand, the county of Sogn og Fjordane, situated at the northern side of Sognefjorden; 147 km².

On the island close to the inland, ca. 15 km south of Balestrand sentre, you’ll find Kvamsøy church from 1300. The new chursch from 1903 is about 5 km further out at the fjord. The narrow fjord ‘pond’ between the island and the mainlandis one of the best harbours in the Sognefjord area. and there are traces of moorings to where the ‘jekte’ could be fastened  (jekt: a boat with high, upright stem)

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1098 meter over fjorden

Med fritt utsyn til sju kongerike står vi på platået der Tjuatoten er høgast. Eg har klatra til toppen før, men denne gongen er spesiell: Vi finn KROSSEN!
Vi fekk den finaste haustdagen vi kunne ønske oss, klår haustsol med varme er ikkje daglegdags. Tett granskog og lyse bjørkelier; blåbær, krekling og tilogmed tyttebær lenger opp mot høste kulen, sol og lette skyer. Sveitte og litt svimle ved eggen, der vi ser ned til Esefjorden på vestsida og Sværefjorden, Vetlefjorden og Fjærlandsfjorden langt nedunder på austsida.
Heile vegen oppigjennom med dette store spørsmålet inni meg: Finn vi krossen, denne gongen?

Hjartet banka fortare, det var ei djup stille mellom oss , i tillegg til fjellstilla; så, med eitt står eg to meter unna nokre steinar som ligg i ring! Vi nådde toppen, men den var ikkje målet, denne gongen. Krossen var målet og der låg det!

Pilegrimane ved målet i Santiago de Compostela kunne ikkje ha vore lukkelegare enn Arthur og eg var ved dette underet! No ynskjer vi at mange, mange – frå heile verda – skal få same opplevinga som vi. Men vinteren må vike og snøen vekk før pilegrimar kan gi seg ut på Tjuatotenvandringa og finne krossen!

Den nye dagen
lyser som ei sol
over andletet ditt
og du strålar attende
og lyser for dine medvandrarar