WEEK 31-33 IN OSLO AND ABROAD WITH THE SANGERS - ALEX

 

May 17 Celebrations

On the heels of my parents' visit to Norway came Morgan’s parents Tom and Rita. They arrived on the 16th after a tough overnight flight and were running on little sleep. With the impending National Day festivities in front of us there was little on their plate the first day beyond resting up and overcoming jet lag. We had a relaxed evening meal with the Walkers and went for a short walk through our neighborhood garden. The following morning was May 17, which is THE national holiday in Norway. It commemorates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution in 1814 and the end of its 434 year “union” with Denmark. Although Norway was ceded to Sweden following Denmark’s defeat in the Napoleonic Wars it was the first step in realizing its independence. Norway wouldn’t be truly independent until 1905, but the day that is celebrated today is the country’s most significant secular national holiday.

May 17 is celebrated more or less the same way throughout the country. It is a formal event and everyone dresses up for the event. The default is a bunad, traditional folk clothing, but otherwise most people wear a suit or dress. In the morning people gather for breakfast, where it is customary to drink champagne and toast to Norway. The centerpiece of each community’s celebration is a children’s parade that includes all school aged children. The rest of the day is spent eating hot dogs, ice cream, and spending time with friends and family. The parade is not reserved for only the larger towns and cities. During my ski and sail trip in March I saw an advertisement for a parade and party in a community numbering 14. 

Our May 17 looked very similar to the standard Norwegian playbook. Our friends, Dan and Alice, hosted us and Morgan’s parents at their new flat for breakfast. We were joined by a few of their other friends, including a Danish couple that had flown in to see what all the fuss was about. Breakfast was lovely and champagne was toasted in honor of Norway.

After breakfast we travelled into the city center to watch the parade where 26,000 children from 109 of the city’s schools were marching the 1.5 mile route. We did not feel compelled to watch the whole 3.5 hour affair and made it in time to see the second half. The city was absolutely packed with people. It took us 15 minutes to get from the underground metro station to street level because of all the people going up and down the escalators. Once on street level restrooms were immediately needed, luckily some were nearby, and the wait there was close to 30 minutes. In the span of 45 minutes we had travelled only a few hundred feet. Given the context, the band music and commotion only a few feet away, the wait felt like an eternity. In reality, the waiting wasn’t that bad and before the parade had ended we had all had our fill of waving our flags and cheering on the children. While watching we slowly moved from the parliament building to the royal palace, where we got a first hand glimpse at the King and Queen endlessly waving at the children below.

Our view of the parade outside the Grand Hotel, the four of us outside the Royal Palace, a selfie of myself in front of the Freia sign (not pictured).

After hearing about the 17th and the children’s parade since October it was great to finally experience it. It was a great environment and we all got a kick out of the kids. The younger children, who had been practicing at school for the last few weeks were in good form and looked like they were having the time of their life. The teenagers on the other hand behaved more or less as you would expect and by and large were disinterested in maintaining any sort of marching formation and appeared more or less embarrassed at their (presumed) forced participation.

After the parade we followed tradition and did some sun bathing and ice cream eating along the Aker Brygge canals. Despite the crowds around the parade, open spaces were found easily enough. By the time we parted ways mid afternoon the family atmosphere had seemed to dissipate and the drunk crowd of vomiting and urinating twenty somethings were in open view. The patriotism, parade, hot dogs, ice cream, and alcohol felt very reminiscent of July 4 celebrations in the US.

After getting the May 17 experience the four of us walked one of my favorite stretches  from the Royal Palace to Vigeland  Park. There are nice tree lined streets and large stately houses where a number of foreign diplomats live. We took the Sangers through the sculpture park, which I think they found more strange than anything else before relaxing at a beer garden and getting dinner in Majorstuen on our way back home.

The steps where we ate ice cream and hung out in Aker Brygge after the parade, Morgan and her mom at Vigeland Park, me and Tom at the Vigeland Park beer garden.

