Normandy

So, here we are in Normandy!  And, of course, it's beautiful!  Arrived Friday evening (by the time we flew into Paris, then connected with a train for the 2.5 hour ride), pretty tired, but not falling down.  As it was very nearly dark, we had to wait until morning to get a good look around.  That's the front of the Von and John's cottage above.  Charming and in a beautiful setting; large landscaped garden, vegetable garden, guesthouse, greenhouse, etc.  Really lovely.  I'll try to load more pictures here.

Unfortunately, between catching up with two out-of-touch days with students and continuing connectivity problems, we haven't had much time for ourselves yet.  The internet at the house has been out all weekend and we've been making pilgramages to MacDonald's to use their wireless.  Yesterday, we downloaded a bunch of homework and exams, graded many today, and have returned to post grades, comments, etc-- and download some more.  We're hoping that the internet interruption is brief and we'll have it back in the morning-- keep your fingers crossed.  Meanwhile, I'll try to load some pics to Snapfish.

A Norwegian Tragedy

Of course, you've all heard about last Friday's (22 July 2011) bomb blast in Oslo and the horrible shooting of so many young people at a youth camp not far away. The tragedy has been a great shock to Norway, a country with such a small population, social equality, and commitment to peace.  The picture above is from Asgardstrand on Saturday.  All through the small town, flags were at half-mast.

This morning we drove to Oslo for our last couple of days before returning home.  We were able to check in early and then left the hotel to walk around the city.  Just about three blocks from us is the Oslo Cathedral (the Domkirke) where we discovered a large crowd of people gathered to hear the memorial service going on at that moment.  People were also lined up to place flowers on the cobblestones in front of the church.  We joined a groupd next to a police cordon, surprisingly near the front of the church door.  At first, I didn't think it was possible that all the leaders would exit from the church at that door.  It was so public and explosed although there were many armed police, soldiers, and plain-clothed security looking very much like our own Secret Service. 



 The crowd was somber and quiet with low voices.  The only bright sound was the chattering of small children, too young to understand what had happened.

 

As the organ played inside, the members of the clergy came out the front door and arrayed themselves on either side.  The Secret Service came to attention, and a couple came out, greeted the clergy, observed the flower memorial, and waited quietly for their car.  I was only about two people from the line, so I could see quite clearly.  I wasn't sure who the couple were, so I whispered,"Is that the king? Is that the king?"  Two women on either side of me answered that it was, and then they began to idenitfy everybody as they came out according to rank in the government--the prime minister and all the other ministers and members of parliament.  We were so close--only about 50 yards away.  I said to the two women beside me that I was so astonished that we could be so close.  One of them said to me, "That's because it's Norway.  I hope it doesn't change."  I hope so, too.

 

We moved away and walked down Karl Johan's Gata, a main pedestrian street that leads to the Parliament buildings and to the Royal Castle--all just a few blocks away.  As we walked, we could see a group of members of Parliament being interviewed on the street by a television crew.  One of them, we had been told as she came out of the church, may be the next prime minister.  We've been reading about how open and safe Norway is--that the prime minister walks to work, stopping to talk to people in the street.  I'm sure the reason these MPs were walking to Parliament after the service was to make the point that nothing has changed, that Norway won't be changed, by this experience.

After a short tour of the city center and finding some lunch, we went back to Domkirke so we could go inside.  There were still many people outside, still people lined up to lay flowers. As we walked into the church, we were met by heat and what I thought at first was incense. But as we progressed through the church, we could see in various locations circular areas of lighted candles hanging low within reach.  From those candles, people were lighting others, arranging them on the floor beneath.  Many people were just sitting quietly in the pews; the organ was playing.  As we headed out the side door, there was an area where people were writing notes and leaving them near the candles.  A very sad time.

The rest of the city was very quiet with pretty heavy rain beginning about mid-afternoon.  Everybody hopes for a better day tomorrow.

More Pics

Oslo

Said farewell to Cassie

and the Petersen kids

and headed into Oslo this morning.  A beautiful city, subdued somewhat by the tragedy on Friday.  We'll tour more tomorrow and post more pictures.  Meanwhile, here's a taste:



A Day in Horten

Horten is the town just to the north along the fjord, home of a former naval base and the junction for the ferry.  Ellen had arranged a tour of the local historical museum with Mr. Odd Bjonnes, one of the curators.  The museum was created by the people of Horten to represent life there from WWII to the 70's or so, but much of the 20th century is represented.  Replicas of a typical general store, a living room from the 50's (which we recognized), a dentist's office, all kinds of relics and momentos, old pictures.  A fascinating collection and a super tour.  Thanks, Odd.



