The handsome couple and the best hosts ever. Bob knew everything there was to see and do, so we didn't miss a beat! Debbie took good care of us and made sure our tummies were always full, if it wasn't for her, I may have passed out waiting for my carrot sandwich.
Many movies, books, and naps later, we finally arrive in Norway happy to see Bob and Debbie!
Our very first stop to the glass factory lends itself to some wonderful, cuddly moments.
Happy Reunion!
First night out on the town in Oslo.
The cold was quite a shock to my system!
Just the two of us for over a week. I was nervous, but it was amazing for Tom and I AND the kids, thanks to the crew of wonderful people back home looking after them!
Norway in a nutshell; I was going to give it a try but it is very much impossible! Even for the sake of blogging there were just too many great pics and experiences to leave out. So, I've subdivided it into the best moments to keep for our blog and blog book to follow. Let's begin with....
PART 1
The Oslo Pass – So You Can See it…all? 24 hours of museums, forts, parks, castles, gondolas and tricks. If you don’t eat, sleep, and definitely don’t sit down, you might just see 1/10th of what Oslo has to offer. Good thing it doesn't get dark.
Frogner Park - 80 acres of splendid park adorned with 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland (1869 - 1943), and thereby also known as Vigeland Sculpture Park. The artists messages are simple and beautiful, as he demonstrates the human condition from birth to death in its many forms. STUNNING.
This famous statue, The Angry Boy (Sinnataggen), has become a representation of the city of Oslo. Look familiar to any of you mamas out there?
There are hundreds of statues lining the walkways of the park, but this one was a particular favorite of mine, it's just so close to home. In the background you can see the mama holding her child in the air. Breathtaking, happy reminders of our purpose here all over the park.
In my mind this statue represents the people of Oslo always looking upwards to the sky for some sunshine! It's few and far between, but the rays are well received when they finally get through to these folks!
Feeling the love! Sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder, abstract and often gloomy. Gustav Vigeland created his statues so there was no room for misinterpretation. His messages were clear, beautiful, and often playful as he depicted many overlooked human conditions from new life, to the end of our journey and all that time in between. 
We enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch while the sun peaked through. Ahead of us is 'The Fountain', which took Vigeland from 1906 to 1947 to complete. It depicts giant trees cradling infants and skeletons symbolizing from "death comes new life."
The center statue rising is the Monolith. It is 46ft tall and is made from one single granite slab that took 14 years and 3 artists to carve from the original clay model made by Vigeland himself. It is a figure of 121 human figures embracing and reaching together towards the divine. The message of unity and love is clear and beautiful, " together we achieve salvation."
Surrounding the Monolith is a circle of 36 sculpture groups embodying Vigeland's ever present message, " the circle of life."
Holmenkollen - World's most modern ski jump and museum celebrating Norway's long enthusiasm for the sport. Quite the view from up there, and we didn't even make it all the way to the top!
The Viking Museum - An unexpected treat. A culture where women were practically worshiped? Now who's not lovin' that!
A real life Viking ship unearthed! Norway's museum boasts the three best preserved ships of all time (the Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune.) Didn't look very comfy inside, but it worked for them I guess. I gathered they were a crew of pretty tough people. They also used the ships as coffins, mostly for royalty, placing there revered loved one within the ship as well as all the riches, belongings, food, and animals they would need for their '"journey into the next life." THAT'S WHY we need a two year supply of food storage, it takes a long time to get to heaven by boat!
A few examples of their housing situations. Comfortable enough, but definitely no Hilton.
Lovin' the grassy roofs, Norway still has that going on today.
The Kon-Tiki Museum - In order for Bob's bragging rights of his photo with Thor Heyerdahl in the Ensign to be truly solidified, we just couldn't miss this stop. Tom was sick and we were all tired, but it was worth it! Thor Heyerdahl (1914 - 2002) to prove that early travel on balsa rafts was possible using only the currents. He finally succeeded crossing the Pacific Ocean in his reed boat, the Kon-Tiki in 1947, departing from Peru and landing 4,300 miles and 101 days later in Polynesia. "He proved that early man had mastered sailing before the saddle and wheel were invented."
One could truly spend a day in the museum admiring Thor's work represented there. It inspires me to think of how much humanity is capable if we set our minds to it!