This was a packed day. The holiday, the walking, being outside in the sun had everyone tuckered out. For the Sanger’s this meant bed time. We on the other hand had committed to evening plans watching the Eurovision finale. A mix of the Super Bowl and American Idol, Eurovision is a months-long competition that I don’t understand, but has been hyped up by most of the Europeans in our social orbit. The live finale pits 26 different artists/songs from mostly European countries against each other and that fans and judges vote on to decide a winner. For an American audience the most famous winner is ABBA, which is the only past or present artist I remember from the event. What I do know is that it is a cultural force with over 166 million people watching the finale this year.

We went back to Dan and Alice’s for the watch party that included a mix of internationals and Norwegians. For some reason it starts at 9PM, which is a little too late for a 4 hour televised event. Also, given how many people watch I was underwhelmed by the BBC broadcast and found the performances and production lackluster. I think that the American media would do a decidedly better job putting on the show. Proof that viewership does not always equate to quality. In the end it was a fun cultural experience, but not one that I’ll be missing in the coming years. Morgan took a short nap during some of the performances and we ended up leaving before the voting concluded in order to catch the final train of the night.

Oslo - Post Holiday

The next day everyone slept in. Between staying up until 2am and jet lag we all needed it, but we still had a fun city day. We took the ferry to Bygdoy where we toured Oscarhall, a former summer home built by a Swedish King that is now a museum and public garden, and the Norwegian Folk Museum, an open air museum highlighting cultural artifacts and buildings from around the country. Oscarhall was much smaller than it appears to be from the outside. We were also a little miffed by the fact that when it was built the Norwegian climate wasn’t taken into account, therefore after the first winter the maintenance was more than the Swedes bargained for and it largely sat empty until it became a museum 40 years later in the late 1800s. We were under the impression that it had served a more important role as a summer house, but that wasn’t the case.

Oscarhall became a museum under the same Swedish King, Oscar II, that would go on and collect buildings throughout the Norwegian countryside. His prize was the Gol Stave Church, which was saved and relocated to Bygdoy in 1884, and has now become the centerpiece of the 160 building open-air museum. As farm owners themselves Tom and Rita took a special interest in the farm buildings and in particular interest in the style that would have been common in the areas where Rita’s family would have lived and worked 5 generations ago. 

Just like with my parents, I had some traditional fare at Frognerseteren for dinner. As with my parents it was nice to share a taste of the forest cafeteria culture with them and also have a good meal with the view over the city. 

The four of us at dinner at Frognerseteren, the outside of Oscarhall, the Sangers looking at the Midtstuen Ski Jump, Tom and Rita on our ferry to Bygdoy.

The following day was our last tourist day in Oslo. We made the most of it by going for a walk along the Akerselva river. The river has been rehabilitated over the years and has gone from being very industrial to a clean, green oasis that runs through the city. The river goes by Morgan’s office and a place she has spent a lot of time either running with coworkers or by going for the occasional midday walk. As part of our stroll we did some shopping in Grunnerloka, including a stop at Combat Corner, a Milwaukee based MMA apparel and gear dealer that is also where Morgan’s brother works. After buying some merch and supporting/embarrassing Grant we continued downriver to the fjord and the saunas at Sukkerbiten.

Prior to coming the Sangers had shown a lot of interest in the saunas, which was a surprise to both me and Morgan. In fact their interest is what sparked a conversation of going with my parents. After starting off by walking into a sauna that was way too hot for anybody to reasonably sit in, 110-115 degrees Celsius, we found one that was 65-70 degrees, quite cold by sauna standards, and thus was empty as people waited for it to warm up. This was the perfect situation for us. Morgan and I tried to stay warm (slight exaggeration here), her parents were loving the mild temperatures. We only added enough wood to maintain the heat, which detracted from other’s interest and gave us a mostly private experience. At the end of our session both Tom and Rita went into the fjord, Rita jumped in, which was a real highlight for Morgan.

