European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 09, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                V the buildings and shoppers along Lillehammer s main Street attract to camera Crews from around the  the games come to fantasy land by Judy Hammond Scripps Howard news service Lillehammer Norway scene of the xvii Winter olympics is in the heart of the magical troll Park Region of Norway. The country s longest Rivers largest lakes and most Majestic mountains Are Here. Ski trails and hiking paths meander through the Woodlands. Small wooden Cabins Are tucked beneath towering evergreens. This is a great Winter sports area where children Are taught to ski at the same time they learn to walk. Ull Ehammer has made olympic preparations fit for a fantasy land. A hockey Arena was built inside a Mountain. An ice rink took the shape of an upside Down Viking ship. It s the time of year for Snow but if nature does t cooperate olympic organizers Are prepared to haul in train loads of White stuff from glaciers. The Village of Lillehammer has a magic All its own. The streets Are lined with 19th-Century wooden houses painted in pastel hues. Ice sculptures stand at attention Afong the pedestrian shopping Street. Horse drawn sleighs carry passengers bundled in fur Robes on a Swift trip through the old town and Down to Lillehammer Church. Most olympic spectators will stay in Oslo and travel to Lillehammer by train or bus a two hour journey. Others found accommodations in and near Lillehammer for about $100 a bed in hotels chalets or with families. Some will stay at farms that take overnight guests in the visit the country program. To help accommodate the projected 100,000 visitors a Day local stores and businesses will become temporary pubs. Visitors can expect to pay Steep prices for meals $30 or More for dinner at a Nice restaurant less at a simpler cafe. A half liter of Beer will Cost about $5. The norwegian government has taken Steps to keep prices Down and the recent devaluation of the Kroner has shaved about 30 percent off prices for americans said Harald Hansen of the norwegian tourist Board in new York. Smorgasbord tables will be Laened with game such As Reindeer and fish of All kinds including the norwegian favorite Lut Fisk. Clou berries an Arctic delicacy will Likely be on the dessert menu. A Hearty scandinavian breakfast will keep most people going Well into the afternoon. The breakfast table will offer cheeses Ham cold cuts eggs Bacon porridge and Yogurt. Visitors on the move would be Wise to follow the norwegian custom and carry sandwiches and a thermos of hot soup. It is cold in Lillehammer usually below freezing the average temperature in february is 26 degrees fahrenheit. The dark Days of Winter Are past and a Good seven to eight hours of Daylight will allow ample time for olympic events sightseeing and maybe a Little skiing of your own. The Best place to Start a tour is on the main shopping Street the Stor Gata. Shops sell everything from books and groceries to hand knit scandinavian sweaters and Silver jewelry. Olympic pins and to shirts Are hot items. Locals often push a Small Sleigh called  re mane vering through Snow covered streets with their Load of children and purchases. Language should not be a problem for visiting americans. Most norwegians speak excellent English. Lillehammer is at the North end of Lake Kjosa Norway s largest. Small farms villages and forests Dot the Shoreline. The Lake is popular with boaters and swimmers in summer. The world s oldest operating paddle Steamer makes a trip from one end of the Lake to the other. This time of year the Frozen Lake belongs to skaters. Visitors May want to join them or try a Day of ice fishing the old farm Village of Mai Haugen is a Short walk Uphill from town but the trip is Worth the trudge through the Snow. Pathways wind around the collection of historic farmhouses that were moved from nearby valleys in the Early 1900s by Anders Sandvig a Lillehammer dentist dedicated to preserving the Way of life of the Region. The collection includes a stave Church from the Middle Ages that was brought from carmo. There once were a thousand or More stave churches built from wooden Staves and planks. Only 30 remain. A nationwide Campaign seeks to preserve them. They Are still used for Community events and weddings. If it is snowing a walk through Mai Haugen will be even More memorable. On a recent Winter s night we walked through knee deep v Snow carrying candles to Light our Way past Lillehammer 94 the � houses. The icy air had created Lac work on the Bare branches. The Ponds were Frozen. Big dollops of Snow decorated the ornate roof of the Goose House at the Pond where Sonja Henie olympic skating Champion in 1928,1932 and 1936, once practice. Mai Haugen with 150 buildings and 40,000 artefacts got a major face lift for the olympics. Artists and craftsmen demonstrate their skills in the cottages of Mai Haugen and a museum and store adjoining the Park have typical norwegian crafts and an exhibit of antique sleighs. Those who watch the olympics in person or on television will become familiar  the pictogram created to identify each sport and to provide a norwegian flavor to the games. Created by Illustrator Sarah Rosenbaum the pictogram Are based on Rock carvings. The main inspiration came from a 4,000-year-old skier found at Radoya. Just beyond Lillehammer the cud Brendsdal Valley opens up in a wonderland of mountains lakes and streams. Small farms surrounded by Stone fences Perch on hillsides and the Lagen River winds past villages and Manor House. Tours will be offered. It s a Good idea to leave the driving to norwegians accustomed to icy roads. Short subject Hue and cry raised Over Green games by Thomas Borchert Scripps Howard news service one of the goals of the olympic games in Ull Ehammer Norway is to be kind to the environment according to International olympic committee president Juan Antonio Sam ranch. There is no doubt the norwegians Are making an Effort. But speak to Sigmund Haugsjaa and Lillehammer s much vaunted Green games take on a different Hue. Haugsjaa is chairman of the norwegian nature Protection organization and was one of the first opponents to having the olympics in the modest resort of Ull Ehammer. When he and other opponents stepped up their protests against construction of an ice stadium in a Bird Refuge at Hamar the Ull Ehammer olympic organizing committee invited them to join the Board to help in planning. Haugsjaa has since been fighting for More concessions in favor of the environment often winning in the face of stiff resistance from important sponsors. One automobile sponsor has been forced to take a Back seat to buses and trains during the games. A . Soft drink company had to switch from plastic cups to ones made from com flour so that they could be thrown onto a compost Heap. These Small details do not change Haugsjaa s View that Tiegreen games slogan is absurd. He insists that construction of enormous sports centers in a sensitive environment must cause damage. The bobsled run at Hunde Fossen symbolizes the conflict Between the games and the Countryside. Tons of Cement went into the track which Haakon one of games mascots. 20 the stars and stripes Cost $27 million to build. Haugsjaa says there won t be much need for the track after the olympics there is Little interest in Scandinavia for bobsledding As a sport but the norwegians had to build the monstrosity and keep it Cool with highly toxic ammonia to stage the show. The look which threatened construction Crews with heavy fines for any unapproved unnecessary cutting of Trees maintains damage has been kept to a minimum. Tougher critics including biologist Kurt Partsch the european parliament Deputy say that for All the talk of environmental Protection the norwegian organizers Are As ruthless As their predecessors in sacrificing Woods and Fields to build sports facilities for which there is no Lono term demand. Sam ranch s comments that Ull Ehammer would turn White games into Green surprised the look. Committee members know All too Well that despite their efforts to hold Down environmental damage the Public will not be easily convinced. Thomas Borchert is a reporter for Deutsche Presse Agenter. Wednesday february 9, 1994