Summer in Scandinavia 2007

This afternoon I board Virgin Airlines, fly to Heathrow, transfer to British Airways to Oslo, then arrive in Norway tomorrow evening! This is my first trip to my “ancestral homeland” and I’m excited! The reason for going is to celebrate the first anniversary of a fellow Halloween fan from Norway who found my website awhile ago, and we’ve become online friends. She got married last year and they’re having the reception in Sweden August 11th, so what a great reason for me to finally visit! My ancestors are over 100 years back, so all I know really is that my dad’s family is from Visby, Gotland, so I’m going there, and my grandmother thinks her mother is from near Lillehammer. I’m just going to see as much as I can see!

I might be checking two bags on the way there, which is a first! So much cider, jam, beef jerky & another gift is making my suitcase about 10lbs over, and I’ve tried limiting what else I’m bringing…we’ll see what they say, since I do have my duffle bag packed, so if they make me, I can repack some clothes & shoes at checkin.

I should have internet just about everywhere I’m staying, so I hope to blog with photos during the trip. Wish me luck!

Britta’s Scandinavian Itinerary

Wed Aug 1st
Arrive OSL 19:45
overnight @ First Hotel Millenium

Thurs Aug 2nd
8am train Oslo-Trondheim
Trondheim overnight @ Thon Hotel Trondheim

Fri Aug 3rd
10am Hurtigruten cruise along fjord coast from Trondheim-Bergen
overnight on board M/S Polarlys

Sat Aug 4th
Arrive in Bergen
Edvard Grieg’s House
Bergen overnight @ Steens Hotel

Sun Aug 5th
8am train Bergen-Oslo via Norway in a Nutshell (Voss, Gudvangen, Flåm, Myrdal)
Oslo overnight @ First Hotel Millenium (again)

Mon Aug 6th
Train Oslo-Stockholm
Arrive in Stockholm
Absolut Ice Bar @ Nordic Sea Hotel?
Stockholm overnight @ Adlon Hotel

Tues Aug 7th
Ferry from Nynäshamn outside Stockholm to Visby, Gotland for the medieval festival
Stockholm overnight @ Adlon Hotel

Wed Aug 8th
Gripsholm Castle?
Depart Stockholm 6.10 express train to Skövde (2 h)
Evening – Arrive in Skara
overnight @ Skara Stadshotell

Thurs Aug 9th – Sat Aug 11th
In Skara – wedding reception Saturday the 11th
still @ Skara Stadshotell

Sun Aug 12th
Leave Skara
Drive back to Norway w/ Teje, Tobias & baby Sixten

Mon Aug 13th – Fri Aug 17th
Staying at Teje’s house – sightseeing around Norway and Oslo

Sat Aug 18th
Get to OSL by 3pm for checkin
British Airways Depart OSL 17:00 Arrive LHR 18:20
stash luggage in a locker @ Heathrow
take the tube to Notting Hill to the Windsor Castle Pub for Addelstones vs. Brittahyttta Brewery cider taste test
spend night @ LHR

Sun Aug 19th
checkin 9am
Virgin Atlantic VS19 Depart LHR 11:00 Arrive SFO 13:50

What a LONG day! I’m here in Oslo finally, in my hotel room on cheap wifi, after a Strongbow with Teje at the Dubliner around the corner. Lucky that I just happened to choose a hotel that was so close to her favorite pub, run by her sister-in-law!

Super LONG travel day!

As I feared, my suitcase was about 10lbs too heavy, so instead of paying $35 extra, I threw a bunch of clothes & shoes into my duffle bag since I was allowed two bags at no extra charge. Of course that means the skirts that I bothered ironing will now be hopeless, but since my bag was searched anyway, they might have been anyway. That’s why I brought my travel iron just in case. The flight to Heathrow was relatively uneventful, and I was very thankful I was able to change my seat to 63K in the back with the extra leg room by the window. I prepped about 150 Marauder’s Map replies ready to send later, watched 2 eps of the BCC comedy The IT Crowd (meh) and dozed as much as I could. I still get airsick with too much reading which includes computer work, so I didn’t want to push it. We landed early but our gate was still occupied, so we ended up on time anyway. Since it was the cheapest, I had booked British Airways to Oslo, not leaving until 4pm, but it was all the way in Terminal 4, requiring a train ride. That terminal is PACKED! I found an outlet, sat on the floor with my luggage cart letting my battery recharge while I caught up on some more emails to kill some time, since I could find networks but no payment options ever appeared in my browser, then I decided to try to check in early, since I didn’t see my flight listed yet, but it didn’t look like they were stopping people. I had read before I left that BA only allows a single carryon bag, so I had to take my tapestry bag with my laptop bag inside it so I could also cram in my purse! Thankfully BA allowed me to check both bags so I didn’t repack yet again. An hour later in line to drop off my bags after the self-checkin more than 3 hrs before my flight, while I went through gate security I was randomly singled out for the scanner search – weird! The girl was trying to be chatty, but it’s kind of odd how you have to strike three very specific poses, and I wasn’t clear if they were x-ray machines or not. It was forever with still no gate information, then a delayed message all the way through boarding time, then right as the flight was originally supposed to leave, we got a gate assignment and it no longer said delayed, so I hightailed it down there! No, the plane had just arrived, so we still had a long time again to wait. Even when we finally got on the plane 45 minutes after original departure time, then we sat on the runway for another 45 minutes while we waited behind 10 other planes for takeoff clearance! At 6pm, when I was supposed to be in Oslo by 6:45pm (7:45 Oslo time), I texted Teje how late I was so don’t worry about waiting for me if it was too late for her & the baby. She had told me on Monday that she had people to visit & errands to run so she wanted to meet me at the train station when I got into the city. Well, almost 10:30 local Oslo time I was finally off the train in the city center, and Teje was holding Sixten at the top of the ramp! How wonderful to be greeted by a nice smiling face after such a long day! She had already scoped out where my hotel was, and in the drizzle we walked there, I checked in, gave her the baby blanket I’d made and the beef jerky they requested which nicely lightens my load, then we went around the corner to the Dubliner pub, where she bought me a Strongbow served by a California bartender who went to Chico & used to live in Pleasanton…haha! Sixten was really tired, but doing quite well for only 9 weeks old and such a long day, and I even got to hold him a little when he wasn’t crying or eating. They’re staying overnight here in Oslo with her sister-in-law which is why she could still meet me so late. For the baby’s sake & the sake of us chatting, we hung out in the back room away from the good but loud live music. I am exhausted and am going to take a much-needed shower then get some sleep!

Oh, and what I had expected has already happened once…when I handed my passport to the Oslo official, a youngish blonde guy, he said “Hello,” seeing my US passport, but opened it and said laughing, “I was going to ask if you live here!”
“No, it’s my first visit but my ancestors are from 100 years ago.”
“Do you speak any Norwegian?”
“No, just ‘takk.’ *smile* ” (takk = thanks)
“A good place to start! Ah, Peterson, a good Norwegian name! Good luck with the Norwegian!”
I wasn’t going to correct him that Britta and Peterson are both Swedish…hehe…Teje said that before I did when I told her the story though!

I’ve set my alarm for 6am in hopes I can get myself up, get ready, grab something at the hotel breakfast, check out, and back to the train station before 7:30am, since I have to pick up my Hurtigruten/Norway in a Nutshell tickets before my train for Trondheim leaves at 8am!

Until next time!

It was a drizzly morning for my first day in Norway (how did I of all people forget a rain hat? Guess that means I can buy a new hat! but at least not so bad for my hike back to the Oslo train station with my now-even-heavier-with-everything-including-laptop-inside suitcase…which now finally will need to be retired since one wheel went wonky so I guess I was basically dragging it through the city, scraping the corner! Glad I noticed now before it was a gaping hole! That suitcase has been to the USSR, Estonia, Finland, Mexico, Costa Rica, Scotland, Ireland, England, Germany, and plenty around the USA in almost 20 years I think, so I guess it’s had a long & exciting life & deserves a nice relaxing retirement.

From Oslo to Trondheim

I woke up at 5:30, got up at 6am to repack, so I was even able to scarf a quick breakfast as I checked out. I have no problem with pickled herring & scrambled eggs first thing in the morning! I had a window seat on the train, so between the beautiful scenery and the challenge of getting decent photos out the window of a fast-moving train, I listened to my new iPod (thanks again Mom & Dad!) and dozed since I was still wiped from my long travel day. It seemed to be Norwegian families and older people on the train, so I didn’t get to talk to anyone. As soon as we were about an hour north of Oslo, the beautiful blue sky was showing between the fluffy clouds, and it continued so all the way north where there was even some snow still on the mountains. About 3:30pm we finally arrived in Trondheim, and my hotel had said “walking distance” from the train station, but it would have been a good 15-minute walk without a wonky heavy suitcase! I am going to pay for a cab to the dock for the ship tomorrow, since as you can see, my poor suitcase has now lost its wheel completely so it won’t be able to take many more dragging sessions over so much pavement! Since it was bright, sunny & warm in Trondheim and I was dragging probably 70lbs using a tiny little handle, I was dripping & red-faced again by the time I finally found my hotel, so I took a welcome shower, changed into summer clothes vs. my jeans & went back out on the town.

Of course as soon as I got back outside, it started sprinkling, but not enough to bother with my umbrella, so I stopped by the wooden palace Stiftsgården that was already closed, then I continued to the Nidaros Cathedral. Teje had said not to miss it, and she’s never even been inside, and my tour book agreed. Since I was too late for the last tour of the day, I bought the guide pamphlet and wandered around. Of course there was an organ concert at 1pm, long before I arrived in town, and they were setting up a sound system for something in there later, but I didn’t see any signs for what. I sneaked a couple no-flash photos of the fancy pipe organ and the chamber organ in the chapter house – shh don’t tell on me! I went next to the Erkebispgården Archbishop’s Palace, which was closed, but they had an “historisk marked” of renfaire-like tents & people in garb, showing a blacksmith and stonecarver in action, plus various wares and food. I was starving since all I’d had since breakfast was a chocolate mint Pria bar and it was already after 5pm, so I had a vaffel as I strolled around. If the big wooden ladle was a curved handle I would have bought it for Halloween witches brew, so too bad it wouldn’t fit properly in the cauldron! I wandered down through the cathedral graveyard, taking photos of course, then down by the river, and back up again to find a horseback jousting tournament in full regalia! We non-paying audience were allowed to stand at the side behind the ropes but I got some fun photos.

