Norway, February 8 - 18, 2003
February 15, 2003. Dear Hildur (& chums), We have had a delightful time in Norway even in winter. While Oslo was overcast, snowy (& very slippery since they do not shovel the sidewalks), Bergen and the West Coast has been clear and free of snow in the lower elevations. Everyone has been very friendly but everything is very expensive. Our concert in Bergen was very well attended (over 1000 people) and the piece sounded quite good even though it is very difficult to play. The coastal steamer trip up to Trondheim is very luxurious and you would enjoy it. I will give a fuller report when I join you for dinner on our return. Sincerely, Jack and Linda.
February 17, 2003. Dear gang, despite the “off season” here (with no off season prices!) we are having a delightful time traversing this delightful country. Ice in Oslo kept us on our sightseeing toes and Bergen is the most happening city. Getting a sampling of fjords, mountains, railways, and coastal steamers. Making plans to return here. Hugs, Linda.
Friday, February 7 - We and Ranheims fly NWA to Oslo, leaving at 3:30PM into Amsterdam early morning, then into Oslo, arriving Saturday, February 8 - about 10:30AM. To Hotel Bendeheimen downtown, then off to sightsee. We start at Viking Museum to see the ships. Next we go to the Folk Museum and crawl across the snow and ice.
18th C. village, urban buildings.
View of village in better weather. Dinner in nice Italian restaurant, after theater tour (ad hoc) and walk through downtown, trying to avoid falling on the ice (the Norwegians have one Neapolitan-type trait, they don't shovel the snow either on sidewalks or steps. At best they just throw some gravel on the walks. Crampons are definitely a real help).
Sunday, February 9 - We go to church in Oslo Cathedral; Thelma Hunter, Nystedt, LLH; Knut Nystedt, hallowed composer; Hakon Blandehoel, Thelma's cousin who takes us in his Mercedes to have coffee with Knut & Dua Nystedt (Jack goes to National Gallery & Oslo University); Then on to coffee with Erland, Ranheim cousin.
Dinner Sunday night with Erland's aunt, uncle & cousins; Group shot before departure; The Norwegians and Norwegian Americans sing songs, then home to bed.
Monday, February 10 - Whiteout! Hakon & Anker, Thelma's relatives, take us to Holmenkollen on Monday afternoon; Sam Hunter and troll; We could not see even 1/3rd up the jump or 1/4 down the landing hill; LLH and Anker Johnsen (Thelma's cousin).
We then drive further up the mountain & into deeper whiteout for soup & hot chocolate at Frognerseteren, gorgeous inside and out. (A seteren is a mountain shelter for a herder of the summer pastures.); Jack, Linda, Sam Hunter, David, Anker, Thelma, Hakon.
Frost etched logs; David Ranheim & Thelma Hunter.
Next stop, the Vigeland Sculpture Park; Vigeland did the gates as well as the statues.
Sam Hunter and Jack Hoeschler; Hakon Blandehoel (Thelma's cousin), our guide.
A boy throwing a tantrum.
Trine & Anker Johnsen at their home; A Smart Car can park either direction.
Tuesday, February 11 - Visit Munch Museum in morning, meet Hakon afternoon for a walking tour; Dom Kirche, Lutheran now, of course; Cathedral Market; Oslo pedestrian area downtown; Into City Hall.
Oslo City Hall; View of Fjord Harbor from City Hall; One of the nice murals in City Hall; Back on the street; City Hall fountain.
![Hunters & Ranheims have open-faced sandwiches at Bristol Hotel; We keep walking and end up in Old Town; We stop in several galleries & finosh at Modern Art Museum (Samtidkunst) with some powerful video installations, including one [Victor Lind] on sh](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62e163b72ac2810ad9183578/8320de53-058d-407f-9b79-8192cd708aab/Scan+15.jpeg)
Hunters & Ranheims have open-faced sandwiches at Bristol Hotel; We keep walking and end up in Old Town; We stop in several galleries & finosh at Modern Art Museum (Samtidkunst) with some powerful video installations, including one [Victor Lind] on shipping Jews out of Oslo in 1942. Terrific!
