Day 37 - On the Road to Røros
Boller and the Big Silver Elk
July 28, 2023: On Friday, we drove to Røros. Knut and Marit have a cabin there that Marit shares with her sisters, handed down from their parents. The traditional mountain village of Røros is one of the oldest towns of wooden buildings in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Røros came into existence in 1644, after the first copper discovery in the area. Over the years, it became one of the most important mining towns in Norway. We will be visiting the mine tomorrow, so more on that in my post for Day 38.
It was a beautiful drive through the countryside. We stopped at a special Shell gas station where they sell Boller (Norwegian buns) of many flavors. There were lines of people waiting to get their bag of boller. They had t-shirts, hats and other souvenirs you could buy that say “Espa Buns”. They sell more than 1.7 million buns each year. We sat at a picnic table and ate them. They were soft and delicious. I can see why so many people stop there to get a bag on their journey to wherever they are going.
We made another stop to see the Big Silver Elk, also known as Storelgen (meaning big elk in Norwegian). It is the world’s 2nd biggest elk/moose statue and is near the village of Atna in Stor-Elvdal, Hedmark, Norway. It held the title of the tallest moose sculpture for 4 years, from its completion in October 2015 until October 2019. The height is 10.3 metres (34 ft) and at the time of its completion it was about 50 centimetres (20 in) taller than Mac the Moose in Canada. However, in January 2019, Canadian comedians Justin Reves and Greg Moore highlighted the fact that The Big Elk was the world's tallest moose statue and called on Canadians to add to the height of Mac the Moose which previously held the title. They set up a GoFundMe page to hire an engineer to make Mac taller. It created a lot of attention. The mayor of Moose Jaw, where Mac the Moose is located, told the BBC: “We're considered to be very mannerly and respectful, but there are things you just don't do to Canadians. You don't mess with Mac the Moose.” So in October 2019, a new set of antlers was added to Mac the Moose, making it taller than the Big Elk. Still, the silver elk in Norway is more impressive and artistic in my opinion.
When we finally got to cabin after a 6 hour drive, we settled in and had a relaxing evening in their cozy cabin. The sun doesn’t set in Norway at this time of year until after 10:00pm, which is very different than Florida, so it never seems as late as it really is here. It was a good day.