I was really hungry for a proper meal by then, so I tried to make a guess at where the tavern might be that my guidebook recommended for traditional Norwegian food, but I didn’t find it, so I headed back by my hotel, catching Sinead O’Connor’s soundcheck along the way, so I got some video & close up photos. See, all this cool stuff I happened to catch is the Olavsfestdagene, St Olav Festival Days. Nidaros Cathedral is the pilgrimage church for St Olav, patron saint of Norway and the king who brought Christianity to Norway, since the church was built on King Olav’s grave. Lucky me since I had no idea this was happening the day I happened to choose to be here! As it was now raining more again, I caught the tail end of the farmers market on my hotel’s street, tasting several kinds of lefse, now wishing I took photos of all the names (potatlefse is what my mom makes) buying some follalefse, which tastes similar but has egg for sure, and buying some moose milk cheese (I think? or elk maybe? Viltost Urterøkt Elg) that was tasty, and a cardamom creamy pudding listed as Gomme. I had seen rommegrøt on the menu for that tavern so I was in the mood for some and that was close! At least I have snacks for later this way, but still wanted a real dinner, and I just didn’t feel like the Dublin Steakhouse, pizza, let alone McDonald’s that was all around my hotel…

Since the receptionist had been nice when I checked in, I ducked into my hotel asked her if she had any idea where that place was from my tour book. She knew but it was an hour walk, and I didn’t feel like taking a taxi for dinner. For Norwegian food she highly recommended the Vertshuset Grenaderen, which I had stumbled across after the joust but wasn’t sure I understood the menu & didn’t see rommegrøt. It was close & highly-recommended, so I went, and I’m very glad I did! Only 3 other parties were in there when I arrived, but the table that was free was huge, so I sat at the corner of it. By the time I got my wine, they had all left, so my waitress asked if I wanted the table by the window…which just happened to be in a teal brocade couch with teal throw pillows, so since no one else was eating, when she came back I asked her to take a photo of me. I knew you would all laugh at the tealness!

Britta esconced in teal at the Vertshust Grenaderen in Trondheim, Norway

Food, Glorious Food

I had the fisksuppe starter, which was similar to bouillabaisse, with amazing whole-grain bread that I think had flakes of sea salt on the crust – tasty! My main course was rosastekt hjortefilet med rødvinskokt paere, which on my English menu was roast deer in sauce with red-wine poached pear and whisky marmalade. That sauce was EXCELLENT! Since no one else was around, my waitress could be chatty, which made my dinner much nicer for me by myself. That sauce is her favorite too, with game stock, milk, brunost (the brown goat cheese I had just tried at the farmers market), and something she couldn’t translate & I can’t remember or spell. I also found out the tavern I’d been looking for has the same owner & is the sister restaurant, so I probably didn’t miss anything! After eating all the meat & mushrooms with that delicious sauce, then cramming my broccoli in too like a good girl, I had no room to start my potatoes at all, and my poached pear was my dessert. The waitress was wondering why it was so much slower than usual, and I mentioned the Sinead concert, plus there was something at the cathedral, since there was a line around the corner as I walked by to go to the restaurant…and then while I was eating, a booming beat started coming from the river behind the restaurant, which was another outdoor concert! Since the staff wasn’t doing anything else since I had my food, they all went out to investigate…a Swedish group called “Smelt” was playing, and they found out it was a men’s chorus from Moscow at the cathedral. Trondheim was a happening place tonight!

I can definitely tell it’s 300 miles farther north, since it’s just now getting to be dusk after 10pm! I’m listening to Sinead O’Connor outside my window one block away…nice free concert! She’s singing Nothing Compares 2 U right now…only the 2nd song I’ve recognized since she started playing an hour ago…heh…

Tomorrow I don’t have to be at the dock until 9:45am, so I should be able to sleep well enough and have a larger breakfast to last me longer. The meals aren’t included in the price on the ship, so we’ll see if what they’re selling me looks worth the price, or if I’ll dine on follalefse & elk cheese… I hope the weather will still be nice enough to get some good photos of the coastline as we cruise past…at least some breaks in the clouds is all I ask and I’ll be happy!

Photos so far are here…Until next time!

Thank goodness it wasn’t this weather the entire cruise! I can imagine it would be impressive since we’re navigating through lots of islands right now, but they’re just big gray blobs out the panorama window through the rivulets streaming down the windows. It has been blustery rain and rocky waves all Saturday morning, so much that even though I had intended on eating another good breakfast, by the time I finished packing & getting ready at a consistent 20 degree angle sideways, my appetite was gone. The Caribbean hurricane Roxanne I was in on that cruise in 1995 was still worse, but this has been bad enough I won’t risk reading which would make me really ill! It’s still raining but calm enough to jot down notes on my Treo for posting later. I just ate my last couple pieces of lefse for breakfast. At least Friday it was beautiful!

Hurtigruten Cruise along central Norway

I got up fairly well-rested, ate a quick but full breakfast, including some brunost on tasty whole grain bread, and got my cab to the dock in plenty of time. I’m so glad I did, since it was quite a hike further than back to the train station! Leaving Trondheim it was overcast, but within an hour or so the clouds were breaking revealing blue sky so I took a lot of photos. We were moving quickly enough that it was really windy & chilly out on deck even in the sun, plus the smokers had to be outside, so my day was spent bundled up in my scarf and new Nathania-knitted birthday hat reading The Golden Compass in a deck chair until either I got too chilly or a smoker came and stood next to me, then I’d go inside for awhile until the scenery changed again for more photos. Inside it was sunny enough through the windows that I couldn’t keep my eyes open and dozed like a cat. I didn’t think I could sleep so much!

I thought the dinner looked more interesting to splurge on than lunch, so I ate my elg ost and lefse for lunch which was tasty. We were due to dock in Kristiansund from 4-5:30, but we left Trondheim half an hour late so we didn’t arrive until 5pm, and the gangway said leaving at 5:15 so no quick offshore excursion for me. Close to the coast and between island and fjords the waters were fairly calm so I had no problems even reading, but the schedule warned of open seas between Kristiansund and Molde, and it was already starting to get rocky enough I was getting queasy, so I decided to nip it in the bud and do what lasted me through the hurricane – lying down with my eyes closed in my cabin. By the time the worst was over I had a good rest and a good appetite for the second seating of dinner at 8:30pm.

Dinner was worth the expense and I was hungry by then! The starter was grilled scallop with carrot puree and sauce with “estragon” but I swear it tasted like cardamom to me. My one glass of house Viognier white wine lasted through the whole dinner, but I drained about half a liter of water! The entree was honey-glazed fillet of reindeer, potato puree and blueberry gravy, but there were also brussel sprouts and lingonberries. The reindeer was a very fine grain texture, almost closer to liver than to beef or the deer I had in Trondheim, but very tasty. I cleaned my plate, even the icky brussel sprouts!

Since we reached Molde during my dinner, I missed my next chance to go offship, but it was safer for my stomach eating while there was no chance of rocky waters anyway. I had a very nice window view for my dinner even though I was by myself. After dinner I wandered a bit taking some more photos, then camped out in the panorama room again to see the sun going away until about 11pm. No dramatic sunset since the skies were too clear, but I took photos anyway. It still wasn’t all the way dark but I went back to my cabin anyway, took my shower and went to bed, but I didn’t sleep very well between being paranoid I might miss my alarm, rocking waves, and odd loud ship noises.

Britta cruising the Norwegian coastline

I’ve typed this all in fits and spurts on my Treo between being forced by the waves to stop and close my eyes to keep my stomach from doing too many flips. No lunch for me either I think, so hopefully when we get to Bergen this afternoon I can find a snack on the way to Grieg’s house then find another tasty dinner. Wish me luck!

I’m sure it would have helped my mood if the sun was out and I hadn’t been nauseous all morning, but then when I got my suitcase and the ship crew had snapped my hard plastic luggage tag in half so no name is anywhere to be found AND somehow cracked a little nick in the side of my suitcase too, I was really ticked when for the line of 40 or so people waiting they had only one taxi! I finally got a cab to my hotel & promptly started walking to the bus station to try to get to Grieg’s house before it closed…

Frantic Day at Troldhaugen* plus Blur of Bergen

I thought I had a chance to get to Grieg’s house Troldhaugen since it was about 3:45 and it closed at 6pm, but due to waiting for a bus, then not knowing how to identify stops, I accidentally rode to the end of the line then asked the bus driver for help. Luckily she was going the same way back, but there was at least half an hour wasted, and it supposedly takes that long to walk from the bus stop! At 5:15 I got off the bus and started walking Britta-speed, so the 20-30 minute walk became 15 and I got there at 5:30! I paid but there were two large groups inside the small house so the guide suggested I see the composer’s hut first, which I did. I had seen my mom’s photos and online photos before, but the view definitely is beautiful. I wish I had such an inspiring secluded place, let alone the time in which to use it!

I still hadn’t cooled down from my frantic hike to get there, and inside the house with about 30 other people was stuffy, so I was dripping enough the poor guide noticed and grabbed me some paper towels…sheesh! The tours were in Spanish I think so I didn’t ever hear anything explained to me, so I looked around as much as I could, then went outside again. Honestly the view from the house really reminds me of the view from Buck & Lou’s house on Puget Sound! haha…After I saw the grave in the cliff facing the water, it was already past 6pm, so no souvenirs for me. Yes, I could get music by Grieg anywhere, but having some I purchased at his house would have been very cool…oh well! At least I made it to see the place!

I took the bus back all the way to Bryggen, which is the old wharf with the storefronts that are sagging & crooked…always a charming effect! I glanced around, then spotted a restaurant menu that looked promising for more traditional Norwegian food, even though I swear the B in their Gothic font looks like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Their dining room was booked, probably by tour groups, plus it was Saturday night, but since I had beaten the 8pm rush, I was able to sit in their downstairs tavern area. I got a cider, wish I knew the brand since it was sweeter than Strongbow at least, Bergen-style creamy fisksuppe with fish dumplings. I liked that even better than the tomato-based fisksuppe in Trondheim. Then for my meal I wanted to try 4 of the “Norwegian tapas” but since they came in 3 or 6, I got 6 by doubling the cured ham and the marinated herring with lingonberries. The reindeer sausage was good, dry cured salami-style, the ham was fine, the Aquavit-marinated salmon was my least favorite but good, but the herring OH MY GOSH! Best pickled herring I have ever had! The herring was still pink, and not the grainy texture you find in the jars of the silvery stuff, so it was much closer in texture to the salmon we always pickle, but the flavor was fresh and just the right mixture of sweet & sour, leaning toward the sweet side. I thought of my mom never understanding why my brother, cousins & me wouldn’t get sick eating cereal-size bowls of pickled salmon in Astoria each year for Christmas, and here I was eating pickled herring in about the same quantity in Bergen! hahaha… Since the soup bowl was so large, I couldn’t finish that but it was ever so good, and I sat there as long as I could, sipping a second cider, chewing slowly and trying to cram every last bite of herring in my stomach! I did it justice with only a few scraps left, and I told them it was the best pickled herring I’ve ever had, and if they had it in jars, I’d take some home!

