83 



As this hour approaches, the sun becomes less glaring, gradually 

 changing into more brilliant shades as it dips towards the lowest 

 point of its course. Its motion is very slow, and for quite a 

 while it apparently follows the line of the horizon, during which 

 there seems to be a pause as when the sun reaches noon. This 

 is midnight. For a few minutes the glow of sunset mingles with 

 that of sunrise, and one cannot tell which prevails ; but soon the 

 light becomes slowly and gradually more briUiant, announcing 

 the birth of another day, and often before an hour has elapsed 

 the sun becomes so dazzling that one cannot look at it with the 

 naked eye. This constant daylight and brilliant sunshine has a 

 very inspiriting, exhilarating, enUvening and invigorating effect 

 on the traveller, and makes him feel that he does not want to 

 sleep — but feels so stimulated that he could undertake any 

 amount of endurance. 



The people are brave, industrious, moral, contented, and polite. 

 Intercourse with them is pleasing, they are so gentle, guileless, 

 trustful and honest. 



Agriculture and fishing are the principal industries, and so 

 meagre are the apparent means of obtaining a livelihood, that one 

 is driven to ask continually how do the people make a hvmg at 

 all. Whilst healthy, strong, happy, intelligent and contented, 

 their wants must be few and easily satisfied. 



Their food is of the simplest and plainest kind, and their 

 clothing primitive and of material frequently manufactured in 

 their own homes. 



We returned to Molde, and made two or three days excursion 

 up the Molde Fjord and the Eomdals Fjord and valley. The 

 scenery here is considered the finest of its kind in Norway. We 

 landed at Veblemnaes about eight o'clock, and were obliged to 

 make the excursion up the vaUey in the night, because the 

 steamer started at six o'clock the morning after, so we started in 

 carrioles up the valley at nine o'clock and got back at half-past 

 one. This is one of the advantages of the constant light, that 

 you can work or travel night and day if occasion requires. 

 Riding on these carrioles is the principal method of traveUing on 

 the roads in Norway. It is exciting and pleasant, and we 

 thoroughly enjoyed it, as we did all in Norway. 



Along the valleys and fjords of Norway a very striking feature 

 is the number of cascades and waterfalls, their number is endless, 

 and nearly always interesting. The Romdal valley is no 

 exception to the rule. Near Fladmark, some distance up the 

 valley, in a less distance than one English mile, no less than 70 

 falls can be counted, none less than 1000 feet high, and some 

 plunged down 200() feet. 



After getting back to Bergen we made a Uttle tour up the 

 Hardanger and across to the Sogne Fjord and down the Sogne 

 I^ord back to Bergen. 



