Gray Zone Wanderers: The Haunted Places of Norway Paperback - 2005

From the publisher

In Norway, a country of pragmatic denizens, it was trolls in previous centuries that sent shivers racing up and down splendid Nordic spines. Happily, capricious trolls have jumped from the pages of folk tales onto the stage, been cast in musical reviews, and finally come to rest in souvenir shops where they feel quite at home. This means that ghosts and apparitions have finally come into their own. And in this ancient land, with its wild, Viking past, there are ghosts aplenty. According to Sherlock Holmes's creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ghosts have an existing range of up to 250 years. Although no one can deny or confirm his hypothesis, this gives us generous time to enjoy the ghostly sounds of nonexistent church bells off the west coast of Norway, and the headless monk wandering among monastery ruins. We can relate to the Bishop's wife who fainted when only she saw the Monk of Nidaros Cathedral with blood dripping from a hole in his throat. We can wander through magnificent mansions, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the gray ladies who inhabit them. The ambience of the Union Hotel, its Victorian splendor lulling guests into soporific enjoyment, can suddenly be interrupted by the sobs of Linda, a beautiful servant girl who suffered an Ophelia-type death in 1900 when her lover, a member of Emperor Wilhelm's military entourage, committed suicide. The blue room, where she resides, is so popular that reservations must be made a year in advance. Read and enjoy!