Day 7: Wednesday morning... late breakfast today, it's hard work being a forbonde :-)... dinner last night was great with reports from the journeys of all sleighteams.Thank you to the market commitee for the invite!
Most exciting though was Jørn Holmes news. He is the leader of the Norwegian directorate of cultural heritage which has decided to protect several roads and routes lately. This also include part of the tradingroutes to Røros used by forbønder. It will hopefully be on Unesco's list of world heritage sites in the future. Amazing news! Just imagine if Jöns and the others that revived the forbonde-tradition in 1981 knew about this when they started out. And funny that the idea of doing this journey started when visiting a vegetable-market in Morocco. At this point it lies on Norwegian national level but his work and of course many others might have contributed to bring this tradingroute to the world heritage list. Quite spectaculare!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Day 6: I'm packing my sleigh for the last part of the journey. It is a strange mixture of sadness and excitement that marks this day. In Røros the Market and festivities begin in the same moment our journey is over, the moment we enter the opening ceremony.
Our track towards Røros this morning is meandering through a landscape of frozen lakes and small islands, windbattered mountainbirch scratches against the sleigh and falling snow cover the furs we keep over us. A bit outside Røros we stop to start a fire and make some coffee. We are waiting for other teams of forbønder traveling to the market. When I can hear bells from the other sleighs my heart beats a little faster. It is one of my favourite moments when familiar faces and fury hats turn up behind steamy horses. This is a moment we have all to ourselves without audience and cermonies. The coffee is hot and we've managed to bring a cake for the occasion beside the pork and dried meat we usually share.
When we continue it's only a few kilometers left before we reach our destination Røros. We line up behind a fenced area not visiable to the crowd waiting. Since our sleighteam were the first to revive these journeys in 1981 we are waiting to drive in first of about 85 horse-equipages carrying almost 300 forbönder that has made it to the market this year.
It is overwelming to see the thousands of people that has gathered to see us enter the cermony.
All horses and forbönder stop to meet with eachother and enthusiastic visitors a bit further up. We are served warm lunch out in the open before we head down to our accommodations for the coming week. The commerse and activities on behalf of our Sleighteam will take place in the backyard of an old farm located in one of the mainstreets of the city, -Rasmusgården. Furs and casted sleighbells are some of the commodities we've brought to trade and sell. There will also be food, drinks and music to entertain all visitors. Tonight all 300 of us are invited to dinner at Røros Quality hotel by the market committee followed by dancing and singing until early morning hours... at least for those who haven't taken it all out on the way there...
Our track towards Røros this morning is meandering through a landscape of frozen lakes and small islands, windbattered mountainbirch scratches against the sleigh and falling snow cover the furs we keep over us. A bit outside Røros we stop to start a fire and make some coffee. We are waiting for other teams of forbønder traveling to the market. When I can hear bells from the other sleighs my heart beats a little faster. It is one of my favourite moments when familiar faces and fury hats turn up behind steamy horses. This is a moment we have all to ourselves without audience and cermonies. The coffee is hot and we've managed to bring a cake for the occasion beside the pork and dried meat we usually share.
When we continue it's only a few kilometers left before we reach our destination Røros. We line up behind a fenced area not visiable to the crowd waiting. Since our sleighteam were the first to revive these journeys in 1981 we are waiting to drive in first of about 85 horse-equipages carrying almost 300 forbönder that has made it to the market this year.
It is overwelming to see the thousands of people that has gathered to see us enter the cermony.
All horses and forbönder stop to meet with eachother and enthusiastic visitors a bit further up. We are served warm lunch out in the open before we head down to our accommodations for the coming week. The commerse and activities on behalf of our Sleighteam will take place in the backyard of an old farm located in one of the mainstreets of the city, -Rasmusgården. Furs and casted sleighbells are some of the commodities we've brought to trade and sell. There will also be food, drinks and music to entertain all visitors. Tonight all 300 of us are invited to dinner at Røros Quality hotel by the market committee followed by dancing and singing until early morning hours... at least for those who haven't taken it all out on the way there...
Day 5: It is -12*C and at departure from Vauldalen Monday morning. We are on our way to Brekken were schoolchildren greets us with singing and waffles. We also bring with us flowers to place next to the statue of a Forbonde in Brekken. It might seem a bit cliché but it is an opportunity to send a few thoughts to our ancestors in which footprints we travel.
