LILLEHAMMER / ’94 WINTER OLYMPICS : DATELINE / LILLEHAMMER : Putting Their Feelings in the Frame

When the snow curtain lifts along Lake Mjosa, the houses perched in the hills above the road from Lillehammer to Gjovik command spectacular views.

Splendid in their isolation, the dwellings are immaculate, their wooden sides painted in brilliant yellow or pristine white, their window frames neatly trimmed in bright, contrasting colors. Lace curtains hang at nearly every window, a delicate accent in what often can be a harsh winter setting.

I’ve come to believe, after traveling the highways and the back roads of this region, that the Norwegians’ window decorations represent their outlook.

Living amid snow and ice, they long ago learned to adapt to the elements instead of fighting them. They’ll strap on cross-country skis when snow buries their cars or strap on skates to cross frozen lakes, provided those lakes aren’t under four feet of snow. Ever consider that maybe Norway produces good speedskaters because they have to move fast or risk freezing on the spot?

But in one regard, Norwegians defy their surroundings. That’s in their continual fight against the darkness of the long winter nights, a fight they can never win, but will never concede.

Their battle employs light and life, not weapons. To catch every precious ray of sun, they build the windows of their homes disproportionately big. The contrasting trim outside emphasizes the expanse of glass and makes the windows the focal point of the house. It’s a way of coexisting with the elements, drawing the light in and the snow out.

What’s truly striking is that lamps or plants hang in so many of those windows. They’re more than decorations. They’re gestures of fierce defiance by a people fighting fierce elements. The deadly cold and seemingly endless darkness will not defeat us, Norwegians are saying, as long as we can make greenery flourish and offer golden beacons of light to illuminate the way for travelers shivering in the chilly night.

That defiance is admirable and touching. In a cold country, the warmth of the people will stand as an enduring memory.