Lovin' Lübeck!

Lübeck, Germany is the kind of town I could stay in for a week - which is unusual for me because I like to move around when I'm on vacation - but this town is something special. I wore out two camera batteries today taking pictures as there is something worth capturing at every turn. This town is ancient - some of the churches were built in the 1200s and still stand even though the town was bombed heavily during the Second World War. The narrow cobblestone streets, brick buildings with beautiful architecture, church spires, canals and flowers growing in every conceivable space make this one of the prettiest town I've ever visited. People told me before I came that it was "nice," but I was still surprised by its beauty.

We stayed on the outskirts of town and enjoyed a nice walk into the city along one of the many canals that circle in and around this place. The old part of town is surrounded by a moat, complete with fortified entry gates (see photo of Kory and Kaleb at one gate built in 1422). The property all along the canal leading into the city was parceled up into pea patch lots about thirty by fifty feet. Since the bulk of the housing is in the city center and no one there even has a balcony or window box, these little pea patches obviously satisfy the need for the locals to get their hands dirty. There are several other pea patches all within a few minute's walk from the heart of downtown so I imagine they must have begun centuries ago because they sit on prime real estate. Most of the pea patches were encircled by hedges so it was impossible to see what was growing on the other side, but the few we could see grew the customary fruit trees, vegetables and flowers. A few even had little shacks with lawn chairs outside so I imagine it's a little piece of heaven for those who live in the heart of the city to walk just ten or fifteen minutes out of town and be in another world. It reminds me of a system they have in Norway when they started building high rise apartment buildings in Oslo they also built small little cabins with a yard (much bigger than these) about a twnety minutes drive away. Only people who live in high rise apartments are allowed even now to buy into the cabins and there is a five year waiting list to buy one. People spend all summer out there even though they are tiny and often don't even have bathrooms. Everyone needs their own piece of quiet and if one is lucky enough to live in Lübeck, we saw where that was today.

We barely put a dent in walking all the picturesque streets in town, but we did happen upon the most popular places - mostly churches - which were beautiful but far from elaborate like the ones in Rome. Most of them had to be rebuilt after the war. Why this town needed so many churches is beyond me, but they are all different and interesting. We also ran into the marzipan museum as one candy store here is famous throughout Europe. Up until the 19th century, marzipan was only dispensed by prescription through a doctor as it was considered a medicinal thing. That says something about the healing qualities of almonds, since that is the main ingredient. Kaleb went crazy for all the marzipan art - I think he took a hundred photos as he thought it was something close to miraculous that it was all edible. There were some impressive displays of buildngs and people and harbors with lighthouses - all sculpted from marzipan. In the museum they had life sized statues like at a wax museum. That place takes itself very seriously.

I'm a sucker for a town with narrow cobblestone streets but Lübeck had something I haven't seen before - next to each entry door there was a little open dirt spot about a foot squared. Everyone along one street had planted climbing rose bushes so the entire block looked green and colorful as the vines were old and had spread up and out, and it was all just from one bush at each door - a very impressive sight, and good planning. The town was also fairly cheap so I finally splurged and bought a few little things. We ate plenty of ice cream today because it was so hot but then on the way back we had thunderstorms and hard (warm) rain. Kaleb was worn out from all the walking as he wasn't nearly as impressed by the town as we were but he did enjoy the view over the city from one of the bell towers. And thankfully, Kory's back held up.

I lugged my heavy laptop with me all day to find a PC store to have it checked out. The guy said I didn't have a virus - that my operating system has an error - which is worse. I opted out of havng him format my hard drive to fix the problem because then I'd lose everything and at least now I can still use MS Word to write, even if I can't get on the interent or check e-mail with it. This will be a challenge and both Kory and Kaleb are almost giddy about my predicament.

Goodbye Denmark, Hello Germany

(I'm having to type this on a German keyboard and the y and z are switched so it's a challenge...)

Kaleb thinks it's pretty cool we've been in three different countries today. We woke up in Sweden, drove all day through Denmark and are now going to sleep in Germany. Europe is small, and as they say, everything is bigger in America.

We left the cushy Hilton Hotel (where I had to pay for internet access - go figure) and drove into the city of Copenhagen this morning to meet my childhood friend Cindy Monsen (see photo of us in the parking garage below Tivoli!) It was so cool to see a familiar face! She flew from Seattle to London a few days ago and is now on a cruise for the next two weeks. Her first stop was Copenhagen. Our paths were actually able to cross and we fit in a cup of coffee and a quick chat before we had to hit the road. I wish I had more than the hour we did, but it was better than nothing. It takes away any sense of distance from home when visitors come this way, so that was my big thrill on this trip - seeing an old friend.

Before we left Norway I made meticulous plans for every day of this trip, including every road we'd travel, and every ferry we'd catch. When I got to today's plan and saw that the ferries going from Denmark to Germany leave every 45 minutes, I asked Kory if I should make reservations (like I did for all other ferry crossings.) He said "no" - it would add too much stress to try to make it there on time. I asked around to see what other seasoned travelers from Scandinavia down to mainland Europe had to say and half said I definately needed reservations and the other half said I'd probably be OK - worst case we'd have to wait a ferry or two. Kory's opinion won out but I got nervous last night about our lack of reservations and I checked the ferry website and sure enough, all the ferries today were sold out. I didn't even have to say "I told you so" because Kory is the one doing most of the driving, and it meant we'd have to take another road that would add several hours to our plans. He didn't complain when I told him, nor all day when he was driving the long way around, but now he's worn out. We took quite a detour from the direct route as we should have made the trip in less than four hours and it took over eight, but that was mostly because we took scenic routes which beat the heck out of the boring freeways (there really is no such thing as a "free" way in Denmark as we spent over $150 today just on tolls.) The side roads wound us through little villages that looked a lot like places we've seen in the English countryside. Many of the houses are tutor style and several had straw thatched roofs. We passed many businesses today and the employee parking lots were full of bikes, as bike paths are as comprehensive and controlled as the city streets. Windmills dominated the horizon through the southern part of Denmark. One area we drove through had very cool old houses with a huge area in the center of the house for the name of the owner -broadcast like a bulletin board complete with huge lettering either painted on or metal lettering attached to the house. It puts the little door plaques used in Norway to shame. We also passed one produce stand after another as every farm had a little table at the end of the driveway selling cherries, peas, lettuce, beets and berries.

I've told Kaleb several times since we left home that everyday on our trip we'll have some unexpected surprises and today's surprise was finding flint stone everywhere we looked. As we waited for a little used ferry this afternoon we discovered the entire beach was covered with flintstone of all sizes. It breaks apart so easily and the edges are sharp as glass. Kaleb entertained himself during the half hour wait by trying to make his own arrowhead. He then loaded up about 30 pounds of the rocks to take with us so he could keep honing his skills. It is a very cool rock - all soft and white on the outside, but with one sharp blow, a smooth black inside is revealed. It's like finding a treasure in every rock.

We arrived at our destination of Lübeck at eight o'clock tonight so it was a long day. We had it pretty good today but we are all moaning about one thing or another tonight. Kory's back is starting to go out so he's walking kind of funny and I'm hoping prayer and ibuprophen hold off an all-out disaster in that arena. Kaleb is moaning that his Nintendo's charger cable has apparently snapped internally as he's no longer able to charge his game. I told him it was God's way of breaking him from the addicition, but that was the wrong thing to say, because now my laptop isn't working right and I'll have to use internet cafes to post my blog so my postings maybe sporadic from here on out. I guess I should be on the lookout for withdrawl symptoms.

frustrations!

We are in Germany now but my laptop's operating system died. I need to find an internet cafe to post blogs so they will show up sporatically until I figure out plan b. UGH!!!!

A Good Day of Rest

We didn’t make it to church today, but Kory and I decided we needed a day of rest just the same. We took the train back over to Copenhagen so Kaleb could go to Tivoli – a park in the center of town with many thrill rides. We bought Kaleb the pass for unlimited rides, but Kory and I opted out of buying one because we needed a break. Fortunately Kaleb (with shoes on) is right at 140 centimeters tall which is the cut off for the most daring rides, so he was able to go unattended. And he did - over and over again. The lines were all very short so often he just ran off a ride and right back on again so he got a lot of bang for his buck today. All the while, Kory and I found a bench and waited. I’m not nearly as exhausted now as I was yesterday at this time. It would have been a little boring today except that my feet were very happy I was sitting down for most of the day and Kaleb was having a very good time (see photo). There was only one ride the same as those at Liseberg so it was all new adventures today and he got his fill.

I remember going to Tivoli in May of 1983 and the rides were NOT the main attraction then like they are now (or so it seemed). It was more of a garden/restaurant place with musical performances – but the years have added many new features, most of them thrill rides for all ages. I made Kaleb take a break from the non-stop thrills and go see a few of the pantomime performances they had at one stage, which he liked very much. I was proud I got to throw in a little culture to the mix today since the stories they were acting out were based on ones written by Hans Christian Andersen.

