In May, 2006 we embarked on a Norwegian adventure to acquaint Bonnie with her Norwegian roots, ancestors, and present-day cousins. Up until 2005 Bonnie knew only that a paternal grandmother Inga Jacobsen was an immigrant from Norway in early 1900. She didn't stay with the family long and so little is known of her since 1920.
Wed. May 10 -
We spent time with brother Gary and his wife Rosanna since our arrival in the Twin Cities yesterday. After breakfast we drove out to see Jeff and Chris’ new home in Excelsior, southwest of downtown Minneapolis. The house is very nice with a beautifully manicured lawn situated on a corner lot. The middle school is located adjacent to their backyard.
We then went to the Mall of America near the airport where the four of us lingered and walked. Eventually we enjoyed a nice lunch at the California Cafe on level three. We had a combination of four things served in a tray. It was very good. After lunch and lots of conversation we again walked some more before heading for Gary’s car and the airport just a few miles away.
At the airport we unloaded our gear three pieces of luggage and two carry-ons. After our good byes we headed for the Icelandair counter just inside. We learned that our two carryons were too heavy. So we had to switch some of my carry-on stuff to our third bag and check it in. We had to quickly think about what we had put in it to be sure that we wouldn’t need anything from it on the plane.
The lines weren’t very long at the airline counter or security so we passed through all that rather quickly. Now we are sitting in our gate area, already checked in and collecting our thoughts. Bonnie found a seat near an electric outlet so right now power isn’t a problem. There is internet in the airport but it is not free. It is $6.95 for one full day. Too much for me when I don’t have much to tell anyone as yet.
Gary and Rosanna took us to their Sons of Norway Lodge meeting the night before we enplaned. They had a speaker Deb Nelson Gourley who has written a book which is a collection of 16 short stories, stories about some of the highlights of her search for her Norwegian ancestry. She was very good and I even bought a copy of her book, Astri, My Astri is the name of a great great grandmother she discovered. She is also publishing a book from years ago which tells the story of the migration of Norwegians to the Great rea of the U.S. I checked the proofs of the books and found that is includes material on the Norwegians in Racine and Kenosha, Rock county Wisconsin, and other Wisconsin places. So I ordered a copy of it.
Wednesday, May 10:
As I look around our gate area the seats are gradually filling up, and Bonnie is starting to read her book Kite Runner. But it doesn’t look like it has grabbed her as yet. The plane coming from Iceland is due in a few minutes - 5:55 PM. It is the same one we will take on May 26, when Gary will pick us up.
We boarded the Icelandair plane on time and left the gate on time. Fortunately, despite a rather full plane our row of six (three on each side) only had three of us. So Bonnie and I shared three seats, making it nice and comfortable. Shortly after take off we were served beverage and then after that dinner. Dinner consisted of a hot dish of baked chicken breast with potatoes and vegetables, macaroni salad and a delicious brownie. Not long afterwards we turned out the lights and got into a comfortable sleep position, or as comfortable as was possible.
Thursday, May 11:
We awoke about twelve midnight CDT and soon after the skies lightened. And before 1 AM we were landing in Iceland. Here it is six o’clock in the morning. We passed through the customs check and located our gate for the next leg of our flight to Oslo which leaves here in a little over an hour, about 720 AM.
The weather here in Iceland is overcast and cool today. The terrain is flat and covered with low grasses which are still brown. Bonnie is off getting us a coffee and something to eat. Here she is now laughing quietly, because she asked for one cup of coffee and she ended up with a half cup of what looked like expresso and with a cup of some kind of smooth creamy yogurt. And the cost was $9. “Nine dollars!!” was the actual remark.
Our airplane to Oslo was delayed for about an hour but finally we were called and moved on with our journey. We landed about an hour later in the Oslo airport which is about thirty miles out of town, but they have an express train that leaves every 10 minutes and take 20 minutes.
Upon arrival at the Oslo central station we decided to hail a taxi to our hotel, the City Hotel. We knew it was nearby but decided not to tote our five bags around when weren’t exactly sure where it was in the bustling downtown area. I had a printout from mapquest with the address and map. Our driver was a young middle eastern lad and he wasn’t sure of the location but with my map he seemed able to proceed. Well, 40 minutes later we were still in his cab looking. As it turned out we went through the intersection of our hotel at least four times. After the second attempt he actually turned his meter off and by then he had asked at least two people (also middle eastern) for help. The traffic by this time of the afternoon in downtown central Oslo was horrendous with its narrow streets, bikes, scooters, trucks, and autos all converging at every intersection, not a place for those not hardy or foolish. At the end of the adventure when I knew for the last time where we wanted get out of the taxi, I shouted “Stop here” and he did so very reluctantly.
We located the hotel entrance, a door with a buzzer, and after we rang the door opened and we went in, found a “lift” to the 4th floor and simple as that we were “home” for the day. Our room was nice and neat and comfortable. We gathered up all the energy that a two hour overnight rest on the airplane gave us, and proceeded to unpack and reorganize for land traveling.
We decided that rest at that moment, late afternoon, was not a good idea. It was a beautiful sunny warm Oslo day and we had a hunger for something to eat, and of course the accompanying thirst for a couple of cold ones, Oslo style.
We walked a block to the north and off to our right across a wide intersection was the railroad station. We were only two blocks at the most from the station and by now 117 KR ($19) lighter, thanks to the uninformed cabbie from the middle east.
We walked up Karl Johann’s Gate which is a no traffic area and here after 5 o’clock (1700 hrs) was crowed to people walking around and enjoying the sunshine. There were numerous outdoor cafes. We found a table at one and ordered our first Norse beer and a brie cheese sandwich. All told our little supper repast lightened our pockets to the tune of nearly 200 KR (over $30). We stopped this type of entertainment and moved on to the Grand Prix Park where we found walkways lined with spring flowers. From there it was a short walk to the wharf area where a Norse band was holding forth. Then our fatigue began to take over and we headed back to our now easy to find hotel.
I went to the lobby area to use their computer and the internet. Unfortunately, our group list of names and emails for this NORWAY trip is in my computer and it isn’t talking or doing anything. It’s battery is deader than dead. Subsequently I hooked up my converter and adaptor and found it was not working, the fuse was blown (from some prevous use). So my computer is dead to the world. I sent a short email to David and Tracy and asked them to forward the note to another else they could think of. Somewhere in the next day or two I need to get what I need to use my computer....or else. Also my videocam will need to be recharged as will my palm, and soon. This is taking on the looks of an urgent high priority.
We slept like rocks and that was good, except the drunk on the street below our window who revelled til well past the wee hours of the night.
Friday, May 11:
We had our alarm clock set for 530 in the morning, but we were both awake by 5 AM so we got up and started getting ready to leave for the train station. Our goal is the Norway in a Nutshell tour from Oslo to Bergen with side tours to Myrdal, Flam, Gudvangen and Voss, arriving in Bergen about 12 hours after we began. After the fiasco with the taxi the afternoon before we decided to walk to the station, a not long two blocks with five bags to tote. First though we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel. It was part of the price. We could choose from dried cereal, juices, soft boiled egg, cold cut meats and cheeses. We also made a sandwich for noon, after we saw another guest doing it.
Foremost on my mind was to figure out a solution to my electric convertor problem. So I checked the open stores at the rail station but found nothing. So we walked out to the track 3 to await our train. We were early by 45 minutes, but eventually we heard American voices behind us. Bonnie turned and said, “It sound like some Americans.” Next thing you know we are standing there chatting with a nice couple from Albany, New York. It was the first chat since we left Gary and Rosanna in St Paul.
Once the train pulled in, we all split to our assigned cars (called wagons). We were in wagon six seat 67 and 68. We plunked our five bags down in the place near the door and looked for our seat. There was a moment first when we found a man sitting in our seat and a couple in the seat ahead. I showed him our seat assignment and when we looked at his he was assigned a different “wagon”, number three. He didn’t know there were cars assigned. Soon we were situated and comfortable.
The train left the station on time proceeding toward Bergen some 471 kilometers away (287 miles). The route for the first half or so was through some rich, rolling agricultural land and a number of cities where we often stopped for new passengers. The conductor came around promptly after each stop and stamped tickets. Our ticket (for two) for the whole tour, including the train to Bergen, a steep RR train to Flam, a cruise boat ride to Gudvangen and a bus ride to Voss, cost 1115 NOK (Norwegian Kroner) or $186. Well worth it as it turned out.
About half way to Bergen we began to climb as the track became significantly steeper and we entered into the country’s largest winter sports resort areas. From this point on there were holiday homes and cabins visible from either side of our “wagon”. From Haugastel to Finse the climb was the steepest until we reached nearly 1300 meters in elevation. There were many tunnels made especially for preventing heavy snow conditions on the track.
The train stopped at Finse where track clearing operations were conducted in past years before the 10.7 km of snow tunnels or sheds were built. The large glacier here is the Hardangerjokulen. The train stopped and everyone got out to take pictures of the glacier and the snow covered and barren landscape. And the temps there were at about the freezing level. Bonnie stayed in the comfort of her wagon train.
Not far down the line we stopped at Myrdal and got off the train, transferring to the Flam railroad for a steep ride to the bottom of the Flam valley. The track descends at the rate of one meter to every 18 meters covered, a drop of 865 meters over a distance of 20 km and through 20 tunnels. One tunnel actually has a 180 degree turn inside the tunnel and took 18 years to complete.
The boat ride on the Sognefjord took about two hours and we were treated to many spectacular views of waterfalls cascading down the 3000 foot high steep mountain sides. Here and there we saw a small group of farm buildings and tried to imagine what life was like years ago when the only access was from a boat on the fjord.
The boat landed at Gudvangen and we were picked up by a tour bus and taken on a five mile razor back road up a steep mountain side to the hotel at Stalheim, a beautiful and yet quaint isolated resort dating back to the end of the ninteenth century. Our bus stopped there to give us all a chance to photograph the valley way below us.