Wednesday, February 12 - We take 8:10AM train from Oslo to Bergen, arriving there at 2:30PM. Gorgeous; The high point (literally) on the Oslo-Bergen trip; Finse Glacier in background; Typical scenes along the Oslo-Bergen route.
We check into the Augustin Hotel then tour through this lovely Hanseatic city built on many hills; Bergen at the edge of the harbor; Note no snow in Bergen due to Gulfstream influence; Thelma likes the shrimp. Not so sure about the wolf-fish!
Our hotel this side; Hanseatic houses here; Manhole cover in Bergen; Bergen pedestrian street.
Touring Old Town, Hanseatic section; Dinner in area; Later joined by Bergen Quintet members; Old Hanseatic warehouses.
Thursday, February 13 - Ingelise Vestrheim, professional guide & friend of Meredith Wilson, takes us on a wonderful walking tour; We first go up behind hotel, up & down hills. Note offset bricks in center to give horses a better grip going up.
We stop at sardine factory, now an artists' co-op, where we meet glass-blowers, leathergoods makers, and frostbite swimmers (who swim each day, all year long at 11:30AM); At the top of one of the hills in town next to old fort.
We walk down the hill & take a ferry to Hanseatic League area; An early Valentine!; Ferry to harbor fort; Wooden walkways inside Hanseatic area.
Artist studio in old Hanseatic area; Overhang to assist lifting of merchandise.
Hanseatic Museum; Bookkeeper's desk; Not dried cod (the coin of the Hanseatic realm) hanging from ceiling. This is called stock fish.
Ole Bull, venerated in Minneapolis, also remembered in Bergen; McDonald's franchise in a tasteful setting.
Post concert reception. Ilene Chanon, Gro's husband, Gro Sandvik, Judy Ranheim; Lars Brynildsen and wife; Post concert party; Thelma and Steven Kovacevich.
Friday, February 14 - Norway in a nutshell: Delightful; Boarding our fjord steamer; Mountains cascade to the fjord; Off season touring avoids the crowds; Lovely Linda; Jack Hoeschler & captain.
A very nice tour feature; Ice breaking at the far end of Sognefjord, not much salt left in the water.
A sunny day in Norway; Seating is easy to find off season; Village without road connections.
Winter and summer on Sognefjord.
Fjords are very deep, extend mountainsides down to bottom of the fjord; Note large cruise boat in summer.
Flåmsbana coaches seemed wider than usual. It is not a cog railway but much steeper than usual.
Myrdal at top of Flåmsbana; The commissioners plus Anker's daughter Lena; Hereafter Linda's camera goes missing, perhaps stolen on the train back to Bergen.
Friday night, we board the Polarlys for 2 nights; Saturday, February 15 - Sailing from Bergen to Trondheim on the coastal steamer; Note no snow on lower.
Alesund - Our coastal freighter and tour ship, very comfortable; Nice view from the top of the hill; Statue of Norse friend of William the Conqueror, hometown boy.
A toast in the lounge on board ship; Sunday, February 16 - We disembark at Trondheim; Sister ship to our steamer.
Trondheim Cathedral, substantially reconstructed in 19th C.; University of Trondheim; Baptism in Cathedral calls for best traditional outfits.
Trondheim Cathedral, the burial place of many Norwegian kings, started ca. 1030AD, in ruins after the Reformation (1536), and rebuilt during the 19th and early 20th century.
Nice lights. Silver cross contributed by US emigrants; Chancel; and shrine to St. Olav beyond.
Ringve Musical Museum outside Trondheim.
Monday, February 17 - A morning walk around Trondheim, then 2:30 train back to Oslo.
Jack mets brother Jay in Amsterdam where NWA flight is canceled & does not leave until next day; Jay was returning from France where his family is spending Dec-May in Europe.