We all tried to use Norwegian today because Danish is supposed to be so similar, but as we found out – Danish is very hard to understand. Kaleb asked if he could have some cotton candy and I told him if it cost less than 20 kroner ($4) he could. No prices were posted so he asked an employee, but didn’t understand the answer, so Kory asked and then told Kaleb it was 12 kroner so he ordered it. Turns out it cost 30 kroner – so even Kory couldn’t understand what they said. Danish sounds a lot like German in the way the words come out kind of harsh, but there are enough similar words to Norwegian I can understand one word here and there. Ugh. It’s a good thing everyone spoke English as we had to resort to that every time. Kory also misunderstood the notice that said the vendors all charge a dollar (five kroner) deposit on all beverage cups – as he threw his out after he was finished with his cup of coffee. We later discovered recycle machines all over the place that will return the five kroner deposit. The park is pretty proud of this one “green” step they are doing to reduce waste. At least it helps to explain why that cup of coffee cost $8.50. (Lunch was $85 and there weren’t even any deposits to pay. Ouch.)

The only drag about sitting around most of the day was the number of smokers that surrounded me. Norway doesn’t allow smoking in so many places I almost forgot that people still smoke, but today it seemed all the world was lighting up one after the other sitting on the benches waiting for their kids. It was interesting to people-watch though and to listen to all the different languages being spoken. I liked to see how the parents and kids interact with each other and even though I often couldn’t understand a word that was being said, most of the communication was obvious –parents around the world speak the same language when it comes to communicating with their kids. I also was entertained by the latest in fashion and hair designs – some of them incredibly wild. I saw plenty of disabled kids today too which made me all the more thankful that my sweet bub is healthy as an ox and sharp as a tack. I feel so blessed. The forecasted rain didn’t show up again today either, so woo hoo for that.

We left the hotel later than expected this morning because Kaleb discovered The Discovery Channel on TV and they had an episode that touched a subject near and dear to his heart – they were building a personal flying machine. Kaleb’s had it in his head for a long time now that he wants to invent a hover board using “magnetism and polarities,” so this show was right up his alley. They did a good job of explaining how much money prototypes cost to work up and how this one design failed miserably at lifting anything up off the ground – even after all the work they put into it. So Kaleb spent the train ride over and back talking about his inventions and asking about what kind of jobs he’ll need to get to earn enough investment capital in order to become an inventor. He also wanted to know how much longer he needs to wait before he can go to work to earn some money. I suggested he go around the park and pick out the plastic cups from all the garbage cans and take them to the machines for the dollar rebate, but he thought going on rides was a much better option. So much for his work ethic.

Sightseeing Copenhagen

We spent the entire day in Copenhagen, Denmark today. We took the train across the water from Malmo, Sweden. It was a good choice as we found out later the toll on the bridge between the two countries is about $45 each way, plus high priced parking in the city. We paid a fraction of that for the train tickets. I love how the public transportation systems work in Europe because the central station in Copenhagen was right in the heart of the city and we just walked to everything, although owning a bike would be smart (as most people do) because it’s so flat. There were far more bikes in the city than cars and some of the bicycles were tricycles in reverse with two front wheels and one back wheel. Between the front wheels was a type of carriage for babies and small children. Interesting design.

The water between Sweden and Denmark had massive amounts of giant windmills generating electricity from the never ending breeze that blows along that stretch. We saw on the news this morning that Malmo, Sweden is considered the #4 most “green” city in the world (Portland, Oregon is #2). The news didn’t say anything about the windmills, it seemed they were most impressed with the way the city heats its homes – by burning wood waste. Hard to believe the destruction of trees is a “green” thing, but I’m not making the rules.

Copenhagen was alive with massive amounts of tourists from all over the world. There were bands playing at practically every intersection, cafes lined the sidewalks and surprisingly, people drinking beer everywhere we looked. I guess they don’t have open container laws. It seems like people come to Copenhagen just to sit (or walk around) and drink beer. The main harbor was jam packed with people listening to jazz music, while another square was full of people drinking beer listening to a Christian band. Copenhagen is a vibrant place, that’s for sure. The buildings are colorful, massive and full of rich detail. I loved looking at the trim around the windows, the balcony designs, door handles, stair railings… all the details were a work of art in themselves. Very rich architecture, but then the Danes have been in the forefront of design for many years, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

I haven’t been in Copenhagen since 1983 and there were a few familiar sights I remember well that still looked the same, but the biggest surprise was the changes to the harbor near the Little Mermaid statue. On my first visit, all I knew to see was the Little Mermaid – a brass sculpture made about a hundred years ago in honor of the story with the same name by one of Denmark’s most famous authors – Hans Christian Anderson. I was so shocked back then that the sculpture was so small, since all the photos of it made me think it was some massive thing like the Statue of Liberty or something, but it was just a small life-sized sculpture sitting out on a rock just off shore. I remember walking along the shoreline which, back then, was a lot like Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. I could have easily passed the Mermaid without knowing it was there. But today, all roads lead to the Mermaid. The whole waterfront has been redone and the cruise ships even park right next to it. It would be hard to miss, so it was interesting for me to see what 26 years can do to a place.

We spent the whole day walking around the city – first to tour the Royal Castle – where the Queen of Denmark entertains dignitaries (like us - tee hee) and then on to the National Museum to see all the incredible artifacts discovered from the Viking age. We ate a late lunch along the most famous restaurant row in the city (Nyhavn - see photo) – right next to a canal full of boats and people and street musicians. We were entertained by people-watching while we dined, and surprised that every single customer in the restaurant was speaking American English. So much for the recession - Copenhagen is a very expensive city to visit.

The forecasted rain for today never arrived so I was all the more grateful that the forecast got me out of sleeping in a tent. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds off and on all day so it was perfect for walking around as we never got too hot or too cold. Kaleb even held up well, but then again, it was a new country and a whole new selection of popcicle and candy flavors awaited us. Unfortunately, our best idea of a cultural experience revolves around sugar.

Unexpected Pleasures

It only takes three hours to drive non-stop from Göteborg, Sweden to Copenhagen, Denmark, but we took all day to do it. We like the roads less traveled so we stayed close to the sea as we headed south out of Göteborg this morning. Within minutes we saw a recreational sign pointing toward Tjolöholm Castle (see photo), so we turned off the highway to go see what it looked like. It wasn’t really a castle, by my standards, it was more like an estate, built to look a bit like a castle. Some rich guy in the late 1800s designed the place but died of blood poisoning (from lead) before it could be built. His wife saw to its construction but only lived there two years before she had an accident and died. Their daughter inherited the place and when she died, the Kommune bought it in the 1960s and rents it out for weddings and gatherings. It’s all rather palatial but we weren’t inspired enough to take a tour of the inside. We just walked around the grounds, enjoyed the views of the sea and tried yet another new flavor of popcicle before heading back to the car. We were thankful it wasn’t raining, as it rained hard all night last night and this morning in Göteborg.

We kept on the side roads going through quaint little villages and towns along the way. We got hungry around two o’clock so we headed for the next big city to find some lunch. Turns out the city, Varberg, is a destination city for tourists, unbeknownst to us. There were many good restaurants to choose from and we chose well. After a yummy lunch we walked around downtown and asked someone why there were so many tourists and we were told there was a castle out by the sea. We went for a little walk to the water’s edge and then saw the mighty fortress. Again, it wasn’t a castle like we think of a castle, but at one time it had been the home of the King of Sweden (for hundreds of years, actually). It was first built in the 1300s and has had many different uses over the years – it’s last one as a prison – but now the government of Sweden owns it and it’s a national treasure. It was all free to meander around on the grounds and go into the buildings. The whole fortress was built up on a huge dirt mound and it’s said that the King of Sweden had the locals pay their taxes in dirt, as they were required to bring it in by the wagons full to build up the walls and grounds. (Perhaps this is where the expression “dirt cheap” comes from?) The employees were dressed in period costumes from the early 1600s and were doing demonstrations of the different trades from that time. Kaleb enjoyed writing his name with a feather pen, watching the blacksmith at work, and learning how to braid four strands together. He could have stayed all day, but we still had two hours to drive before we reached our destination for the night and it was getting late. We took the freeway south to pick up the pace.

The freeways in Sweden are just like they are in America – two lanes with a divider and on/off ramps. They are pretty boring to drive but at least we went fast. The thickest lines on a map in Norway look like they might be a freeway but they are often just a one lane road with no centerline. The drive south on the freeway in Sweden today seemed like many other places I’ve seen – with lots of flat farmland, McDonalds on every exit, and nothing unique about the landscape – except that many of the houses have the same barn-shape as our house in Mount Vernon and the barns are enormous.