It is a special experience traveling by horse. There are no annonymous part of the road like when you pass by in a car. Each feature in the landscape becomes part of a personal history. The root next to the road is the one that tipped the sleigh last year. The ice on the lake is where we were racing the horses across 10 years ago and the small hill on the other side is where someone fell off the wagon one way or the other :). This mean that we are not just traveling in the footprints of our ancestors but also in the traces of our own memories and hopefully we are creating a path for the future as we go. The schoolchildren from this morning were very interested and enthusiastic hopefully tomorrows forbönder. I am also very glad, not to mention impressed, that our oldest Coachman Alvar (84) is driving the whole route again this year. Annelie our youngest codriver is (24) so I belive there's hope for this tradition to carry on.
The County Govenor of Jämtland, Britt Bohlin, shows up for a surprisevisit at lunch to travel with us for the rest of the day. The snow is very deap in places and the last part of the day is perhaps a bit too exciting. At the farm Billehaugen they've made room for our horses in their stables but most of us twolegged participants go back to Vauldalen to spend the night.
The sauna is hot and the beer Icecold when we get back and everything is ready for a last evening with good friends before we reach the final destination...
It is a special experience traveling by horse. There are no annonymous part of the road like when you pass by in a car. Each feature in the landscape becomes part of a personal history. The root next to the road is the one that tipped the sleigh last year. The ice on the lake is where we were racing the horses across 10 years ago and the small hill on the other side is where someone fell off the wagon one way or the other :). This mean that we are not just traveling in the footprints of our ancestors but also in the traces of our own memories and hopefully we are creating a path for the future as we go. The schoolchildren from this morning were very interested and enthusiastic hopefully tomorrows forbönder. I am also very glad, not to mention impressed, that our oldest Coachman Alvar (84) is driving the whole route again this year. Annelie our youngest codriver is (24) so I belive there's hope for this tradition to carry on.
The County Govenor of Jämtland, Britt Bohlin, shows up for a surprisevisit at lunch to travel with us for the rest of the day. The snow is very deap in places and the last part of the day is perhaps a bit too exciting. At the farm Billehaugen they've made room for our horses in their stables but most of us twolegged participants go back to Vauldalen to spend the night.
The sauna is hot and the beer Icecold when we get back and everything is ready for a last evening with good friends before we reach the final destination...
Day 4: Sunday morning 14th of February. We are leaving just before 8 in the morning to reach the morningservice in Funäsdalen at 9 a clock. It is just -8*C and incredible beautiful when the sun rises. We are unexpectedly escorted by a reindeer calf across the lake. He just showed up and politly greeted the horse in front before he took over and decided to lead us across the lake. He actually followed us all the way into the museum area in Funäsdalen where it got a bit too crowded. A truly remarkable and amazing experience. You'll have to check out the pictures!! After blessings and a prayer from our forbonde priest we are ready to carry on. One of the toughest uphill climbs awaits us but the sleighs slides easily on the icy surface so it is just as hard on the horses as on us running next to them. Towards the end of the day we cross the Swedish-Norwegian boarder and a few kilometers later we arrive at Vauldalens Hotel where busloads of people have traveled to meet us and join us for dinner tonight. Jorid and Ole peder running the family hotel are Forbönder themselves and their welcome is especially meaningful to us.
We are surprised with cake on Valentine's day by other forbonde-friends that weren't able to join us this year...mmm lovely!
Before bed we have a look at the horses, make sure that they don't have any injuries and are comfortable and dry. then a few hours sleep before the alarm goes off again... Good night
We are surprised with cake on Valentine's day by other forbonde-friends that weren't able to join us this year...mmm lovely!
Before bed we have a look at the horses, make sure that they don't have any injuries and are comfortable and dry. then a few hours sleep before the alarm goes off again... Good night
Day 3: It's -17*C and still dark when we are leaving Långå. Lots of people has lit lights for us along the road below their farms, small lights that really mean a lot to us in the dark februarymorning. We'll have to travel along modern roads for a bit to day. Many that are passing stops to pull out their cameras. The traffic is mainly considerate but some don't even slow down probably not realizing the danger they are putting themselves and us in.
