Join other PLU Alumni and Friends for a summer journey...

...through the spiritual heart of Norway.  Together we will walk on the ancient pilgrim path to the burial place of St. Olav in Nidaros Cathedral, in Trondheim.  It is a chance to experience Norway in an intimate and authentic way—walking through its heartland like centuries of pilgrims.

Through the Middle Ages, Norway’s pilgrim path to the healing waters of St. Olav at Nidaros was one of the four great Christian pilgrimages of the world, along with Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela.  Now this pilgrim’s path is restored, and you can make your own personal journey in the company of other PLU alumni and friends.  We’ll start in Oslo, travel by chartered bus to the new Pilgrim’s Center, recently constructed to recognize and celebrate Norway’s famous pilgrim route and pilgrims. 

Our walking begins in Dovre, and we’ll hike through the Dovre mountains through landscapes that are stark and stirring, one of the world’s great spiritual landscapes.  At the end of our pilgrimage, we’ll walk into Trondheim to a special midnight service for us at Nidaros Cathedral.  The hiking is invigorating without being strenuous, and we follow a beautifully marked pilgrim's route that dates back a thousand years. A bus travels with us carrying our luggage to our hotels and occasionally transporting us between hikes. We’ll walk about 100 kilometers in all. On the return to Oslo, we’ll stop at Gudbrandsdal, for a spectacular and inspiring performance of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play, Peer Gynt—on the lakeshore where the central actions of the play take place.

We’ll have discussions on culture and natural history along the way--such topics as St. Olav and the medieval origins of the pilgrimage, Ibsen’s superb Peer Gynt in Gudbrandsdal, Sigrid Undset’s novel, Kristin Lavransdatter, as well as the birds and flowers and landscapes of the route.  Who knows, in this unforgettable journey, what personal revelations await you on your pilgrimage?

For more information, or to request a paper copy of the brochure, please contact Carmen Eyssautier at 253-535-7577 or eyssaucj@plu.edu.