We planned to spend the next three nights in Copenhagen, at a campground no less, but the forecast for rain changed all that (thankfully). Kory and I agreed we could stay in hotels on this trip if we could find them for under a hundred dollars a night, but that just wasn’t possible in Copenhagen. The other problem was the car – none of the hotels have any kind of parking. Most large European towns were built long before cars were invented so they really do struggle with what to do with automobiles. The roads are narrow and all the land is taken up by beautiful buildings, so there aren’t many places to park. We noticed in Göteborg yesterday that there was no street parking anywhere for blocks on end so I’m sure most of the people that live in the city don’t even own vehicles. I feel so American driving around in a mini-van, and it makes it a challenge finding a hotel. I finally got lucky and found a screamin’ last minute deal at the Hilton across from Copenhagen in the city of Malmö, Sweden, so here we sit for the next three nights. I am so thankful we don’t have to pitch a tent! I was a little worried about that part of our plan, but it was something Kory was pushing because he thought Kaleb should “experience it all.” I’m not sure camping in a city park is really a full-on camping experience, but somehow sleeping in a tent was supposed to balance things out. Again, I’m thanking God he knew my heart’s desire and now we have the Hilton instead. As we walked into our room tonight on the 9th floor with a sweeping view of the city, Kaleb said, “Hey, why don’t we stay in the Hilton’s all the time – this is a nice place!” No kidding.

Liseberg Amusement Park Day

This was a day just for Kaleb. Liseberg, right in the heart of Göteborg, Sweden, is Scandinavia’s biggest amusement park. On a typical summer day, it would be hot and overcrowded, but our God had mercy on us today and it was overcast, cool, and slightly rainy at times so the lines for all the rides were pretty short. We were able to everything we wanted within eight hours and had no need for a two day pass. I was so thankful. Actually, I was most thankful we all survived and walked out alive. I used to love those thrill rides, but now the only way to get through them is with my eyes closed. If I eliminate one of my senses, it seems to help. There is nothing I can do about the butterflies in my stomach, but at least I don’t have to see what is causing them. Kaleb insists I go along with him - he says he likes to hear me scream. I’m not sure what that says about our relationship, but I keep reminding him that only a mother’s love would get me up on those things. Uff da. Kory loves the thrills, but is so protective of his back he won’t go on most of them for fear he’ll do some damage. I have no such excuse. (We had our raincoats along so we stayed dry all day.)

Kaleb took on a few of my mothering skills and became overly concerned about the plight of my glasses. He insisted I take them off for every ride as he was sure they would go flying off my face and then I’d be in another panic. I thought that was sweet of him, but after a while it was annoying. It was no problem to take them off because I had no desire to see anything clearly anyway, especially when it involved a ride that looked like death might be staring me in the face again. The best part of the day was seeing Kaleb’s face after every ride. There was an energy to it I don’t often see and it was priceless. Fortunately, he was tall enough to go on all the rides so Kory and I were happy to stand around and watch him go on the most nerve racking ones, or ones I wouldn’t do again even if I do love that boy.

We realized just how big this city is when we walked from our hotel this morning all the way across town to the park. (Our hotel is located in the top left corner of the photo – all the way in the distance. I took the photo from the highest tower at the park.) We wanted to see the town, so we left early this morning to go on an “explore” before arriving at our destination. The receptionist said it was a 45 minute walk. She was off a little – it took almost two hours. We were tired before the day even began, but fortunately, we weren’t too hot because of the cloud cover. Göteborg is a pretty city but the best thing about it is all the walking and bike paths – they go absolutely everywhere. The city isn’t set up to handle cars so much so people take the bus or tram, bike or walk. We were hoping to catch a tram back to the hotel but we got tired of waiting for it so we hopped on a bus. We assumed it was the same payment method as the tram – insert coins – ride tram. We made sure we had enough change for the tram, but as soon as we altered our mode of transportation we had a problem. Even though we studied the map well enough to know the number of the routes we needed to get back to the hotel – the map didn’t say anything about how to pay for the bus. As it turned out, we needed a special bus card as the driver doesn’t take cash. When we got on, the driver realized we had no clue about their system so he told us we could pay with our cell phones. We scratched our heads over that one until he pointed to a sign that showed the instructions on how to send an SMS message on a cell phone that puts the cost of the bus ride on the telephone bill. It seemed like a rather convoluted way to pay for a bus ticket, but with everyone carrying around cell phones I guess it’s one way to solve the problem. The problem for us was that neither of us had our phones with us. The driver very kindly let us ride the bus for free to the end of the line, but it was still about two miles short of our hotel, so we had to walk again – much farther than we wanted to after such a long day and eleven hours of being on our feet – but we had no choice. I guess we should have taken the tram – but then we wouldn’t have found out that it is possible to buy a bus ticket with a cell phone. Go figure.

We got back to our hotel around 8:30. Kaleb laid on the bed and looked through his new Pokemon book for a few minutes, then said he was a little hungry. Kory had already gone to the restaurant for a late dinner but I wasn’t hungry enough to eat so late. I told Kaleb I had some snacks with me and when I turned around to give them to him, he was sound asleep on the bed, still dressed. That boy was tired. I can barely move myself so I’m thankful this day is done.

Hello Sweden!

We caught the ten o’clock ferry out of Sandefjord today, heading for Sweden. It was raining hard when we left Norway, but we arrived less than three hours later in Sweden welcomed by blue skies and sunshine. They like that blue and yellow thing over here (all their road signs, caution signs, speed signs, directional signs – are all in blue and yellow.)

It would have been a straight two hour drive south to our destination for the night – the city of Gotenborg, but we decided to take the slower path along some of the roads less traveled near the coastline (as recommended by The Good Teacher Inga.) We were not disappointed. We stopped in the seaside town of Grebbestad and had lunch on the boardwalk, watching the people go by. The town was too crowded for my liking so we decided not to linger, but instead head on down the road going south again. The roads were slow and the sun was hot and we were both sleep deprived so we found our way down to the water’s edge and parked the van on someone’s gorgeous piece of property and took a nap (they weren’t home.) The sound of the water lapping the shore and birds chirping in the bushes made for a wonderful rest (see photo of the spot we napped.) We assumed Sweden has the same kind of property laws Norway has – that all shoreline is open to the public and there are no such things as “No Trespassing” signs – people are free to use everyone else’s property assuming they don’t do any damage. We were too tired to drive so we felt much better after that power nap. We decided to take the main highway south for the last hour so we’d get into town by dinner time as we were running a bit late by then.

I reserved a hotel on the water’s edge in the city of Gotenborg. We arrived too late to explore the town much as we needed food. We found a nice café not far from the hotel, right on the boardwalk so we watched the huge ferry ships, freighters, sailboats, kayakers, catamarans and speed boats going in and out of the harbor while we were eating. It was quite pleasant, and I liked it all the more because it was so cheap compared to Norway. Kory even afforded himself a glass of red wine and the whole dinner wasn’t more than forty bucks. The food was good too and the setting couldn’t have been better. Thankfully, the sun was still shining.

After dinner we walked along the boardwalk until Kory and Kaleb discovered rocks big enough to stack, and they went at it again – making works of art to leave behind for others to enjoy. We later found a corner grocery store and Kaleb and I bought some candy and popsicles in flavors we hadn’t tried before – one of my favorite parts of the “culture” we get to experience when we go to a new country.

I like it here so far but I’m having a hard time understanding Swedish. Everyone has been able to understand my Norwegian, but the slang on the words here is too mushy and I can’t make it out. Every word ends with an “a” sound, even when it’s not supposed to. I may have to resort to speaking English but I hate to do it.

I used the ferry ride today to work on another picture book of the trip we are now taking. My ideal would be to keep it current every day then just order the printing of it the last week we are in Norway. It’s kind of cool to be able to write the blog for memories, and then make up the picture pages for the sights. Good combo. I’m sure one day if I lose my mind, I’ll be glad I gave this gift to myself. I’ve shown everyone we’ve visited my picture book of the Lofoten Islands and they have all been very impressed (or at least they are doing the Norwegian thing of being supportive and positive no matter what…) but I do think it’s quite nice and I’m anxious to make more. I think it will replace my need for scrapbooking as there is no mess to clean up afterwards.

Kaleb spent his time on the ferry today playing his Nintendo Pokemon game. I’m afraid all the memories he will have of this road trip will revolve around which characters he was able to capture and which ones evolved into other characters. He won’t admit it, but I’m pretty sure his passion for dogs has now been replaced with his passion for Pokemon. It’s such a complicated game and he’s studied all the rules and knows how to play. Although I’m thankful he’s stopped asking for a dog of his own, I do hope this new craze passes quickly as it seems like such a waste of time and it’s so addicting, he becomes quite unpleasant when we tell him his time allotment is up. And he spends much less time reading now, but he has taken a keen interest in reading my blog and telling me just what he thinks about it. He isn’t exactly the kind of editor I am looking for.

Our (Almost) Last Day in Norway

We leave tomorrow on a ferry to Sweden, so today was the last hoo-rah here in Norway. I can’t wait until things are cheaper, but I’m sad to leave. In Sweden and Denmark they understand Norwegian so it will be at least a week before I feel we are out of our comfort zone completely and into foreign lands.

