Flashback Series: Back to the Roots (Norwegian Edition)

Back to the Roots: Norwegian Edition

June 2014

As an American from the northern Midwest, whose blood is over half Norwegian, and who still has living relatives in Norway, I had always known I would pay the country of my origins a visit. I know about as much Norwegian as fits on the table prayer wall hanging we have at Christmastime, and I have way too many freckles (thanks Irish ancestors), but I’m also six feet tall, have a Minnesotan accent, and say “ooffda” on occasion.
 Dead giveaway. They are my people.

Growing up in Minnesota and retaining the traditions my mom grew up with exposed me to a little bit of Norwegian culture. We make lefse for holidays, my mom goes to every lutefisk dinner she can find at pretty much all the Lutheran churches in Southern Minnesota, and like every good Minnesotan, I have an arsenal of Ole and Lena jokes up my sleeve. So, I was very much looking forward to visiting the land where it all came from.

3:05 PM. I still have the time marked in my journal when I officially cross from Sweden to Norway. The landscape didn’t change at all, but I’d like to think everything became a little greener, the air became a little crisper, and the feeling of heritage intensified a little more. I was finally in Norway.

Oslo

I arrived at the main train station, which is where I had to leave from that evening, so with most of my things in a storage locker in the train station (which always makes me nervous, but I’ve never had a problem yet), I headed off to explore. I must admit, I was surprised at Oslo. Coming from Stockholm and anticipating another city built up on the water, my expectations were high for some picturesque views, but the city I was greeted with instead was on a different level. Where Stockholm had charm and dramatic beauty, Oslo was more elusive with what it had to offer, yet it did offer it own charm, in a more sophisticated way. As I look back to my journal for more memories, I’ll write my description from that day: “It’s definitely not as aesthetically pleasing as Stockholm, but it’s still got a classy kind of ‘badassery’ to it – it knows it’s not the best looking, but it’s going to be awesome anyway.”

Oslo Opera House

View from the Opera House

Directly across from the train station is the Oslo Opera House, a magnificent, curious structure that is said to resemble a glacier, or a ship, and has interconnecting flat panels to make up the roof, on which walking is encouraged. Turns out napping on the roof is allowed also, which I took advantage of later in the day. But first, I had a whole city to explore.

Fortress

From the Opera House I walked through some of the downtown district and discovered delightful little cafes and restaurants hidden among the stark buildings. I reached the edge of the water on the other side of the Opera House, upon which a large, old, fortress was built. I was so sure I would have to pay an entrance fee, but I was able to wander around to my heart’s desire. I climbed up on the old, stone walls for the views and looked at the harbor not too far away from me. There was a cute little visitors center I was able to enter where I learned that the Danish monarch had ruled Norway for a good 2-300 years, and King Christian had visited Oslo often, and was actually fairly benevolent for the people of Norway. After the Norwegians became independent the fortress was also used as a prison and used during WWII.

Royal Palace

Nobel Peace Center

Next was walking to the harbor area – home to the Nobel Peace Center (which cost about 40 dollars to enter, so I skipped that…) and the large government buildings and plaza center. I could have wandered around there for some time, but I had only one goal and destination in mind for Oslo: The Viking Ship Museum. Now, most people would probably have chosen to find some sort of transportation for themselves to get to the museum, and looking back I really should have too, but I was set and determined to walk my way over there – Google Maps has just revealed to me that it was a 3 mile walk there and back. No wonder I was in so much pain by the end. However, the route I chose was worth it to walk through some more of the trendy neighborhoods and by the Royal Park and the beautiful Royal Palace.

Viking Ship Museum

Finally, I reached my destination: The Viking Ship Museum. It was very well done, and I learned quite a bit about the ships that had been very impressively fully excavated. I didn’t know they used to use ships for burials, but some of the artifacts they had uncovered were wonderful to look at. It was worth the walk to see the real Viking ships, that my heritage really and truly is connected to the Vikings. (Not that I want to be related to brutal pillagers, but I'd rather know they were real than a fabrication or myth.)