Since it wasn’t even 9pm, I looked in the touristy shops along Bryggen, took a photo of myself (the only time I’ve EVER wished my arms were longer!), got a cute tiny seal for my desk, walked over to Mariakirken to see the outside of the oldest church from the 1200s, then over to Bergenhus Castle, also dating from the same era, then to the fountain by the art museum, past the Grieghallen, which also hosts acts like Zappa and Pink, then back up the hill to my hotel, which has a little park right across the street. I missed the big Domkirke since it would have been north on my big loop back, but honestly I’m tired enough that’s enough walking for one day.

Britta at the Bryggen in Bergen

Another early start in the morning, since my train leaves for the Norway in a Nutshell tour at 8:40am. Breakfast at the hotel doesn’t start until 8am, so that’s pushing it, but I think since I walked down the hill to the bus station already which is only a block away from the train station, for the sake of my suitcase and my sanity, I’ll be taking another taxi. I think I’m going to like getting to Skara since I might actually be able to sleep in a couple mornings then!

Until next time!

*There is a Grieg composition called Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, which I played for my piano recital the year of my mom’s Scandinavia trip with my grandmother, and they were actually at Grieg’s house the day of that recital.

OH MY GOSH! Why am I being tested so? I thought at least with the leader handle I could gently drag my suitcase around the rest of this trip without scraping a hole in it, paying extra for cabs vs. walking to & from my hotels, then research good deals on new suitcases when I got back, but it obviously thought otherwise. As I was very slowly leaving the train station in Oslo, I got on the escalator and the leader handle promptly came off in my hand! I had to catch the monster before it hit the lady in front of me! I found a cab, 100NOK minimum fare, and my leisurely morning before getting on the train to Stockholm will now be shopping for a hard-sided suitcase, in the most expensive exchange rate in the world vs. the dollar. At least with breakfast ending at 10am, that means I should be able to shop one block over in the main shopping district & be back in time to repack by checkout at noon, then the 1:30 train to Stockholm should be easy. I do have my duffle bag still, but that won’t fit everything, especially my laptop case, which I have been stashing inside my suitcase for safety & theft deterrence, plus the breakables I already have bought for people, plus the cider for the Windsor Castle Pub tasting on the way back.

Otherwise my day had its other ups and downs, but had finally ended on an up note before this, which will be a separate post. I am now back at the First Hotel Millenium in Oslo, and the poor guy at reception was kind enough to suggest some luggage stores and to look up the Stockholm train schedule for me, since I forgot to find a schedule before I left the station when my handle came off in my hand! I think I’ll keep the handle as a souvenir since what could I do but stick it in my purse & keep going?!? 2 hours wifi for 40 NOK will allow me to vent, so I can start the new day afresh tomorrow. Maybe I’ll find the coolest suitcase ever that will last me another 20 years AND be teal? We’ll see…

Next will be the actual sightseeing post…”Norway in a Nutshell = fickle weather!”

Silly me had not brought my trusty hiking hooded rainjacket this trip since I was hoping my positive weather thoughts would bring nicer weather. Alas, no. I’m now kicking myself for not being better prepared. I do have an umbrella in my purse, but I haven’t yet taken it out, since holding an umbrella in one hand and dragging a suitcase in the other just doesn’t work well enough to bother, so I’ve just been looking like a drowned rat these days I have to lug my suitcase everywhere I go. Since it looks better than the hair plastered to my head, I’ve been wearing much more of my new Nathania-knitted birthday hat than I expected, so not only am I very glad she finished it and got it to me before I left, but I’m very glad I brought it! Thanks again Nathania!

So, Norway in a Nutshell is the name of the tour I took today. Until the evening when it finally redeemed itself a bit, I was prepared to say “Norway in a Nutshell means Rain, Fog & Mist Forever!” I completely understand why so many Scandinavians settled in the Pacific Northwest, since the scenery is similar, weather is similar, and there was even work they already knew, like fishing, logging, etc. How so many ended up in the landlocked Midwest where it gets SO cold I’m still confused though…? You Minnesotans and Iowans explain that to me please…

Norway in a Nutshell = fickle weather!

I dragged myself out of bed by 7am in Bergen, repacked, checked out, called a cab, & grabbed a boiled egg, some brunost & flatbread, so I was at the train station with time to spare thankfully. The raindrops splattered on the train windows made it very difficult not only to see the scenery but even more difficult to take photos. I was trying my best, and the view kept shifting from one side of the train to the other, so since our car was fairly empty, I kept running across the train to the better view. So did this other guy by himself, so we kept taking photos of the same things. He asked me if my photos were working at all, so I found out that Salvatore, a mechanical engineering student from near Naples, Italy, was on the same Norway in a Nutshell trip as me (it can go different directions at Flåm), so we stuck together all day. That was so much better to be disappointed together…Italians and Californians aren’t used to such dismal weather in August!

Our trip was Bergen to Voss by train, take your luggage to one of the three Norway in a Nutshell buses in 5 minutes, continue by bus to Gudhaven, stopping along the way at Stalheim at the resort to see the grand waterfall…which we couldn’t since the fog was stuck below us in the crevice where the waterfall was. *sigh* Back on the bus, down the steep hill with all the switchback curves, stopping every so often to allow upward traffic to pass, finally catching a glimpse of the waterfall, trying to take photos through the raindrops on the bus windows, then take your luggage onto the ferry at Gudhaven. This is when I was getting frustrated. It was already noon, so we knew the fog was not going to burn away at this rate, and we had a 2 hours ferry ride trying our best to see the fjord “shores” when we were close enough, but the mist was so thick, we could barely see the shores, let alone see the tops of the cliffs. *another sigh* Yes, we know good weather is not guaranteed, but it’s still disappointing! Since there were lots of little waterfalls, cute little towns, and even goats, and I kept hoping with all my might I could get a good photo eventually, we were up on the top deck out in the open, hence the drowned rat look. I wiped my camera lens from the 45 degree drizzle so many times I was running out of accessible dry patches of clothing to use! Chilled to the bone because we were so wet, we started to get bored of the scenery we couldn’t quite see, so finally went below deck for the rest of the ride to get warm. The worst was being able to tell the potential for beauty if it was a nice day, and just knowing we were missing out.

We made it to Flåm and had 3 hours to spend before the Flåm Railway to Myrdal. Usually this is a good thing to wander about, but as it was still raining, people just sat mostly inside, where at least we warmed up and dried off a bit. I did buy a shot glass equivalent for myself, but found no silly/cool t-shirt yet. We checked out the Flåm Railway Museum, where some American tourists who had just come from Myrdal told us to sit on the right-side of the train for the best views along the way, took a silly photo by the unused train car, and even found some trolls I posed with.

Finally our train was there, and we got a window on the right side, and even better, the window could open on top, all the better to stick our cameras through! Not only that, but I said to Salvatore, “I think those clouds might be trying to part over there,” but he shushed me, not wanting to jinx anything! No, really, bits of blue sky started appearing through the clouds. I swear the entire train, who had suffered the dismal day with us, had never been so excited to see blue sky before! Many many waterfalls with leftover snow were photographed, then we had to stop while the other train passed us, and we discovered the Danish mother & teenage daughter across from us had the perfect photo op view out their window, so everyone took turns posing there. Finally on our way again we made it to THE waterfall where they allowed us out for 5 minutes…overspray as wet as the rain earlier, but we got good photos, even of the “mountain siren” dancing to the amplified new-age music & singing…haha…

The rest of the way to Myrdal was nice, then another 45 minutes before the train to Oslo came. I had eaten a sandwich I had brought on the ferry earlier, but knowing we had a 6 hour train ride I wanted to investigate the food. Salvatore was getting the scoop from an Italian family about where he should go next, since he’s taking a long trip, going way up to Nordknapp next by the Arctic Circle, not getting to Sweden probably until after I leave, and seeing Finland & Denmark as well. I went in, saw a sandwich for food value but then saw “rømmegrøt” advertised so I splurged and got some. I had only been served small cups from friends before, but this came in a CEREAL bowl! Rømmegrøt is sour cream pudding, really, really rich, so I tried to have Salvatore have some but he declined. Another tourist waiting said she just had to ask what it was, and I offered her some. It was tasty but there was no way I could finish the whole thing. It definitely lasted me the entire trip, since I’m still not hungry now, 6 hours later!

For the Myrdal to Oslo train, supposedly some of the “most scenic railway in Europe,” I had a reserved seat but Salvatore had booked too late for a reservation, so I was sitting next to Bereit from Bergen, an older woman traveling to meet a German woman she had met on the Hurtigruten cruise the previous year when they were both traveling alone. They were meeting in Geilo, then driving in the German’s car back to Bergen to stay with Bereit. We talked about cameras, I tried to help with hers, about my Scandinavian heritage, and she pronounced Britta the way my mom has always not been able to repeat, but said that’s only with one t. After the tickets were checked, there was a free seat in front of me, so Salvatore took that one. The weather was finally beautiful, but there were SO many tunnels it still made for difficult photos through the train windows…plus the other side of the train had the better views than my seat. Ah well. I was still loving there was finally BLUE SKY!

Bereit left the train at Geilo, we wished each other good journey, then Salvatore took her seat next to me for the rest of the trip. When we had to sit for awhile while another train passed, he started getting nervous, since our train was scheduled to arrive in Oslo at 22:32, and his overnight train up to Trondheim for 23:05. He went and asked and our train was indeed running 30 minutes behind – oh no! They said they’d try to make up the time, since they knew many others were trying to catch connecting trains. Toward the end, as it was getting darker around 9pm since we were farther south of course, so less scenery, we were starting to get more nervous…would he make his train? 4 more stops, we’re already late. 3 more stops, 15 minutes left! 2 more stops…we made it to Oslo at 22:55 by my watch, and just before we stopped, the conductor announced the Trondheim train was at Track 1, so since Salvatore was already collecting his luggage after we had said our goodbye, I made sure he heard it! Another guy heard who was also going to Trondheim, so the last I saw were the two of them going as fast as they could from our Track 12 or so over to 1…I hope they made it! That was when I was moving slowly, gingerly dragging my suitcase, changing hands every 25 ft or so, until the escalator downstairs, where my leader handle fell off in my hand *SIGH* AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! 100 NOK minimum fare to my really close hotel, but at least I saw a cab right as I got down the stairs, and you probably already read the rest about that. Could be worse…could be raining! (name that quote)

Britta sailing the Sognefjord (or Naerøfjord?)