We left Oslo early this morning to drive south again down the same road we were on a few days ago. We had to backtrack to see some cousins we like very much who have a very tight schedule and today was the only day that worked for all of us to meet. We met Hege and Henning Baann (see photo) in the year 2000 when we came to Norway for the Slaatthaug family reunion. Hege’s mom is a first cousin to Kory and I think many of the relatives that lived in the vicinity of Slaattehaugen were asked to house relatives coming from a distance. We were lucky enough to land at the Baanns house, so we got to know them a bit better than the other 200 some cousins attending the event. They have since moved to a gorgeous house right on the water in Stathelle so it’s like staying at some fancy retreat center when we come for a visit. They recently bought a much bigger boat than the one they have taken us out on many times in the past. They also bought a very small, but fast, run-around boat so Henning took Kaleb out for a little thrill ride after dinner and he came back beaming. He hadn’t wanted to go out in the boat because he finally got internet access on his Nintendo here and he was playing some version of Pokemon he had been waiting to play for a long time, but I forced him to go for a boat ride. For once, I think he was happy with my decision. It poured down rain while they were out on the water, but that only made for a more memorable trip. We all stood inside and waited anxiously for their return. Kaleb absolutely loved it. He had a good day, as Hege’s daughter Charlotte was also here with her English bulldog. Kaleb and that dog ran each other ragged all afternoon.

Hege’s mom came for dinner, along with another first cousin who drove down from Oslo to see us. I couldn’t wait to tell both of them they have another aunt, since I was sure we had the total scoop on that piece of family history. Reidun, Hege’s mom, knew right away what I was talking about, but Ingri, the other cousin, had never heard of it. Ingri asked Reidun why she had never told her (they are good friends) and Reidun said, “You never asked.” So typically Norwegian… I’m glad I at least brought up the subject because Reidun then said she heard that the illegitimate daughter’s name was Ronnaug and she was born before her grandparents were married. That was all the information I needed to hit the internet and find her birth record. I tried previously but without a name or range of possible years to check, I wasted a lot of time. Within minutes I found her birth record from 1891 and confirmed everything we had heard. Then I found her in the 1900 census, living on Kaasa, the farm right across the road from Slaattehaugen (I stood on that farm to take the picture of Slaattehaugen in the distance). Ronnaug’s mother got married and had other children, but didn’t raise her. Ronnaug lived on Kaasa until she got married in 1920 and had a baby there in 1921 named Petra. I found the marriage record and birth record for Petra so the cousins were just giddy with this news that they have additional family members. Petra would be their first cousin and may or may not be alive so we made a few phone calls to see if anyone knew of her, but no one did. There are surely other siblings, but the church records aren’t posted on the internet past 1923. There is still more to learn, but what I found today was a good start and the cousins were mightily impressed with my detective skills. I live for this stuff. Now the cousins are talking seriously about doing something in 2012, the 100 year anniversary of the family’s move to Slaattehaugen and they can’t wait to find the living descendants of Petra and her siblings. Norwegians have a LOT of loyalty to blood relatives.

Kory always tells everyone that I write a blog everyday about life in Norway and most Norwegians find it hard to believe there are enough differences or interesting things about Norsk culture to write about. Like today, for instance, we were in the city of Porsgrunn and the jewelry store had one of its picture windows broken. The window was taped up and the owner made a sign and taped it near the hole that said something to the effect that “Some people in this town can’t read. Our opening hours are posted on the door. We are open from 10am-4pm. Apparently our products were needed at a different time.” Obviously they had been robbed, but this is a good example of Norwegian’s expressing their anger in a very nice and non-confrontive way. If there was just one thing I’d say about all Norwegians and Norway as a whole it would be that they are just TOO nice. It wouldn’t hurt to kick it up a notch every now and then.

Maintenance Day

We’ve been gone from “home” for ten days now so we were in desperate need for some of life’s little maintenances. We thought about going into the center of Oslo to a museum this morning but we all opted instead to stay put and get a few things done – like laundry and paying bills. It’s so awful to even think about doing those things when we are on vacation, but the length of this one precipitates the need to stay on top of dirty underwear and unpaid phone bills. So it was that today we just hung out for the morning after Jens-Frederik and Anne-Marie went to work. We had the house to ourselves and we all enjoyed the break. Kaleb played non-stop on his Nintendo, Kory sorted out his vitamins for the next two weeks and I paid bills, organized photos, read e-mails, and did two loads of clothes. There are worse ways to spend a day.

Jens-Frederik and Anne-Marie’s oldest daughter, Angelica, lives about five minutes away and she called and invited us over for lunch. We attended her wedding near St. Louis two years ago when she got married to Christopher, an American. On the 17th of May, this year, they had a baby boy they named Zion. Angelica and Chris are both rap artists so Kaleb was almost giddy to see them again as he plays their CD over and over and loves their music. He and his friend Timothy might be some of their biggest fans. Angelica is on maternity leave and Christopher also took the day off because his grandparents are here visiting from Venezuela. He grew up in Florida but his father is from Venezuela so Spanish is his native tongue. His grandmother offered to make us one of her favorite dishes from Venezuela so we were treated to an incredibly tasty meal. We also had a nice time visiting with them. Kory had much to talk about, as usual, and Chris acted as the interpreter when needed. Kory so impressed me with how much Spanish he remembers (Chris’ grandparents don’t speak a word of English). Kory lived in Paraguay for a year about forty years ago and worked at a mission station there building a medical clinic. He has many good stories about the primitive life he lived, so he was telling many of them today. I understood a lot of what was being said because I took years of Spanish in high school and college, but I’ll be darned if I couldn’t even think of one word to say. It’s like the Norwegian language erased the part of my brain that was storing all the Spanish and I couldn’t come up with a single word. It was embarrassing. I thought it was Spanish, but it came out Norwegian. And why I could understand Spanish, but not speak it, was a strange phenomenon. My brain is definitely on the down slide…

After much visiting we left Angelica’s place to drive into the center of Oslo to meet her brother, Bent-Jarle and his new wife, Birgitta, for dinner. They are still entertaining guests from around the world that came for the wedding so they’ve had a very busy week, but we didn’t want to miss the chance to greet them and take them out to dinner. Birgitta is a junior high school teacher in English, Norwegian and French. She sounds very prim and proper when she talks because she speaks British English as she lived in England for three years. She told us the school where she teaches is celebrating their 150 year anniversary so the school offered to take the staff out to have a celebratory dinner at a restaurant in Oslo. Then someone at the school figured out just how expensive that dinner would be (VERY expensive, as eating out in Norway is not for the weak hearted), and they came up with Plan B, not to save money, but to have more fun. For the same price as dinner and wine at a restaurant in Oslo, they could buy airplane tickets and two nights at a hotel in Estonia. They thought the staff could have a little weekend getaway to Estonia for the same price, if the staff would buy their own meals there (which are very cheap). Everyone loved the idea, so she is soon off on that trip with her co-workers. Now if that doesn’t say something about how expensive it is to eat out in Norway, I don’t know what does. When it’s cheaper to fly across the Baltic Sea for the weekend than to buy one meal at a restaurant here, I think there is something wrong.

Tonight we had our final chat with Anne-Marie and Jens-Frederik – two of our favorite relatives (see photo of them at Bent-Jarle’s wedding last week). Anne-Marie had a tough day at work because so many old people died over the weekend from the heat, (she works at a funeral home.) Jens-Frederik recently quit his job as pastor of a State Church and is now a State Church prison chaplain so his days are always interesting and varied. They are a lovely couple and wonderful servants of God. I love their tradition of praying together (even with guests) before they retire for the night. What a great send-off, for tomorrow, we hit the road again heading south.

The Heat is Off

We woke to rain this morning, for which everyone around here was extremely thankful. Friday the 93 degree heat broke all previous records in Norway. It was just too hot for Norwegian blood. And then yesterday in Oslo there was over 2,000 lightening strikes in one hour – freakish weather. So today it was wonderful to have a cool breeze and overcast skies as we hadn’t planned to do anything but visit with relatives, so it was perfect.

We had a nice breakfast with all of Reidunn’s family before we left Tønsberg at noon. Her sisters are a crack up. Some Christian Norwegian families say a prayer of thanksgiving after they have eaten a meal, but one of the sisters just said a little poem instead, that went like this: “Takk for mat og drikke. Vask opp vil jeg ikke.” It means, “Thanks for the food and drink. I will not clean up,” only it sounds way better in Norwegian because it rhymes. Edith, Reidunn’s daughter with the three boys, said they might come visit us next year in America, so that’s something to look forward to. She’s an obstetrician and was supposed to go to a medical conference in Seattle in April, so she flew to Copenhagen to catch her flight to Seattle, and they wouldn’t let her board the plane because she had the wrong kind of passport. Apparently she needed the passport with the little chip in it and she just had a normal passport. I think the anti-terrorism stuff has gone a bit too far when things like that happen. She had to buy a ticket back to Norway and couldn’t go to Seattle – even though she’d asked repeatedly before she left what documents she needed in order to go and was never told about the chip. A visa is now required for anyone from Norway (and probably all other countries) to travel to the U.S. Talk about overkill.

