Goose & Buildings in Bud The Red Fishing Village of Bud

This tranquil scene is very typical for the small fishing village of Bud (pronounced Boo'd) on the west coast of Norway. It is located in Møre og Romsdal County on the Atlantic coastline. With a current population of only around 765, it has been a village since the early Middle Ages. In 1533, it was the largest fishing village between Trondheim and Bergen.  Due to a good natural harbor and rich fishing grounds in the Atlantic, the village has always thrived yet has remained small and charming, attractive and endearing to tourists and Norwegians alike.

Walking around this village was delightfully peaceful and picturesque. No traffic, no hoards of tourists, no rushing around of any kind by anybody. Just peaceful, very peaceful. This photo was taken looking westward out towards the Atlantic. The harbor remains quite sheltered from Atlantic storms. This goose was heading in towards shore to take advantage of a feeding opportunity where a local woman had come out of her nearby house to offer several slices of bread for the taking. It was obvious to me while standing there, this was a frequent ritual where the woman and the goose knew each other quite well.

Traditionally, it is said that the color red is used in so many Norwegian buildings, especially barns, farm houses and boat sheds because it is left over from the old days when color represented one's status in life, their financial situation, geographic location and their profession. It also resulted from one's access to local resources. For fishermen, for example, the color red stemmed from fish blood and whale oil or cod liver oil. Red was definitely the most common color, the least expensive to produce and it spoke of a working class Norwegian. White on the other hand showed more wealth and class. The white color required expensive zinc to produce and showed off their wealthy status, like driving an expensive car.