Britta on the Flåm Railway

Photos will begin at page 26.

I’m going to use my whole 2 hours of wifi tonight, going to bed when I feel finally calm enough – typing all this has definitely helped! – then getting up in time for breakfast, shopping for a new suitcase, then checking out & taking the train to Stockholm. Since I won’t have much to catch you up on by then, I won’t pay for wifi on the train…but isn’t that cool they have it? I might be tempted…we’ll see how much my new suitcase costs!

Until next time, which will be in another country…Sweden!

Not a cloud in the sky here in Stockholm, and I only had my jacket on a few minutes since I was hiking around town this evening in the balmy weather! Let’s hope it stays this way for my long ferry ride to Visby tomorrow!

Goodbye Norway, Hello Sweden

I stayed up too late reading to calm myself from the laughter of disbelief about my suitcase issues, but I still got up, had breakfast, found a suitcase shop, bought a new Samsonite for 1700 NOK, which I think is almost $300, but it has a 10-year warranty, a combination lock (great for trains & elsewhere, unlocked for flights), plenty of zipper pockets inside, and a much more comfortable handle & vertical shape to drag around. The luggage shop girl said that Samsonite was still rated the best so a good investment..quite the expensive souvenir though! It was warm enough already by 11am that I had to change out of my jeans, and into my first skirt since Trondheim!

Of course, it was so warm, the train was cooking on the trip from Oslo to Stockholm. Be careful what you wish for, eh? I’m sure glad I did change out of my jeans! I was not complaining, since if the choice is rain or too warm, I’ll take the latter! But it was so warm I just kept dozing off, especially since the scenery was pretty much the same the whole trip, low hills, trees, rivers and farms. I actually took only 85 photos today, compared to well over 200 yesterday! I successfully changed trains at Karlstad onto a Swedish train, which was much warmer than the Norwegian train, and my back started killing me from sitting so long. I was very glad to get off the train, then spent longer than I thought I should have asking three separate information desks about getting to Visby, ending up with no better information than I had looked up online last night… ah well, at least I know to get there 8:15am to buy my ticket!

I checked in, decided to pay extra for broadband that doesn’t kick you off every 20 minutes (hard to post photos that way!), found out the ethernet cable I brought spontaneously doesn’t work anymore, then set off into the night. I was starving, but I wanted to check out the Absolut Ice Bar at the Nordic Sea Hotel I had heard about, plus between my guidebook & the hotel map, it looked like there was a Hard Rock Cafe shop in the same area, and plenty of things to see on the walk. From my hotel, I walked past the spire of Klara Kyrka over to the Kulturhuset with its fountain by Sergels Torg, continued on Drottniggatan shopping street, then across the bridge and through the parliament house Riksdagshuset, then to Gamla Stan, the old town. I walked along the water where the hotel was shown in my book but no trace of it. Then I went to where the Hard Rock Cafe shop was supposed to be, but it closed and the HRC restaurant was as far north from my hotel as I was then south, so that’ll be another day if I make it up there. There were so many touristy restaurants, and I didn’t want British pub, Italian, etc, etc. I came across a tiny cafe saying it’s been there since the 1700s, advertising Swedish meatballs, which seemed appropriate for my first night in Sweden. I was still plenty warm so I sat outside under the lighted clock tower. I can’t say the food was amazing, but it was tasty and I was so hungry, plus the hard pear cider was refreshing. I had smelled the ice cream & chocolate sauce in the area when I first got there, so I had a waffle cone as I strolled more around the old town, then tried taking a timer shot back at the parliament house bridge to prove I was wearing a skirt today – not just any skirt, but a teal plaid birthday present!

Britta at Riksdagshuset in Stockholm

I started a new photo album since the last one was already gigantic!

Now that I’m back in my hotel wondering why I could never find it, I googled the Nordic Sea Hotel for the Absolut Ice Bar and found out it’s one block away from my hotel, just not anywhere I walked! I guess there are two 26s on that map in my guidebook so I misunderstood. It’s only open until midnight until the weekend, so either I’ll try going on my way back from Visby tomorrow, which will be cutting it close since my bus is due in 23:45, or in the afternoon before I catch my train to met Teje. Lucky for me, I can’t get to Visby any earlier than 1:30pm since the first bus to the ferry is 8:45am tomorrow. There’s no way I would have been able to enjoy my day if I got up to catch a 5:45am bus anyway, but this way I don’t have to feel guilty about getting more sleep!

Until next time!

Today was the excursion to as close to my ancestral homeland as we know for sure. Visby on the island of Gotland off the southern coast of Sweden, where my father’s Swedish side is from about 100 years ago. That there happened to be a big medieval festival the week I was able to go was an extra bonus!

Medeltidsveckan in Visby, Gotland, Sweden

I got myself up in time for a quick breakfast, thankful that it was the first time this trip I didn’t have to pack everything and check out already, then over to the bus station with plenty of time to get my ticket and onto the bus to get a window seat. I saw the weird golfball building mentioned in my guidebook on the way south, but then just more grass & trees until we actually reached the coast at Nynäshamn.

I bought my ferry ticket round trip, plus the return bus ticket to Stockholm, since they wouldn’t let me buy that with my original bus ticket, so at least that was all taken care of. You actually get assigned seats on the ferry, and since once we left the coast it was just water & haze for so long, I dozed at my seat between watching some Swedish romantic comedy I wouldn’t have understood even if I had plugged in my headphones.

Finally we started seeing land outside, so I took some more photos out on the windy but sunny deck, then we were docking at Visby by 1:30pm. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to the point of being too hot without breeze or shade. I felt really badly for all the people in medieval garb, especially the cloaks and furs I saw! There were a few kilt & tartan sash outfits, including a couple young shirtless guys in kilts (woohoo!) but most were more authentic simple style Viking medieval clothing, not corsets or fancy Elizabethan England garb like so many renfaires. Of course this wasn’t a renfaire but specifically a medieval festival. Otherwise the marketplace area was a lot like other faires I’ve seen and enjoyed, with various vendors at their own tents, swords, armor, garb, cups, forged iron decor, kids Viking toys, food, knitwear, fabrics, etc.

Teje had mentioned before that she was planning to make mjød, a Viking honey beer like mead, so when I saw a booth at the medieval marketplace I bought a cup. Since I asked them to take a photo of me drinking it, they transferred it into a big drinking horn…haha! When I asked how it was made I found out this was non-alcoholic mjød, but there was real mead from California over at another booth…haha! They had already heard that’s where I was from so we laughed about me coming all the way to Visby for California mead..

There were a few performers, including some slapstick improv that I couldn’t understand, but the audience was roaring. I got some video of some girls singing to bring audience in for the next show (I think?).There was a fire-eater too, and I think another hurdy-gurdy with another instrument I didn’t recognize. I’ll have to check my Trondheim photos later now that Melanie told me that was a hurdy-gurdy.

I had seen the whole market and bought a small cow’s horn drinking horn (washing machine safe he told me – haha!), so I went strolling up the hill to see how many churches I could see. I was able to get to most that were on my map, but several were closed for medieval week – darn! I did get to go inside the one non-ruin St Maria Domkyrkan with modern but pretty stained glass, and inside the ruin St Katarina which was very cool. Only one had a graveyard but just a Lindstrom, no Pettersons or Enbergs. I’ll bet I would have had to go outside the old town to find any more recent graves like only 100 years ago, and there really wasn’t time in my only 6 hours there today. Since I don’t even know where in Visby any of them were from, that would still be difficult to track down, so I considered today not geneological research but to be a taste of where my ancestors came from.

Speaking of taste, on my stroll through town to the market I had walked past a restaurant that wasn’t cheap, but they had pickled Gotland salmon that I really wanted to try, first time I’ve ever heard of pickled salmon except Astoria where my dad is from, so I was hoping to get there right when they opened at 5pm so I would still have time to make to the ferry by 6:30 to check in. I had eaten a sandwich on the ferry, plus I was curious about the fresh flatbread, onion and cheese wraps at the market. Nice not to be starving for dinner for once! I got there early while the staff was still eating and there was a sign that I was guessing said the garden only was closed for an event, so I was trying to catch someone’s eye to be sure I shouldn’t just move on to another restaurant. I got seated right at 5 in an empty restaurant of course, but by myself that was a good technique since not only did I get a little conversation with the two waiters who kept coming through, but also since I was asking how dry or sweet the wine was, I got a glass of Riesling instead of the only white wine they sold by the glass. My bill still had the other wine listed for my one glass.

I had the pickled salmon with creamed local morel mushrooms and mustard sauce, which was very good, but the fish wasn’t salted before pickling, and not very much vinegar, so it was closer to sushi but good fresh salmon flavor. I was wondering if the Astoria style might be Visby style, but I’d say the herring I had in Bergen was closer to Astoria. The morels were fabulous but only about 4 bites since the dish was an appetizer. I also had the soup of wild Gotland leeks with salmon roe (yes, Dad, I know you use salmon roe for bait!) which was very tasty. Two starters for my meal was a good plan portionwise. From the dessert list I chose local cheeses with walnut flatbread, which also came with some salmberry preserves and plum-type preserves called something like fikon like ficus but wasn’t listed on the menu so I’m not sure of the spelling. How can you go wrong with cheese of course, but the preserves were also tasty. If I hadn’t been rushing to the ferry I would have looked harder for some salmberry jam to take home, but the jars I found were too big. I thanked the waiters for the fabulous food and made my way around to the ferry by a quick trip to the beach since I realized I should at least touch the waters at my ancestral shores! I sneaked a rock away in my pocket as a “piece of my homeland”..shh, don’t tell!

I just had time to buy a couple postcards and a silly shot glass, then I got into the long line of people checking in for the ferry, so I’m glad I got there when I did. I was hoping to find a doll or figurine in the Visby costume like I have, even if I had to pay a lot, but the rest of the day I didn’t actually come across touristy shops past the docks, only fancy stuff like crystal, antiques, and knitwear. The only doll I found was the blue & yellow Swedish national costume. I didn’t even see the tiny wooden shoes my mom got me on her quick trip to Visby!