We headed north to Oslo to visit even more cousins on Kory’s dad’s side of the family. We had reserved a hotel for a few nights in the city, but Jens-Frederick and Anne-Marie insisted we stay with them. It was their son, Bent-Jarl, whose wedding we attended last week. It seems like it was a month ago. Kaleb isn’t too keen on all these family visits, unless there are children to play with, so he was a bit bored today as we sat the entire afternoon and evening and just talked about family dynamics and the little pieces of history that get passed down different branches of the tree. We all agreed there were some serious problems going on at the Slaattehaugen farm that made life difficult for several members of the family – and their descendants. Jens-Frederick (a pastor) also said anyone that believed anything other than what the State Church subscribed too was banned from the family. One of Kory’s aunts converted to Seventh Day Adventist and Kory’s father was Pentecostal. Both were outcasts because of it and never had much contact with relatives as a result. It seems the spirit of Holy Ole, the Viking King that killed those that didn’t convert to Christianity, has lived on. Up until just recently the parents had full responsibility and control over their children – even into adulthood. The Church dictated that and ignored the scripture that said a man should LEAVE his father and mother and CLEVE to his wife. So the adult children had to obey their parents and do as they said, long after they were out of the house. It was only when their parents were dead, could they decide things for themselves as long as it was in line with what the church dictated. So for an adult “child” to disobey their parent’s and leave the State Church – meant they were as good as dead. But now the rebellion is well under way in Norway because of the State Church’s abuse of power and morality has taken a hard swing in the opposite direction of the Bible’s teachings. It breaks my heart that all of this dysfunction has gone on in the name of God – when the fact is that God LOVED us so much he sent his son – to forgive us so that we’d NOT be condemned, but that we’d have freedom and new life. It amazes me that point was lost on them. Where was the love and forgiveness in the Church?

So we had some interesting discussions today and I had a good time looking through some of Jens-Frederick’s family history paperwork. Kory told a story about “Strong Nils,” a guy that lived in Telemark that could lift giant boulders. They once had a contest and put handles on a huge rock to see if anyone else could out lift him. No one could. That rock still sits in front a church in Telemark as a tribute to his strength. One time Nils lifted one end of a log that took three men to lift the other end. The men conspired to drop their end and in doing so, broke Nils’ back. The legend of his strength is now mixed with the weakness of his bladder that came as a result of his injuries. He had to wear a skirt the rest of his life. Some legend. I’m so fascinated by personal histories and want to do nothing more than search for details and then write about them. Kory thinks I spend way too much time with the dead, but I think they are much easier to deal with than the living.

Happy 4th of July

We had to leave Slaattehaugen early this morning to make it to our next destination before lunch. We hadn’t initially planned to stop in Tønsberg, but once the word got out to some of the Slaatthaug cousins that we were in the area, Kory’s phone started ringing. We only had one day we could possibly change so Cousin Reidun won out because she was the first to call and her house was in the direction we were heading. Reidun was on the Slaatthaug Family Reunion committee in the year 2000 and they pulled off one heck of a reunion with over 200 cousins gathering in this neck of the woods to honor their grandparents and get to know one another. Before that time we only knew a few relatives on Kory’s dad side of the family, but now we know many.

Reidun loves to organize get-togethers so it was no surprise when we showed up today that she had invited other family members to come on over. (She also set out an American flag in honor of the 4th of July. There was no parade and we didn’t have a backyard BBQ, but we did have a lot of backyard fun.) One of Reidun’s twin daughters lives three hours away so she came for the weekend with her three sons (ages 12, 10 and 5). Reidun’s two sisters also came down from Oslo by train to meet us. Other cousins showed up for dinner but didn’t spend the night like the whole lot of us. It was one giant sleepover and couldn’t have been more cozy. Reidun is retired, as are her sisters, but it’s easy to see they are still little girls at heart. Reidun’s cherry tree was full of ripe cherries so she insisted we have a cherry seed spitting contest (see photo – if you double click on the photo it gets large enough to see all the funny faces). Kory won. One of Reidun’s sisters (who is in her late 70s) came to my defense when all the boys started attacking me with water balloons and other containers full of water. It was a hot enough day so I didn’t mind getting drenched, but when the hose got involved, things got out of control. The fight lasted for hours and included defense strategies, attack plans, guards to watch over the hose, and a neutral zone where I could go to dry off and catch my breath. When it was all over, I rang about a quarter cup of water out of my underwear. I was drenched, but we sure had fun. (I was thankful the women here didn’t do what most Norwegian women do – on hot days they take off their shirts and just wear their bra. A bra is considered a normal piece of clothing here – not an under garment so it’s quite common to see old ladies outside wearing shorts and a bra. I saw one very professional young woman I’d dealt with at the bank running up a mountain trail after work wearing a very sexy see-through bra. It didn’t seem right. The sight of so many shirtless women in the summertime does take a bit of getting used to.)

Later in the evening, the kids insisted all the adults join them in a game of Hide-n-Seek and I’ll be darned if these seventy something women didn’t run around giggling all the way, hiding as best they could. These women are not like the serious Norwegians I’ve grown accustomed to, nor do they sit around drinking coffee and watching the fun – they join in. I love that. Kaleb had a blast as well. I told him every day there will be new surprises on our road trip and he was delighted with the turn of events for today, as well as his chance to sleep in the loft above the garage with the two older boys.

Kory found out more juicy family history today as he sat in the shade talking with his cousins about their common ancestors. Apparently Kory’s grandfather that lived on the Slaattehaugen farm had an illegitimate daughter on a neighboring farm. That was the first we heard of that one. Now I have more work to do on the family tree. One of Reidun’s sisters said that family had a reputation as being gypsies because they had a dark complexion and dark eyes and their grandfather played the fiddle. As fun as it was to talk about today, it didn’t sound like a very stable family for Kory’s dad to grow up in, so that could explain a lot. We also found out from previous visits with Slaatthaug cousin’s that four of Kory’s dad’s sisters had been institutionalized with mental problems and had to have lobotomies. That one was a bit scary to hear. Depression and schizophrenia also run in his family. And he thought my family had problems….

Blazing Heat

It was a scorcher today – 90 degrees. Too hot for me. I should have been sitting by a river or lake enjoying a cool breeze, but instead I was sitting in a library most of the day, without air conditioning. I couldn’t pass up the chance to find out a few more details about Kory’s father’s side of the family that are missing from my collection of data on dead relatives. I should have passions that cause me to be outdoors more, as this one caused me to sit in a hot room and sweat for four hours as there wasn’t even a breeze that reached the research room.

Kaleb and I arrived an hour too early to the city of Ulefoss, thinking the library opened at 10 instead of 11. At least it opened. Many businesses in Norway are closed the entire month of July, including churches, because so many people are on vacation. We had an hour to kill so we found a little second hand store that was a gold mine. I love old Norwegian tin, pewter and wood things. I told myself I was getting my Christmas shopping done, but how I’ll get it all home, I have no idea.

This part of Telemark is well known for its locks and canal system. Kaleb and I stopped to watch them in action for a while this afternoon on our way back to the farm. There are a total of 18 locks in 8 locations near here. They were important 150 years ago when shipping was the only way to transport goods, but today they are mostly used by tourists. We thought about taking the steamboat that goes up and down the canal, but we didn’t want to go without Kory, so we just stood by and watched as the boats full of tourists took the stair steps down the river where a large waterfall once stood. Kaleb was fascinated by the process so at least we did something today that was fun for him because he didn’t enjoy hanging out at the library so much. A water balloon fight when we got home also helped keep his spirits up.

Kory and Hallvard spent their day up on the roof again. They replaced some rotten wood and took down a modification Hallvard never liked. It would make the most sense to tear down the building as it has a serious insect invasion going on and many of the interior boards are rotten, but he feels a responsibility to preserve it for the family. Hallvard has no plans to ever make it livable but he wouldn’t mind turning it into a kind of family history museum (it already is with all the contents it holds). Kory’s family only moved to this farm in 1912, but his grandparents had so many children and some of them had so many children, there are a lot of people now with roots in this place. I suggested they have some kind of 100 year jubilee on the farm and in preparation, ask some of the descendants to sponsor a new window or door or a side of the house in honor of their grandparents who lived here. Hallvard’s wife would just as soon tear it down. Kory’s most worried about future degradation to the building and he wants to be sure it’s tight so the elements don’t continue to eat it up. I think he’s already agreed to pay for the fumigation to get the bugs out, but he’s hoping to get other relatives to pitch in either time or money to help put a good shell around it so it will last another lifetime. We’ll be visiting a lot of his cousins soon so we’ll find out what the interest is in doing something like that. The inside of the house isn’t great, but it won’t hurt anything to stay the way it is and just move things around in an easy-to-view fashion and then it would be something worth visiting. I think the house was built in the 1820s but that isn’t old by Norwegian standards so there is no historical society that could help out. Kory feels like he is honoring his father by working on the house. He never puts flowers on his grave, so I guess this is the man’s way of expressing the same sentiment.