The rest of today's route follow a lake called Lossen. There are lots of traces after wild animals along the way and in total we've seen 6 elks today. Lovely locals meet up at one of the smaller lakes to bring us reindeer craft, coffee and sandwiches. They have also cut open the ice so that we are able to get water for the horses. The entire bunch of forbönder are smiling when we head on and the rest of the way is as if made for visits between the sleighs with dried meat end high percentage beverages on the menu. It is dark again before we reach Ljusnedal where we will stay the night. Our friends who's driven ahead to make sure everything is in place has cooked lovely dinner and dessert.
Feels like it will be an early evening tonight but you never know :)
The rest of today's route follow a lake called Lossen. There are lots of traces after wild animals along the way and in total we've seen 6 elks today. Lovely locals meet up at one of the smaller lakes to bring us reindeer craft, coffee and sandwiches. They have also cut open the ice so that we are able to get water for the horses. The entire bunch of forbönder are smiling when we head on and the rest of the way is as if made for visits between the sleighs with dried meat end high percentage beverages on the menu. It is dark again before we reach Ljusnedal where we will stay the night. Our friends who's driven ahead to make sure everything is in place has cooked lovely dinner and dessert.
Feels like it will be an early evening tonight but you never know :)
Friday, February 12, 2010
Day 2: Hi there finally :)... we've just arrived our final destination for today, Långå, and was served a fantastic fish for dinner. Our eminent musicians, Orwar and Diana are playing piano and flute...while I'm hiding behind a curtain trying to write you and sing at the same time multitasking at it's prime.
Yesterday morning we left Klövsjö at 8 in the morning. Churchbells ringing to send us off mixed in with the sleighbells. It was only a couple of degrees minus so very nice compared to last weeks' -35*C.
Both horses and Forbönder are excited and a bit tense on the morning of departure... It is quite hectic, everybody is packing their sleighs with furs, something to eat and drink and hay for the horses. What strikes me though is the sight of experienced hands handling horses and equipment. No universitydegree can ever compeete with this sort of knowledge. It has to be acquired through physical experience sometimes over a lifetime. I am incredible grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this and to be able to share the experience with good friends.
We made it over the mountain and arrived Vemdalen last night. Even though the evening was filled with lovely dinner, singing and a few drinks we were all exhausted and one after the other went to bed before midnight.
This morning we left the village while it was still dark at 6 in the morning which mean that the horses need to be fed and watered around 4 am. Some of us decided to leave extra early to give the horses some extra time since this is the day we travel the longest distance with rather difficult conditions (~50 kilometers).
We didn't stop until sunrise... spectacular, glowing, sparkling, cold morning. We've been trying to walk as much as possible to save the horses some work and to keap warm. The snow is tough when it is this cold, the sleighs don't slide easily but it's so beautiful that it hurts.
I've uploaded som pics for you, enjoy and see you tomorrow!
Yesterday morning we left Klövsjö at 8 in the morning. Churchbells ringing to send us off mixed in with the sleighbells. It was only a couple of degrees minus so very nice compared to last weeks' -35*C.
Both horses and Forbönder are excited and a bit tense on the morning of departure... It is quite hectic, everybody is packing their sleighs with furs, something to eat and drink and hay for the horses. What strikes me though is the sight of experienced hands handling horses and equipment. No universitydegree can ever compeete with this sort of knowledge. It has to be acquired through physical experience sometimes over a lifetime. I am incredible grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this and to be able to share the experience with good friends.
We made it over the mountain and arrived Vemdalen last night. Even though the evening was filled with lovely dinner, singing and a few drinks we were all exhausted and one after the other went to bed before midnight.
This morning we left the village while it was still dark at 6 in the morning which mean that the horses need to be fed and watered around 4 am. Some of us decided to leave extra early to give the horses some extra time since this is the day we travel the longest distance with rather difficult conditions (~50 kilometers).
We didn't stop until sunrise... spectacular, glowing, sparkling, cold morning. We've been trying to walk as much as possible to save the horses some work and to keap warm. The snow is tough when it is this cold, the sleighs don't slide easily but it's so beautiful that it hurts.