Break time -
Taking a moment to rest our very tired feet in the bookstore after 24 hours of walking and sightseeing! Take note of Debbie's scarf, it is one of many she has acquired during her time in Norway. At the time her count was up to 5 or so, I wonder how many she's got now? Still 5 if Bob has anything to do with it!
In order to recover from the seriously delish choclate, buttery, doughy goodness, we HAD to get back to walking. yum, yum!
And....back to walking!Gondolas and Hiking - We went straight up a mountain side to gather some breathtaking views and some really wonderful hiking. The fog rolled in and out while we were at the top, but we managed to hike around without getting lost and took in the sights of the wonderfully isolated cabins on the mountain lakes and streams above the city.
Castles, Forts, & Music, oh my! - I don't think I was the only one who was a little delirious at this stage of our sightseeing tour. The last few hour of the Oslo pass is a bit of a blur for me, consisting of the Viking night who was buried in the gondola, with a museum, under City Hall....Here are some shots of some magical moments that I can't quite place.
A welcomed opportunity to sit and listen to the orchestra rehearse. It was such a wonderful setting, highlighted by some classical music.
Beautiful Tole Art displayed on antique furniture. This museum depicted the progression of art and furniture in the home. Decorative paint started appearing on walls and furniture historically in homes once the wood burning stove allowed for better ventilation and less soot.
This is the museum's courtyard where the tole art was on display. We also enjoyed the random, but interesting, history of the knife and fork.
We stopped by city hall to see the inside, adorned with murals of Norweigan cultural history, but found the outside just as interesting. This darling family, dressed in their traditional dresses called Bunads, were there to bless their child. Many other families were there for the same purpose, and they were all dressed up in their Bunad best!
Norway's Resistance Museum - We all entered a little tired as this was one of our last stops. After a lot of reading and even a few tears on my part, we left feeling overwhelmed and grateful for the effort the small country of Norway put into the resistance. They were small in size and numbers, but great in perserverance and determination. Now I know where Bob gets it.
You can't see it that well, but this sign is over the door when you leave. It states, "Five years of occupation at end." The intensity of these words is lost in a single photo, but after feeling their struggle, if only for a short while, it brought tears to my eyes.
Forsvaret">They did not give up, and they would not give in. They stood for what was right, even through the bitterness of work camps, unemployment, and separation from their loved ones. My favorite example of their pride in truthfulness; 500 teachers refused to teach the Nazi curriculum. "We cannot in good conscious teach what we know to be unconscionable before God." Every last teacher was shipped to a work camp, they would not back down. Impressive to say the least. Truly one of my personal favorite moments of the whole trip.
Next Up - Tunnels, chocolate, Bergen, and more....
Part 2 - Bergen
Where quaint is an understatement.
Notice the lovely summer weather? 18 hours of sunshine doesn't make up for the 18 hours of 'sunshine'!
One of our favorite things about Bergen is the sea food and market on the harbor. One thing we didn't like, is for the same price you could feed a family for a week in Costa Rica. One plate of seafood pictured above = $50.
Debbie sampling whale....
Debbie wondering why she sampled whale.
Sitting down to freshly smoked salmon at the market.
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I hate chocolate. Every time we stopped for treats it was such a drag. ;)
A little street shopping. Tom totally should have bought this, 5th grade would have gotten a kick out of it.
Day Trip from Bergen; Voss, Flom, and the Naeroyfjorden
We took a cruise on the Naeroyfjorden, the narrowest Fjord in the world.
The views were breathtaking 360 degrees and a hundred different shades of green. We were lucky to have a nice sunny day for the experience.
We took a minute on the cruise to have a quick lunch, which happens also to be the name of our candy bar of choice - KVIKK LUNSJ
The narrowest fjord in the world.
And I'm enjoying my $10 cup o noodle. I was unaware that in Norway they use gold flakes as flavor enhancers as opposed to MSG. You can totally taste the difference.
Norway is a land of many water falls.
At the narrowest part of the fjord, these two ships could pass side by side, with the land as close on our side as it was on theirs.
There were several small villages on the hillsides that were only accessible by boat. That's Pura Vida.
Debbie is embracing the local fashion by working on her scarf collection. Bob, undaunted by the price of food because he is satisfied with only one meal a day, is worried that the scarf collection will soon be taking over the mission budget.
On the way home from Bergen we stopped in Flam. We had some sunshine and actually saw someone take a dip. They must have been visiting from the North Pole. Tom was skipping rocks and his record was 16.
Chinese food in Norway.