After the roof was done, Kory and Hallvard were drenched in sweat, so we headed to the nearest swimming hole so they could dive in. Hallvard’s oldest brother came by for a visit so he drove us all there. I was already cooled down from the constant bombardments of water balloons, otherwise I would have jumped in, too. We found out while we were there that the farm right next to that lake is where Kory’s grandparents lived before they bought Slaattehaugen. We went up for a visit so I could take pictures of the house and we could all see the setting. Family lore has it that Kory’s grandfather did NOT want to move from that place but his wife insisted, as she got a good price for Slaattehaugen from her uncle (see photo of the farm from a distance – Slaattehaugen means “ the harvested hill” – the old house it behind the new one). Kory’s grandfather did not want to be a farmer, as he was a shoemaker, so his grandmother had to do all the farming herself. His grandfather became depressed and never adjusted to living on the farm. He moved to the second floor of the house and didn’t talk much to his wife after that. That was how they avoided divorce back then. On second thought, maybe tearing down the old house might be the best thing. At least it’s not haunted.

Another Day in Telemark

This was the kind of day I’m glad is over. I’m completely exhausted, inside and out. I feel like someone pulled my plug and I just want to curl up in a fetal position and sleep. Kaleb and I went to Norway’s largest water park today while Kory worked with Hallvard on replacing some of the roof on the old house where Kory’s father was born (see photo). I was worried about Kory being up on the roof today, but I should have been worried about me. I thought I would have fun. I thought the water park near here would be like Silverwood in Idaho where there is a nice wave pool, a relaxing river current, some fun water slides and a good time to be had by all. But that just wasn’t the case. Every attraction was like staring death right in the face. It didn’t go well with me, and a few times I really wanted to back out before literally taking the plunge, but Kaleb insisted. This is what I do for love. I haven’t been that freaked out in a long time. It also didn’t help that I had flashbacks to my near drowning experience on the Oregon Coast when I was 15. (We got caught in a rip tide and the kid I was with died. It really was a miracle I survived.)

One “ride” today was on an inflatable cushion and after going through twists and turns in a pitch black tube, we ended up in a big drain looking thing that reminded me of the vortex where one can drop a coin and it spins around and around until it finally drops in the bucket below. Only it was us, dropping down into the drain like in the movie “Flushed Away.” That one wasn’t too bad. The one I nearly lost it was called the Half Pipe and it looked like a giant skateboard park only water was gushing down from both sides of the big U and we dropped straight down from one side sitting on an inflatable and then swooshed up the other side and back and forth we went until we were sucked down the drain. I wouldn’t do that one again for anything.

I thought I’d like the relaxing float on an innertube down the river current, but as I found out within seconds after entering, it went way faster than what I’d experienced in other parks. I slipped off my tube and someone smacked my face and only then did I realize I was wearing my glasses. They flew off my face and were lost in the current. They were the only glasses I had left as the others I brought with me to Norway have already broken. I cried. I panicked. I talked to the staff and they just shook their head and said they were lost. I tried to explain I couldn’t drive home without them but they had no sympathy. I was desperate. I asked if I could wait until the park closed and try to find them without the current and they assured me that six hours of swirling around in the river, there wouldn’t be anything left of them. So I did the only thing I could do – I prayed. I called Kory and asked him to pray, too. I prayed God would allow someone to find them before they broke to pieces, or that God would heal my eyes so I wouldn’t need glasses. All I could think about was a month of sightseeing Europe and not being able to see a thing. We won’t be in any place long enough to get new glasses as no one here has the advantages we do in America of getting a new pair in one hour. It takes weeks. Within minutes after praying with Kory, Kaleb came running over with my glasses! Someone right next to him found them and yelled out they found some glasses. Kaleb knew they were mine. It was a miracle they were found, a miracle he was right there to get them (they may have never found their way back to me as there was no “lost and found”) and it was a miracle they weren’t broken. One side of the frame was slightly bent but the glasses weren’t even scratched. I cried again out of pure joy, then had to sit down for a while as my body was a limp noodle. I hated the river after that, but still went around and around that football field sized “ride” with Kaleb – but I left my glasses in my backpack. My body never fully recovered, especially since we had to go on the rides one more time.

Kory had a much more satisfying day working at Slaattehaugen – having a bonding moment with his dad’s memory and Hallvard. Hallvard teaches carpentry at the very school where Kory’s dad learned how to be one. Kory was thinking about his dad running around this place as a child and all the things he might have done. This farm really is like being on a movie set – going back to some significant place in history and reliving some of the memories – except Kory doesn’t have many memories here. There is a strong connection nonetheless and it’s idyllic in every way.

I was so thankful to get back to Slaattehaugen I could have kissed the ground. Kory “grilled” dinner for everyone tonight and once again we had a picture perfect evening in the shade of the old house, sitting outside talking on this warm summer evening watching yet another gorgeous sunset just before midnight. It almost felt like a perfect world, until I remembered the day.

Roots

We left Arendal early this morning. I wish we would have had more time to visit Ruth and Morgan because Ruth is very worried if I write a book about life in Norway, my perspective might be skewed from my experiences this past year with the folks that live in Sunnmøre (the region surrounding Aalesund.) Ruth says they are “special.” (I noticed she also used that word in describing other people - and it wasn’t used in a positive way.) She says those who live in Sunnmøre in no way reflect the lives of the average Norwegians. Each area has its own “reputation,” she says, but I didn’t find out what they all are except that those from way up north swear a lot but are very kind people – according to Ruth. Ok, then. I might have to live in Norway a bit longer before I write a book because I’m sure the whole of Norway would not be happy with me, from what I heard from Ruth, if I portray them to be like those we know and love in Sunnmøre. I found out soon after arriving at our destination today, that the people in Telemark (down south) actually chill their pop before they drink it. Here I thought everyone in Norway drank pop at room temperature, but apparently, that’s one of the little quirks that Sunnmøre people do. I have so much to learn.

After an hour long drive east along the southern coast, we stopped off in the popular little tourist town of Kragerø (see photo). It’s as cute as can be but very pricey. Our friends, Emmanuel and Ledto, from our English speaking Bible study group on Monday nights, were moved to Kragerø three weeks ago. We promised we’d stop in and see how they are doing and they couldn’t have been more pleased to see us. They have a beautiful two bedroom apartment with every window overlooking the sea. They have it good. For two years the Kommune here will pay for all their expenses, give them language lessons and additional education if they need it in order to find a job because they are asylum seekers. Emmanuel (pushing the baby carriage in the photo) used to be a pastor in his home country of Eritrea and spent time in jail for his Christianity. They didn’t know when they moved to Kragerø that many others from Eritrea were also living there. Emmanuel wasted no time and has already started a church in his home in his native tongue. The local Pentecostal church is supportive of his efforts and offered him free use of their facilities if his church grows. Emmanuel is certain it will, (four people have already accepted Christ) so God had a plan in moving them there, even though they were sad to leave all their friends behind in Aalesund. It was so great to see them and their new baby and to see how good they have it. Ledto made us a nice lunch and we had an inspiring visit with them before heading out of town.

Another hour on the road brought us to Slaattehaugen, the farm where Kory’s father was born and raised. If one has a need for speed, driving in Telemark will never satisfy it. The road getting here was so narrow, curvy and bumpy there was no use for speed cameras. Self preservation was all I could think about. We came here to visit Hallvard, Kory’s cousin’s son who now owns the farm. Kory has long desired to do some work on the old house, so this is his chance.

It was in the high 80s today – too hot for me. I was thankful for the massive trees surrounding the houses (old and new) once we arrived at Slaatthaugen. They have a trampoline under a large “asp” tree and it was calling my name. I laid down on it and fell asleep right away. When I woke up Kory and Hallvard were sitting in the shade of the old house talking about what to repair first. There was something very romantic and surreal about waking up in such a significant place on such a warm summer afternoon. The pace here is slower. Life is simple. There are rolling hills covered in wheat and rye as far as the eye can see. Evergreen trees cover the highest peaks. Only a few houses in the distance add dimension to the landscape. It’s almost magical. I asked Hallvard what he knew about some of the old books and papers inside the old house. He’d never looked at them. No one has lived in the old house for nearly forty years and the dust covering everything backed up that fact. He went in the house with me and just like in some mysterious old movie he wiped his hand over the thick layers of dust on a stack of yellowed papers and books and took them outside. We sat at a table in the shade and read through letters and cards, receipts and tax records. Most of the letters written were from one family member to another expressing the one’s concern for the other’s soul. Christianity and God were the dominant theme in them all. We found books from the 1800s and an old school book from 1921 that once belonged to Kory’s father. We also found a Christmas card from the 1950s that Kory’s mother sent to his father’s sister who was the last one to live in the house before it was abandoned in 1956. The entire farm was vacant for 13 years until Kory’s cousin, Gunnar, built a new house and moved in with his family of ten children, the youngest of which is Hallvard.

A Perfect Summer Day

After a much needed good night’s sleep, we had breakfast with Morgan and Ruth and headed to the beach with them again today. But this beach was something special. We took a small walk-on ferry from downtown Arendal out to Merdø, the southern most island in this area. It’s a pretty quaint place with no cars or vehicles of any kind. All the streets are just walking paths that in most areas two people couldn’t fit side by side. The houses are all hundreds of years old and it’s received much recognition for how undisturbed everything is from its days of glory. The island’s occupancy has been dated back to the 1300s but it reached its peak of importance during the sailing ship years in the 1600-1800s. Ships from all over Europe would use the island as a stopping point along their route. (It’s about 150 miles from Denmark.) Smaller islands dot the coastline between Merdø and the mainland of Norway, and often ships would be docked side by side for such a distance out from the dock that they would form a bridge from Merdø to the next island over.

When we got off the ferry we headed west out of “town” past the summer houses where people were sitting in their lawn chairs sunning themselves – a common sight in Norway. We walked through an area that was a genuine fruit tree jungle – completely impenetrable except for a small path to the sea that was constantly being bombarded with the new growth of blackberry branches. There were so many wild cherry trees in one small little area they would be impossible to count. I’m sure someone had quite the orchard there at one point but now it’s madness as future generations of the trees have popped up in every conceivable place. Honeysuckle vines had equally gone wild and entangled the plum, cherry and apple trees to the point it’s just downright scary. I’ve never seen anything like it.

We first planned to take a walk around the perimeter of the island but by the time we made it to the beach overlooking a majestic lighthouse on another nearby island, we decided to sit down and have a cup of coffee. The beach was full of more interesting boulders and rocks of all kinds so Kory and Kaleb couldn’t wait to continue honing their rock sculpture skills (see photo). Even Morgan decided to give it a try and came up with a pretty impressive tower of rocks himself. There were only two groups of people that passed by in all the time we were sitting there and they were mightily impressed with the art work. Maybe it will start a trend and others will give it a try, as the supply of rocks is phenomenal.

After several hours of sunning ourselves while chatting the day away, we continued on along the shore, then cut across the island to the central hub – a small café located next to a museum and the only sandy beach around. One of the three year-round island residents is a fisherman that owns the local café. He has two items on his menu – something that looked almost like fish and chips, and fish soup. People come from far and wide for a bowl of his famous fish soup (to the tune of $20 a bowl). Morgan and Ruth treated us to this local delicacy, which was well worth the trip and expense. We dined in the outdoor patio in one of the funkiest spot I’ve seen so far in Norway. It was more like a place that would be found in the San Juan Islands, than in Norway, but it was kitschy and cute and a perfect place to eat. Afterwards we took a tour of the museum – a home once owned by a successful shipping captain. The house has been completely untouched for over 150 years and the portrait the owner had done of himself sitting in his living room, showed the room to be exactly the way it was back then – including the now well worn imported silk wallpaper and every stick of furniture. It was almost eerie. The whole house was like that.

The last ferry off the island left at 5:30 so after a little more coffee and cookies on the sandy beach, we headed back to Arendal. Kaleb was so well behaved today that we thought it was OK to leave him home alone to watch TV while we all went to an outdoor restaurant beside a large river on the outskirts of town. (Kaleb was happy to stay home with a bowl of risgrøt – rice porridge.) The evening was so warm and wonderful none of us wanted to be indoors. We continued our non-stop chatting - Kory and Morgan are first cousins but have never gotten to know each other so that was the point of our visit. All the while we were entertained by watching all the boats coming and going up and down the river, kids diving into the water from nearby cliffs and seeing the setting sun change the colors in the sky. I haven’t had a day like this that felt so much like summer in a long time. I like it. I love it. I want some more of it!

Happy 18th Anniversary to US!

It was the kind of day that had something perfect in it for all of us. We got to spend the entire day visiting with Kory’s cousin Morgan and his wife Ruth. We hadn’t gotten to know them before because Morgan moved away from Aalesund when he got married 34 years ago. He is a brother to Axel and is much like him, as we found out today. There’s nothing I like more than chatting the day away, so it was good for me to hang out with someone who hasn’t heard any of my stories. Kory was pleased to have time with his cousin and to not be rushing here and there. Morgan and Ruth took us around their town and showed us all the beautiful places and then we spent the entire HOT afternoon down at the beach, which couldn’t have been better for Kaleb. We didn’t have a plan, or a schedule and both Morgan and Ruth had the day free from work to spend it with us so it was wonderful– which was just what we all needed.

When we were walking around downtown Arendal, there was a group of six young people singing in a square, asking for money. They were part of a youth group from a local church trying to raise money to go on a mission trip to Africa to help install a well in some remote village. They group split into two and each half was working a different side of town, competing to see who could raise the most money in a short period of time. Ruth gave them all she had, and Kory, ever longing for a good prank, told them if they ran to the top of some high steps nearby, raised their hands toward heaven and shouted HALLELUJAH as loud as they could – he would give them money. The whole bunch of them raced off to the top of the stairs, raised their arms and shouted loud enough I’m sure the whole town heard. And then when they returned to Kory, he asked them to do it again. And they did. It did Kory’s heart good as he hasn’t heard many other people in this country shouting Hallelujah and as Kaleb says, “He’s just crazy about those Hallelujahs.” So the youth group got 200 kroner from Kory (about $35). Some guy was filming the whole thing so I’m sure that little stunt will be long talked about. Kory was so proud. Morgan thought he was crazy.

After we left downtown we headed off to one of their favorite beaches that surround this coastal area, but the sand was missing. Apparently the sand comes and goes, and today it went. The rocks were not too inviting so we stood around a while and let Kaleb explore. I laid back on a larger rock and soaked up some rays with my eyes closed, as Kory was busy talking to Ruth. All of a sudden I heard Morgan yell something and go running off past me so I sat up to see what was going on. Kaleb was inching himself along a crack in a very large rock (see photo), walking further and further out over the water. One slip and he would be in for it – and surely we’d be heading to the hospital. Morgan saved the day by talking him off the ledge and pulling him up to the top of the rock where it was much safer. Kaleb thought it was exciting but from where I was sitting, it was anything but that. Why he insists on these daredevil stunts, I have no idea. I’m sure if he didn’t get a reaction out of me it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun for him but it was all my heart could take for one day.

We ate lunch outdoors at another beach that was much safer, but Kaleb decided not to swim in the water since the stinging jelly fish were a bit too abundant for his liking. He skipped stones and found beach treasures and thankfully entertained himself in a less daring way while we all visited. On the last beach we walked to, there were so many cool shaped rocks that Kory got the idea to start stacking them. He didn’t stack them in a logical way with the flattest and biggest parts on the bottom – no – he had to be artistic and balance them on their narrowest point and then stack addition rocks on top. How he did it, I don’t know, but it got Kaleb motivated to do the same so we were there much longer than expected as the two of them made rock tower creations. They were quite artsy and impressive.

Morgan and Ruth grilled us a yummy dinner tonight about 10pm – as we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Kaleb picked a wild daisy for the occasion and gave it to me. He also found several heart shaped rocks on the beach he insisted I keep as tokens of his love for me. Sweet boy, but at times a challenge. I had to sing him “his” song a few times today (it it sung to the tune of “You are my sunshine.”) It goes like this – “You are my son, my only son, you make me happy, when you obey. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take that good boy away.” Ruth said she’s never heard that version before. That’s because this was our first visit. Hopefully I won’t have to sing it so much tomorrow.

A Long Day's Journey

I only slept three hours last night. Maybe this is how addictions kill. I was sitting in the lobby of the guesthouse writing my blog until the sun began to rise and all the hotel employees were cleaning up after the reception. I’m sure they were wondering what I was doing there all alone clicking away on my keyboard at such an odd hour of the night and I’m pretty sure they were anxious for me to leave so they could clean the room I occupied. But I took my time, because I didn’t want to delay documenting the day and risk forgetting details. Even as some things happen now throughout the day, I’m formulating the sentence I’ll write about it in my head. Turid thinks I’m not fully experiencing the moment because I’m too busy taking pictures and thinking about writing. She quoted some famous photographer that said something along those lines as proof. I can’t say that I disagree with her, but I can’t stop doing either one of them, so my experiences may be a bit shallow, I’m afraid, but at least they’ll be well documented.

We were up early this morning as we had to catch the 10:15 ferry off the island, or wait two hours for the next one. We had a chance to talk with a few cousins we hadn’t seen in a long time at breakfast (aunts to the groom). One of them said she may come visit us in September, so that was exciting. We visited her in Bergen when Kaleb was two years old, so it’s been awhile since we’ve spent time with her. Another cousin is moving to Thailand in September and we told her we will plan to come for a visit this winter. Her husband is a minister and will be taking over the Norwegian Seaman’s Church in Bangkok. There are so many Norwegian men marrying Thai women now that just that one church alone performs over a hundred weddings a year. He will also be the pastor for merchant marines and sailors in port from Norway. So that will be a big thrill for us to go there. Kory has so many relatives here in Norway it’s mind-boggling.

Our destination today was the city of Arendal on the southern coast of Norway – at least a ten hours drive from where we began the day. I was worried about the drive with so little sleep last night, but we traded off and let the other take a short nap when it got too bad. It was so hot the heat didn’t help our sleep deprived state either. We chose to take a slightly longer route through the mountains, rather than along the coastline because we’d just traveled the coastal route during our Easter vacation. We wanted to see what Norway looks like in the middle of the southern tip, and it was quite different than the landscape along the coast. For most of the way, it was as if we were back home in Washington state as there were tall evergreens and rivers all along the road side. Kory thought it was a combination of Western Washington and Yosemite National Park as many places had huge sheer rocks jutting up out of the farmland below. It was beautiful and so different from other areas we’ve seen. The diverse landscape here is something else.

