The chieftain's wife greets all at the Viking longhouse
A small view of the v. massive longhouse
I so looked forward to this excursion. Being addicted to cosplay, I even considered attending this event in full Viking maiden costume. Thankfully I decided no one really needs that spectacle. The excursion bus was boarded at Stamsund. Throughout the drive to the Lofotr Viking Museum, a rather somber Viking told a bit of Viking history. Inside of an hour, we departed the bus at the site of a massive recreation of a Viking longhouse, based on an original one dated to 900 AD.
Plenty of atmosphere in the longhouse
The ship's passengers including me, were the honored guests to the Viking Cheftain's household. The feast began with the chieftain's wife beating a hand drum to open the required ceremony of sacrifices to the Norse gods. The sacrifices would hold the end of the world, aka Ragnaorok at arm's length.
Next, the resident witch entered the room and spoke the words that would keep us all safe.
The Viking cheftain next made his plea and vows to the gods (sadly, it's a rear view of the chef, draped in bearskins).
The ceremony complete, din-din was served. Here below is mine. Roast lamb with loganberry sauce, barley, carrot and turnips. There was a plentiful serving of sour cream and very old style triangles of grainy bread. All of it was delish and it was a delightful recreation of a genuine Viking meal.
The drinking glasses contain water on the left, and mead (honey wine) on the right
As the meal began, everyone's glasses, containing mead were hoisted up, everyone shouting SKÅL! along with our hosts. Scål,(which in English is 'Skol' which means Cheers or some such). Anyway, Scål was shouted with vigor at any and all excuses. Scål! See what I mean?
While the guests dug into their hearty meal, the hosts entertained all, with flute music and song. Scål!
Guests were also invited to take part in a dance around the room. Shockingly, I for once didn't partake - I wanted to film it instead, and the dance video is at the end of this post.
Stockfisk, split down the middle, then hung to dry
The meal was finished - Scål! - at leisure and we were told we could then visit the Viking Museum in the next room over. Entering the room you cross under 'stock fish' which are a type of cod, hung on long rods. The stock fish remain a valued export of modern Norway. Scål!
Fishing spears and other 'old school' tools
A separate room held a Viking asleep in his bed and sundries - Scål!
A huge ceramic Sea Serpent traversed the room - symbolically anyway...
Another Sea Serpent devouring a hapless eel
After a brief tour of the museum, I nervously left the longhouse, to traipse downhill along the well lit path, to the Museum store. No photos there because I was too busy gawking at the AWESOME goods for sail, the most tempting being the tankards identical to the ones from which I quaffed my mead and water. The metal bits were hand crafted by blacksmiths, and the glass, no doubt, hand blown. Sooo tempting! Scål!
How worried I was about missing the bus is that even though the bus only had 2 of the many passengers on it as yet, I didn't want to risk going back into the museum store and somehow miss catching the bus.
When the bus was finally full of happily stuffed folk, the bus headed north. The cool thing was although we disembarked the ship in Stamsund, we were to catch up with and get back on board in the town of Svolvaer. Here is the short vid of the evening of wining and dining with the Vikings, without any worry of the delightful calories consumed at the meal. Scål!