Then across the street to the oldest maritime museum in Norway.  Guess what my favorite was?!?  A really fascinating museum.  I wish we'd had time to go back!  Check the pics.

Quite a hike!



It started out like any other morning, until Anders and Carsen knocked on the door and asked us if we wanted to join them on a walk to the Viking burial grounds in Horten, the next town north.  And we said, sure, we'd love to, as this had been on our list of "to dos" for the week, anyway.  So we met Lisa (yes, I promised more on her later, but Betty hasn't gotten to blogging yet) and the four kids at their house up the street and set off around 10:30.

The cast of characters:
Lisa, married to Hans.  From San Francisco, met husband Hans in college, now lives here in Asgardstrand.
Hans Anders and Ella, twins, age 9.
Carsen, age 8
Arlie, 18 months

The picture at the top of the blog is one of the Viking burial mounds.  A whole Viking ship that came out of one of these mounds is now in a museum in Oslo, which we intend to visit later.  Anyway, our destination turned out to be a bit anti-climactic.  But, oh, the journey.  Wild strawberries and raspberries, horses, forests, beaches, picnics....  Round trip - 7.5 miles.  Pics here.

Some Pig!

Before heading off to the southern end of the peninsula and Verdens Ende, we spent a very nice afternoon at the farm of Ellen's sister, Ingrid.  Eva, Ellen and Ingrid's mother, lives next door.  We went out there with a neighbor, Lisa Peterson and her 4 kids.  More on Lisa later.  Anyway, had a lovely afternoon, with coffee and pastries, very nice company, and all the animals (a pot bellied pig, dogs, chickens, ducks, goats, and fjord horses.)  We very sincerely thank Ingrid and Eva for their gracious hospitality.  Pics

Verdens Ende

Per Betty, we've now been to the end of the world and found it's beautiful!  We're told that on a clear day, you can see Denmark from here.  Can't imagine a clearer day-- maybe we did see it.  Settled on top of one of the rocks at a very nice restaurant, sat outside on the deck with Cassie, had a great meal, some nice wine and soaked up a gorgeous evening in an incredible place.  Take a look.

The Fisherman

Arne is a fisherman, just like Ellen's Dad was.  Three times a day, he goes out to check his nets for salmon.  Used to be, he'd catch fish every time.  The last couple of years, not so much.  But he does catch some and he invited me to go out with him.

So, we arrived at Arne's house at 2PM, as agreed, and introduced ourselves (Betty and Cassie were with me.)  I really had no idea what to expect, but Arne explained that we were just going about 100 meters offshore to check the nets, so Betty should hang around.  He then outfitted me with overalls, boots and gloves and off we went.  Motored out, hauled in the nets, etc.  More pics here.  All photo credits to Betty.

Full disclosure:  While I'd love to claim the salmon in the picture at the head of the blog, I have to admit it ain't so.  There were only a couple of jellyfish and a lone flounder in the nets this time.  But when we got back and I asked Betty to take a picture of me all decked out, Arne was quick to tell me that he had a salmon for the picture (frozen, but you can't really tell, can you?)  All in all, quite an experience!



It's July 10th, this must be Norway!

Our abode in Asgardstrand, Norway.  Flew into Oslo from Stockholm yesterday morning and were met at the airport by our friends, Ellen and Ove and Cassie (pronounced Casey.)  And they are currently on a plane, headed for Shelbyville (not Cassie, she stayed with us.)

Arrived in Asgardstrand by car approximately two hours later.  A lovely town perched on a slope leading down to a fjord.  I've taken some pictures of the house (inside and out) and of the view.  Narrative to follow.

 

The Vasa Museum

The Vasa Museum deserves a blog of its own.  The Vasa was a war ship ordered built by the King for his fleet in the early 15th century.  It was huge for its day, with two gundecks, and was ornately decorated to intimidate the Poles.  Unfortunately, the plans changed many times over the duration of the construction, not least because of the personal preferences and suggestions of the King.  So, she was launched in 1628 and sailed for approximately 30 minutes before a small gail capsized her in the harbor.  They think that she was simply too top heavy (not enough ballast.)  She was located in 1956 and subsequently raised and restored, then towed to the museum site, where the building was constructed around her.  An incredible display-- Betty and I were there for at least 3 hours.  Pics here.