Britta drinking mjød at Medeltidsveckan in Visby

We were on a newer ferry on the way back, with plasma TVs and a bigger cafe, so I found a pear cider to pass my time during another obviously Scandinavian movie I don’t understand. Actually I watched the only video I had on my new iPod: The Shakespeare Code from the new Doctor Who. I had downloaded it from way back when and always intended to watch it but never had time with this crazy spring and summer for me. Not only am I impressed at this little video screen, but also really enjoyed the show, so I think I’m going to have to add yet another show to my Tivo when I get home. My Doctor Who knowledge is sorely lacking I know but maybe I’ll be able to catch up someday. It’s one that’s always been on the list but never had time, like Babylon 5, Buffy, the new Battlestar Galactica, etc, etc! Hey at least I finally watched ALL of Blackadder and The Prisoner a few years ago!

No Absolut Ice Bar tonight since not only was I wiped by my long day, but the bus was late picking us up from the ferry, then there were some roadworks that delayed us too, so I don’t think I would have made it before the doors closed at midnight anyway. Now for a shower & sleep!

Until next time!

Another long day with plenty of sightseeing in Stockholm, two souvenir shot glasses (I really have to figure out a way to display my collection at my new house!), and even unexpected thunder & lightning! I’m now safely out in the country in Skara, and will be staying in the same room through Sunday, which is a refreshing change! The free wifi is also nice…ahhh…

Goodbye Stockholm, Hello Skara

I got myself up for breakfast just before it closed at 10am, got myself packed to check out before 11, had them hold my suitcase and jackets at the hotel for my daytime wanderings, then left for my last day in Stockholm. I found the Nordic Sea Hotel RIGHT by my hotel and made myself a reservation at the Absolut Ice Bar for 4:30pm, thinking that would give me plenty of time to get my luggage and catch my 6:10pm train. Then I stood in line at the train station to buy my ticket and make sure the time was still correct, which it was, so that was settled. I set out for Stadthuset while it was overcast & muggy, then it started sprinkling along the way but not enough to bother with my umbrella…then when I got to the building, it started pouring with thunder and even lightning! In case it was a quick summer storm, I scrambled for cover along with a gaggle of tourists, but when it wasn’t letting up, I took out my free poncho I got in Trondheim, got out my umbrella, and headed for the Riddarholmskyrkan anyway, drenching the bottom of my skirt of course, but at least my sandals would dry eventually so they’re probably the best shoes I could have worn. By the time I walked halfway to the church, past Riddarhuset, the House of Nobility, the rain had stopped and the sun had peeked out again, so after I was done touring the church, I was able to put away my poncho and umbrella and thankfully didn’t need them the rest of the day. My skirt was even dry by the afternoon, which surprised me because it was still really humid all day. I kept strolling, in the now hot sun, stopping for an ice cream and sitting a bit to wipe all the puddle-crud off my feet before the tiny rocks and dirt gave me blisters!

I continued to Kungliga Slottet, the royal palace, and figured I had time to pay to tour the inside, so after losing the cruise ship tour crowds making it horribly stuffy in the guest apartments, meeting a girl visiting from Boston trying to do the same, she & I found the Tre Kronor exhibit, which was thankfully cool, and interesting since it was about the old parts of the original castle which burned in 1697. She had already seen the crown jewels but recommended them, so I saw the sparkly shiny things myself, then just missed getting to see the Royal Chapel by 30 seconds after closing time! I begged for just one minute to look in, but the lady closing the ropes was firm in her no, so I was done with the palace! Hrmph!

Since it was 3:30, and I had already seen plenty of Gamla Stan on Monday night and was afraid it might be as packed with more tourists to ruin my previous pleasant evening experience, I decided to see if I could hike all the way north to Hard Rock Cafe and still make it to the Absolut Ice Bar in time for my 4:30 reservation. It was quite a hike in the humidity, past Kungsträdgården, the large garden at least which was pretty, but I got to HRC, got my shot glass (why not continue the collection since I was in town?) and thankfully used their restroom, then the challenge was to find my way back, since I was now off the map in my guidebook and my other map from the hotel had disappeared I assume in the wind of the thunderstorm somehow, since I hadn’t found it since then. I did find my way even early, and I can tell you that inside the ice bar was the first time I actually felt cool & comfortable all day…haha! They give you silver parkas to wear inside, and the whole “bar” is about the size of my living room, with one bench covered in reindeer skins with a couple low tables, a few tall bar height tables, a flatscreen TV functioning behind the ice walls, and the bar with two bartenders in cute fake fur hats. Even though the glasses you use at the bar are completely made of ice, you can buy glass copies at the shop, so of course I did! I had an Absolut Icebar Stockholm, which was Absolut Apeach, pineapple juice, orange juice & blue curacao, but unfortunately wasn’t mixed so the blue stayed at the bottom instead of creating a teal drink. It was tasty though! Since you were allowed two drinks, I also had the Absolut Wolf Paw, since I had to have the lingonberry drink! They even put fresh lingonberries in it, nice and tart…yum! We were all tourists of course, so we were all taking photos of each other and laughing at ourselves being the silly ones who pay money for a place like that. The last people in there with me were a couple from Valencia, CA, and he had stopped taking photos with his fancy professional-style model, and he started taking photos of her with his iPhone, so I had to tease him! haha…He’s been using the internet service for maps and such their whole trip, but I’m pretty sure international data roaming is not included in the iPhone plans, so he thinks he might have an unhappy surprise when he gets home!

Britta at the Absolut Icebar Stockholm

I collected my luggage, grabbed a sandwich, and caught my train with no problems. Teje, Tobias & little Sixten met me at the train station in Skövde, and drove me the scenic way to Skara, which included the best sunset I’ve seen yet! While Tobias went to hang out with some friends, Teje & I strolled the town with her pointing out sights for me in the fading light, trying unsuccessfully to avoid mosquitos, but seeing a few bats flying around, and even seeing my first live wild porcupine. Why the poor guy was on the sidewalk in town we don’t know, so we hope he finds his way back home. The restaurant & bar at my hotel is one of the best in town, so we went back there and Tobias came with his friend Jimmy, so we all had a drink and talked for a bit. It seems Teje told Tobias how I seem to have a high tolerance for alcohol, so he & his friends are planning on making me do shots of aquavit at a “crayfish party” tomorrow night…every time you eat a crayfish claw you have to take a shot! Wish me luck!

Obviously the aquavit shots weren’t so bad since I’m still typing my daily diary post before I’m going to sleep tonight! Although, about 4 shots of aquavit (yuck! I’d rather have vodka any day!), 2 bottles of cider, 3 shots of honey rum (yum!) and at least 20 crayfish later, I am feeling some alcohol. Let’s just say I wouldn’t drive in my current condition.

Sightseeing around Skara

I was up, ready & breakfasted by 9:30am when Teje, Tobias & their Canadian friend Cassandra picked me up for our day of sightseeing around Skara. We stopped first at Varhnem Abbey, which was where Birger Jarl the first king of Sweden was crowned back in the 1100s or so. They’ve also been filming a $230 million budget movie there lately, the most expensive ever filmed in Scandinavia, about the Temple Knights, so we saw some fake stone walls put up just for the movie filming which was cool to see. We went next to the summit of Billingen to see the view of the surrounding area. On the way Teje picked some edible mushrooms, and we walked all the way to the trickle of a waterfall, where Tobias scared Cassandra by jumping over to stand on a cliff! It was a very nice view!

We kept driving to Hellekis Säteri, an old manor house that is still occupied but has beautiful gardens and a restaurant on the grounds. I had the biggest lunch I’d had yet, then we strolled the gardens, both Teje & I using the pamphlet trying to figure out the names of the plants we’d like to plant in our own gardens, especially the purple baby’s breath type plant which we think is called Violruta, Thalictrum delawayii “Hewitt’s Double.” Next we continued on to where we were dropping Cassandra off before we reached the castle for the 3:30pm English tour. Unfortunately the sun woke me up around 6am, so I didn’t feel as fresh for the day as I’d hoped, and since it was so humid and hot with 5 of us including a baby in the car all day, there were times I just couldn’t keep my eyes open! When we arrived, we were offered rhubarb lemonade, which was very tasty & refreshing after the hot & muggy car ride, but we stayed just barely long enough to be about 2 minutes late for the tour of Läckö Slott. We rushed & caught up with the tour, and it was very interesting, including several teal-green rooms, but we weren’t allowed to take photos inside. in a side room I sneaked a no-flash photo of a beautiful blue & gold tapestry I’d really like in my living room someday – heh! I also got more pastry inspiration from the medieval food displays.

By the time we left the Läckö Slott it was already 5:30, so we knew we’d be late for the crayfish dinner starting at 6pm, and we were all tired from our day of sightseeing, even Tobias, so they postponed dinner until 7pm, which gave us all a chance to breathe before dinner. I thankfully took a quick shower then a 30 minute session of resting my eyes to cool off before I went back out again, with Tobias’ friend Jimmy, who I’d met the night before, picking me up at my hotel to get to Tobias’ parents’ house. The houses could almost have been British suburbs with all the brick houses, but there were more Swedish flags flying like the stars and stripes fly at home vs. I never see Union Jacks flying on private Britsh homes. Of course Tobias’s parents fly a Norwegian flag whenever Teje visits!

The crayfish were very tasty, more like crab than lobster, and more fussy to eat than crab because they are SO small! I did my share of the damage to the big piles of crayfish and contributing plenty to the shell bucket. I made the mistake of leaving my camera on the table while I found the toilet, but the R-rated photos from Reagan & Tobias have already been deleted! However, since Reagan was having fun with a cucumber growing on the vine and I dared him if he kept it up I’d take a photo that would end up on the internet, here it is! Ah, the wonders of digital photography! Reagan & Jimmy walked me back to my hotel across town, a fairly early night since they both have to work in the morning. Since I’m still feeling my lack of sleep, that’s just fine with me!

Teje & Britta at Billingen

Britta enjoying the crayfish party!

Tomorrow I’ll be helping Teje with decorations for the party for Saturday, plus perhaps looking at a couple antique stores for any kitchen canisters for my mom, since there are quite a few stores in town here. They already told me I’m allowed to sleep in due to my sport with the aquavit, but I’d like to enjoy the hotel breakfast I paid for before 10am, so that’s my plan for the morning!

Until next time!

I go on vacation but I’m still doing party prep…how’d that happen? Well, I volunteered to help since I was traveling alone to attend the wedding party, so why not? I lettered their new mailbox per Teje’s request, which took awhile but turned out very well thank goodness, and I arranged a fireplace display using old car mufflers Tobias wanted to display along with some candles. We’ll see how that turns out when the candles are lighted before the party tomorrow. I also came up with a leaf idea for under some tealights on saucers that I will wait until tomorrow to do so they leaves will be fresh, plus helped Teje figure out how to hang the painted backdrop she’s made for the wall. During the table setting & flower arranging I was helping by entertaining baby Sixten, leaving Teje to arrange what she wanted, which wasn’t my usual way to help with a party, but it was helping nonetheless!

