Dedicated to the memory of our traveling companion, Are Borgir

Norway, 2010

During part of July and August, we visited our dear friends Hilde and Are Borgir in Larvik, Norway. In addition to boat rides on the fjord, great meals and fascinating conversation, the four of us took a road trip across Norway, which also included boat rides on the fjord, great meals and facinating conversation.

What a spectacular country! It is impossible to show a reasonable number of pictures and still capture all of its grandeur: fjords, mountains, glaciers, warm and generous people, history! No wonder the Vikings, who could have lived anywhere, chose Norway.


Here are a few highlights.

On The Road One of the most spectacular places we visited is Dahlsnibba, which is basically the mountain top at the head end of a fjord. The idea is that starting here, where Hilde and Are are, the glacier gouged a U-shaped valley to the sea. Some of the glacier is visible beyond, but it is also all around us. The scale is staggering.

Dahlsnibba View In the distance Geiranger Fjord is visible from the summit of Dahlsnibba. The elevation is 1500 m (5000'), and it feels like the top of the world. Yes, that is a road in the photo leading down to the fjord and we were about to start down it.


Fjord Cruisin' We took a delightful boat ride down Geiranger Fjord. The walls are nearly vertical and not surprisingly there are lots of spectacular waterfalls. What is surprising is the number of farms that appear to be glued to the cliffs. Most of them are abandoned now, but the stories about them remain. One of our favorites was the farmer who tethered his children to the house before leaving to prevent them from going over the edge.

xx

Island Life We stayed one night in a charming fishing village on Håholmen off the west coast. Originally, the village was a cluster of one-room dwellings, used by fishermen at night. Now those cottages are cozy tourist cabins. We reached the village by a replica of a Viking boat (at left).



x

Scenic Norway! Hilde and Are started calling our trip the "Wow Tour" because every few minutes L or J would say, "Wow! Look at that!" But some of the beauty is quieter and more charming. The houses in the mountains have sod roofs -- very cozy! Along the coast Norwegian homes are generally painted: white, red or yellow. The diagonal snow fences are everywhere! And it is common to meet livestock, mostly goats, along the road. Here a passenger from the oncoming car is herding them out of a tunnel -- shepherding on demand!

x


x

This is a stave church. A stave is a pillar, basically the trunk of a tree, and a stave church is characterized by 4 large internal wooden pillars. They were popular in Scandinavia in the 12th and 13th centuries. Only 14 remain and 10 of them are in Norway. This one is in especially good condition and the inside is covered with folk paintings.


Comfort Stations We ate extremely well on our trip. The Borgirs saw to it that we ate meals by world class chefs day in and day out. Locally made cheese, homemade jams and fruit desserts, chefs' special gravlax, and fresh, fresh fish. But traveling with Hilde had the added advantage of her personal resources. Getting cold up near the glaciers? How about hot coffee and sandwiches? Sitting on a lovely balcony in a village at the end of a fjord after a long day sightseeing? Out comes a bottle of white wine for toasts! A supreme hostess even on the road!

x

Heading Back We literally have hundreds of gorgeous pictures and great stories from the road trip, so stop by and we'll share each one! For now, we close the trip with this harbor scene from our last night on the road. Next stop, Larvik.


Larvik Lodgings We have stayed in Larvik at Hilde and Are's home several times, and each time marvel at the comfortable beauty of the home and garden.


xx

Viking Vittles A classic Norwegian meal: herring, beets, boiled potatoes topped with mashed rhutabaga, egg, and onion, washed down with good beer and aquavit! And that was only lunch!


Tollerodden One of Hilde's long-term volunteer projects is to co-direct the restoration of a 17th century customs house in Larvik, called Tollerodden. The statue is to Colin Archer, a Norwegian naval architect who designed the ships that enabled Norway's legendary polar explorations. He was one of several residents of the house.


Restoration The house is being restored exactingly and exquisitely. It's beautiful.


Details, Details Hilde took us through each step of the restoration. Artists delicately strip off paint and each layer of wall paper to reveal the history of the decoration. And then, when they understand it, they restore the room to one of its historical periods.

x

Pride and Joy We wouldn't go so far as to say there was another woman in Are's life, but "Olivia" did have a place in his heart. "Olivia" is a beautifully restored wooden boat that Are and Jan, his brother-in-law, co-owned. Neither of us is much of a sailor, but an afternoon out on the fjord aboard "Olivia" was terrific fun.


Hand Ball Regular readers of our page will recall that when Hilde visited us in Seattle with her niece Karoline, there was a long discussion about Olympic Handball and US Handball. And much confusion! During our stay in Larvik, the world's two best women's handball teams played an exhibition match after summer training: Norway vs Sweden. So, with Karoline giving the play-by-play we watched as (unfortunately) Sweden won. It is fast! And it's exciting! Here Norway (red) is on the attack in Sweden's end.


More Friends ... We visited Karoline, her father Jan, and her mother Nina. Also, we joined the "Coma" dinner group (from left): Hilde, Tove, Berit, Erling, Are, and Jan.

x

Back To School Karoline gave us a tour of her high school. It is one year old, and has 1600 students. Beautifully designed; quality construction; art on the walls; electronics throughout and a price tag of $200M. Those are lockers in the arcs! Okay, none of us probably wants to do high school again, but if we had to, this is the place!

x

At Ease It's hard to believe that we had any quiet time, but we started each morning slowly, in the sun on the upper deck. Are and L often managed to extend that time well into the day as they discussed the large and small events of the world, and kept a close eye on harbor activities. We miss Are terribly.


Are Borgir [1945-2010]