Then is was on to Voss with a tired bunch of tourists. The train to Bergen took us through countless tunnels; Norway is a leader of tunneling these days. It was hard to stay awake as the train clipped along, mostly alongside a wide fjord. The last 7.7 km is a tunnel that takes the train right into the center of Bergen and its rail station.
We were about an hour late and thought about the hunger clearly at work in us, but the options for eating were minimal. So we headed for a taxi stand and awaited an empty taxi. After ten or fifteen minutes, we caught a taxi. Despite our Oslo taxi predicament and knowing our rooming house was just a meer six blocks or so away we took the taxi again, tempting fate once more. It was raining by this time and the skies were darkening. We could see Skivenbakken on the city map, but the driver was cautious, especially when I told him about about the taxi from hell in Oslo. Skivenbakken is a narrow steep street up the north side of Bergen and is only five blocks long. But alas, within six minutes we were parked outside of 17 Skivenbakken, along a steep and narrow street, and I was ringing the doorbell. Alf came to the door and welcomed us. Our room is one of four on the first floor of his house. We told Alf that we were hungry and he brought us some instant soup and some bread. It was enough to take the edge off of our appetite. It wasn’t long before we were sound asleep from a busy three days of travel across the ocean and the width of Norway.
Saturday, May 13:
We slept like rocks for over eight hours awakening at 8 o’clock in the morning. After showering we dressed and headed out for something to eat. Along with that priority was the need to find a way of using my computer and recharging its battery. Of course food was the first priority and we chowed down a sandwich consisting of smoked salmon with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and mayo along with coffee and a Danish sweet roll, sharing it, of course. The cost 150 kr or $22.
Then we set off through the fish market, hugely active this Saturday morning, to a department store for a electrical convertor and/or adaptor. Unfortunately we came up empty on this quest, but we were directed to the nearby Galleria mall and an electrical shop. I must say I wasn’t energized by this at all. But we cheerfully followed this lead and found the shop. The clerk was amazing with her English, especially our often confusing figurative phrases. We were told confidently that most computer laptops are set up for 110 and 220 volts and therefore only need an adaptor and she promptly placed one on the counter. She said, “be sure to check the voltage adaptor for each device on this.” Secondly, she cautioned us to not use our hair blower as it takes too much power. So we bought a rather inexpensive one from her. Now we were energized and ready to shop the stores along the Bryggen, the wharf area dating back to the 1500s.
The next two hours were spent spending with Bonnie winning the race. While selected two T-shirts, my wife found a very sweater and a project in a bag that will someday hang on our living wall. With lunch on our minds we went back to the fish market area and bought a package of smoked salmon, a small container of beautiful strawberries, which we combined with some potato chips and a cartoon of orange juice for a bit of lunch back at our room. Following this dilectible lunch, I found a moment to plug in my computer and enjoyed the sight of its start up. All was well again. I next checked the adaptor that works with the videocam and that too would work. The palm adaptor however would not, according to its label. Well, two of three isn’t too bad, is it?
For the afternoon we just decided to walk around the center of Bergen, we revisited the Galleria and found it had six floors of shops. As the afternoon closed we selected a pizza place on the Bryggen wharf area. It was called Peppe’s, the building was very old with log beams above us. A group, or is it a gaggle, of early teen girls were celebrating a birthday next to us. It was fun just to watch them, of course we had no idea what they were saying. Our pizza was veggie type with pesto sauce featuring mushrooms, marinated garlic, sun dried tomato and was covered with some kind of lettuce. Aside from the lettuce, which was rather bitter, the pizza was excellent. We couldn’t figure out the crunchy things until we rechecked the menu and found it was the marinated garlic. Along with two .6 liter home beers we had just spent another 280 NOK or $46. But it was a nice place.
Our evening is now ending with post card writing and logging like I am doing here. I still don’t have internet access. My computer sees the wireless network here but the network at this place is encrypted and I need Alf to tell me what the password is. When that happens maybe Sunday morning we will send this to all on our group list. Until then it is just information unshared. The time is 1030 and it is still light out here, fooling us into thinking it is earlier that what is really is.
One last impression we each have is a very tired and achy body, especially knees, hips and feet. But that is always a part of touring on foot.
Sunday May 14:
The day started with a surprise as we realized that is was 9 o’clock, meaning we had slept for nearly ten hours. It’s amazing what lots of walking on cobblestone will do to you. When we went to bed it was 11 o’clock at night and it was still light outside. If that surprises you check the latitude of Bergen and compare it with Milwaukee.
Naturally we started rushed around packing and getting ready to leave our room in Bergen, even though we told ourselves that we didn’t need to rush. We had checked out where to catch the airport bus (flybussen) and it was about ten or twelve blocks away. We had also weighed the option of walking downhill on our steep cobblestone street versus takes the stairway next to our building. The question? What would be easier, the steep downhill on cobblestone or the stairs and faster access to the flat sidewalk there? Bonnie made this decision noting that we have five bags to tote; three with handles and to carried on our shoulders.
As it would turn out this worked very well. Thanks Bonnie.
The weather was partly cloudy and somewhat sunny as we trekked down Kong Oscar’s Gate (a street). About 1/4 of the way we noticed a dark, dark cloud heading our way. And just as we spotted an Internet cafe and went inside it started to sleet. We still hadn’t found a way to get our first email on the Internet and we wanted to do that first thing. What a nice place and time to do that. A couple from Mobile, Alabama we had met on the Friday train, and seen at least three or four times Saturday, came in right behind us. While Bonnie chatted with them I set up my computer only to discover that I didn’t have my electrical adaptor purchased just the day before. I looked in all the right places and it just wasn’t there. We agreed that we had to go back to the rooming house and look for it in our room, it had to be there. Bonnie agreed to do the running while I got help getting on the Internet. The guy working there was kind enough to find a cord that would work and soon the Internet was working on my laptop. I had 35 messages on my Hotmail account and 15 on the Yahoo account. Everything went well and I was packed up and waiting when Bonnie, sweet Bonnie, appeared with the adaptor. She had found it on the floor under the table. On the way back she decided to give herself a treat and stopped in at the cathedral church along the route back to me. She wanted to see the interior and since it was open she did.
So we gathered our five bags and continued our trek to the Radisson Hotel. Sometimes the cobblestone walks made it a bit more difficult but persevered we did until we found the hotel and deposited our cache in the hotel storage area. It was a blessing that they allowed us to store our stuff. We now had nearly five hours to “play”. By this time our noon hunger had appeared (breakfast consisted of a piece of leftover pizza each and some juice) and we paused along the Bryggen to eat our crab sandwiches, chips, and fruit.
Then we went toward the Floibannen funicular, a cable car that climbs to the top of the mountain overlooking the city harbor area. The view from up there was spectacular although by this time we had a snow shower to contend with. Inside the restaurant we found warmth and comfort food in the shape of a strawberry tart and a chocolate peanut butter bar, naturally served and priced with class. As we enjoyed our dessert we spotted the couple we talked with on the train to Bergen They were from Albany, New York. We motioned to them and they sat down and we compared notes on what had happened since our last contact. They were heading north from Bergen on the Hurtigrute which runs from Bergen to Kirkenes. They were going half way to Trondheim.
We went outside to take a few pictures of Bergen from this high vantage point. By this time the weather had gone from sleet to sunny and pleasant. We went down the funicular and stopped at the Hanseatic Museum. This is where those trading with other European cities did their business. Bergen had dried cod to share with the European world in exchange for grains and fabrics. All the workers were German and they lived apart from the Norwegian residents. Most of the Hanseatic trade was done from the 1100s to the 1500s, gradually ending in the next hundred years or so as the Norwegians began to take over the trading. The museum is situated in an old warehouse building over two hundred years old. From the museum we walked to the Mariakirche, the church that served the religious needs of the German Hansa community. The churchyard had a number of headstones, stone or metal that dated from the 1700s.
We caught our flybussen ride to the airport after 5 (1700), a forty-five minute ride. Our check-in went smoothly and after we shared a hot dog (polse) and soft ice cream (is). About 30 minutes before our flight we went up the stairs to the gates. Here we had to pass through the security check. We emptied our pockets, unpacked the laptop, and much to my surprise I saw my Swiss Army knife pass away into the screening machine, way too late to get it into my checked baggage. I walked through the scanner and there was Bonnie standing by my stuff and the screener holding my knife up for a closer inspection. I uttered impulsively; “I use it for sausage?” And Bonnie helplessly chimed in, “yeah, that’s true.” And, unbelievably, the inspector handed it back to me.
Our flight to Aalesund was full and it took only 30 minutes. The skies were partly clouded and so the fjords were in full view for us. Soon we were walking down the ramp and just inside the terminal stood Bonnie’s friend Mary and her daughter Serianne. After hugs and greetings we left for our home for the next three days and four nights. There we met Andree and the next hours passed quickly as we shared our thoughts and plans for the days ahead. Since we arrived at about nine o’clock in the evening it wasn’t long before we realized that the sun and its light was still shining well past eleven o’clock. And so just before midnight we went to bed as the sky grayed to black.
We slept soundly and sometime around seven we awoke and began to get ready for a day of touring throughout the Aalesund fjord area. Keep in mind that most of this area is on a mass of islands, if not all of it, separated by numerous fjords. Serianne took breakfast with us and soon she left on her bike for school. And we then began our tour by driving to pickup Andree at his work place, a hospital where he serving as chaplain. We started the day with a fill at the gasoline station. The price of gas here is about 11 kroner per liter (Remember KR vs. $ is 6:1. So the gas fill was about $70 for 30 liters or 6 plus gallons.