Today was the first day I’ve gotten a full night’s sleep my entire vacation! I was enjoying my leisurely morning by eating in my glasses just before breakfast closed, but Teje showed up talking to her oldest friend who was also staying at the hotel…haha! So much for my “no one will see me so I can safely wear my glasses” plan! I took my time getting ready, then took a few photos as I walked by the school & the church to get to the old smithy building where the party will be. I got there about 12:30 and stayed helping them there all the way until 5:15 when Teje & I went off antique shopping before they closed at 6pm. My mother has charged me with a mission for some old kitchen canisters that say flour, sugar, etc, in either Norwegian or Swedish, and Skara seems like a good place to look. The antique store across from my hotel had a couple, a 14-piece set for 2000 SEK (ack!) that she wouldn’t separate and was cute but would really be overkill, but also a 200 SEK set of two Flour and Salt that was much cuter with much more rustic character, but pretty grimy inside. I took some photos and we headed to the other store that was by the old water tower which is Teje’s dream to convert into a house someday, if the city would ever sell it, which is doubtful. It is a VERY cool place, and I could imagine it being an awesome house! She’ll probably convert the water tower around the same time I get to build my own castle…heh…We made it to the other antique store before the hours said closed but it was dark and the door locked. As we stood there peeking in the windows, the owner was in his car, saw us, reparked & reopened the store for us. Good thing too since both Teje & I bought stuff from him, so it was worth his effort! We came back into town and strolled the old Fornbyn village outdoor museum display, with plenty of sod roofs and even gravestones. By then it was getting later, and more relatives were on their way, so we waited for Tobias and Reagan to meet us at the hotel where they said they were. We said outside for drinks and some food while more and more relatives and friends kept arriving and joining the table, unfortunately many of them smokers, including Teje’s dad. Teje was really tired, getting annoyed with the smoke as much as me, and kept trying to get Tobias to leave for about an hour until finally around 11 they left, so I excused myself as well. I don’t want to get sick from the smoke and ruin my trip like I did in Germany last year!

Britta holding baby Sixten – what a cutie!

Tomorrow Sixten will be baptized in Skara Domkyrka at noon, to which I am also invited so that will be fun, then the wedding party is at 5pm, so I’ll be getting there early to help with the final party prep. I think I’ll also be hitting the antique store to get those cuter canisters at 10am since she’s open 10-2 tomorrow but not Sunday at all, but otherwise I’ll be sleeping in again…hooray!

Until next time!

Finally the big day – the reason I came to Scandinavia in high expensive summer season in the first place! Not only was the wedding party in the evening through the night, but they were able to get Sixten baptized in the cathedral the same day, which was great for all the relatives coming into town. Fun for me too to see a Swedish church service!

The Big Day

I had another nice morning of sleeping in, getting to breakfast by 10, then going across the street to the antique store to buy the canisters before I gussied myself up for the baptism service. It had been blue skies, but by the time I walked to the church it was raining so my umbrella was well-used. The service was nice, and here were 4 other local children being baptized too. I sat next to Casandra from Toronto so I could get some translation if I needed any. I wasn’t able to understand the minister, but I tried to sing along fumbling through reading the Swedish. I guess I did well enough since across the aisle Teje’s father, who I only met the night before, thought it was me, but didn’t understand because the lady in the blue dress was singing in Swedish! haha…There were only two read-along sections for the congregation, in the back of the hymnal, and during reading them I realized they were the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, so I understood a tiny bit of what I was saying, but I didn’t understand what I was singing.

I took photos of the cathedral after the service, including the small crypt beneath the altar, and an old stained glass window in the back that looked the same design as the chunk I was tempted by in the antique store, but especially the two pipe organs, which are recent but still very cool, and since I could get so close to the smaller organ, I took closeups for Halloween project research. Teje had said Tobias needed to eat before going over to the party hall, so I went back to my hotel, changed into jeans, then met them back at the hall close to 2pm for final touches. I hung her painted backdrop on the wall, picked, washed & set up the leaves on the candle trays, helped set up the red wine & set out the wine glasses for the welcome drink. By then it was 3:30 and Teje said I could have the rest of the afternoon off…haha! She said many times “I’m so glad you’re here” so I must have been actual help! I quickly toured the museum on my way back to the hotel to change into my party dress. Quite good displays for a small local museum. There was only one pamphlet that had any English translation, so I’m not exactly sure how come the mummy is there, but I was told it was found at the abbey we had toured before. It had stayed clear but overcast all afternoon, but of course it started raining for my walk back to the hotel! I was thankful Jimmy & his sister were coming by the hotel at 4:45 to give rides to anyone who was ready, and I made sure I was!

We got the party, I lighted all the candles in the fireplace display, which took quite awhile, then tried to mingle. I will never remember the names of all 70 other guests, I’m sorry! I am always bad with names unless I see them written, but I did my best. Teje must have shown my website to most everyone, since when I introduced myself as “I’m Britta” they would reply, “Oh, you’re the American with the website” or something similar…haha! There was a surprise scheduled, that was supposed to be a surprise to me too, but Reagan had mentioned it in English at the crayfish party, so at least Tobias’ parents were still surprised. Reagan has a Universal Life Church degree, like everyone else I know in Silicon Valley, so he wanted to marry Teje & Tobias. Since they did have a legal wedding last year, this was more renewing vows, but it was still nice. It was the first time Reagan had ever performed a service as officiant so he was nervous, but he did a great job. It probably helped that he said it in English.

After the vows, people started sitting down anywhere they wanted which was the plan, but it left Teje, Tobias & me without a seat since I was asking Teje how I could help, so I ended up sitting with them. Tobias’ family was handling the food, bringing out a giant authentic Swedish smörgasbörd for the buffet. We loaded up our plates, and I tried to get a little bit of everything on my plate, and I think I succeeded! Yes, I took a picture of my plate, since I’m hoping Teje & Tobias can point and tell me what things are called. I knew the kottbullar (meatballs) and sillsalat (pickled herring & beet salad), the sill (pickled herring) but there was a third variety of sill that was tasty so I’d like to know the variety. There were lefse pinwheels, with thick but fluffy lefse, thin meat, and garlic cheese sauce, rolled up & cut into pinwheels…very good! Also I was told I must try the smörgastorta (sp?), which looked like a vegetable cake with lettuce, thin sliced meat and tomatoes arranged prettily on top, but had a layered bread & cheesy spread “cake” underneath. Very tasty too! I cleaned my plate completely, since I never had lunch. Tobias was teasing other girls at our table that they were supposed to clean their plates, and some of them were hiding leftovers with their napkins…haha! I even went back for seconds of the sillsalat, which shocked Karin sitting across from me, since she hates the stuff. She kept saying “You really like that?!?” haha…

Dessert was assorted cookies and handmade chocolate truffles, then there were some nice toasts (I had to ask Cassandra for explanation afterwards), and the requisite embarass the groom by his sisters, with a timeline with silly photos. I chatted with the girls at my table for awhile, then I helped clear the buffet table to try to get the dancing started. It still took awhile, and I was told that Swedes have to get a lot more drunk before they’ll dance, so it might be a couple more hours…haha! Finally Teje & Tobias were pulling people onto the dance floor, and there were a lot of songs I didn’t know interspersed with a few I recognized. I didn’t realize it was so late, but around 1:30 or so, I started getting asked to dance by Swedish guys who didn’t speak much English, and hearing them try while the music was so loud made it ever harder for me to understand! There seemed to be a little competition going on, since three different guys asked to dance with me in a row…I guess I was the “exotic” foreigner? I think one of them was trying to ask me to a local party after this one, saying it would easily go until 5am, but since it was already 2 and I realized I have to check out of my hotel on time vs. sleeping in, I thanked him but declined. I think Jimmy was worried some of those guys might follow me, so he wanted to walk me to my hotel to keep me safe. Very gentlemanly of him, and I appreciated that! I got back to my hotel well after 3am, so I didn’t even get out my computer and just went to sleep. Unfortunately even though I was wearing my eyemask, I kept waking up, so I finally just decided to get up to update & upload photos, since I realized I wouldn’t have the free wifi tonight! Since Teje & Tobias are staying through Monday but they had originally told me Sunday, they promised to find me somewhere free to stay vs. paying another night at the hotel, so I’m not sure yet where I’ll be sleeping tonight.

I had caught Teje before dinner for a photo with me while Tobias was running around elsewhere, so I don’t have both the happy couple with me, but I do have Teje & me all dressed up!

Bride Teje and Britta at the wedding party in Skara

Now to get ready, pack up & eat some breakfast. I’m not sure of the plan today except for more cleanup at the party hall since that place was a mess when I left at 3am. Tomorrow I’ll drive with Teje, Tobias & Sixten to their house in Norway and stay there through Saturday when I fly back to London.

Until next time!

Gotta love Macs…we just unplugged the ethernet cable from the back of Teje & Tobias’ Mac mini, plugged it into my laptop, and voila – internet again! It’s been a more laid-back couple of days, but that’s just fine to recover after the big party!

Goodbye Sweden, hello again Norway

I last updated on my way to breakfast Sunday morning after the big party. I sneaked in just as they were closing down as I intended, and Teje was there with a big table of friends & relatives already eating. They were planning on going over to the hall to clean up, so I said I’d meet them over there after I checked out. I got everything except the canisters back in my suitcase since that will require some serious repacking, asked the hotel to keep my luggage until the afternoon, then went over and helped clean up. Even though the photo Teje snapped of me later seems to imply otherwise, I did help a lot, getting all the candle mess in the fireplace taken care of, wax cleaned off of hall candleholders, the outside all picked up from various beer cans & broken glass, all the keepsakes safely stashed in their new mailbox, etc, etc! There were plenty of people helping by the time I leaned back on the couch!

They had decided I could stay in the already packed house of Tobias’ parents, so we picked up my luggage in the car, and headed over there, where we were all so tired, Teje with Sixten & I napped in their room and Tobias slept on his beloved couch. They decided that would be the easiest sleeping arrangement for the night too, so that was all good. We had a good nap until another crayfish party dinner with leftover smörgasbörd starting at 6pm with relatives for the sake of Tobias’ niece Michelle who lives in Oslo. I wish I could have helped sing for her cute pink operatorte birthday cake with the #2 candle on top, but I don’t know the words to the Swedish happy birthday song – darn! Michelle is quite a cutie but most definitely 2…whew! Sixten is easy in comparison since if he cries it’s usually because he’s hungry, so he’s basically been either sweet or glued to Teje feeding. We went to bed early since we were still all exhausted, but I did take photos of their garden in the evening before dinner. Ebba, Tobias’ father, doesn’t speak English, but he was showing me his grapes, tomatoes, and you already saw they have cucumber growing on the ceiling in their patio…makes me wish I liked to eat cucumber!