Tom and Rita at one of the waterfalls along the city Akerselva, Tom and Rita outside the Sukkerbitten saunas, The Sangers outside the Combat Corner before we went in to shop and talk with them. Grant gave us feedback later that the store manager was confused why people (us) were taking photos outside.

The Norwegian Road Trip Begins

The next morning we made our way to the airport to pick up a rental car and begin our road trip through Norway. In this scenario, abroad with Morgan’s parents, one of us would be driving, but since we have temporary residence status and been in the country longer than 6 months our licenses are no longer valid. Since we have no interest in taking a class, a driver’s test, and paying $400 to get a Norwegian driver’s license we opted out. Also, the prospect of getting a $800+ ticket, or spending 12 days in jail in lieu of paying, didn’t sound all that appealing either. All this meant was that Rita would be the primary driver for the next 8 days.

We had a long, 7ish hour drive to Trondheim. We spaced it by making a couple of stops including one at the farm that some of Rita’s ancestors left from when they immigrated to the US. While we only had an educated hunch that this was the location when we went for a picnic and by chance talked to the current property owner, Morgan was later able to confirm this based on the digitized church records once we got to Trondheim.

Her great-great-grandfather, Martinus Andersen, worked on the farm and left shortly after his marriage and birth of his first child in the 1880s, presumably searching for cheap land and economic opportunities. Once getting to southwest Wisconsin he had to change his name because too many Andersen’s were already in the area. He chose Kjos, the name of the last place he worked, which is a common naming convention in Norway. The farm is still named Kjos to this day.

While picnicking we introduced ourselves to the current property owner, a descendent of the owners from 150 years ago, who we could see walking about. He was friendly and eager to help, but didn’t know much about the family homestead beyond the early 20th century. He did put us in contact with his sister who was able to confirm that there were no familial relations between her family and the Kjos family. She also gave us more historical context of the farm.

Later, we stopped in Roros, a historic mining town with a large collection of wooden buildings still in use today that date back to the 1700s and that have helped make it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s also advertised as being an inspiration for Disney’s Frozen, a claim made by a multitude of places in Norway and an overused tourism advertisement trope that I am tired of hearing. Though I’m sure the historic town center of wooden houses and shops and the old mine buildings are charming, what we experienced was  more of a ghost town than anything else. After 5PM everything was closed for the day and it felt like we were on the empty set of a Western more than anything else. For much of the drive Rita was talking about wanting to see a moose, something that she manifested shortly after Roros when we saw a lone cow grazing next to the road and providing us with some excitement.

Morgan and Rita from the Kjos Farm where we picnicked with Mjosa in the background, Rita pointing out the Kjos Farm sign where her Norwegian ancestors last worked before emigrating, walking through a deserted Roros in the afternoon.

Trondheim

We stayed in Trondheim in large part because the other half of Rita’s family that emigrated from Norway came from the greater Trondheim area. Although we didn’t see any family sites in Trondelag, the landscape still gave a good perspective of how wet, cold, windy, and generally miserable farming here must have been for her ancestors. We stayed on the grounds of the large cathedral, Nidarosdomen, in the pilgrims hotel. Trondheim and specifically the Nidaros Cathedral serves as the terminus for 9 different pilgrim trails in Norway. They all end at the grave of St Olav, who is Norway’s patron saint and credited for bringing Christianity to the country. Although not on a pilgrimage ourselves we utilized the accommodations and their proximity to central Trondheim, the old wooden center of Bakklandet, and the church.

Much like our trip in the beginning of March it rained more or less the whole time. Without a doubt this dampened the mood and kept us inside more than we would like. Just as we had done in March we used the Nidarosdomen and accompanying museums as a way to escape the rain. We also walked through Bakklandet and the city center dodging the rain by going in and out of cafes, shops, and bars.

