The diocese of Nidaros consists of two Norwegian counties. We have a state church in Norway where most of the inhabitants are members, and you find small or big churches in almost every small community. An important part of the bishop's job is to visit the congregations, and my job during these visitations is to write the protocol. We have long days with alot of meetings, but this is also a fantastic opportunity to get to know new areas of the diocese.
This week we are in Lierne, north in the diocese, up in the mountians, in an area where hunting and fishing has strong traditions.
Lierne has three old wooden churches, and so far we have been to two of them. The third and main one will be where the main Sunday service will be held tomorrow.
During a visitation the bishop stays in the area for a week, and it is always a honour for the communities to have the bishop in their area. We are taken around to see the highlights of the area, we meet children and the senior inhabitants, and we are served the best food.
Lierne is situated 4 hours by car north of Trondheim, close to the Swedish border. I have never been in the area before and love to see every new lake, every new mountain. One of the first things we learned when we came here is that the paople of Lierne are proud of their local food, and we are taken from feats to feast, from one table to the next. I have taken photos and I am trying to gather recipes (using all the charm I have), and plan to write a food traveler article - and of course I will give my blog readers a few tastes.
Today, Saturday, is a quiet day with no meetings. We have preparations to do for the service and the main visitation meeting tomorrow, but we also have time off. And to my joy and pleasure - a local farmer will take us out fishing in one of the 2000 lakes of the area.