Our tour of several fjords took us onto four ferries, all with our car. Andree’s mother suggested the route we followed. It proved to be a spectacular experience. An ever-constant companion for us were the towering snow covered mountain peaks we saw throughout the day. At one point we traveled along a rather narrow road through a mountain valley with high altitude vegetation. At several points we saw clusters of small stone huts nestled close to the ground. We also saw a narrow path that must have served as the trail or road for people many years ago. Moss covered everything telling us that rain and snow was a constant companion.
Our tour took us along the Storfjord to Linge where we ferried across the Norddalsfjord to Eidsdalen, and through the Strandsdalen valley, a high valley with sparse vegetation, moss and the remains of sheepherder’s huts. The road was rather narrow and there was little traffic. It was obvious that this was a summer pasturing place. Further down this road along we traveled along side a small river, then suddenly we saw a lake. Andre slowed down and we saw rock formations in the water. A sign later on told us that an avalanche had blocked the river creating the lake and it flooded a row of huts that had been used by a number of milk maids. We could see
Soon we arrived at Hellesylt, a town on the Sunnylvsfjord. Here we waited for over an hour for the ferry to Geiranger on the Gierangerfjord. A beautiful waterfall cascaded right through the town. We lunched at a table along the water with hard-boiled eggs, hand sandwiches, and fruit. At one point we spotted the Hurtegrute passing from the Gierangerfjord to the Sunnylvsfjord in the distance. This was the second time we saw this coastal ferry that day.
Our ferry accommodated a large touring bus and a number of cars. We went upstairs to a comfortable viewing area where we enjoyed a narration in Norwegian, English and German. At one point I went outside in front and chatted briefly with a German from Hanover who was camping near Molde, north of Alesund. The scenery along the Gierangerfjord was the most spectacular we have seen. The bordering mountains were very high and snow covered with countless waterfalls and at times were nearly vertical. The narration pointed out farms on tiny open places where people had lived in the past. The slope was well above the water’s edge and was 45 degrees so small children had to be tethered to avoid falling over the edges. All of the farms we saw were no longer occupied.
The weather for this touring day was partly cloudy with a brisk wind. This was fortunate as the day started with clouds and fog. Later we heard that the weather in Aalesund was cold with snow showers. But we were a ways inland and the weather quite different.
We returned home to Giske (yiska), picking up Serianne along the way at her grandmother’s home. Our dinner was a huge bowl of cooked shrimp, bread and salad. The shrimp come from the Atlantic off Norway. Before eating you need to pull the heads off and then peel the skin off. The shrimp was delicious.
Andree and Mary are both pastor’s and Andree is an important person in planning the local community 17 May Independence celebration on Giske. He will also deliver the sermon at the opening service. In the evening he met with the organist and choir director to plan the music and hymns for the celebration.
During the evening I asked Serianne how many fresh eggs she found after school. She said she found four. Bonnie wanted to see the hens so we went out to the barn. The chickens had already gone into the barn from their enclosure. She checked the outside roosting place and found another egg. The hens were secured inside the barn for the night.
I began to log the story on my computer and then I heard Serianne say “good night.” Since it was still daylight I asked her what time it was, thinking she going to bed awfully early with the sun quite high in the western sky. To my surprise my watch said it was 10 o’clock at night.
We continued to talk, Bonnie and Mary talking about people they both knew at Mt Zion Lutheran in Wauwatosa while Andree, Richard (organist and choir director), and I talked about the Lutheran church in Norway and the USA. There is concern here in Norway that most people only appear in church on religious holidays like Christmas and Easter, Baptism and Confirmation, and even then appear to be casual observers rather than active participants, that is, not singing or reciting or praying.
Confirmation is a very big family event in Norway. Lutheran is the state church supported by a tax all people pay. While we were in Bergen Sunday we observed a number of family confirmation celebrations in the hotels. The women all wore the tradition dress complete with elaborate embroidery, silver or gold jewelry, etc. The specific style varies depending on where the family member’s roots in Norway are. We saw some with a pretty white apron, some with a black shawl over the shoulders, and some with a vest. In the stores we saw small dolls with dress styles representing various districts or counties. We bought one representing Rogaland, where Bonnie’s grandmother Inga Jakobsen was born. But it was clear to us that expense was not spared to celebrate this important lifetime occasion with immediate family. The special dress, women’s or men’s, is worn for a number of special occasions besides confirmation. It is worn on 17 May, weddings, etc. and in the absence of the traditional dress the men wear dark suits, white shirts and red, white and blue colored ties. It is for all dress-up occasions.
Tuesday, May 16:
Today is the day we visit Serianne’s fifth grade classroom at the skole (school). We brought a packet of things for each student: Arizona - saguaro cactus pin and pen, a map and a booklet; Wisconsin: a Milwaukee Art Center pin, a map and a booklet. We put up a map of the USA in the classroom. The teacher introduced us to the class of fifteen, ten boys and five girls. Some of the children asked us questions. What kind of car to you have in the USA? Do you like soccer? How old are you? Do you have any pets? Where do you live in the USA? We also told them about our grandchildren and I listed all the names for them. The class then played a tune on the recorder, a fugue. It was played to an accompanying recording and was very pretty. They will also play this song in their summer party at the end of the school year.
At the end of our visit each of the children came up to us and introduced him/her self and said, “Thank you for coming.” It was a wonderful visit and we were happy to have been their guests.
Afterwards Mary, Bonnie and I drove to Aalesund via one bridge and two tunnels. The city of Aalesund has been an oceanside city for many centuries. There are numerous islands around it, too. The city burned in the ground in 1904, occurring on a cold stormy night on January 24. In an hour the entire city was ablaze and fortunately only one person died. The response from neighboring cities and countries was extensive.
One result was a massive rebuilding effort that included the ideas of European architects, artists and skilled craftsmen. Since the 1900 World Exposition in Paris was a recent event, it was decided to incorporate new art ideas in the design of buildings, furniture, accessories, etc. This new style was called Art Nouveau. Within a few years a new city constructed of brick and decorated stucco was born. Today, the city of Aalesund is a spectacular example of the art nouveau style of design.
We took a ride to an overlook above the city called Fjellstuve. From here the view of the city is awesome. We could also see the many islands, including Giske, that make up this metro area. There was an older couple there, also taking photos. At one point the lady turned to us and asked where in the USA we were from. (She must have heard us talking). We told her, “Milwaukee”. And she replied that she was from Kansas City, and was here visiting her brother in Aalesund. Mary’s home town is Kansas City. So, our small world got even smaller.
We traveled down from the overlook and drove via an undersea tunnel to Volstad, a long island just north. Where we visited the old church there. It has many relics inside that date back to the 1700s, and this building was constructed in the 1880s. It is in beautiful condition having been freshly repainted inside with burgundy, a rich brown, and a grayish green. There were large pipes under the pews for winter heat. Above hanging from the ceiling were shiny brass light fixtures and centrally there was a ship schooner hanging also. We were told that this is very typical in nearly all churches in Norway, symbolizing the journey through life of all souls.
Behind the altar was a painted figure of the ascending Christ. A pipe organ was prominent in the balcony with brass horns. The balcony was large and wrapped around to the side of the church as well. The whole effect of bright, airy and welcoming.
Ourside was a large cemetery. The headstones were flat rock panels, most with engraved gold letters. Nearly all had live flowers including daffodils blooming. Some even had small, live green shrubs, so there was color and life even in the winter months.
Our trip back to Giske included a stop at the ATM (our fourth time) and a few groceries. The first two withdrawals we took 1000 NOK (kroner), the third 1600 NOK and this time we took 2000 NOK. It goes fast when a $3 item sells for 20 NOK.
At the coop I bought two .5 liter cans of beer. Even though it is packaged in six packs, most people buy the cans individually. My two cans were 12 NOK each or $2 each. I also found a gjetost, lots of it in several packaging forms. One was a round container about the size of small container of frosting. Others were packaged in cubes shapes like butter, nothing as small as the 1/4 # package I buy at home for $6.99. I bought a package of individually wrapped slices. The smallest size, since Mary told us that they didn’t care for it. We also decided to buy a summer sausage of moose meat, since Mary said that Andree really likes that.
Electricity is 220 volts and fortunately my computer adaptor and my videocam adaptor are both 110-220 adaptors. That means we only need a wall plug adaptor. I can’t tell you how comforting it is to plug in and see the charge light go on.
Our afternoon was spent catching up on writing post cards and logging on this computer. A nice quiet time, well appreciated after busy touring these last several days.
Our dinner this evening, late afternoon, was potatoes, boiled cod, and broccoli. The cod was three large fillets with the skin on, and this was served with white sauce, a favorite memory of mine from my childhood and an especial favorite with fish and potatoes (and peas). The cod was cooked by boiling water with sea salt and after putting in the cod the heat was turned off. It was delicious. I had three pieces. We were told that the cod is flash frozen while on the fishing vessel at sea.
Andree had flyers to distribute around the island for the 17 May celebration. The rest of us went off for a walk to the ocean beach. Of course it was very breezy and cold, but with the layers, hats and gloves we were okay. The ocean was at low tide and there were broad sandy beeches in several places as well as rocky places too, with small tide pools of mollusks. The sand is very fine and light colored, almost powdery. Nearby were a number of garages side by side, where residents stored there boats and picnicking equipment like grills, etc. The tide seems to rise and fall about four to five feet, or about 1.2-1.6 meters, typically. Sometimes it can be up to 2 meters.
Serianne enjoys games and so she has invited either Bonnie or me to play games with her. My turn included Guess Who (I lost three times), War, and Double Solitare (we each won a game....phew).
Our last outdoor activity was to look in on the hens and be sure that they were inside for the night. Serianne is their keeper. She readily picked up the reluctant hens and put inside the doorway they have to the barn roosting area. Mary tells us that she really loves animals of all kinds and is so good with them.
Once again we stayed up until almost midnight. It just seems so easy to be active later here. Even at midnight there was light in the sky. Mary tells us that on the solstice in June the sky never darkens even though the sun does dip below the horizon. And here in Aalesund we are about 100 miles north of Bergen, as far north as we will go this time.