I've uploaded som pics for you, enjoy and see you tomorrow!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The day before leaving....
sitting here with a feeling of christmas day... The day before "take off" is hectic as always! It has been lots of hugging!... wonderful to see everybody again... many of which I haven't seen since last years journey! This is the day for final adjustments in many ways the day our journey begins when everybody gathers at the farmhouse in Klövsjö. Although for most forbönder the preparations of this years journey started right where last years market ended. Training horses, repairing equipment, Personally I've spent the last day repairing my furcoat. The hundred year old seams have to put up with all sorts of more or less athletic maneuvers and need some love and care to keap me warm for these couple of weeks. For once I managed to pack my belongings the day before leaving instead of the morning before leaving, so I feel quite proud and responsible. I'm afraid that will end abruptly when I realize all the things I've forgot. The evening entertainment has just started. Music,singing and stories from old times are being told... and I suspect it will last for quite som time yet! :)
For those of you who have the opportunity to come visit us along the way please do!! Hugs //Jen
For those of you who have the opportunity to come visit us along the way please do!! Hugs //Jen
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Background History
The story behind this journey and the relations between Jämtland and Trøndelag stretch back into prehistory and is mentioned already by famous medieval author, Snorri Sturluson. The two regions are today located on each side of the Swedish-Norwegian boarder. Many would say that the close relations between Jämtland and Trøndelag can be explained by the fact that they both were part of Norwegian territory for a long time. But it seems that the boarder separating them may also have played an important role of keaping the regions closely connected.
At the peace agreement in Brömsebro 1645 Norwegians were banned to trade and transport commodities on Swedish territory while the Swedes were still free to trade and travel across the boarder to Norway and naturally took advantage of their rights. The end of the era came with the railroad that reached Jämtlands capital Östersund around 1880 and made the adventuress winter journeys needless.
The markets and travelling routes were carefully timed and planned to different regions attempting to avoid periods with the lowest temperatures and the most raging snowstorms. Every market on the Norwegian side had a corresponding one on the Swedish side to complete a full circle of trading. The most common commodities exported to Trøndelag was butter, tallow, linen, iron and nails. From Norway the Swedish traders brought salt, fish, colonial products and horses. During the peak of the trade in the 1750's an astonishing 40 tons of iron was exported yearly with horses and sleighs across the boarder, 2 tons of cobber, 6 tons of hops, 50 000 meters of linen fabric in addition to several other commodities. The greatest profit was somewhat tragically made during the 1740's when a great famine threatened the population of Jämtland.
In 1981 a couple of enthusiastic men; Jöns Fahlén, Olle Grubb and Einar Montén, in collaboration with the Røros market commitee, decided to revive the tradition and make the journey from Klövsjö in Sweden to the winter fair in Røros, Norway. On arrival they were greeted by a few hundred people visiting the market. Eventually it has become an annual event and today several thousand people are waiting to see the horses arrive the opening cermony. New Sleigh-teams have formed. Both swedish and Norwegian and this year 6 teams are making the journey from their respective homeregions, which mean that over 80 equipages will hopefully make it all the way to this years' market.
At the peace agreement in Brömsebro 1645 Norwegians were banned to trade and transport commodities on Swedish territory while the Swedes were still free to trade and travel across the boarder to Norway and naturally took advantage of their rights. The end of the era came with the railroad that reached Jämtlands capital Östersund around 1880 and made the adventuress winter journeys needless.
The markets and travelling routes were carefully timed and planned to different regions attempting to avoid periods with the lowest temperatures and the most raging snowstorms. Every market on the Norwegian side had a corresponding one on the Swedish side to complete a full circle of trading. The most common commodities exported to Trøndelag was butter, tallow, linen, iron and nails. From Norway the Swedish traders brought salt, fish, colonial products and horses. During the peak of the trade in the 1750's an astonishing 40 tons of iron was exported yearly with horses and sleighs across the boarder, 2 tons of cobber, 6 tons of hops, 50 000 meters of linen fabric in addition to several other commodities. The greatest profit was somewhat tragically made during the 1740's when a great famine threatened the population of Jämtland.
In 1981 a couple of enthusiastic men; Jöns Fahlén, Olle Grubb and Einar Montén, in collaboration with the Røros market commitee, decided to revive the tradition and make the journey from Klövsjö in Sweden to the winter fair in Røros, Norway. On arrival they were greeted by a few hundred people visiting the market. Eventually it has become an annual event and today several thousand people are waiting to see the horses arrive the opening cermony. New Sleigh-teams have formed. Both swedish and Norwegian and this year 6 teams are making the journey from their respective homeregions, which mean that over 80 equipages will hopefully make it all the way to this years' market.
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