I didn’t unpack anything except my pajamas and toiletries I needed, so I was packed right away in the morning as of breakfast, but since Teje & Tobias have been there a whole week, plus they have all the baby stuff plus presents & leftovers, it took a couple hours to get everything packed & ready to go by noon. The poor 62 Ford Tobias bought about a month ago was so loaded Ebba got out his air compressor to pump up the tires! There was a tentative plan to take the long way home along the coast, but with the car so full, Tobias was worried about the car scraping on the coastal roads, so we went the direct way, stopping at a big mall at Uddavalle for a Swedish lunch of pytt i panna with lingon soda (yum!), and unsuccessfully trying to find an English copy of the Temple Knights book that’s being turned into the movie being filmed in Skara, then it was back on the road again.

Since they’ve been gone from home for a week and Sweden is so much cheaper than Norway, we stopped at the giant MaxiMat grocery store just before the border back into Norway for shopping for dinner and other perishables for the week. I had to laugh since the imported Mexican section was MUCH larger than any Tesco I’ve been in! Also, in the American Imports section, not only Hershey’s syrup and Bulls-Eye BBQ sauce, but even sugar-free Jello, so I discussed with Teje how the lemon sugar-free is what I’ve recently been using for my Halloween eyeballs recipe. I had also asked Teje earlier in the week about Swedish fish candy, since I had no idea if they were really Swedish, or if that was some silly American name for them. She said she always saw them in candy shops but now since she said that we haven’t found them anywhere! All we could find at the giant candy section in this store were assorted jelly candy fish…disappointing! haha…I’ll someday have to google Swedish fish or there’s probably already a wikipedia entry by now…

We finally got to their house, unloaded the car, and Teje showed me around her garden while she checked everything’s health from being gone with unknown weather…most everything was fine, and the sunflowers and pumpkin vines had even grown a couple feet. We had a yummy dinner of matjes-sill with boiled new potatoes in dill while watching TV. Matjes-sill is Swedish, and Teje said it’s the last Swedish food I get, since now it’s back to Norwegian! She wants some to be surprises, but I think she said she got some reindeer. She’s even bought whale to barbecue so I hope I like it!

Britta with matching teal slushie at MaxiMat just before the Swedish-Norwegian border

If the weather is nice again tomorrow, we hope to see the old stone carving that’s within walking distance, then maybe a trip to old Frederikstad. The plan for Oslo is Friday, since they have enough people we can all stay overnight with, that will be easier for me to get to the airport on Saturday, so that sounds like a plan to me.

Until next time!

Another relaxing morning thankfully, breakfast with brunost & other cheese again, nice bread, yogurt & tea, then after drying my jeans the rest of the way with my hairdryer from doing laundry last night, Teje, Sixten & I were on our way to see how far we could walk.

Strolling Around Sarpsborg

We never did get to the town of Sarpsborg since that was the opposite direction from their house, but we took advantage of the beautiful weather after the rainy morning by walking 45 minutes to one of the largest Viking stone carvings in Norway. As you can see by the photo with me included for scale, it was very large! Teje pointed out the details of the drinking and the manly excitement on the figures, so I thought “carousing” could describe it fairly cleanly. I guess men never change?

I was still up for more walking, so we continued along the farms onto a pathway through the trees along a large homestead with lots of run-down buildings, even a rusted out car. Some of the buildings you couldn’t even see through all the greenery, and the giant Queen Anne’s Lace plants twice as tall as me were something out of the dinosaur age! I thought the little red outbuilding was cute, but look at how the lifted supports are leaning so I’m surprised it’s still standing at all. We kept going down the path, finding wild raspberries, blackberries, even tiny wild blueberries, but not many of those actually had berries still on, and even a mother lode of kanterelles, which I’m sure are chantrelle mushrooms but I still need to check. Tobias loves those mushrooms on toast, so he was happy to see the bag we brought back from our walk.

We got back into the residential area, where I saw more sod roofs for Mom in one yard, and we stopped at the local market for the ingredients Teje forgot to buy yesterday. I found potatlefse prepackaged rolled up, so I bought that plus some canned pear cider to go with my meals the rest of the week. Since the weather was still nice when we got back, and we don’t know if that’ll be true the rest of the week, we decided tonight was the night to barbecue the whale steak. It came frozen in a small packaged block, and from what I’ve read it’s the non-endangered minke whale, which the Norwegian government allows a strict quota to be harvested each year. Teje had fried whale steak before but not barbecued, so she sliced it into 1/4″ thick strips and seasoned it lightly, and it was tasty with a texture like very lean steak, going nicely with the creamy potato salad she made. From the BBQ we also had grilled onions in balsamic vinegar, and mushrooms with feta cheese and tandoori spice, neither of the side dishes traditional Norwegian, but tasty all the same! We enjoyed the chilly but nice evening by eating outside in our jackets while Teje & I discussed the virtues of firepits while we stood around their small kettle BBQ, then we watched a movie, then sleep.

Britta with Sixten and the big Viking stone carving near Sarpsborg

Tomorrow we’ll try Frederikstad, then we’ll see what else the day holds. Until next time!

This morning gave us no incentive to get out of bed, let alone leave the house, since it was awful blustery rain! Teje & I finally left with Sixten around noon, after I got a lesson on all the quirks of the ancient 1962 Ford, since I was to be the driver today since Teje has no license and Tobias wasn’t coming with us. No power steering, and it was probably a long as our old 1977 Chevy van, so it wasn’t so bad, but I did err on the side of caution on the curves due to the rain and the baby in the car!

A little rain won’t make us melt…

First we went to Frederikstad, where Sixten was the only one who remained dry in the wind & rain, since his stroller had a nifty rain cover with plastic window. I managed to take some photos of the cute houses, including one where Teje used to live, even though the rain was making it difficult to keep my lens dry. Thank goodness Teje had an extra rain jacket for me to use today! We peeked in a couple antique stores, and we even got lucky to get inside the church where Teje & Tobias got married last year, and where Teje is a member of the choir. The church usually isn’t open on weekdays but a guy was painting the front door so we were able to take a peek. A very pretty church & a cool pipe organ! Across from the church is the town museum, so I looked around while Teje fed Sixten, thankful to get out of the wind & rain. We saw the military fort, grabbed some pastries for a snack at a bakery, then saw the prison with its cool tower before heading back to the car. Even though the weather was even worse, we decided to continue on to Halden where the large fortress is.

Along the way we saw more stone carvings where Teje had been before, squelching our shoes on the muddy path, with her carrying Sixten in the drizzle, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. They paint the carvings red so they can be seen easier, and this place had a whole lot of intricate carvings, and icons of fertility displayed again. We kept going, then saw another “ancient monument” sign called Hunnfeltet, so we stopped to see, and found the largest amount of stone circles in Norway, nine all in one clearing of beautiful blooming heather! Teje had never been there either, and the rain was light enough to not get drenched!

By the time we arrived up the hill at Fredriksten Festning, the fortress on top of the hill at Halden, the rain had stopped, with wind still, and no actual blue sky, but worth the wait for a great view and not getting soaked. Its location and arrangement reminded me of Edinburgh Castle, the way it is situated above the town up on the crags, and several levels of ramparts along the cliffs. We walked the whole fortress, but since the armory musem was closed we didn’t get inside the wall which would have been cool. The cutest little gray kitten was following people around, and I got a photo one of the few moments it was still enough, then there were some silly “ghost tour” signs for kids that we saw, including one that has given me inspiration for a new Halloween drink: Hekseskudd = A Shot of Witchcraft

We got back to the house around 7pm or so, with Jimmy having arrived from Skara to visit Tobias in the afternoon, so we watched the boys play some really silly game on his Wii he brought over, and Teje cooked reindeer with some of the mushrooms we picked yesterday in a cream sauce with onions and brunost that was great with boiled potatoes. Another delicious dinner that was very welcome after our long day. Tobias apologized in advance for being rude but it was his house and he wanted to lick his plate it was so good, so he did…haha!

Britta by nine stone circles in heather at Hunnfeltet

Tomorrow we’re going shopping by 2pm for a big sale they can’t miss, and the weather will probably determine the rest of the day. Friday will be Oslo, so I have to be repacked before then, trying to figure out how to arrange all the breakables in my new suitcase then all the soft stuff in my duffle bag…wish me luck!

Since I repacked earlier today, tonight has been computer night! Tobias was looking for the punk covers we’d listened to in the car today and loading them into my laptop, while I was figuring out why Teje could never run iChat on their Mini…well iChat was corrupted somehow and they don’t have their Tiger install disks, so I was able to copy iChat from my laptop to CD and load it onto their machine fine…we’re just stuck trying to edit the all accounts name from Tobias back to Teje! Ah well…after such a stormy night and morning, it had cleared up to beautiful again by lunchtime…why couldn’t that have been yesterday too? heh…

Tales of Thursday

Teje works 30 miles away in Moss for Helly Hansen, a clothing manufacturer of outdoor workwear and similar, and they were having a warehouse clearance sale today at 2pm, so we went and braved the crowds. I looked but only saw a little toolbag I thought might be practical for so cheap, plus a pair of the socks Teje wanted so badly, but nothing else for me. Tobias found plenty, and Teje found some other practical clothes too, so I mostly watched Sixten outside the tent in his stroller, avoiding the slow-moving packed crowds. We were finally on the road again over an hour later, headed for Smart Club, the Norwegian version of Costco, but you’re not required to have a membership, just you get better prices with one. There was crab on sale supposedly but they were out, and Tobias had been told they sometimes have good prices on Mac hardware, and he’s been thinking about a second Mini to use as a media server in the living room for music & videos. I found the closest to my mom’s lefse yet, which was “farmers lefse” larger and thinner, so I bought some to take home, a little can of berry cider to try, and a sparkly tank top that will serve as my tshirt souvenir since I haven’t found one I liked yet. We also finally found red candy fish, but they were just called “strawberry fish” not Swedish fish, and it was Norway, so does that count?

Tobias was still on the hunt for crab, but never found any even though we stopped at another store in our travels to the other stone circle in Råde. It was only two circles, but the stones were larger, so Teje & I “communed” with them, a la my Avebury stone experience back in 1996 & again in 2006… There were also wild blueberries AND wild lingonberries, so I finally got to see lingon in the wild…hooray! We got back home, enjoyed the fading light a bit while Tobias mowed the lawn again and tackled pruning the front hedge, then Teje cooked potatoes again with fläsk and bruna bonor, Swedish thick bacon with brown beans, one of Tobias’ favorites. It was very tasty, and it was my last homemade meal of the trip!