After my equally long walk back to the train station, with grocery store food in tow for my evening train ride, since buying anything in Norway will cost you at least $5 (like a bottle of pop), I decided to take a nap. I went back to the Opera House and stretched out in the setting sun. When I woke up it was a little too late to start trekking again, and I was quite tired, so I parked myself at a café in the train station and waited for my night train at 11:30 PM.

Midnight Sun

Naturally, one would think I would have slept the night away peacefully after all of my walking and being on a sleeper train. But this was not the case, due to two things. One: mid-June was just before the summer solstice, which happens to be an all night sunshine event in Norway, therefore the sun never quite actually set that night. Two: The train ride from Oslo to Bergen, listed as one of the most scenic train journeys in the world, was just too beautiful to ignore. So, I tried to make myself sleep but just kept waking up, shoving on my glasses, and trying to take pictures as I gazed out at the terrain, which changed from flat and tall forests to foothills to snowcapped mountains and valleys. I arrived not rested but satisfied and glad I had been able to see part of such a terrific route. Next time I’ll have to try it during the day!

Bergen

Bergen was a special place for me, as I was finally able to meet Gerd, my great-grandma Ida’s cousin. My mother had visited her when she was traveling in her twenties, and now, after many years of Christmas cards and e-mail exchanges, our meeting was finally upon us. She had her niece, Karen, come to meet me at the initial train station (I’m sure I smelled lovely) and then she took me to the next bus station and put me on a local bus to Gerd’s. Gerd and I had arranged to meet at the small bus station in the town of Kvarnik, and when she began walking up to me I knew it was her. Taller than I had expected, and still speaking English with a distinct New York accent, Gerd was sharp, snappy, and wonderfully entertaining. She had lived in New York for nearly twenty years, and still had that attitude about her, which was quite a different impression than what I had envisioned about the elderly lady who had knitted us sweaters when we were young. It was fantastic. 

Gerd and me getting blown over

She walked me around her little town and let me rest at home, as I was running on fumes from my overnight yet not restful train ride. After a lovely nap, I woke up to, as you might imagine, some lovely food. We chatted, got acquainted, then went out on some walking errands. That evening we relaxed, with plans to take the bus the next morning over the series of bridges that connected the coastal towns to Bergen – she said until recently most people would just take the ferries into work before they built the bridges. I learned that in the past, boats were used as a normal part of everyday travel through much of Norway, thanks to the large coastline and fjords.

Downtown Bergen

As it turns out, Bergen was the beautiful, picturesque, stunning Norwegian port city I had been imagining. The colored houses contrasting with the blue water and greenery made for a delightful view. She took me for a walk around the downtown harbor, and pointed out places where she used to work, memories from her childhood, and how things have changed. We rode the funicular to reach the top of a Lookout, also a popular hiking destination, but the wind was too bad to enjoy a hike. Instead, we enjoyed the views and looked around at the little shops. She treated me to a delicious fish stew in Bergen, and said that a large part of the Norwegian diet revolves around fish. No complaints about that on my end! 

View of Bergen from Lookout

The Fjords

The girl who had met me at the train station, Karen, had told me that they had arranged for me to go along with her and her French boyfriend Xavier on a trip to buy a horse from one of the fjord towns about six hours away. They were going to take me along to show me more of the country, since they had to do the drive anyway, and it turns out it was probably the highlight of the trip for me.

Great Grandma Ida's mother's hometown

Two days after I arrived at Gerd’s, Karen and Xavier arrived to pick me up. We left mid- morning in their vehicle and an empty horse trailer, with a route that would wind us through the mountains and along the fjord coastline, with a ferry crossing to reach our final destination. It was about a 5 hour trip, but we made some stops along the way to eat and stretch our legs. First, we stopped in Evanger, where Gerd had instructed us to stop, as it was where my great-grandma Ida’s mother had been born. It was a beautiful, quaint little town in the mountains with a small lake nearby. We took a picture for posterity.