Most of the roads were just one lane with no center dividing line which meant we needed to pull far to the right when another car came toward us. That’s always a white knuckle experience when it’s a bus or big truck. We drove over the speed limit most of the day and looked for chances to pass other cars when we could. We only stopped once along a mountain river to have a picnic lunch and to enjoy the sunshine for a few minutes before we were back in the car. About an hour from our destination we stopped to have dinner at a café in one of the bigger towns we went through, which was tiny by American standards. Most towns on the maps here have nearly everything a person would need located under one roof so often when we drive through them, if it weren’t for a few houses being closer together than they are in other places, we might not even know it was a town. A bigger town might actually have the bank, the grocery store and café in their own building (but not the post office, that’s most often combined with the grocery store). And not every town on the map has a gas station, so planning and being prepared are the keys to a successful road trip.

While we were at dinner, Kory’s cousin Morgan called. We’re staying with him for the next few days. He wasn’t home yet from a weekend trip he took so he wanted to let us know. We slowed down after that and stopped at a few places along the way. One river was fabulous – not even a foot deep and very wide (see photo) so the water was warm and perfect for wading. We’d passed so many gorgeous swimming holes today we only dreamed of stopping for a dip, but we were on a tight schedule. But none of our days now have more than three hours driving in them so we can stop if we want and see what other unexpected blessings might be waiting.

Wedding Day (Bryllupsdag)

This was the first Norwegian wedding I have attended from start to finish. Actually, it’s nearly 2am and it’s still not finished, but I’m holding out. The whole event has been going for almost 12 hours now but that’s a far cry from the three days weddings used to last in Norway. It is some kind of celebration.

All of us who stayed on the island of Austevoll last night had to take a ferry to get to the church for the wedding. The bride and groom, Bent-Jarle and Birgitte are both preacher’s kids. Birgitte’s father officiated the ceremony at his church. It was sweet and beautiful. It followed the Norwegian tradition where the bride and groom sit facing each other through most of the ceremony. After they say their vows, they sit side-by-side. And instead of saying “I do” – they say “JA!” (Unfortunately, Kaleb was so tired he fell asleep in Kory’s lap and missed the whole thing.) I was surprised the first kiss wasn’t until AFTER the ceremony, outside on the steps with all looking on. So many cameras were going off during and after the ceremony it was almost like a paparazzi blitz.

After an hour we all took the ferry back to Austevoll where the reception was held. It was quite a sight to see so many dressed in formal attire, bunads and all, riding the ferry. It was as if the ferry were hired just for the wedding. People came from far and wide to attend this wedding (Australia, New York, all parts of Norway) so adding a ferry ride to the day was as quaint as it could be. (The little islands we passed along the way barely stuck up out of the water – unlike the scenery around Aalesund where they mountains are so high and dramatic, but it was beautiful just the same.) It was another extremely sunny and warm day so it made for beautiful photos even if I was sweating while taking them.

The Guesthouse where we are staying was the location of the reception. There was champagne waiting outside on the patio for us when we returned. After some mingling time we were all invited to find out seats at a very formal dinner (there was a seating chart). Speeches ranging from 15 to 45 minutes were given by the parents, best man and bridesmaid and wedding couple between the appetizer, main course and dessert. The mother’s wrote songs for their children and everyone sang them to familiar tunes. Interspersed into the meal (which took hours) were short breaks and time for some smooching. If everyone banged their forks against their wine glasses, the bride and groom had to stand on their chairs and kiss each other. If the knives were banged against the tabletop, the parent’s of the bride and groom had to stand on their chairs and kiss. But it seems the speeches are the main focus of the wedding reception.

After dinner was over, we took a little break and those that wanted could go upstairs and see the gift table. When the gifts arrive, there are assigned gift openers who open the gifts immediately, document who they are from and set them out in a beautiful display on a decorated table so the guests can see all the loot. The wedding couple usually don’t see the gifts until the next day as they are busy with other things.

During dinner we had a chance to talk to those sitting around us and I sat across from a kid who just finished a year in America as an exchange student. He was in Arkansas so he had some interesting observations about that whole experience. He said he felt like the school there was similar to a prison with police, metal detectors and security cameras everywhere. He didn’t like it so much. We started talking about the differences between the two countries and I told him how shocking it is they print so many swear words in the newspapers here. He said, “That’s because we have freedom of speech here.” I told him we have that in America too and he said, “No you don’t. You say you do, but when you say something you can get fired for, or get sued for – that’s not freedom of speech.” Good point.

Just before midnight we moved outside to hear accordion music while the wedding couple took their first waltz together and others joined in. At midnight we headed into another building where about 20 cakes and coffee were waiting, along with additional speeches from siblings and friends. Most of the speeches revolved around revealing embarrassing information about the bride or groom, but it made for some good laughs. Kaleb lasted until midnight then went back to the room to sleep. He enjoyed the wedding, but thought it “went on a bit too long.” But if it ended any sooner, it just wouldn’t have been the same - as there was nothing that should have been taken from this day. It was like a storybook wedding in some dream land, far, far away. It couldn’t have been any better. We were blessed to be able to attend it.

And We're Off...

Some people might describe the inevitable ferries one must take along the coast of Norway as “charming”. This morning I would have described them as “inconvenient.” We were up early, ate breakfast in two gulps without even finishing our good cup of American coffee, and were quickly out the door to catch the first of many ferries on the road south out of town. We even waited to brush our teeth until we were on board. Only then did I realize I left my computer carrying case back at Odd and Turid’s house. I had my laptop with me, but many other important things were in that case – including the battery chargers for our cameras. And a road trip which doesn’t include me taking thousands of pictures along the way is no road trip at all. I was sick to my stomach. It couldn’t have been a rougher start for my meticulously planned journey. It cost us an hour, but that was a big hour so early in the day. I stayed on board the ferry for its return while Kory, Kaleb and the car got off on the other side of the fjord. Turid was gracious enough to meet me back at the ferry dock and hand over the precious cargo. I was so disappointed in myself, but somewhat thankful it wasn’t Kory or Kaleb who left something behind. Kaleb was already upset with me that I forgot to pack his favorite stuffed dog he’s had since he was two years old (given to him by my brother’s family). That dog has gone on all our trips with us and as Kaleb says, “He’s a good traveling companion.” (We know he has no broken bones because of the number of times he’s been x-rayed by airport security.) Kaleb cried a few tears until I told him there might be another dog in his future – stuffed of course.

The day was unusually hot but the kind of beautiful one comes to expect in Norway, and is rare in all other places on this planet. We went on Route 39 to Bergen – a road we’ve been on a few times now. Each season brings a different appearance to the all familiar terrain. In winter, the way the ice is formed and the minimal lighting makes it a unique sight. In the summer, the wild flowers and the bright blue skies make the exact same scene appear completely different. Even with the loss of an hour today, we made it to Bergen on schedule. Kory drove like a maniac and fortunately, didn’t get caught. I nearly died a few times from close calls, but surely angels were watching over us. I think he was dreaming of driving a race car very fast around tight corners, and I only let out a screech once or twice along the way all the while praying for traveling mercies. I think Kory misses his Studebaker Avanti back home. Kaleb entertained himself in the back seat reading books and watching movies. We spent so much time in tunnels he had to keep a flashlight handy.

We stopped in Bergen for dinner by the harbor and a little walk around town to stretch our legs. Kaleb didn’t find any stuffed dogs as a suitable replacement for “Brownie,” so the search will continue. It was a five ferry day, which makes for a decent road trip since we are in the car an hour, on the ferry for 20 minutes and in the car for another hour until the next ferry and on it goes. The ferries are also the best public restroom system Norway has going because otherwise, it’s just a bush or a rock providing the same service with no toilet paper or flush. We timed all the ferries well except the last one where we had to wait over an hour, but it was just as well since the last 50 cars didn’t get on board and had to wait two hours for the next one. The harbor where we waited was gorgeous with little boat shacks nestled in between the cracks in the rock walls near the shore. It’s beyond describing. Ice cream helped pass the time.

When we finally arrived at Austevoll - the island of our destination (we are attending Bent-Jarle’s wedding here tomorrow – Kory’s cousin’s grandson whom we love very much), Kory insisted on programming his GPS system to help find the way. I nearly lost it. There is only one road on this island and it goes right past the guesthouse where we are staying, but there’s something about men and their gadgets. It’s not like I didn’t have a map. It wouldn’t have been so bad to have him playing with that thing if he wouldn’t have also been driving at the same time. I keep telling him he needs to lead by example and that sure wasn’t something I wanted Kaleb to see. I decided it was best that I drive and before he could even punch all the buttons on his little “toy,” we magically arrived at our destination without the assistance of GPS or a map. Imagine that.

For the next two nights we’re staying next to a very quaint harbor at a Guesthouse (see photo). We have a suite complete with kitchenette overlooking the sea. The family is all here now and after a few hours with them tonight out on the deck drinking wine and talking about all our hair-raising experiences we had getting here, I had to cut out early (at midnight) to feed my blog addition. They all thought I should just skip today, but they don’t understand either.