Stockholm

I think the pic sums it up pretty well.  We liked Stockholm-- a lot!  It's a beautiful city, Claes' apartment was spectacular, the weather was perfect-- only the time was too short.  We plan to get back here someday.

Anyway, I've posted pictures in Snapfish.  You'll see scenes of Stockholm, both the "new" city (most of the waterfront pics are in an area where the apartment is located, rebuilt to resemble the grand boulevards of Paris in the mid-1800's) and the old, which you will identify by the narrow streets.  We also stumbled on a military parade, which just happened to assemble in the square below the apartment.  We noticed it on Friday.  On Saturday, we went down to the street and followed it all the way to the King's Palace-- turned out to be the changing of the Guard.  After that, pictures Betty took in the apartment.  Click here.

Swedish strawberries are the sweetest!

I don't know if that's actually true since I haven't tasted all the strawberries from all over the world, but I just couldn't resist writing the title.  They're called jordgubbar in Swedish.  I can write it but can't pronounce it very well.  Swedish vowels have really challenged my lip muscles.  Actually, some Swedish consonants aren't all that easy either.  And the musical lilt?  No way. I always feel like I sound like the Muppets'  Swedish chef.  But it's lovely to listen to other people speak it.

Just for fun

Got a couple of pics that I want to share that don't really warrant a blog, so here goes.

Back in England, we did visit one city, which, by concensus, didn't have a lot to offer for us tourists (lots of shopping, but no major attractions.)  However, we did find some interesting hot chocolate in a store window

a bar with a compelling marketing scheme

and this statue in one of the squares

Oh, here's another shot of it

Did I say this town wasn't interesting?

And then there were the snails in one of the nature preserves here in Sweden

What were these two up to?

Mount Omberg and Alvastra Monastery

Headed south this morning, toward Mount Omberg, which borders Lake Vattern.  Some extraordinary scenery.

Then a very fine lunch at a hotel on the mountain.

But the highlight of the day was the ruins of Alvastra Monastery, built in the twelfth century on the inland side of Omberg.

More pics here.

A little taste

It's been quite busy, keeping up with class work and trying to see all that we could.  Betty and I hope to catch up on the blogging in the next couple of days.  Meanwhile, here's some pictures to whet your appetite.

This is the Castle in Vadstena.  We've spent a couple of afternoons in the town, wandering, shopping, eating.  Met Charlotte, a friend of Susanne's with a wonderful shop (tea, cheese, etc.)  Here are some of the sites and scenes.  Text to follow.

Yesterday, went to Motala, site of the Motormuseum.  Did that on my own, as Betty and Joan weren't much interested.  They have a great car selection, with American and European makes and models from the early 1900's through the eighties or so.  Very cool.   Probably a dozen or more Rolls Royces, from the 30's on.  And an 80 something Lamborghini, with a placard that talked about the review it got-- stiff steering, tough to shift and about enough luggage space for 2 toothbrushes-- but who notices when you can go from zero to 100 mph in 4.5 seconds?!?  Then strolled along the Gota Canal, which runs across Sweden.  Built in the 1800's by hand, 112 miles, 58 locks, etc.  Also very cool.

Today, we went back to Motala to take a day trip on the Gota Canal.  Only a few miles on the canal, then through 5 locks that dropped about 50 feet into the next lake, across the lake, then return and up the locks.  Oh, my!  Right up there with the Butcher's Arms!  Check this out!  And a bit of video.  Going UP!

Top of the this lock.  Remember, there are 5, each rising about 3 meters.

Made it!

Here we are in Herrestad

Herrestad is the small (6 families) village where Thomas, Susanne and their two girls live, near the city of Vadstena (5 miles.)  Thomas and his brothers, Peter and Stefan, operate a 700 acre farm here, producing grain and eggs (with approx 52000 laying hens.) 

So, we arrived Wednesday morning and met all the Maalstrom's.  Spent a great day.

The weather is perfect and the house is gorgeous.  I've posted many pics of the house and grounds here.  I know Betty will post details, but I wanted to share.

We're way North here.  The sun goes down around 10PM, but it never really gets dark.  Betty said it was totally light around 4:30 in the morning.  Anyway, this is the view from our bedroom window, looking north in the afternoon.