Bergen 'Hop On Hop Off' City Bus
Great Grandma Burton's Home in Bergen. She left Norway as a young girl.
Up the gondola in Bergen.
View from the top.
2 Great Things About Norway:
1 – The major source of nutrition on our trip: Chocolate.
2 – Most common form of transportation: Our feet (which thankfully counters the effects of the chocolate.)
PART 3 - There and Back Again; What You'll See Driving Through Norway.
The breathtaking landscape of central and southern Norway is covered in cliffs, fijords, forests, waterfalls, and quaint countryside. Connecting the sleepy little fairy tale villages nestled in the mountains surrounded by clear lakes and streams, are roads dotted with tunnels carved strait through the mountain side. On such a journey, driving between the towering cliffs and the blue fijords, one will find colorful Norweigan homes and old Stave churches as picturesque as a postcard. With the sun shining brilliantly over the grassy, lush meadows or with a cool low mist draped over the water like a blanket, in all it’s forms Norway conjures in me a feeling of reverence and intrigue.
Grassy roofs is green living at it's best.
Land of the Troll
With Norway's diverse landscape, it is no wonder that story tellers of old have had fantastical visions and spread tall tales of a mysterious creature who lives at the top of the tallest mountains, resides behind a great waterfall, or lurks in the deepest, darkest of forests. He is a troll, and depictions of him can be found everywhere in Norway. Photo opportunity statues can be found around nearly every corner, and calendars, mini statues, postcards, and posters can be purchased for tourists to take home and remember the landscape of Norway that lends itself so well to such a tall tale.
flowers
Rain – Rain in Nor-Way, wearing coats long past May……..But it does explain the grassy roofs and perfectly rain kissed flowers.
Part 4 - Road Trip
Four gas station hot dogs and cokes which leave the body starving for real nutrition: $60. Filling the 12 gallon tank of our VW Polo for a 12 hour round trip driving tour: $144. One day supply of the world's best chocolate: $50. Marveling at the unrivaled beauty of Norway with really good company: PRICELESS.
Leaving from Bergen on our 1 day, marathon road trip.
We counted every tunnel we passed through, some several miles long. We didn't pass through one tunnel twice and our tally for the day was 62!
Coming down out of the mountains to this breathtaking view. We couldn't capture the scene in it's entirety with a camera, but from our view to the right there was a beautiful waterfall, and to the left of the valley a large cliff with another, smaller waterfall.
Once we dropped into the valley, the view looking back from where we came.
And we were warmly greeted!
Debbie started it with the crackers!
They looooved her!
Debbie found her new calling in life as The Goat Whisperer
We stopped in this little town to do some bike riding and enjoy it's wonderful energy.
Debbie in front of the darling stave church of Balestrand.
I was so happy to get my legs moving!
The following pics are all scenes from our bike ride....
We road through town along the fjord.
Fairies and tunnels are necessary for getting around this water locked country.Part 5 - Everything Else
Not a smell I get to enjoy very often in Costa Rica.
The glass factory on our first day
These guys are working with blistering hot glass, moving around in a synchronized dance from station to station to heat it, shape it, and cool it. Not one speck of protective eye wear, gloves, long pants, etc... Can anyone say workman's comp?
After a long nap and a shower, we are enjoying the beautiful Oslo view from Bob and Debbie's apartment on our first day. This is the 9pm sun, which looks the same at midnight, were it not for the clouds, it appears even brighter. That was a trip.
Tom and I made the treacherous hike to the top of Pulpit Rock. Check it out! Ominously close to the edge of a cliff thousands of feet....ok, so it's just a few feet up. We didn't have time to make it to the famous cliff, but we thought we could pretend. I think we got the poses just right.
We took this one for the kids.
Getting dressed up was half the fun of Norway. In Costa Rica, the second I put on clothes I'm glistening with sweat...it's not attractive. Lindsay loaned me all her clothes so I could be 'in style', still didn't come close to the high fashion streets of Oslo. It's no joke.
Just had to grab a shot of one of the many darling homes. They all have the most fabulous variety of trinkets lining their windowsills. I think they must offer a mandatory course for all home owners....decorating your windowsill 101.
This is a green car. Just drive, park, plug, and go!
Relaxing 
These little shabby chic flower shops are EVERYWHERE, so I had to snap one. They sell fresh flowers, candles, baskets, and little ornaments. They are so cute!
We HEART Norway!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment