May 23 & 24 – Kirkennes to Oslo Alesund – After our day in Kirkennes we flew to Oslo, spent the night and flew out very early back to Alesund for a two-day family whirlwind. Gustav picked us up at the airport and drove us around to neighboring islands and the small settlement and the church where our Grandpa Ole was baptized. We also saw the house he grew up in on the Flisnes peninsula where Gustav, his wife Elsa and their two sons Havard (pronounced “Hovard”) and Erling and their wives Yvonne and Annbjorg all have homes. We spent several …
May 22 – Ending of the Cruise – Leaving the Hurtigruten and our day in Kirkenes. We hugged our friends goodbye and spent the day in Kirkenes, the most northern town in Norway. Our tour guide who drove us to two border points explained that the Russians came in and drove out the Germans, thus saving Kirkenes from complete destruction (WWII, obviously).
May 21 – Sami and the Reindeer – We seriously considered taking a city bus up to the North Cape; the Northernmost point in Norway, but we decided to take the official excursion bus to ensure a timely return to the boat. I’m glad we did. We got some good information from the tour guide on the Sami families in the area and their management of Reindeer. There are five Sami (Native Norwegian) Families who raise Reindeer in the island we visited to get up to the North Cape.
May 20 – The Arctic is Warm – Here is the big news about being in the Arctic. The weather is warm! We see people in shorts and sundresses in Tromso the official “Gateway to the Arctic.” The waitstaff on the ship say this is very unusual; it is still quite chilly this time of year. Of course, we bundle up when we’re on deck and the ship is cruising on the open sea. The views of snow covered
May 19 – We’re in the Arctic now! –
he views and scenery are getting more picturesque and fairy-tale like the more we head north. We had a fun, action-filled day. We took a rib-boat to see the Saltstraumen near Boden where we were docked for 3 hours. I have a 5 minute video of our experience but this link also explains it. We both had a blast!
May 18 – Visit with our cousin in Trondheim – In May 18 the city is quiet, much like the 5th of July in the States.This is especially true when the big holiday falls on a Friday. Today our cousin Torhild picked us up at the dock in Trondheim and took us to see the big cathedral and to her home for lunch. We’re in the same age range so we talked about …
May 17 – Gratulerer Med dagen – e’re beyond thrilled to have spent the day in Alesund with Gustav Flisnes, mom’s cousin. He took us for a walk around town and gave us a great history lesson. On May 17, Norway’s Constitution Day, people dress in traditional costume – Bunad and come to the parade in town. The parade was at 10am and we docked at noon; they had a
May 16 – Our Day in Bergen and the Hurtigruten – We landed in Bergen yesterday and found it to be an incredible flurry of activity; more tourists than at any other time of the year – Syttende Mai is the big holiday. We are so excited to be in Alesund for May 17. We’ll be greeted at the port by Gustav and have coffee and …
May 15 – Flam to Bergen – The weather has been sunny and warm which makes for a pleasant traveling experience and beautiful pictures. We left Flam today and continued our “Norway in a Nutshell” excursion on a ferry called Future of the Fjords. It’s a new, all electric catamaran ferry that is quiet, creates no wake and matches the calm feeling that washed over us as we passed through the …
May 14 – Oslo to Flam saved a mantra learned when my kids were each 3 years old; “I’m not tired”! Say it several times throughout the day and you’ll believe it and internalize. That is what I did today. Di did too. There is something about day three that brings you to your knees in so many situations; after a …
May 13 – Oslo in a Day – he word that best describes our experiences today is familiar. We saw things and experienced emotions that felt like home, from the Viking ship Museum (our hands down favorite museum today) to the textiles and folk art which reminded us of the home we grew up in and our mom. We focused heavily on …
May 12 – Touchdown in Oslo : We arrived in Oslo at 1:00 in the afternoon. We took the train from the airport and walked to our hotel. We got a day pass for museums which we will do tomorrow. After a brief rest we walked around Oslo and went to the Nobel Peace Museum. We were able to map a plan for touring tomorrow. In future posts I’ll share our reflections, but for now here are a few pics of us; we’re tired and also excited to finally be launching our journey!
May 10 Another Day – My sister Diane and I are leaving for Norway on Saturday May 11. We’ll be in Norway for 2 weeks on an epic trip including a cruise on the Hurtigruten, a train ride from Oslo to Bergen (the infamous Norway in a Nutshell) and several days in the Alesund area visiting my grandfather’s family and the birthplace of my grandmother Berit.
May 09 The Journey Begins –
I’m still setting up this website; trickier than I thought it would be. I’m scanning a photo album of my Mom and Uncle Lloyd’s trip to Norway in 1991. I will probably have it finished and ready to upload tomorrow. Almost time to get on a plane!