Morgan and Rita on the Gamle Bybro with Bakklandet in the background, Morgan inside Nidarosdomen, The Sangers outside Baklandet Skydsstation, a group favorite, me and Tom waiting for our dinner.

Alesund

After a much needed day off from driving we got back in the car and headed 6 hours south to Alesund. As opposed to the inland mountainous route between Oslo and Trondheim we spent  a significant portion next to saltwater and needed to take a couple ferries to cross the fjords. We also drove along the Atlantic road, a short stretch of road that is recognizable from film and car advertisements. While the Atlantic Ocean Road gave us a specific middrive destination, the part that was particularly scenic was short lived and I ultimately felt conflicted about whether or not driving this stretch was worth the 1 hour detour. We did use the stop to get out and go for a short walk to stretch our legs, which although windy, was quite nice. We were able to get to Alesund at a reasonable enough time to do some city exploring and finish the 5 part mystery television show we had started together in Oslo. The weather forecast had been a continuation of the rain showers we had in Trondheim, but it ended up staying dry and being relatively nice for our two nights.

Our stop along the Atlantic Ocean Road where we stretched our legs and walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed the scenery and architecture.

There is a very recognizable photo overlooking Alesund at the top of Mt Aksla and that is accessible via a 418 step pathway. During our first morning, Morgan and I went for a run that ended with us coming down the stairs back to our lodging. There are multiple landing platforms with a good view, including some near the bottom, and we hoped to get Tom and Rita at least part way up to one such overlook. Considering their apprehension to heights and stairs we figured getting all the way to the top would be a hard sell. We did think that walking up to the bottom of the stairs in order to get a glimpse of the view would be a fair compromise and after some light convincing we had walked up to Stair 0. Slowly, we worked our way up to see what the view was only a few stairs higher and once we were almost halfway up, around Stair 170, we transitioned from going up just a couple more steps to committing to reaching the top. This was a fun experience and we were rewarded with a great view from the top that they appreciated. Later, they admitted to only going up the stairs because they were seeing people older than them and their competitive spirit wouldn’t let them be outdone, which Morgan and I found amusing.

Photos from our different walks on the Mt Aksla stairs to the Alesund overlook including Tom, Rita, and Morgan descending back into the city. The Devold factory on Langveg where we had a short tour and did some shopping.

After coming down from the overlook and doing some more walking though Alesund where Morgan and Rita were looking for Norwegian sweaters, we decided to take a ferry to the neighboring island of Langevag, which is home to Devold, a Norwegian wool goods supplier. Although Morgan and Rita didn’t see any sweaters they liked, we were successful in finding some gifts that Rita would be taking back. The store lies on the grounds of the old 1800s factory and we also took a peek at the exhibit detailing a history of the wool manufacturing processes and the old machines that were used.

Back in Alesund and in desperate need of sweaters Morgan, Rita, and I went to the Dale store where they succeeded. I was in charge of carrying the bag back to our Airbnb. Along the way we stopped in another store where I put the bag down and mistakenly left it behind. By the time we realized what happened everything was closed for the day. Fortunately the next morning I returned to the store where they were waiting for someone to come claim it. This was the second time I had made the same mistake within the last couple of weeks and a habit I would very much like to break. The previous time I left behind someone else's bag containing valuables was my mother’s, which had her wallet and passport, that I accidentally left on behind on the funicular in Bergen. Both times ended with a happy reunion even if there were some anxious moments in between. In the evening we went out for dinner at a seafood restaurant. Tom had a cut of meat that by all accounts was quite bad. When informing our waitress of this information we were met with a look that could only be described as “what do you want me to do with this information.” It was one of the only situations where the lack of tipping culture and generally poorer table service, that I think go hand in hand, was an issue.

Geiranger Fjord

While we had positive experiences in Alesund and Trondheim we were looking forward to getting away from the coastal cities and into the fjords. Our next step of Geiranger was sure to scratch this itch, but first we had to drive there. We took an indirect route in order to take the car ferry from Hellsylt to Geiranger. The route took us through some of the more dramatic fjord landscape, which despite all the driving we had been doing, including along some of the coastal fjords, was the first time Tom and Rita got to see them first hand. We had a picnic lunch at one of the fjord overlooks, but unfortunately it was raining so we ate and looked out the window in the car. The rain continued through the afternoon and our ferry ride. Despite the rain, we spent the entire ferry ride on the outdoor deck taking in all the waterfalls and making up clever and crude devil themed names for all the nooks and crannies we passed. The 1.5 hour ferry trip was a highlight of the whole trip.

Clockwise from upper left: our picnic spot overlooking Geiranger Fjord, this is the same parking lot I started a ski tour from in March, Morgan on one of the ferry rides between Alesund and Hellesylt, one of the mountains we passed on our Hellesylt to Geiranger ferry, looking at Geiranger from the ferry, me and Rita taking in the scenery from the ferry deck. 

The rain seemed to stop once we got to Geiranger and stayed pleasant for both of our nights. Like in Flam we planned our stay around the cruise schedule and made sure to avoid the village when cruise ships were docked. Geiranger feels much smaller than Flam, mainly because the valley walls are so steep and there isn’t a large river valley that feeds into the ocean, so I was really happy we were able to be there without the cruise crowds. Collectively we enjoyed walking around and taking advantage of the waterfall trail along the river running down the valley into the fjord. At this point Morgan and I are used to seeing them and so we enjoyed hearing the disbelief in Tom and Rita ‘s voice when they started spotting all farms perched atop cliffs high above the fjord. Morgan and I also got some time to explore on our own, which we made the most of by hiking up valley to Storsaeterfossen, where the trail ends behind a decent sized waterfall.

Clockwise from upper left: Morgan on our hike to Storsaeterfossen, Morgan descending the stairs towards the waterfall, me behind the waterfall, Morgan and Tom soaking their feet in the river  near the fjord’s edge, the Sangers on the Geirganger waterfall walk.

We also had great family time sitting on the front porch of our cabin which had an obstructed view of the fjord. One of the nights we grilled from our front porch, which despite taking a lot of time to get the coals warmed up, was a lot of fun. At Tom's request we also watched Frozen because he had heard that the scenery was based on Geiranger Fjord and aside from seeing Frozen branded toys at one of their friend’s house, he didn’t know anything else about it. After the movie was over we had a good laugh when he expressed disappointment that it didn’t look more like the scenery we had outside our window. We also taught Rita Ligretto in Geiranger, which quickly became a favorite of hers and something we played together for the rest of our week.

Clockwise from upper left: the view from our porch in Geiranger, another porch photo, me and Rita looking at the waterfall next to our cabin, Morgan and the blanket that she had been working on since December and finished in Geiranger.

Lemonsjo and the Interior Norwegian Mountains

From Geiranger we started our journey back to Oslo. We broke up the drive into two days of more manageable sections. The first day we drove a couple of very scenic hours up and over the mountains that tower over the fjord valley. Typically these types of roads travel through the mountains via tunnels rather over the top, so this was a fun and different driving experience.

That evening we stayed at the edge of Jotunheim National Park at Lemonsjo Mountain Lodge, which was the only place in the area open for the summer season at the end of May. Aside from a group of roadworkers also staying at the property we were the only guests and the owner made sure we felt welcomed. The benefits of being the only guests were that we checked in a few hours early, were served breakfast earlier than normal so we could get to our scheduled horse riding in time, and were given instructions on a driving route dubbed the “moose safari” which would give us our best chances to see the moose in the area. The hospitality was so genuine that it made our stay, which we had no expectations for, a memorable part of our weeklong tour.

Clockwise from upper: views from our moose safari, Rita at our rest stop at Djupvatnet getting ready to throw a snowball at me, Morgan on our hike from Lemonsjo with our accommodations in the background.

