Vacation in the Land of the Midnight Sun
Lofoten Islands are a mountainous archipelago north of the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. The name Lofoten, lynx’s foot, describes the shape of one of the islands and has now been extended to all. Words can’t fully describe the stunning beauty of the area. We just enjoyed a week’s vacation there with the Hiltons, Ithaca friends. Hiking, touring, seeing the midnight sun, eating lots of fish – and whale, the guys dipping in the water, the ladies shopping, visiting the fishing industry museum, a reconstructed Viking captain’s long (very long) house and an engaging WWII museum that focused on civilians and the German occupation of Lofoten. We stayed in 2 different rorbu’s, which are the original fishing cabins built by a Norwegian king for the fishermen in the 11th century. During the 1930’s as many as 40,000 men lived in these cabins a few months each winter; now they much smaller number of fishermen generally sleep on their boats (and the rorbus are now tourist gold.) Fishing for cod in the winter months (warmed a bit by the gulf stream), the Norwegians hang the fish to dry for up to three months. Then the fish is sold primarily to Italy and Aftrica – and this has been happening for many centuries. So these isolated islands are very international in view. We met tourists primarily from Germany and France; apparently a recent limit on fishing for foreigners is impacting the German tourism as they used to drive in their small rv’s, fish and take enough back home for months.

We stayed in Reine in the south, in a much-updated rorbu and in Kabelvag in a brand-new, very modern cottage. In Kabelvag our view was towards the area where the first post-Viking settlement once was. All that remains is an early 19th century Manor House, and some old Rorbus.

Larry and I hiked Reinebringen (448 meters) last Sunday on the warmest and sunniest day of our vacation. There were some very steep portions but the view was worth the effort – I think. At 11:00 p.m. Wednesday evening (do you know where your parents are?) we drove to the North Sea side, walked a mile or so and watched the sun never dip to the horizon.

Fishing is still the major industry on the Lofoten Islands so it isn’t too touristy –yet.

That small blue spot on the 1st photo is my leg and I hope you can tell - or imagine - how high we were. And the second is the view from our Kabelvag Rorbu.

Hiking and Walking

Returned our little red car today and I’ll miss its maneuverability and amazing fuel economy (55 mpg.)

We’ve been hiking weekends – to the desolate gorges near Sandvatnet and Manafossen’s waterfall, Skomakarnibba high above the Josenfjord and even an idyllic small beach just down the way from the airport. The weather has been sunnier and warmer with just occasional showers and thunderstorms. Many folks are leaving Stavanger either for good or for much of the summer so it’s been a time of good-byes and fare-thee-wells. It’s difficult to realize that our sabbatic is nearing an end, though I will be glad to be living above ground soon.

Skomakarnibba is named from an old tale about a traveling shoemaker who has been sentenced to death. Some locals managed to get his death sentence annulled if he could sit on the outermost edge of the mountain precipice and sew a pair of shoes. The shoemaker was about to finish his work when he caught sight of a bridal procession rowing across the fjord, became dizzy, lost his balanc and fell down into the fjord.

Norway is rife with stories like this.

A Geologist’s Dream

In Norway, Larry has so enjoyed interacting with the geologists who share many of his interests and talk the same language. And now he has enjoyed a pilgrimage to the area where glacial geology originated.

Sunday we took the ferry to Forsand which is the area where Professor Jens Esmark walked in 1823 and developed the theory of the ice age. Afterwards he wrote a scientific article suggesting that the whole of Northern Europe had once been covered by glaciers. We saw the end moraine that suggested to Esmark that glaciers had in the past been in Norway. The large boulders dotting the landscape were dropped by the ice, not deposited in the great flood, or were thrown by trolls.

Norway Day, May 17th

Somewhat akin to our 4th of July – flags waving, family gathering, and parades – probably Norway’s most cherished holiday. The day begins with a Children’s Parade where almost every student in the district walks either in central Stavanger or their Kommune. Some singing and band playing, but mostly kids walking and reminding all that they are the future of Norway. Many of the students and teachers and watchers are dressed in Norwegian traditional dress, the bunad. The men wear knickers, so Larry felt quite at home.

We watched with Dutch friends and then walked to the school closest to Norwegian friends, met their son and his family and watched the end of some games – potato sack races, stilt walking, etc. Then we enjoyed a delicious lunch at our Norwegian friends, Ellen and Anders, and talked the afternoon away.

The Norwegians were celebrating their Constitution signed on the 17th of May in 1814 at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Norwegians drafted a constitution and at the end of the war before they were ceded from Denmark to Sweden. In the tradeoff they lobbied for some non-monarchy power and achieved some success with their constitution. People told me it was patterned after the Declaration of Independence so I read it – and found few parallels. No separation of church and state (in fact, Jews and Jesuits were prohibited from the country.)

The weather was glorious and even more so as cold and rain were predicted.

Even though it was great fun to adventure in Copenhagen with Melanie Kalman, Ithaca friend and former Ellis Hollow neighbor, and spend a few days in Den Haag, Netherlands, I was happy to return to Stavanger yesterday. Larry had a Hedburg Conference on basin modeling at the Hague and I tagged along. May 5 was Liberation Day in Amsterdam (liberated by the Canadians a few days before the Allies reached Berlin.) The weather was perfect, the city crowded with locals and tourists; the Van Gogh Museum was excellent but packed with Dutch and all the rest of us. We walked and walked around the city, enjoyed a great Indonesian lunch outdoors, took a canal boat ride and then headed, by train, to Sheveningen, a resort city adjacent to Den Haag where we enjoyed a late supper in a restaurant right on the beach facing the North Sea. Sunday was much cooler and we biked 15-20 km to Delft, an idyllic, old, Dutch city and Vermeer’s home. A leaning tower church, small canals, vibrant market and a lovely spirit made the city one of my favorites of this year’s experiences. Larry’s meeting began Sunday afternoon and the weather continued to decline. I biked and toured the town on Monday and Tuesday went to Den Haag and walked all around and visited the Maurithuis Museum and Mesdag, a restored 19th century panorama. Wednesday morning I flew to Copenhagen where I joined Melanie and we wild girls (in our rooms by 9:00 p.m.) enjoyed the city but not the fairly cold and often wet weather. My favorite was a trip to the Louisiana Museum (featuring modern art in a beautiful setting) in nearby Humlebaek, followed by a visit to Karen Blixen’s childhood home where she returned after her African coffee plantation floundered. She added a lovely garden and bird sanctuary to her home right across from the sea. Her excellent paintings, particularly from Africa, were quite a surprise to me. Melanie and I enjoyed some great meals (Spanish tapas, modern Vietnamese and Emmery’s, the best bakery I’ve discovered in Europe and walked and walked. Coming back to Stavanger I enjoyed my first airline bumping when I volunteered to take the direct flight to Stavanger rather than the less expensive Copenhagen/Oslo/Stavanger route and garnered 300 Euros plus about $9 for food while waiting.

Today, Larry and I hiked/walked Veraland (about a half hour away) with Dutch friends – beautiful mountain views, lakes and fjords + lots and lots of sheep. And then we enjoyed the first gin and tonics of the season and grilled out but ate in as the temperature was just about 50 degrees. Very popular here are disposable grills for about $3.00. