I have been missing in action
Trip Start
May 21, 2008
1
2
Trip End
Oct 28, 2008
Oslo, Queensland, Norway
Sunday, April 5, 2009
After spending time with my family and enjoying my two young grandsons, age 3 and 1 yrs I then flew off to Norway. I arrived in Oslo and was stunned at the reality of being there. My grandfather was born not far from Oslo in 1961 and had chosen the name of the farm as his surname, a common practice for immigrants to the US. Therefore my surname was also the name of the farm and it is an extremely rare last name as my brother "Old Rover" is the only person living in the United State (when he is not travelling in Turkey) with that name.
Prior to going overseas I had been a help to travellers by having a site on CouchSurfing where I hosted several people from various countries, mostly in Europe. One of the guests was a gentleman from Bergen Norway, Per, who assured me he would be of help when I arrived in his country. My trip through Norway was one of the most amazing adventures of my life, which is in its seventh decade. This gentleman met my plane and then drove me to the home of another CouchSurfing host in Hvitsten, south of Oslo. We stayed there for two nights and during the day explored the surrounding countryside which included tracking down the very house where my grandfather was born. Not only is it still standing but has been kept in prime condition through renovations which have not changed the original charm of the dwelling.
The local library was able to come to my aide with several books containing information on my ancestors through records of census and such. Naturally it was all in the Norwegian language but my friend helped me there and we took photocopies of certain books for further study later on. All people I met through this effort to locate information on my ancestors went out of their way to help me as much as possible. It was a very beautiful experience.
It was then decided that my host would drive me over the mountains to Bergen where he lived with his partner. He still maintained a batchellor apartment which he used mostly for guests and Couchsurfers. But on the way we stopped in Odda where we visited his cousin. I thought this a most charming village right on the neck of the Eidfjord. The houses appear to be desperately clinging to the steep sides of the mountains on both the right and left banks of the Fjord. They are all painted bright colours and offer a storybook view of life in a small town in Norway.
We then moved on to arrived in Bergen and Per set me up in his apartment and also provided me with a bus pass which stopped mere metres from the apartment complex and it was a 12 minute run into the city centre of Bergen. Again this town is picture perfect with those wonderful colourful historic buildings along the waterfront. One of the best features was the fresh fish market where I could buy my dinner to take back and cook in the apartment. It was wonderful after sight-seeing all day to go home and cook fresh salmon, and watch English language TV shows in the evening.
But not every night was spent cooped up by myself. Per's beautiful partner Elisabeth accompanied me to a lovely dinner and then concert at the Edvard Greig Hall in downtown Bergen. Then there were several evenings when Elisabeth and Per invited me to the home they shared for home cooked dinners. Many days Per came to collect me to drive to places of interest such as the home of Edvard Grieg and also the home of Olle Bull which are both now museums dedicated to their lives and musical careers. Both sites offer the occassional concerts as well. Bull's home is on an island and requires a boat trip which is most pleasant. Always the scenery is rich green pines reflecting into the blue waters of the fjords. Water, water, everywhere.
While in Norway I was so fortunate to be able to be in the company of Norwegian people who mostly spoke wonderful English. My host Per had been an English teacher before his retirement and his partner Elisabeth had lived in the US earlier in her life. Per had taken me to meet some of his family in Odda and then in Bergen to meet his uncle Olle who was near 90 years of age. It is such a wonderful thing to be in peoples homes when you visit a foreign country. That is why CouchSurfing is such a wonderful aide to travellers.
One day in Bergen I caught a train to Flam, a beautiful ride through the mountains where you can view valleys and waterfalls and all together just wonderful scenery. Once in Flam you take a ferry boat ride back to Bergen along the fjords and the trip takes nearly five hours of peaceful waters and outstanding scenery. I was enjoying myself emensely and I kept thinking I have to go and see other places while I have the time. I was being a casual traveller until the 15th of October when I had an airline ticket from London to Istanbul but by now it was mid-September and I had many places to see. My hosts in Bergen kept finding things to show me and insisting I stay as long as I like. Truthfully it was too good to be true. The Austalian dollar was very low compared to the Norwegian krone. And I was hardly spending any money because these people were being so good to me and I was beginning to feel this was all too easy. I so appreciated all of this kindness but I just had to tear myself away. I loved it all so much and would want to go back one day but I would be afraid I could never recapture the awesome nature of this initial visit and I don't want to ever spoil my memories. So I bid fond farewell to Norway and headed to Holland via Denmark.