Wednesday, 17 May:
Gratulere med dagen - Congratutions with the day!
This is the greeting for special days like 17 May, birthdays, etc.
It is just before breakfast and the marching music is playing. There are red, white and blue ribbons and banners adorning the house. People have flags flying, too. And now Andree is putting on his bunad. Yes, the men’s traditional outfit is also called a bunad. He had knee length pants and a dark colored vest jacket over a blousy white shirt. He will be preaching twice this morning as the local parish pastor is on vacation.
Our breakfast will have a smorgasbord of breakfast treats, sausage, hard boiled eggs, bread, home made jellies and jams, gjetost, cucumber and tomato slices. It was very nice and enjoyable.
Andre dressed early for the day. He is preaching at another church before the noon service at Giske. He wore a bunad complete with knit white socks.
Our preparations for the day included watching portions of the coverage of the day from Oslo. Later Bonnie, Mary, Serianne and I walked to the church about one mile. The church is small with seating for five on each side. The church is about 1000 years old with very thick walls at least three thick. It was an early Christian church. We took our seats at the church, fortunately there were pads for the less brave, but the pews were straight and it wasn’t long before I was thinking of the value of chiropractic adjustments.
A men’s choir also was present and sang several songs. They were a polished group. Serianne sat with her Dad on the altar. She told the congregation about the folkfest programs available on the way out after church. Andre’s sermon included a reference to Bonnie and I and our Monday tour which inspired the focus for the message today.
The people who attended church today were attired in traditional dress including the men. There was a variety of styles representing various parts of Norway. A number of the children also were dressed like this. Other than the language barrier it was easy to identify the prayers, the creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. The offering was taken by all the people walking forward to the altar where their offering was placed. Andre was clearly appreciated by many in the congregation.
Afterwards the people gathered outside at a monument honoring those men who have been lost at sea. A wreath was also placed. Soon the parade began with a band that led the parade followed by the school children and then all the families. The parade went along though the little neighborhoods to a nursing home where they stopped and played several tunes before proceeding to the school. At the school everyone went inside food where was available, namely lapskaus, a stew of beef and vegetables in a gravy. And of course there was a table of marvelous tortes which Bonnie, Mary and I shared after we cleaned our plates.
Later, at about four o’clock there was a folkfest program with singing and awards. It was impressive to see all the people dressed in there holiday best, even black suits, white suits and ties in the absence of the traditional dress. The men’s choir sang several songs. Awards from the games were made and drawings made to award winners of the chances sold.
The whole event with its many parts was a wonderful thing to witness. It was impressive to see whole families together enjoying each other and others in the community.
Bonnie’s Norse Adventure
May 10-26
Thursday, May 18:
We woke up early today so we could get the airport in time for our 735 flight to Bergen. So it was 530. Our bags were nearly ready and it was a short time before we were talking to Mary as she made some sandwiches for the day. The night before we said good bye to Serianne and her father Andre, as it was to be too early for them to arise. Our good byes were especially hard since we had bonded well these past few days.
It was a quiet morning with the sun shining but there were gathering clouds and there was the prospect of rain later.
The drive to the airport went quickly and soon we were walking into the terminal pulling our three bags to check and carrying my computer backpack. They have self check-in here too and all I needed to do was put my credit card into the slot. The I had the option to choose my language and soon we had three tags for the checked baggage and our boarding passes. The Aalesund airport is not a large one, having just a few gates. You have to walk outside to a gangway where passengers climb stairs into the plane. This plane like the one Sunday night was nearly full, with three seats on each side.
Again our flight was just 30 minutes, but upon landing we saw that rain was falling. Our luggage was out quickly and we headed for the Hertz counter (Auto Europe) and soon we were walking to a black VW Polo car. It seemed like our world was going to expand from living out of our bags to living out of a car; like real progress.
We paused to be sure we knew how the lights worked, the wipers and the shift, then we checked our maps and the detailed directions we had in an email from Reidar Alvestad, our soon to be host. The drive south from Bergen to Bokn (an island) was mostly in a light rain. The highway E-39 was excellent, but it was windy and hilly as is the countryside. The traffic was fairly light. The distance is about 130 kn or 80 miles, but the speed limit on the open road is 80 km or 48 mph, actually just right for the road, and at times it is lower depending on the area. About one third of the way we got to our ferry, a very large one. It takes on trucks of all sizes as well as cars. It left just minutes after we got there, lucky eh? The cost was 215 kroner or about $35. The upper deck was large with plenty of seating and a cafe at one end. The trip took about an hour. A man next to us heard our English and introduced himself, asking where we were from. It seems he and his wife visited a daughter in February in Fergus Falls MN. She is an exchange student at a Lutheran Academy there for the year. He command of our English was excellent, even the idioms and figurative expressions. He said he learned what he knows in school and from television. Amazing!
From there it was another couple of hours through mostly wooded, rocky landscape. Soon we were at the bridge where we crossed to the island and community of Bokn. We could see a slooping grassy hillside ahead with numerous houses near the fjord shoreline. We played near bumper tag with a garbage truck from just before the bridge. He just wanted me out of his way and followed so closely that I sought the first off ramp, and guess what? He went off there too, so I pulled over and he sped by beeping his horn. Later in the Bokn village we met him two more times and each time I quickly got out of his way.
Finally, after traversing each and every narrow lane in Bokn, we saw a real person just ourside his door. So we stopped and he came to us. We pointed to Reidar’s name on an email printout. He immediately recognized the name, but he spoke quickly and we couldn’t figure out where we could find Reidar. Then Bonnie had a great idea. Why not ask him to draw a little map showing how to get to Reidar’s work place, the village administration building. That worked and soon we were heading in that direction. We went into what turned out to be the library and we directly to the next building. There several people knew what we wanted and they told us that Reidar was not working this day. He was off, but moments later we were on the phone with Reidar and he was coming to meet us.
Reidar Alvestad is a social worker with the Bokn government provided services to people with little or no resources of their own, like welfare. And he tries to match up services with these people’s needs. He get five weeks per year of paid vacation plus on his sixtieth year he gets an additional week. This is all in addition to the national holidays they have here, about twice as many as in the USA. For example, they have a day off for many religious holy days, like Ascension Day, Whitisunday, etc.
Reidar met us and fortunately his English is good, even though he apologized for it. He says he doesn’t get many chances to practice it in Bokn. We followed him to his house just one kilometer away, stopping at the church along the way where we were shown the headstone of his great grandfather and mother. It was flat and black with lettering that had become faint with the years of weathering. But we could still read the names and dates of the both persons.
His house is up the slope of the village and offers an outstanding view of the fjord. The house is a large one with three levels (remember the slope) and there is much knotty pine throughout it. The house is beautifully decorated and with many nice accents. The middle floor is the main living area and on it a spacious kitchen, then a sitting area, then another sitting area and a dining area, all with overlooks to the fjord. Our room was the room of their youngest son who now works as a electrical apprentice in Haugesund, just 20 km to the north. So we have access to a full bathroom there, too.
Reidar’s wife, Ragna, was working for another hour or so. She works at the school in a nursery school for children from one to five years, or until they go to primary school which takes them up to their high school years. We talked for a while and shared some coffee and cake and getting acquainted. Then Reidar had to leave to pickup Ragna at her work.
We did some unpacking and soon they we back and we greeted Ragna. She is an very nice and attractive person. Her English isn’t strong, she says, but she understands more than than she is able to speak. At one point I asked about her traditional dress outfit and she went to get it and show it to us. She had worn it for the 17 May celebration in this community. The outfit is very complete with the white blouse, a jumper, apron, a hat, and a warm cape. All of these pieces were decorated with detailed embroidery. She is a native of this area of Rogaland. She also brought her silver jewelry such as a brooch and silver edged purse and her black shoes with silver buckles. Reidar also brought his traditional outfit as well complete with knickers, green vest, and jacket and the accompanying silver jewelry. They said that their outfits cost lot of money. Ragna said 30 thousand kroner for hers alone, or about $5000. Reidar’s bunad is highlighted by a rich satiny green vest.
Ragna and Reidar busied themselves with preparing dinner and not long after we were called to the dinner table for a hot meal of baked salmon, potatoes, and salad about 5 PM. The steaming food was a welcome sight. It was a meal fit for royalty. Our beverage was bottled apple juice. During the meal we saw their son Erik arrive from nearby Haugesund. He comes home on Thursdays to milk cows for a nearby farmer who is recovering from injuries sustained when he was kicked by a cow. Also Erik plays volleyball at the school on Thursdays. He is a handsome lad who readily engaged us in conversation. His English was excellent. He clearly interested in who we were and asked us many questions.
Next we were taken out for a ride to see some of the sights of where ancestors had lived in past years. We were accompanied by Tor Alvestad, another cousin. Tor is nearly 80 years and while he doesn’t speak any English, he is knowledgeable of the places we were to visit. Earlier he had offered to have his son take us across the fjord by boat to the east island where Torgils (the common 3 great grandfather had first lived), but the wind was too strong and it was decided that driving over the bridge was preferred. The east island is where the Vaaga is located. Vaaga is the name of a farm on the south end of the island. As we traveled the narrow lanes we couldn’t miss many sheep along the way and the many spring born lambs that were now frolicking about, and occasionally feeding from their mothers.
We stopped at the first farm Vaaga where we were shown the site of the first house only recently razed. However, there were other buildings still standing but no longer in use. One was a small stone hut that was used as the kitchen for preparing food, another a small stone barn, and a third was a roofed dugout used for storing the potatoes through the winter. The entire area was very rugged with bare stone and rock everywhere. We then moved on to another place just a short distance away where there was a white frame house. Here Torgils and his family lived later before moving across the fjord to Bokn. Bonnie’s great grandmother Cecelia was the youngest child of Torgils and she was born after they moved to Bokn in about 1863. But since she was the tenth child most of the family was born and lived in these two places on Vaaga, where Torgils farmed and fished. In these days and for most of the 1800s the people lived primarily on fish and potatoes. As one elderly relative would tell us later, “the sea and potatoes kept the people who lived here alive.”
Back to Bokn, Reidar and Tor showed us where the family lived after 1863. Torgils photo was on a wall in the community building along with others who served as the chairman of the community. Tor spent his entire life operating a commercial fishing business with many boats and employees. The primary fishing was for herring which were caught with nets at spawning time each year. Also they went further out to the sea for cod.
So we left Tor at his house and returned to Ragna where she was waiting with a table set for another meal, a later and lighter meal of cold meats, lochs (salmon), cheeses (including gjetost, a brown cheese we have at home), along with cucumbers and tomatoes. Surprisingly we ate willingly, enjoying this unusual custom of a late, light meal. Since we had risen at 530 in the morning we headed for bed sometime around eleven. Reidar turned his computer on for me to check my email and send out a short email to our family and friends. I have to be careful to remember which keys are different in Norway.
In the morning we packed out things, took a shower, charged our video cam and computer batteries, and went upstairs for breakfast with Reidar. His wife Ragna had already gone to work at the daycare center. Bonnie had taken time to say good bye to her the night before. Ragna was a very sweet, attractive person with a bit of Norwegian reserve.
After breakfast we packed the car and we went to the community administration building where we bought a copy of the Bokn history book for 500 kr. This is the genealogy of everyone who has lived in Bokn including birth dates, marriages, and death information. Most of the information I had been given before coming to Norway about this family line has come from this book. There were also many pictures in it as well.
From here we followed Reidar to the ferry terminal several kilometers away. By this time it was raining. At the terminal we went into the cafe area where there were tables and chairs. Reidar writes for the Haugesund newspaper and also for a Bokn newsletter. A few weeks earlier he had an article printed in which he told about Bonnie and I coming to Bokn and he invited any Alvestad relatives to come a meet us at this cafe. We were early and I plugged in my computer and readied my camera and video cam. Soon several people arrived and they were immediately talking to Bonnie and welcoming her to Bokn, sometimes with the help of Reidar translating. Bonnie had a small picture book she had prepared with a variety of photos of her family, her Norwegian grandmother Inga’s family, and of home(s) in Wisconsin and Arizona, and Door County.
Within a short time we were surrounded by many people, perhaps, 12 -15 representing three generations. Two ladies with canes were there, all of them having come from Bokn a few kilometers away. Two young people also came, accompanied by their better knowledge of English. An elderly couple from Stavanger by ferry came with their daughter. Both of these elderly people could speak English and when Bonnie thanked them for coming so far, Laurits, the father said, “You came from the USA, the least we can do is come from across the fjord.“
Each and everyone was genuinely interested in Bonnie. The photos of Bonnie’s grandmother Inga and her siblings and her mother and father were an especial hit. They were closely studied and resemblances quickly noted. Some noted similarities of ancestors with Inga, or with Bonnies’s father Edward, or with Bonnie’s great grandmother Cecelia. Bonnie had the floor and her loving smile instantly capitivated everyone. I tried to keep up with photos of all of these interested people and noting their names for future reference. Some one ordered a tray of coffee and muffins. (These Norwegians are always eating; how do they keep looking so trim?).
Soon it was time to ask everyone to gather for a group photo. I stood on a chair to avoid missing even one face. Reidar also took photos and I am sure the local paper will have them in it soon.
And then it was time to say good-byes. And there were many happy tears. Several brought and left wrapped gifts for Bonnie. An hour and one half of visiting was over and Reidar sat us waiting for the Stavanger ferry to come. He called his sister when he saw it coming so she and her husband could meet us in Stavanger.
Bonnie’s Norse Adventure
May 10-26
Friday, May 19:
We boarded a ferry for the ride to Stavanger and a meeting with Ada and Olav, Ada being a sister to our previous host, Reidar Alvestad. The ferry was a large one fortunately as there were many trailer trucks and tour buses in line. Cars were loaded on the lower level below the buses.
The trip across the fjord to Stavanger took about 30 minutes (cost 162 kr). And soon we were off the ferry and traveling across a rocky island heading for a series of two tunnels that were about 6-7 km each and over 200 meters below sea level at their deepest point.
Again, it wasn’t long before we were actually in Stavanger looking for a tall round hotel building and an Esso station where Ada and Olav would be waiting. We spotted the hotel and looked to the right just before a round about and there they were, and we waved to them.
Ada and Olav were a lively, energetic couple with a very good command of English, and soon we were laughing with each other. We left our car at the Esso station and they took us to the Stavanger city center. We walked to the cathedral; a 900-year-old building built in an early gothic style. It wasn’t open however, so we planned to return to see it the next morning. We walked into the nearby old town area where the streets are narrow and filled with small shops. Immediately we met Anna their daughter who is a real estate broker in Stavanger and works in the city center. She was very attractive and self-assured and she soon had to return to work in her office.
We had mentioned to Reidar about an interest we had in possibly purchasing a bunad shawl (the black fringed shawl is unique to the Rogaland district of Norway) and so Ada took us to two shops where the bunad outfit is sold. The first shop only sold the complete outfit and the typical cost with silver jewelry was about 30000 kr (about $5000) for either a man or woman’s style. And furthermore, they could not sell only the shawl.
Ada then took us to another shop that specialized in styles that represented many bunad designs from all the communities in the district of Rogaland. In fact there were many rectangular panels on the wall representing each of these communities, including Bokn, the community of Bonnie’s great grandmother.
We decided on a large size shawl with the Bokn style of embroidery or needlepoint (I am not sure which one is correct). It comes in a kit form with the colored thread and a printed pattern to follow on the back. It would have to be ordered however, so we ordered it and paid for it. It would be a gift for Bonnie, something she would wear on special occasions, when the weather called for a wrap. Ada agreed to pick the shawl up when it was ready and would mail it to us, hopefully sometime in the next two weeks. Bonnie is still smiling since this will be a constant reminder of her connection to Rogaland and to Bokn the home of her Norwegian great grandmother.
While all this planning was happening, Olav found convenient chairs to sit and chat. Conversation with Olav was easy and fun. He is a retired banker from Stavanger, about three years, and they live in an adjoining city Sandes. Ada and Olav have three adult children, two daughters, Anna and Elizabet, and a son, Jon. Ada still works part time in a nursing home a short walk from their home. Olav is an active man, a leader in the local Lions Club International. He is currently president of his local club and he also serves the district as membership chairman. So he visits other clubs in the area to promote new membership. I told him about my father who was a Lion for many, many years. I mentioned that my father had earned the Melvin Jones Award, the highest award possible in Lionism. He knew all about that honor.
Their home is lovely, perched on a sloop with three levels, all with one side exposed to the east. The entry floor opens into the living space and there are two spacious rooms that overlook the neighborhood. A sitting area and a dining room plus a more formal parlor, “nice room”. Our room for one night would be on the lower level and it was obvious that we would be special guests here.
The plan for the evening was to have dinner at about 830 PM. and we would be joined by their other daughter Elizabet and by another couple, a brother Iver and his wife Heidi. (Ada and Reidar, our previous host in Bokn, come from a family of ten children, and this would make four of them we would meet in person). However, first we would have something light to eat (of course!) and so shortly there was a plate of sausage, cheese and bread along with tomato and cucumber sitting before us on a low rectangular table.
It wasn’t long and we were greeting these three and Bonnie began to share who she was with our small book of family (past and present) members. Iver explained that he spent many years in the family fishing business on the island in Bokn. He brought some examples of herring. The herring had been cleaned and salted and then opened to be hung to dry. He said that in his youth each house had these herring hanging from the under hang of the roof. It was eaten with some boiled potatoes to counter the salty taste. We tried it and I found it a good appetizer, however didn’t care for it. Herring was an important seafood for the Bokn people, and along with potatoes, was a staple of their diet.
Heidi works for Exxon in their tax office in Norway. She brought along a hand made family tree of the Alvestad family from a reunion in 1992. There were copies of pictures and the information would be an important supplement to what I currently have.
Soon it was midnight and the guests had to leave. Bonnie gave each of them a copy of our wedding photo and a business card. And we headed for a good night’s rest. It had been a very busy day, meeting many people and trying to absorb faces with names, and telling our story.
Saturday, May 20:
Early the next day the morning sun shined brightly into our room. Bonnie slept until nearly 745 AM and I was up a little earlier working on this journal. It wasn’t long and we were heading upstairs for breakfast with soft-boiled eggs, meats, cheeses and vegetables. For the first time we also had some herring in a sauce unlike anything we usually get in the USA. It was very tasty. We enjoyed excellent tea as well.
Olav turned on his computer so that I could send an email out with a brief description of our travels and progress, and a more detailed one which included my second and third chapters of my travel log. He has high speed DSL so this didn’t take long, despite the prevalence of Norwegian terms and the variations on the keyboard. I guess I am getting used to this.
We were heading for the Sola beaches south of Sandes and they we wide and beautiful. This is a popular place for families in the summer. There are numerous campgrounds and small cottages. Then we headed back to Stavanger to see the cathedral and attend a noon concert by the cathedral children’s choirs. The cathedral long with a beautiful stained glass rose window above the altar. Organ music signaled the entrance of the children as they sang. The selections were classical and it was such a graceful place to hear these delightful voices. We selected a cd from several they had available.
We then headed back towards the house to pick up our car and begin our transition from Cecelia’s Bokn family line to that of her husband Daniel Jakobsen in Egersund, a city about 80 km to the south. We had spent two full days completely focused on the Bokn family Alvestad and now in a short hour or so we would be immersed in a different family line, the Jakobsens. And there wasn’t time to adjust adequately.
The drive to Egersund took us along the cost and through lush fairly level farmland. This is a milk producing area. The field are defined by stone fences, the stones of all sizes piled carefully and small stone, flat and other shapes, are used to keep the larger ones in place. Many large stones are often toward the top, causing us to wonder how the people raised them up, hundreds of pounds or more. Furthermore, these fences are used to separate the fields into pasturing sections for grazing and then allowed to recover and the grasses to grow.
When the road took us away from the seacoast, we saw bare rocky areas with lakes in the lower places. It was very pretty and quite different from what we had seen earlier.
Soon we were into Egersund and we saw the old church where Bonnie’s Jakobsen people has all be baptized, married, and buried in early days of the 1800s. We looked for a public phone to call our good Samaritans, Rolf and Ingfrid Volden. Rolf answered and he wanted us to meet them in the next community Sogndal, an old fishing village. In the same place where the phone was found, we noticed a cafe along the waterfront. I went inside to look into getting an soft is (ice cream cone). But wait! They had Amerikanburgers, large and medium, so I ordered one with cheese and the works along with fries. As Bonnie came in the door I offered to share this treat with her in the car. She readily accepted. Next we were looking for our good samaritan friends Rolf and Ingfrid Volden. We headed for Hauge just a few kilometers from Sogndal. Luckily, we stopped at a gas station where they were waiting. We followed them to the hotel in Sogndal and checked in. There was a message from Gunhild and her husband Per that they had arrived in the harbor. So taking our cameras we jumped into the Voldens car and we went to the harbor where we could see their 38-foot sailboat. They had been sailing around Europe that past month or so. We boarded the sailboat and soon were sitting inside talking. Gunhild was somewhat uncertain about her connection with Bonnie. Her questions were difficult for us since we didn’t have our information with us. Furthermore we wanted to get to the Heien farm site soon as rain was expected. We agreed to meet at the hotel cafe for dinner later in the evening around 7 o’clock. The Voldens and us went off to see the farm site of Lars Olsen called Heien.
It is a steep walk up a wooded hillside along a narrow footpath. It really was steep and at times easy to slip. At the top of this rocky ledge there was evidence of the Heien farm of Lars Olsen and the birthplace of Anna Severine Larsdatter, later to be the mother of Daniel Jakobsen, Bonnie’s great grandfather.
Rolf and Ingfrid had talked to some older people in the area previously and found where the farm was and what was there. The house had been torn down some years ago. But the flat area where it stood was shown to us. A small barn still stands complete with a tile roof. The well is also visible; a two-foot square hole in the earth with water nearly up to the top. Walking a bit into the woods Rolf showed the potato cellar a dugout with a door opening which protected the potatoes from the freezing winter temperatures. A number of fruit trees were now in blossom despite there advanced age. Rolf pointed out some pear and apple trees for sure. There was a flat area that must have been a garden where the potatoes were grown. A stone fence or wall was still in evidence around it. We could just imagine this hard working man hauling his seaweed up that steep narrow trail to lay on the rocky ledge and make some better soil. We stayed and talked about what their life must have been like and then we carefully retraced our steps down the hill toward the car.
We then went to the cafe and joined Gunhild and Per for dinner. The cafe has one entree and that is what you get, “but it is always very good,” we were promised. This evening the entree was lamb ribs with potatoes and vegetables. The ribs are long and narrow with meat here and there (no over eating here). The entree was very good as promised. We had cream carmel and that too was delicious. Since five of us weren’t driving we shared some wine. Only Rolf had been designated as a driver (the alcohol and driving are very strict and jail is an immediate possibility for any infractions).
Rolf and Ingfrid left for their home and the rest of us reconvened in the bar for a beer. Gunhild had gone to the hostess at the restaurant and paid the entire bill before anyone knew what was going on. However when I offered to buy a beer she readily accepted. The bar is situated in the basement of our building, a former community building in earlier years, and the jail was in the basement, now the bar. So were reconvened, the four of us, in the “jail” for a round of beer. We showed Gunhild pictures from the Jakobsen past and she recognized features that were similar to her family members. It was not long and Gunhild was appreciating the reality of Bonnie’s ancestry and hers. Later we said our good byes outside and Gunhild referred to Bonnie as her “sister”. They went back to their sailboat and us to our hotel room.
The next morning dawned with brilliant sunshine. We had set 1015 as the time to meet Rolf and Ingfrid Volden by our car. The plan was to drive to Egersund for church at 1100. In most cases church services rotate among two or more parishes. On this particular Sunday the priest was to be conducting a service in Egersund and there would not be a service in Sogndal. The Voldens so much wanted us to see their Sogndal church, but we were happy to go to Egersund. This was the church were the Jakobsen birth, marriage and death records were keep in past years. So it would mean much more to Bonnie to worship there.
We arrived just before the 1100 service was to start. The church is built in the shape of a crucifix or cross, very similar to the one my mother was raised in just north of Scandinavia in Waupaca county (no longer standing). The altar occupies one of the sides and each of the other three have seating for the members. A balcony is built above each of these three sides and a second balcony is above that. An informational paper stated the capacity at over 1100 persons. The organ was in the second balcony opposite the altar. Just in front of the altar area hung a large ship, very common in Norwegian Lutheran churches, and also in the cross-church of my mother. However, this ship model was clearly a warship with several rows of cannon ports, a rather strange version. It must have been a gift from someone, one that could not be dismissed.
We chose to sit in the area in front of the middle of the church. In front of us was the choir of ten or so members, and to our left across the aisle would sit a baptismal party this day. At the beginning of the service the pastor, or priest, led the baptismal party in. The female adult members of the baptismal party, parents, grandparents, sponsors and friends, were dressed in their traditional dress, their bunad. Since this is Rogaland, each of the women wore a black shawl over their shoulders, just like the one Bonnie has purchased for herself.
The service began with the choir singing a liturgy and leading those gathered in a hymn. We participated, standing when we heard and felt those behind us standing. Of course all of the words were in the Norwegian language. Some of the tunes were very familiar to us and since we had a hymn book in our hands we sang along pronouncing the words as best we could, without knowing what the words meant. The hymns were posted on a board in several places in two columns, those before the sermon and those after, about seven in all.
I noticed that there were communion elements on the altar and so we weren’t surprised when they were served toward the end of the service, and Bonnie and decided to take communion. A decision that seemed to surprise our hosts, Rolf and Ingfrid. At that point the pastor had put on an extra garment or stole, a very colorful one. The people came up the aisle and stood just before the altar. Then a group of about 15 or so encircled the altar railing and kneeled to receive. The pastor (actually a vicar, we later learned) and his assistant served the elements of communion. While that was happening another group took seats on either side of the altar and awaited their turn. As each table finished, they took their places. And so it continued. There were numerous tables, at least ten or fifteen, at least. As each person entered the altar area they took a small silver chalice from a silver tray and when the assistant came by wine was poured into the chalice and the communicant drank it. All this of course following the distribution of the host.
The sermon was delivered from a pulpit which was very old and beautifully decorated and stood high above the floor of the church. Later afterwards the vicar came up to us and welcomed us. He said he was a vicar and was substituting that morning for the pastor who was on vacation. He said that he was a physical therapist in his occupation. There was coffee and cookies available after the service. We stayed a while and took some photos.
The baptism took place at the beginning of the service. When the party entered the baby’s family went in the altar and sat on the side chairs. And then shortly after the service began the baptism was conducted. The sponsors joined the parents and the other children at the font along with a pair of grandparents; no doubt they were there to help with the other two small children. And so Andrae, beautiful baby boy, was brought into the kingdom of God, as a child.
After the service which lasted until nearly 1230 we drove with Rolf and Ingfrid our of Egersund to the west toward a small town called Helvig or Helvik (both spellings are used in church records). This is the place where the Jakobsen family lived for several generations. It was a farm in the last century, which overlook a small fjord from the sea. It was here that Bonnie’s grandmother was born and where her parents Daniel and Cecelia Jakobsen lived and Daniel’s parents before them.
The Helvik farm is no longer standing, having been replaced by a new house. But Rolf found the man who now lived there. Rolf asked is there was a photo of the old house and the man said there was and he went inside his house to get it. He came out with a large framed photo which we promptly took photos of. Up the hill behind the house is another similar house which also was used by the siblings in later years. This house is no longer occupied but it still stands there.
We wondered how Daniel would access the sea (in church records he is described as a farmer and a fisherman). The road now is a circuitous one. However we could see that there were access up the hill from the fjord in past times.
Again this was a special time for Bonnie to imagine her Norwegian ancestors in this place.
Afterwards we headed still further west looking for a restaurant for lunch. Rolf commented that in Egersund itself the restaurants are mostly other ethnic types like Thai and Asian. The one they chose was an old farm building along the sea coast at a place where there are sand dunes and a fairly flat landscape. It was here that we had noticed on our drive through earlier that there were German antitank barriers in place along the road. The locals call them Hitler’s teeth.
We headed back toward our Sogndalstrand Hotell where we said good bye to Rolf and Ingfrid Volden. They truly were angels for us in this quest for information about Bonnie’s Jacobsen ancestry. They connected the dots locally by researching Egersund church records and seeking out the places where ancestors lived at one time. They went to these places and talked to local people to find older persons who could add to the task with their memories and oral histories. They took photos and remained in continuous communication. They truly cared for us and our inquiry. They became our comfortable people who we could trust and enjoy conversation with. What else does an angel do?
It was hard to bid them good bye when it came time to do so. We shared several gifts that we had brought, a book mark from Tucson and a purse key chain. Since they had such a passion for local history and connecting it to others we gave them one of the Norwegians In Wisconsin (Wisconsin State Historical Society) booklets we brought along to Norway. We also decided to give them the book we bought in St. Paul at the recent Sons of Norway meeting. It was a collection of research stories about the migration of the author’s ancestors from Norway to America. And they are written in both English and Norwegian. We asked them to enjoy them and then to share them with others in the community through the community library.
And then they left and waved one last time before turning toward our hotel room in this small fishing village, now made modern by it’s inhabitants.
We decided to walk around Sogndal and simply enjoy the feeling of historic warmth and beauty there. We walked up a street seeking a vista overlooking the sea, but there wasn’t one. Then, we saw man getting his lawn mower ready to start. He saw us, and uncharacteristically, he said if you want to walk up you can come through here. It is okay. How nice. We did that, climbing carefully a steep grassy slope, until we could find some place to stand and we could see the entrance to the harbor and the sea beyond. It was a beautiful spot and we enjoyed so much.
We walked down and as we came to the little narrow hotel street we saw car approaching and it was Rolf and Ingfrid. They stopped and gave us some booklets on the area that they wanted us to have. They had been home a few miles away and decided to bring these things to us and leave them at our door, but we met them instead. So, more smiles and then they were gone once more.
Monday, May 22:
We arose to the sounds of driving rain against the window, the Norse gods were reminding us that this is a hostile climate at times. We packed and soon were walking toward the cafe for breakfast using umbrellas that were conveniently posed by the outer door. We had been told the night before that we were the only guests that night. No conferences and no tourists in this changeable Monday. They had agreed to set out breakfast food for us at 7 AM and there it was as if others were to follow us.
Several kinds of wholesome breads, meat like salmon, sausage, herring and sardines, hard boiled eggs, jellies and jams, cheeses included our favorite gjetost decorated the buffet table.
We soon finished and left this town now very sleepy and mostly vacated, by it tourists, and those who come only for the weekend.
The drive toward Kristiansand on route 44 took us through a very scenic area of a mountainous, even forbidding, area. For most of the next hour or more to Flekkefjord the road was narrow, at times one way, and very winding along steep mountain sides. Numerous lakes abounded and the rock terrain was dark and smoothly rounded, unlike anything we had seen up to this time. For every mile (at average speeds of 30 kph) we likely traveled 3 or 4. Fortunately we came upon only a few vehicles and that was good because the narrowness of the road would be prove dangerous. But it went without event and soon the road was consistently wider although still steep and winding. There were more tunnels to save us from the risks we had just experienced.
The road to Kristiansand was soon a regular highway and three hours after we had begun we were in the city following Inger’s detailed directions to her home. We finally saw her lovely white house with blue trim and parked. We were a few minutes early and so readied our plans to move on after lunch to meet cousin Eli and Tore at there mountain retreat Maurdallen in the Vinje area, a high mountainous part of northern Telemark region.
And then Inger drove up in her flashy yellow Toyota sports car. We warmly greeted each other. And no long after we were sitting together at her living room table enjoyed a delicious aspic vegetable mold complete with vegetables, egg and grapes. It was quite different from what were have been eating and it was a welcome, different delight.
We took time to share our story with Inger and the story of Bonnie’s grandmother Inga and her father Edward Held. She was truly touched by this moving story.
We called Eli and confirmed our plans to drive to Vinje and she said should would meet us at the Statoil station in Dallen. Soon we were on our way driving through the Setestal valley north from Kristiansand. It is a beautiful scenic interior land up a river valley with the mountains looming larger and larger along the sides. This was highway 9 and it took us about 2 hours to get to the mountain turnoff. Highway 45 would take us up into the high snow capped mountains. The road proved to be narrower and at first winding again. It was long and we were seeing mountain cabins and frozen lakes. Fortunately again we had little traffic to confront. Now it was flatter up high and we could speed up a bit here at times reaching 100 - 110 kph. The only limiting factor was the bumpiness of the road due to spring freezing and thawing. Bonnie held on to the strap above her door and our backs flexed often as we sped along. I noted that this was a lot cheaper than seeing a chiropractor for an adjustment. As we drove into Dalen at the base of a steep 7 % series of switch backs we spotted the Statoil station and Eli was waiting there for us. After welcoming hugs we followed her up another mountainside to their family farm, now an all season retreat for the family. The farm is called Maurdalen and is 16 km from the city of Dalen.
We turned off the winding mountain road onto a gravel uphill drive and soon we were into a broad clearing with a number of buildings, the main house, a log cabin under restoration, a barn, a stabor, a blacksmith shop, and a cookhouse. Eli’s mother was raised on the farm and her family for generations before. Despite the hardship of living in a steeply mountainous remote valley, there has been a thriving community of self sufficient farmers here for centuries, in fact since the Viking days from the 800s to the 1200s. Their church in those days was a stave church until it was replaced a long time ago, a decision that is controversial even to this day.
The family today actively hunts and fishes in season. They hunt deer, moose, and reindeer along with some birds. Eli's son Jostien showed us pictures of a group of his that hunts on skis in the high snow covered mountains high above this place. Jostien also lamented that moose this winter had eaten a number of his pine trees. Jostien lives on the farm during the week, works for the power company nearby and then goes home to his family on weekends. His main farm project is restoring as small log cabin for use in the future. He is doing a beautiful job with this project, even using trees harvested on the farm.
We enjoyed a dinner of roast beef, potatoes, and vegetables, and for dessert we were served a bowl of cloud berries and real whipped cream. I don’t recall the last time we have had real whipped cream.
We talked and talked, sharing our story and the story of the search for Bonnie’s roots until a late hour (remember it is light until nearly eleven o’clock at night). This past winter was one of heavy snows and in fact it wasn’t until late April and early May that the snows melted at this elevation.
We slept in the room upstairs normally where the grandkids stay. There is antique furniture everywhere in the main house, some from the 1700 and 1800s. Eli’s father was an artist painter and his paintings are hung throughout.
A side note: In our conversations later with Svenn in Oslo he recalled attending the wedding of Eli’s parents at this farm in the mountains. His parents took him there as a fourteen year old in a hired taxi for a three day celebration in about 1938. Even the taxi driver was part of the guest list. He recalled details of the celebration; obviously it made a big impression on him, a youth at the time.
Tuesday, May 24:
Internet is used at the farm these days. And so it was possible for me to use Jostien’s computer to send an email to the group of family and friends at home. I awoke early and did some logging. Then before long it was breakfast time and we were sitting down to a traditional breakfast of soft boiled eggs, breads, meats and fish, cheeses (including gjetost).
After breakfast we prepared to leave for Eli’s home in Skien about two hours away. In 1938 it was already possible to travel to this distance by car even though the roads were at best precarious. There is a big lake at Dalen and boats could travel up the fjord near Skien through a number locks to a connecting river to this lake. Svenn told us later that this boat trip took twelve hours.
Heavy rains greeted us as we approached Skien, but soon we were at the house and shown our room there. Eli and Tore have remodeled in recent years, moving into a downstairs apartment where her mother previously lived. Their former upstairs unit is now rented out to a young woman.
Not long after we arrived guests began to appear for dinner. We greeted Eli’s daughters Gro and Aneta and their children, a cousin Else and her husband Thor, a couple now in their eighties and the parents of Inger whom we had just lunched with the day before in Kristiansand. Eli’s girls both spoke English fluently and we had a very nice chat with them, not long after our dinner of lapskaus, a dish with pieces of beef, vegetables, potatoes in a flavorful gravy.
Svenn’s son Bo also stopped in to say hello. He works for the state media in Skien and prepares news broadcasts and special features. He is very friendly and outgoing making it easy and enjoyable to chat and share ideas. He was kind enough to draw a map of directions to his father’s house, our goal the next day.
My book from the 1999 family reunion in Wisconsin was brought out along with photo albums and shared and discussed. We extended greetings from our Wisconsin cousins and they likewise to us. This is such a welcoming time. This is the third generation of cousins whose grandparents were siblings. And the warmth and interest continues to this day. It was so warming to see so many of my grandmother Julia’s family come to say hello and visit with us. We feel blessed with such a gracious family here in Norway. We expecially enjoyed the visit with Else and Thor, they are such lovely people.
After these many guests left it was soon time to “hit the hay” even though it was light outside (nearly 11 o’clock).
Wednesday, May 24:
Our morning woke to brilliant sunshine. We packed to leave after breakfast, but planned to pause at the porcelain factory showroom on the way out of town. Eli worked in an office here for many years and often takes guests to the showrooms. They produce many beautiful things there. We bid Tore farewell and drove to the factory. We visited three showrooms and selected several things to take home. We then bid Eli good bye and began our drive to Oslo. Eli was such a gracious and generous hostess to us. Our conversations with her, Tore, and each of her children were wonderful. She is a charming and loving lady.
Our trip to Oslo was made more manageable by a map written by Bo, Svenn’s son. It worked perfectly for us. Soon we were driving into Svenn’s drive and up to the back of the house after only one wrong turn. Svenn greeted us warmly and showed us the little cottage in the back. After unloading out things for later sorting and preparation for our return home, we joined Svenn in the house and sat in the three season room in the front of the house. Bonnie realized quickly how enjoyable conversations with Svenn can be. Only a pause for dinner broke the conversational momentum we felt. We discussed our plans for visiting in Oslo and decided to go to Vigeland, a sculptor park named after the renowned sculptor; a man who has shared his impression of the human race using a wide variety of human images in countless postures of granite and bronze and all devoid of any semblance of clothing.
Svenn just turned eighty earlier this year. He was alone for our visit as Elsa his wife was at the mountain farm planting flowers, vegetables and getting the place ready for use this summer. So Svenn was the “chief cook and bottle washer” for us. A task he obviously enjoys. He was a professor of physics at Oslo University for nearly all his career. And even now he spend several days a week there. He has collaborated with a colleague on a book on simple experiments in physics for young children and is now working with his 92-year-old colleague on a book for kindergarten children. His yard is a veritable orchard. Just last summer he had 16 tons of crushed rock delivered for his drive and he totted it in a wheelbarrow from the street all by himself. He is quite a guy, fun to talk with and that is what we did for most of our awake time we had together.
Preceded by a glass of sherry, he served a dinner of boiled salmon, potatoes, and salad. It was very good. It was topped with a dessert; a tart with real whipped cream. Yummy!
During out later evening visit, Svenn shared a bit of Nordic history with us. He pointed out that the age of the Vikings was from 800 - 1200 when there was development of farms all over the country, wherever it was possible to live and hunt. The black plague in the mid 1300s nearly wiped out the population taking two of three people, and decimating the population throughout the land. Gradually the population recovered ever so slowly over the next centuries, until the introduction of the potato. This simple vegetable caused rapid growth of the population in the 1700 and 1800s and the revitalization of what had become a poor and vulnerable people. And then there was an overpopulation that led to nearly one third of the people emigrating to America from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s.
We joined Svenn for breakfast in the morning after a great night’s sleep. We were served scrambled eggs and all the usual breakfast items we have been enjoying. Following, we prepared to take in the Viking Ship Museum, the Kon-Tiki Museum, and the Fram Arctic Expedition Museum, all on an island in the Oslo harbor. This is a must for anyone visiting the city and Bonnie thoroughly enjoyed all of them.
Next stop, Akerhus, the castle of the Norwegian kings over the past 1000 years or so. It is now a place for state dinners and tourists. It has been restored to a high level of detail and is fascinating to see. Right next to it is the Norwegian Resistance Museum. It is a must for all of us to see the totality of power and control evidence by the German invasion of Norway and its occupation from 1940 to 1945. It took 400,000 German soldiers to attain a semblance of adequate control of this country alone; another example of man’s inhumanity to man.
By this time we were feeling the pangs of hunger once again, and so we sought out a café in the Modern Art Museum. It was okay, not great, but okay. However the conversation was an especial highlight.
We decided to call our touring to a halt and head for home where we began the process of reorganizing all of our things for our return home. It is now the major focus; our trip with all its highlights is rapidly becoming a memory.
IMPRESSIONS:
The people we met are very kind and caring and generous. They are committed to this as a way of life and treat you as a guest at all times. It is difficult to reciprocate other than expressing gratitude verbally and in your actions. Something as simple as assisting in the kitchen or setting the table or clearing it is not expected and sometimes politely refused. You are their guest and they want to make your stay a pleasant one. It is a bit of a challenge to find ways to express appreciation by paying for things like tolls, entrance fees, and perhaps snacks and beverages.
People you don’t know are comfortable being reserved from casual greetings toward strangers. Other than the service person in a store, most people choose not to make eye contact with you as you pass by them. And yet you notice people looking at you when it isn’t obvious you are looking at them. For example, in the church at Egersund we sat behind the choir and our host Rolf actually talked to the one of the younger women. But later when we saw these people at a restaurant walking past us as they left, no one made eye contact with us. It had to be obvious to others in church that we were visitors and likely from America, and yet, no one approached us to greet with us. However I consider this a virtue rather than a fault. It is what it is, and doesn’t diminish any of the postives we experienced.
We traveled by rail, air, auto, and ferry and found that we were able to get where we wanted to go without difficulty. There are many people who, when asked to help, are very willing and conversant with English, to be helpful. I always started a contact with a service person with “hello” and the reply most of the time was in English. It is a blessing to the American visitor to be able to converse in depth with many Norwegians.
The Norwegian language is a very different one, however with many German terms. There are three very different letters in addition to the regular alphabet and also letter combinations that were strange for us, like kj for example, which is a ch sound. Gradually you learn to pronounce some of the Norwegian words, especially proper names, as close to the pronunciations you hear others using. But be careful, since some pronunciations vary from one region to another. For example, the city of Skien,(my grandmother’s birthplace) is usually pronounced she/en, but we heard cousin Bo say ske en. When I asked about this he said that in some places that this the common pronunciation and that is what he has chosen to use.
Traveling with our VW Golf auto for over 1100 kilometers from Bergen to Stavanger to Egersund to Kristiansand to Skien to Oslo the roads are in excellent condition. The main roads are designated E-36, E-18 and E -6. These are two lane roads including an oncoming lane. They are wide and smooth, sometimes with a little bicycle space. However there is very little shoulder available on any roads that we saw, from expressways to country lanes. All designated highways (that is numbered) are well marked and therefore easy to follow. They designate roads that will intersect ahead with a dashes around the perimeter of the sign for that road. For example, this morning as we exited a tunnel in the center of Oslo on E-18 we noticed E-6 with dashes indicating that this was coming up just ahead, and it was good to know that we were heading toward it and in the right lane.
Speeds on the highways were typically 80 kph unless posted less than that. Expressways were posted at 100 kph. Everyone advised us not to speed beyond this limit or at least with 10 kph of it. They now use automatic cameras to catch speeders; usually posted with signs for you to be wary. Generally these speeds are about as fast as the roads will permit. One exception we took was on highway 45 over the mountains where there was no traffic at this time of year and the road was straight and fairly flat, permitting speeds of 100 - 110 kph.
Tunnels, tunnels and tunnels. We went through many tunnels varying from a few hundred meters in length to 7 km or more; likely at least one hundred or more. Some tunnels went through mountains and others went under the sea to depths of 200 - 300 meters.
Norway is a mostly mountainous country and so arable land has always been at a premium. This may explain why there was settlement throughout the land from early Viking days right to the present; even in the most inaccessible areas. The west coast and south coast in punctuated often with fjords of many kilometers in length, sometimes hundreds of kilometers. Only in recent years has Norway used tunnels to expedite travel through these areas; an alternative to using ferries. The mountains around Aalesund north of Bergen on the western coast were high, rugged and snow covered, reminding us of alpine photos we have seen. The Gieranger Fjord east of Aalesund was the most spectacular of all we saw; higher and much more beautiful than others.
Ferries still are a common means of travel in the western and southern fjord areas. They vary in size from some which can hold up to ten autos or trucks to ships that have two levels and carry tour buses and semi trucks. And these ferries are privately owned and operate on schedule that minimizes wait time. Furthermore, the schedules are posted on the internet to assist in planning ahead. We traveled on five ferries in all with the longest being nearly an hour. The ferry boats have food and snacks available. There was a selected strike during the middle week of our visit however it didn’t affect any of these five ferries we had to use.
Food in Norway was a pleasant experience. Restaurant dinners are considered very expensive, so people don’t usually eat out other than snacking between meals. They eat at home and commonly have salmon and cod as the main entree. Potatoes are also very consistent staple on the dinner menu. Steamed vegetables like cauliflower, asparagus, carrots and broccoli were very common. On several occasions were enjoyed a “one pot” dinner called lapskaus; made with brown gravy, potatoes, cubed beef, and carrots. While it varied in the thickness of the gravy, it was tasty and a welcome change from the salmon and cod. The salmon and cod was usually boiled. Most of the salmon eaten today is raised in farms in the fjords. You can see large round rings with floats and nets that contain the salmon in the sea water. Fishermen like cousin Jostien are proud to have salmon caught in the wild and available in the freezer for meals.
Breakfast is fairly consistent from place to place, including hotels that offer breakfast with the lodging fee. Eggs commonly are available in either soft or hard boiled form. Breads of several varieties are served as well, plus a plate of sausage, fresh lochs (salmon), cheeses (not cheddar) and the Norwegian gjetost; the cheese product is really not cheese but something made from the leftovers in the cheese making process. We often saw sliced cucumbers and tomatoes also on the table. Jams and jellies round out the breakfast food list. Similar fare is also eaten at gfeltsmat between breakfast and dinner or later in the evening before bed (night meal). Open faced sandwiches are then created by each person whenever these items are served. We ate the hot dinner meal as early as l3 or 4 o’clock and as late as 8 or 9 o’clock.
Desserts and sweets are enjoyed by people in Norway. We had cloud berries with whipped cream, a pudding with caramel sauce, and cakes and tortes. People out strolling or shopping often were eating a frozen cone (like our drumsticks) or soft serve ice cream called “soft is”. Coffee is a staple as well; hardy and enjoyable. Tea was often offered and enjoyed by the host family, especially later in the day. It was common to have coffee or tea at the end of the day even before bedtime.
Domestic animals can be seen throughout farming areas. We saw sheep in the steep mountainous terrain throughout the west coast fjord areas. This is the time of year when young lambs are seen in numbers. We were told the common practice is to move these lambs to the high mountain country for summer feeding and then take them for slaughter in the fall when they are nearly full sized and fat.
We saw much evidence of dairying in the flatter (everything is on a slope) regions along the sea. Even the folk island in Oslo where the kings summer home is located had a herd of cows contentedly grazing.
Prices in Norway surprised us even though we knew that the current rate of exchange does not favor American tourists. A .4 liter glass of Norwegian beer costs about 60 Crooners or $10. You have to divide the cost in crooners by six to get an idea of the value in dollars. Remember our pizza “party” in Bergen at Peppe’s? We had a medium pizza (veggie) and two .6 liter glasses of beer and the bill with the value added tax was 360 kr or about $60.
ATM machines are everywhere throughout the country. We used our bank card to withdraw kroners often; we started with 1000 kroners at first and soon we were taking larger amounts up to 2000 kroners at a time. It goes fast. And credit cards are accepted nearly everywhere too. And we used them often for larger purchases. On three occasions we accepted the Tax Exempt program to obtain a refund of the Value Added Tax. The minimum is 315 kroners and there is paperwork that has to be filled out by the store and the bag must be tagged. These three items returned $28 to us at the airport.
EPILOGUE:
Our 2006 Norway adventure is now a wonderful memory of personal visits with family and friends along with images of a beautiful land and people.
About Me
- Daryl Wunrow
- MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, United States
- Grew up in Manitowoc and West Allis, Wisconsin. Graduated from Univ Wis - Milwaukee with a degree in upper elementary education. Taught 6th grade at Lincoln School for six years in Janesville, then moved to the Milwaukee area and taught 5th grade for three years in the Elmbrook Sch. Dist. The next 26 years served as a district curriculum specialist in Elmbrook and classroom supervisor. Retired in 1995.