Recently updated on November 20th, 2024 at 04:23 pm
A scenic five-minute drive from Norway’s ‘Capital of Fjords’, Bergen, will bring you to the family-run Øvre-Eide Farm – home to Trafalgar Be My Guest hosts, the Øvre-Eide family. The charming family will welcome you into their home to try local Norwegian produce, ensuring you’ll leave with new friendships and memories – and, most of all, they want you to share ideas and stories, as they want to learn as much from you as you’ll learn from them.
The scenery at Øvre-Eide Farm will make you feel at home before you even meet the family; cozy lakeside houses, red and white fences, and a scattering of sheep will see you in before you’re greeted by Arild.
What is the story of Øvre-Eide Farm?
Arild is a fifth-generation farmer (and third-generation baker) with his family settling on the land in 1875, and is now in his 11th season as a Be My Guest host. “Every year it has been a pleasure to welcome guests to our farm,” Arild says of his experience. “Sometimes we have Trafalgar guests coming back to us, and we’re very happy about that.”
On one side of the family, Arild’s grandfather came from Switzerland to Bergen in 1929 as a baker and confectioner – a lineage that you’ll be able to taste when you visit. Blending their farming experience with their baking history and diversifying into tourism has allowed the family to keep Norwegian farming traditions alive. “Each visit makes it possible to better maintain the farm, from buildings to stone walls – everything,” Arild says.
What will you see on Øvre-Eide Farm?
Visiting Øvre-Eide Farm gives you an up-close and personal experience of small-scale Norwegian agriculture. During the winter the farm only has around 6 horses, 15 sheep and 1 ram – though in the spring there are around 25 to 30 lambs. “When you tell guests that during winter you only have 15 sheep, they are surprised,” he notes, though that doesn’t mean you should only visit during the spring. “I think every season has highlights,” Arild says. “In spring, you welcome guests to the farm when the leaves are growing on the trees. But in the summer you have long evenings, and in the autumn you have all the beautiful colors in September and October.”
Be My Guest is centered around local food, and on your visit to Øvre-Eide you’ll be treated to a selection of traditional Norwegian delicacies such as sour cream porridge, smoked salmon, hot chocolate, and almond cakes – one of Arild’s favorite family traditions is simply sitting around the table for a good meal, so you’re in safe hands when you visit. But it doesn’t stop there; you’ll get a tour of the farm, learning more about Norwegian farming and culture, meeting a few furry friends along the way. “Trafalgar guests really want to know more about Norwegian farming,” Arild says.
You’ll also learn more about his life in Norway when you hear Arild’s stories from beyond the farm. “I also teach in prisons, teaching inmates who would like to learn more about cooking – especially bread and cakes,” he reveals.
For Arild, the key to being a Be My Guest host isn’t just to enlighten travelers on the behind the scenes of running a farm in Norway; it’s a two-way street, where guests can learn from him and vice versa. “I think that everyone is interesting to host because you can always learn something, and there’s always something to talk about,” he says.
What you’ll take away from your visit
“We try to be open and look for the best in everyone,” Arild says when speaking about Norwegian people and culture. “We look forward to each visit because we know we are going to make new friendships. Both the guests and us at the farm can learn from each other.”
Aside from baking delicious treats and getting his hands dirty on the farm, what brings Arild the most happiness? “When I can see that guests really appreciate their visit to us, and we can see everyone has learned a little bit more from each other,” he says. “Our goal is that every visit must be the best ever.”
Meet Arild and the Øvre-Eide family on our trips to Norway.