Since we were essentially the only guests on the property it also meant we got free rein of the sauna. Tom and Rita had brought up our sauna experience in Oslo multiple times by this point, so they were excited to get to do it again. This time around the cold water source was too far away to easily transition between the two, so we spent some time outside in the open when we got too hot and needed a break. After the last rotation Morgan and I worked up the courage to get wet, and we ran down to the lake and jumped into the cold water. 

Following an almost private dining experience, two locals were also eating in the dining hall, we went on our recommended moose safari. We were instructed to go just before dusk, which would have been sometime after 10pm. However, the group was impatient after dinner and not looking to prolong bed time, so we went out on the 45 minute loop a couple hours earlier than would have been best. There are no guarantees when it comes to seeing wildlife, but this probably significantly contributed to not seeing anything.

We left the next morning and headed to Beitostolen where Rita, Morgan, and I had a 4 hour horse ride scheduled. Since the end of May is still firmly in the middle of the shoulder season almost all of the stables that advertise horse riding are closed. Myhre Gard was only one of two that I could find open this time of year and it was something we had done planning around. Rita loves horses and she was quite excited about this.

Despite signing up for a 4 hour ride, we only spent about 2.5 hours in the saddle. The weather was quite rainy and it was about 40 degrees, so our mountain views were obstructed and we were all quite cold and wet by the end of the ride. Our guide was quite reserved, even by Norwegian introvert standards, and we felt like we were being ignored. The little talking she did was mostly limited to doing work, ie. putting on the leads, adjusting the saddle to fit us, tying up the horse and feeding it during our break, that Morgan and I had no prior experience or understanding in. It was a little strange and reminiscent of my guided ski trip where the introverted Norwegian guides felt uncomfortable in asserting themselves in any way. Despite all of this we still managed to have a good time, especially Rita, which was me and Morgan’s main goal.

Photos from our horse ride including the ingredients making up our authentic Norwegian mountain meal. Despite a number of disappointments: weather, food, guide, we still had a fun time riding together.

Goodbyes

In the afternoon we finished our driving tour and returned to Oslo. We spent the evening packing up and organizing the receipts from our shopping so that Tom and Rita could earn their 13% tax refund at the airport.

The next day the four of us all went out to the airport to return the car and say our goodbyes, something that is always tough when you only see family a couple times a year. It was bittersweet after spending 12 days together where Morgan was able to share a number of things with them that she has been talking about for the last 7 months. Rita has also been talking about travelling to Norway since I met her, so this was a long time coming and a special experience.

Up Next

After 27 days of hosting our parents in Norway we were a little exhausted. We didn’t have much of a break before more people would be coming to see us, only 3 nights, but the next set of visitors would be our friends and our age, which reduced some of the pressure we felt when entertaining our respective families. We took advantage of the short respite to get back to the other aspects of our lives that we had largely forgone in May. For Morgan this meant working and for me biking and three days worth of laundering and air drying clothes.

Highlights

• May 17 Celebrations

• Touring the Folk Museum in Oslo

• Sauna, both times, but for different reasons. The first time, it was great to see Tom wade neck deep into the fjord and Rita jump in. The second time at Lemonsjoen was so memorable because of how excited they were to do it.

• Driving and picnicking at the farm where Morgan and Rita’s ancestors once worked. Rita was over the moon and it was special to see how much it meant to her.

• Climbing the 418 steps up to Mt Aksla.

• Taking the ferry from Hellesylt to Geiranger.

• Grilling out on our front porch in Geiranger.

• Me and Morgan hiking behind the waterfall Storsaeterfossen in Geiranger.

• Our stay and the hospitality at Lemonsjo Mountain Lodge

• Morgan getting a 1994 patterned Dale sweater.

• Our horse riding experience, the good and the bad.

• There are very few dark hours this time of year, which was a unique experience and consistent point of conversation with the Sangers.