Lunch picnic in Voss, Norway

Our next stop along the way was Voss, a popular location for adventure sport enthusiasts, and the host of many international competitions for winter sports. We had a lovely picnic and relaxed by the lake. It was June in Norway but still a little chilly in the mountains, as to be expected. We also stopped by the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in the world and very popular with tourists, just to see it, before we continues on our journey in a different direction. By the way, I learned, and will share for clarification, that the actual definition for a fjord is: “a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial erosion.” (Wikipedia). Basically, it’s a water road in place of a valley. It’s larger than a river and has steeper sides than a river. They’re another example of how Norwegians traditionally (and still do) used boats to travel and get around instead of any other form of transportation. We took a water ferry to cross to the road we needed to and continued on our way, stopping for dinner in Sogndal (which we ate while watching one of the World Cup games, a nice accompaniment to my travels that summer), reaching our destination at dusk. Our hosts, the horse sellers, spoke English well and chatted with us before putting us to bed.

View from breakfast

Karen and her new horse

We slept soundly that night, and awoke to one of the most beautiful views I had ever seen. After a delicious fresh breakfast, we sat and enjoyed the view before preparing the horse for his journey (I can’t remember the horse’s name, or I’d tell you). 

Lustrafjord, Norway

Historical first stave church in Norway

Coffee and Lefse at the Walaker Hotel

Our drive back was just as scenic, though they purposely chose a smoother route for the horse’s sake and to change the views for me. We stopped to see the views and to look at the oldest Stave church in Norway, called Urres Church. After that, we crossed on the ferry and then stopped at a place called Solvorn, which has beautiful views and is home to the Walaker Hotel, established in 1640. It was said to have some of the best lefse in Norway, so of course I had to try it. (Don’t tell anyone – but I think I prefer my grandma’s). We brought the horse to her home and I am happy to report he fit right in with Karen’s other horses. I returned to Gerd’s with a camera full of pictures and stories to tell her. It was one of my last nights in Bergen, and we ended staying up way too late to watch one of the World Cup games together, which was fun and one of those evenings I’ll always remember fondly. It was also the evening of the solstice, which proved to be a beautiful sunset, for as much as the sun would set that night, anyway. 

Summer Solstice in Norway

Isdalsto, Norway 

Gerd, Cherstie, and her children at the farm 

The last day in Norway was for me to visit the other family I had remembered hearing about while growing up: Gerd’s other niece Cherstie. My mom had remembered her and her sister Karen when they were small girls, and more recently when she went back to visit a few years ago. Cherstie has three children now, and they all live on the farm that used to belong to Gerd’s father in Isdalsto. Gerd’s last name, Isdal, represents where she came from, and today she doesn’t live very far from where she grew up. It was special to finally see the place I had grown up wondering about. We had a lovely lunch with Cherstie’s family, and she showed me around a little. She is a very talented illustrator, and was kind enough to send me home with some children’s books she had illustrated. They’re in Norwegian, of course, but hey, maybe I’ll learn someday. ;-) 

And with that, it was time for me to head to the airport. I had an evening flight but with a long layover in Copenhagen, so after an airport sleep I ventured out to explore a taste of Denmark. Here's a short entry from Copenhagen:

Bonus Day: Copenhagen

Morning coffee in Nyhavn.

I remember in grade school that we had to read the young adult book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. The book became one of my favorites and I read it over and over again. Set in World War II, the story is about a young girl and her family living in Copenhagen at the time of the German occupation. Her older siblings are members of the Resistance, and her Jewish best friend and family must escape for safety. Told from the perspective of a middle school girl, the story focuses on the brave fishermen who smuggled Jews safely out of Copenhagen and took them to neutral Sweden.

The Little Mermaid

Central downtown

Though it’s been many years since I’ve read it, I still remember the details of the book describing Copenhagen like it was yesterday. I knew I had to see Tivoli Gardens, the statue of the Little Mermaid, and the coastline in order to get a taste of Copenhagen, but I wasn’t prepared for how beautiful the city would actually be. I ended up wandering for hours on end during my ten hour layover, and look forward to revisiting the city to do it justice. Here are just a few photos to give you a taste of this magical city.

Tivoli Gardens

Not sure what this is but it's beautiful!

Next is the return of my friend Chelsea for the second stage of my European summer adventure: 

Eurotrip 2014!