Britta communing with the Stone Age in another Viking stone circle

Tomorrow will be the earliest morning yet, since Teje, Sixten & I will be taking the bus to Oslo as early as we can, hoping to get there before 10am and it’s almost 2 hours by bus, then Tobias will bring my luggage in the car later in the day and meet up with us then. The original overnight plan was to farm us out to various family, but all the apartments are small and undergoing remodeling, so I guess it’s another hotel to be determined. This way also gives us Saturday until about 2pm to sightsee too, since the train to the airport from downtown Oslo only takes about half an hour and I’ll already be there. I probably won’t update until Saturday night when I’m spending the night at Heathrow, so everyone have a good weekend!

The witching hours pre-dawn at Heathrow are amazingly different than just 8pm at the very same place…it was an absolute zoo then, and an empty desert now! For anyone following along, I did get to the Windsor Castle Pub in Notting Hill, and my second-best batch of cider, the March 24th batch I brought for Teje and brought some small bottles for myself, is in my opinion BETTER than the Addlestones cloudy cider it was inspired by! Granted, my first memory of Addlestones was sweeter than tonight, so it could be the differences in batches, but I’ll call that a success for Brittahytta Brewery!

28 Hours in Oslo

I had set my alarm, so I actually got up BEFORE Teje on Friday morning, to be sure I’d be completely packed plus presentable to the public for my day in the city. Tobias was going to sleep in, load our luggage, including my 3 heavy bags, into the car, then drive to Oslo, meeting up with some of his friends, since this is the only vacation time he gets this whole year. I was thankful not to have to carry around my own luggage while sightseeing all day!

Since Bygdøy was the farthest afield, we took the bus from Sarpsborg to Oslo, then bought a 24-hour pass which was good for the local ferries, busses & subway, the jumped on the ferry to Bygdøy across the fjord for the Kon-Tiki museum, the Viking ship museum and the Norwegian Folkmuseum. I decided to skip the maritime museum in favor of all the authentic houses from all over Norway in the folk museum, and I’m glad I did. It was drizzling already on our boat ride over, making Teje complain about the weather for my sake, but having a baby in a stroller with us was almost as good as having a friend on crutches with us for standing in line…haha! We spent about an hour in the Kon-Tiki museum. I knew there was more than one voyage after Kon-Tiki, but not all the details, nor the work Thor Heyerdahl did on Easter Island later in his career, so it was very interesting. With an ice cream each to accompany us, we walked around the harbor to the other two museums, starting with the Viking ship museum. Very impressively large ships and beautiful curves! I tried to take photos of the photos of how they were originally found in the clay soil in Oslo before excavation, and it’s even more amazing to me that so much survived for a thousand years! Amazing how many woven and embroidered textiles survived as well. So much of the detail work whether metal, wood or textiles was so impressive that anyone would take the time to do such good work with much more primitive tools. Maybe I get my rabidly detailed artistic tendencies from my Viking heritage?

The Norwegian Folkemuseum was great. Teje hadn’t seen it all before either, and it had turned out to be an absolutely beautiful afternoon almost to the point of being hot. The summer schedule of events showed not only a Telemark wedding dance using a Hardanger fiddle with extra resonant strings, and Teje comes from Telemark herself, but also a lefse baking demonstration! I photographed that copiously, even though it was the Hardanger lefse with flour, not potatoes…it was still very cool to see them rolling them out with the grooved rolling pin, and using lefse sticks on a griddle in an open hearth to bake the lefse. I could see it was very thick, so I didn’t spend 20 NOK on trying to eat a piece since I have bought plenty of lefse examples that are currently packed in my luggage… I took WAY too many photos of all the old houses, furniture and details, some for my mom & some for me. She loves rosemaling and painted furniture, and the cauldrons and cool doors are for me. Well, the house with the turquoise doors & windows was also for me. Since I had no time to see the one in Bergen on the way to Grieg’s house, plus that one has been completely rebuilt after a fire anyway, I finally saw my first wooden stave church at the museum. It was beautifully carved, and extra bonus that I had blue sky & clouds behind it…then extra bonus again that a guide in costume came strolling by… After I waited forever for enough tourists to move to get my best shot, I went inside and took detail photos. I was surprised that the rust on the metal hinges and locks would make them blend into the reddish wood color, making it more tone-on-tone, but richly textured, like even more carving. The lectern is a carved Lord’s Prayer from 1574, and the church is from the 1300s or so, but moved piece by piece to the museum location to preserve it.

We were still strolling around the outside museum, not even going inside to any exhibits yet, when we found out Tobias & his friends invited us to dinner at 7pm back in town, so we had to rush to make the ferry back in time to make it there. We popped into the “doll’s house” which was more a house about children’s toys than a dollhouse like I thought but still interesting. That led to an exhibit on the Sami culture, what used to be known as Laplanders, which was also interesting, then we HAD to go! We got our money’s worth with still lots left to see! I stood up in the back to try to get some open air photos, then past the parliament building again on our way to the bus then we were at dinner early. Just as well since I needed the toilet and Sixten was hungry, so Teje got the chance to feed him again before dinner. The dinner at Kampen Bistro was tasty, the menu changes every night, but I can’t say I like rhubarb & chocolate together, since the dessert was a bit odd for me, and I honestly ended up eating it in shifts, with the lemon sorbet with the rhubarb, then the pannacotta with the chocolate.

After dinner was the search for a hotel. Since none of the relatives had space for more than one person due to remodeling & Tobias was able to stay with his sister, Teje & I were looking for a hotel, and she was confident we’d find one without calling ahead. Since our luggage had been dropped off at the pub since Tobias’s sister runs it, we tried the closest one to the pub which was my previous hotel but they were full. They recommended the Comfort Hotel much closer to the train station, and luckily they had a double room with separate beds so I didn’t have to worry about rolling over on Sixten! We headed back to the pub where Tobias fetched me a Bulmers cider while so many of the pub staff and patrons fawned over Sixten. It’s so cute to see such proud parents, both Teje and Tobias. He was beaming the whole time showing off his little son. Tobias couldn’t let us manage the luggage by ourselves since he was too gentlemanly for that, so I lucked out! We were so tired we just went to sleep as soon as we could, and I didn’t even turn on my computer…will wonders never cease?

We got up before 9am, got ourselves ready for breakfast just before 10, thinking it was cloudy enough for jeans, grabbed the hotel breakfast, then were out on the subway in the tail end of our 24 hour pass out to Vigeland Park where all the famous statues are. It was impressive, and I liked how so many ages and body types were represented, even though only Nordic, but honestly, must EVERY tourist grab the little naked stone boy’s weenie? It’s not THAT funnny… *sigh* Sixten left his mark on the statuary steps by barfing after another feeding session, so he’s been a good little tourist himself. I was already wishing I’d worn less clothes since it was so warm in the sun! At least it was very nice in the shade. After Vigeland Park Teje wanted to show me a pub, but it was closed for summer until 4pm everyday…darn! It was Old Major’s Pub Lab on Bogstadveien, all in mad scientist lab decor, include werewolves in the bathrooms, so I’m sorry I missed going inside! I took as many photos through the windows as I could!

To save time, we used Teje’s last two single ride passes to catch the subway over to the Royal Palace, then past the old university and to Hard Rock Cafe. Lucky for me I didn’t visit Oslo until now since they just barely got a Hard Rock Cafe last year! haha… I really need to build a nice display cabinet for my shot glass collection! On our way to the fortress, we passed some rock sculptures that were just begging to be a photo opportunity, then we were at Askershus Festning. We saw the army band’s truck, then heard a little bit, then when we came through the front archway we heard them rehearsing with some operatic vocalists, and they were all quite good. We kept on, taking photos showing that Sarah Winchester wasn’t the only person who made doors to nowhere several stories up the wall, and we could actually pay to tour the inside of the castle, which Teje hadn’t seen before either, so we decided my last hour of sightseeing was well-spent seeing a castle! Thankfully photos were allowed, so of course I took too many. There was a lot of gilded leather furniture, very cool chests, and I’ve started trying to collect possible spooky portraits for Halloween, hence so many of those photos. Our timing was good, since we were trying to leave by 2pm, and we were heading out just as the main concert started, so I got to hear a little bit before we left. We met Tobias at a cafe nearby, and he insisted on being a gentleman again by going with us to the hotel, then helping me carry everything to the train station to see me off. He said “I don’t care what you think about Norwegians, but I can’t have you leave saying anything bad about Swedes!” haha…That’s one thing that hasn’t been distorted from coming to America: how much the Norwegians and the Swedes make fun of each other, even if they’re married.

Britta with the Oseberg Viking ship in Oslo

Britta, Teje & Sixten saying goodbye at the Oslo train station

Britta taste-testing her own cider vs. Addlestones at the Windsor Castle Pub in Notting Hill

P.S. from London

Thankfully the flight from Oslo was on time, it took me about an hour to wander through Heathrow finding where to park my luggage for the night, which is costing me 12 GBP for 2 bags, since there are no lockers, just a storage company, then plus the time on the Underground, it was 8:30pm before I reached the Windsor Castle Pub in Notting Hill for my Addlestones cider. I ordered dinner as well, and it had been raining but wasn’t at the time so I sat outside underneath the greenery and a light fixture, taking silly comparison photos of my cider vs. Addlestones. When it started raining and I was still bravely eating my sticky toffee pudding, a guy from the table next to me asked if I was staying dry. His name was Ryan, on his way home to Australia in the morning before coming back in a couple weeks for a job in Dublin…and they were saying I was the world traveler! Not only was his college having a reunion party at the pub, which included another Australian and his parents who I chatted with a bit too, but he was hanging out with his British friends, so quite a crowd. We moved inside, mostly standing since the pub was so full inside because of the rain. I showed them my empty cider bottle and they laughed as I expected. The pub closed down at 11pm on the dot as I said it would, even though they didn’t believe me (I know the neighborhood has made it hard for the pub to stay open later in previous years), so when they left, Ryan & I went to a club down the street for another drink, then I was too paranoid about missing the last train back to Heathrow if I stayed out too much later in town, so I excused myself and got on the train back to the airport where I loaded photos, wrote up the last couple days and bought wifi in Terminal 3.

There you go! Photos since the last update start at the bottom of the page here, and fair warning there are a lot! Except for the flight home which should be as uneventful as always, that’s the whole trip. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed my Scandinavian sortie!