This is the same view at midnight

Cool, huh?

Chalford Hill

Thought you might like to see some pics of the house, the pets, and some of the "local" sites and countryside.  I find that, when I think about England, I picture the big city and crowds.  But when you get here, it's not really like that at all.  And, oh, the roads!
See pics

Chipping Camden

Another claimant for most charming village-- and this one is a real contender.  This house we noticed on our way out of town and had to capture.  Note the for sale sign.  Don't ask-- it will be a minimum of a million pounds!!

A lovely church, old graveyard, a girls' choir singing in the old marketplace (one of their selections - "Shalom Haverim"- really!), even a museum dedicated to the Arts and Crafts Movement (like our house.)  Right outside the museum is this drive-through cart wash.

So, here's the pics

Berkeley Castle

Pronounced "Barkley" (go figure.)  Beautiful old castle and grounds that have been the Berkeley family home for 850 years!  Unfortunately, no pictures allowed inside.  Betty will have to provide descriptions.
Pics

Bath

The Romans came to Bath around 45AD.  It's amazing to wander through the baths and realize that they were built 2000 years ago!  Went on a 2 hour walking tour of the town, then explored the baths.

John - this one's especially for you

See pics

Barnsley House & Gardens

It seems that every village in the Cotswolds claims the title of "most charming" or "most beautiful."  Barnsley is no exception, but the highlight here is Barnsley House, a manor which has been transformed into a pricey hotel.  But, oh, the gardens...  word is Prince Charles was so impressed with the formal garden that he invited the designer to consult on his personal garden.  And the kitchen garden is amazing.  Here's a sample:

View the house and gardens here.  (Remember, you have to sign in to Snapfish, but the account is free.)

Back in The Butcher's Arms

So, yes, we made our way back to the pub--only because I saved it in Garmin as The Butcher's Arms Really!  Wednesday we had a lovely day out in the village of Chipping Camden. We had a nice lunch, visited shops, a museum, the old church, and then headed back south towards home.  But because of a few wrong turns (thanks, Garmin), it took a little longer than we expected.  Because of Garmin's confusion (and mine) we've seen some beautiful pastoral scenery and had a few close encounters with cows, sheep, and vehicles on one-track lanes that don't look wide enough for even one vehicle.

At any rate, we found our way amazingly back to Sheepscombe and the pub where we had a good dinner of sausages, mashed potatoes, and red cabbage (variation on bangers and mash) in a little corner of the pub we'd reserved the other day.  Soon after we got there, the Morris dancers began to arrive--one troupe of men and one of women--already dressed in their costumes.  While we finished our dinner, we watched the dancers strap on their bells and sashes in the forecourt--after they'd gotten their respective pints, of course.

We were served our drinks by the publican's five-year-old daughter Emily, who climbed right up on the bench with us.  She brought our half-pints and pints from the bar: "Look, Daddy, I only spilled a little drop!" Later, she was in the thick of the dancing.

The dancing began as we were finishing dinner and we went outside to watch.  (This was the day after Midsummer's Eve so it was daylight until well after 10 pm.) The lane is so narrow, but people had parked along one side of it.  The dancers danced in the lane, so if a car needed to come through it had to wait until the end of the set. The group was definitely local and we were the exotic color but definitely welcome.

The dancing was ok, not all that exciting, but when the first sprinkles of rain fell, the dancers headed for inside the pub (very tiny!).  We didn't know if the dancing would continue or what would happen next, but they all pushed their way to the bar and one by one the musicians picked up melodeon, recorder, mandolin (who later switched to a banjo), and guitar, and they began to jam.  We watched in delight as they played song after song, then broke off to sing a cappella when one or another was moved to sing a traditional song where everybody knew the words except us.  (Sorry, the size of files limits you to small samples.)

Last verse of this sad sailor's tale:

So we're packed into this tiny little pub with as many as 30 or more people at first.  The guitarist (who had blown out his knees and couldn't dance any more) was our personal guide to what was going on. It was something tourists almost never have the opportunity to experience.  We were so lucky and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.  All we could think about throughout the evening was how much we wanted to share the whole experience with everybody we know--especially you guys. 

It was so hard to leave because as the evening progressed, the music and the singing and the laughter became even freer.  Just a spectacular evening, impossible to describe.