Barb and I went to Norway with her parents, Ken & Esther, and sister & brother-in-law Luann and Paul. About 10 years ago we did a similar trip to Germany and the Alps and had a great time. We thought this might be similarly fun. We all had to take a different route to get there, but we all made it and found each other happy and well. I hope you enjoy the pics, there are quite a few of them, so please be patient while they load.
Our first night, at a B&B type place outside Oslo. It's a little difficult, as well as expensive to get wine in Norway, so we started off with our own stash that we brought in.
Luann and Barb driving the mini-van in an Oslo park. Will all six of us really fit in there, with our luggage?
Pete and Barb, showing off our waterproof shoes. These really came in handy in the cool wet climate of Norway. Here we're at the Norway Folk Museum, a must-see in Norway. Lots of old farm buildings and various other structures. Apparently, one of the past kings collected old buildings for a hobby.
If Luann and I were really a couple, this might be a nice Christmas card photo.
Here we come..., a-walkin' down the street.....
This is Vigeland's Park. The great Norwegian scupltor Gustav Vigeland spent much of his career making hundreds of bronze and stone sculptures for this park. It's a real gem. Some people are a little squeamish about the nudity, but they're all quite fascinating, beautiful, and evocative. Better than most museums, a place to spend the whole day.
Hey, where did all these kids come from??
This is the ski-jump in Lillehammer. We were fortunate enough to catch them doing summer practice on the plastic turf. It was incredible to hear them whiz past like a rocket.
Each B&B/Farm place that we stayed at was more spectacular than the last! This is overlooking the valley to the north of Lillehammer.
Barb is half Norwegian, from her dad's side. All of Ken's grandparents were born in Norway and emigrated to the US. We met up with lots of relatives, thanks to some homework done by Esther. We met these folks at the old stave church in Ringebu. Arne (Ken's3rd cousin?), Ken, Esther, Erling (Ken's 3rd cousin?) and Knut (the local geneologist and historian, who also served as a translator with Erling). I began to feel like I was a relative myself, even though I don't have a drop of Scaninavian blood in me!
This is the farm where one of Ken's grandfathers (Hans Imsdahl) was born. Ken and Erling sharing stories of old times. Note the ski hill in the background. This is Kvitfjell, where the '94 Olympic downhills were run.
Now we're on our way to meet some other relatives. This road is the Trollstigen (Trolls steps), looking down from sheer cliff next to the single provided lane. Occasionally there's a widening in the road for 2 vehicles to pass. Believe it or not, they run huge tour buses up and down this. Fortunately, the driving is slow, so collisions are infrequent.
Typical backroad. This is us in our van. We got a van so that all 6 of us could fit in one vehicle.
This is Arne and his mother Lily. Arne is a 3rd cousin to Barb and Luann, 2nd cousin once removed to Ken. Years ago, Arne had spent time in the US, and he looked up various relatives including Barb's family. That's how we knew of him. He is the mayor of Valldal, and boy did he and his family roll out the red carpet for us the next two days. The first event was the annual bonfire party on the longest day of the year--an ancient tradition. This was down by the river on the family farm, now run by Arne.
Later, the party moved indoors. Two of Arne's kids, Oyvend and Kristin. All of his kids were wonderful.
The next day, the weather cleared. Here's the farm, called Bjorstad. Ken's grandmother Hannah (Barb's GGM) was born here before marrying and moving the the US. She married a fellow from a farm on the other side of the fjord who came to this farm to do some work. His name was Ole Berntsen and his farm is pictured later in these photos.
This plaque shows the owners of the Bjorstad farm, back to the 1500's. Study the names and see the formula. Farms used to pass on through the oldest son, but more recently they pass to the oldest child. Ken's grandmother (Hannah) was the younger sister of Lars Peter Bjorstad.
The cool old barn, built in about 1880. Note the slate roof. Arne said he had to replace about 3 of the shingles, and it cost him as much to do that as it originally cost to do the whole roof.
This is the basement of the barn, where the manure was dumped. The entire floor is actually stone, not wood. The rafters are stone. Pretty cool.
And here's the relatives sending us off in front of the farmhouse. Erlend (Arne's younger brother), Esther, Paul, me, Barb, Lily, Lu, Inger (Arne's wife), and Arne. What a blast we had with them. Hospitality beyond compare. I don't know if all relatives of people in the US are so generous, but it's worth it to do some research and find some when you go to Europe! It'll be the highlight of your whole trip.
The day before, Arne, Erlend, and his wife Bjork took us on a fjord tour of the Geiranger Fjord. Here is the Seven Sisters waterfall. You can't do much better for scenery.
Arne and Erlend had countless stories of the people and places surrounding the fjord. Barb was all ears.
Later that day we took a hike to a 3rd of Ken's grandparents birthplaces, where his grandfather Ole Berntsen (which became Benson upon entering the US) was born. Arne did the research to find the place.
And here it is, the Berntsen farm. It's possibly in the same family's hands, but we did not know for sure. If so, more relatives for a future visit! This farm, like many in the area, is not accessible except via a steep climb from the fjord, so it's no longer practical as a working farm. It's likely now just used as a weekend getaway.
Now we're on our way to Bergen. We stayed at this small pension on the Sognefjord. The view says it all.
Some high country sheep, not so skittish.
Here's a view of Bergen, from the ferris wheel.
We had a lunch of dried fish and shrimp from the fish market.
Watch your step. This is a 1000 foot cliff to the bottom, next to a waterfall. Norway's full of precipitous landscape.
Another cool B&B/Farm, on our way back towards Oslo. We stayed in the old barn structure behind us. The woman on the left is the owner of the farm and runs it as a B&B and museum. She was full of great stories of the place. By the way, all of these places are listed on the bbnorway website. They are so much better than hotels/motels, and somewhat less expensive. I can't recommend them enough.
Our last night in Norway, at another B&B/Farm. We cooked for ourselves this evening, and played a final game of "up and down the fjord". We're definitely coming back.
Barb & I went on to Iceland for a few days, since we flew Icelandair. Here we're strolling Reykjavik. The city has some very interesting attractions, but to be honest it's kind of ugly. The architecture is a mixture of "northern outpost" plus "Soviet-concrete-block" meets "pole-shed".
The outdoor sculpture is a real highlight of Iceland.
This is the Hallgrimskirche, a very interesting albeit bizarre looking cathedral in the center of town. The statue is Lief Erikssen, who "discovered" North America at Newfoundland in 1000 AD. I was surprised to see that the statue was a gift from the US, since we tend to like our own version of history better, i.e. that of Chris Columbus being the "discoverer".
Obligatory.
The must-see Blue Lagoon. We spent the whole day here, just poaching in the hot water. The water is actually mineral laden hot sea water that is pumped from deep underground, and used to power steam turbines for electricity. After it's used it's pumped through here.
Barb can float.
Some interesting Iceland landscape.
These Icelandic horses were everywhere. They've all got great 80's Rocker-mullet hockey haircuts.
One the famous waterfalls, the Gullfoss. I must say, Iceland does have the best waterfalls of any place I've been.
One of the glaciers coming from the huge icecap that covers a large swath of Iceland. It was so grey and drizzly, I put my umbrella in for a little contrast. Like just about all glaciers that I've seen, there are signposts indicating where the glacier was just a few years ago. This one is shrinking back at incredible rates thanks to global warming and our overzealous consumption.
The rocky southern coast.
A river meets the sea, creating a beautiful volcanic sand beach.
The sun was very rare and precious in Iceland.
I hope you enjoyed looking at our adventures in Norway and Iceland. Thanks for sharing in our travels.
Pete Keith
Barb Keith
