Norway
First published September 6, 2010
Part of me can't believe I am actually here and another part of me just feels like this is totally normal...I don't feel like I'm in another country. Staying in a home...with my family, though we've only just met, makes me feel so at ease. I can't describe it, but all I can say is it doesn't feel strange or foreign.
Sept. 4
I had a very easy flight from Switzerland, stopped in Amsterdam and arrived in Norway Saturday evening. Jesper, my cousin (a little younger than my parents) was to pick me up. Recognizing each other from our exchanged photos, I connected with my cousin, a tall, athletic looking man in his early 50's in trendy, fitted red jeans. We packed my luggage in the trunk of his little red Mazda Miata and raced along the Norwegian country roads at sunset. We swept through rolling green hills, , farmland, scattered evergreens and a smattering of quaint villages every few kilometers -- sun glistening on fields to my right and changing clouds to shades of pink and purple to my left. The wind was brisk, but I was bundled up and absolutely enjoying the ride. Many of you know, I
love fast cars and fast bikes so this was a great start to my adventures.
We arrived in downtown Oslo and drove around the classically designed government buildings and kings palace set among sharp (as in good looking, but also in angles) newer high rises. There is traffic in Oslo, but congestion is reduced by the fact that they have an excellent tunnel system that runs under the city and even beneath parts of the sea. We parked and walked along the restaurant-lined sea front. I was amused to see TGIFriday's a bussling, popular, and even trendy spot for a Saturday night.
Around 10 or so we arrived at Jesper and Rita's house. Rita had set out a beautiful spread of crab claws, shrimp, prosciutto and melon. I learned how to break the crab shell and peel the shrimp, so fun and quite delicious. We had a great time just getting to know each other and agreed how crazy it is that I'm in Norway right now simply based on the fact that we share a family connection through a very distant relative. Genes are a funny thing though, because the more time I spend with Jesper the
more I recognize how alike we are!
Sept. 5
This morning Jesper, Rita and I had a simple and delicious breakfast of brown cheese (my new favorite food), spelt crackers (yes I found some!), raspberry jam, and tea (with rice milk which I also found! I can't believe it!). We then took a steep, rocky hike up a local mountain. It was stunning, with the light glistening on the flittering leaves. We kept a great pace and made it to the top in 20-30 minutes. Though short, it was a great workout and just what I like to have in the morning. The top gave us a spectacular view of the fjord (not so dramatic on this side of the coast, but still beautiful) and the surrounding lush green countryside. There is so much water with many little islands decorating it.
After we returned Ola (another relative my grandparent's age) joined us for a trip in the beautiful, large sailboat. The water is only a hop, skip, and a jump from Jesper and Rita's house. Amazing. I cruised through the winding waterways between islands and mainland, lined with beautiful homes, some just for summering, some as permanent residences,
and others intended for summering, but illegally resided in throughout the year. The authorities don't seem to regulate this too seriously. We made a stop in a small bay so Jesper and Ola could enjoy one last swim for the summer. The weather was already cooling down, but was still warm enough for one final dip. After that, we shared some sparkling Rose and toasted appropriately saying, "Skol!" I then got to do a bit of the steering for a little while, which I loved. We sailed on to downtown Oslo where we met Rita for a delicious dinner at Eataly (clever, huh) and again enjoyed the setting sun.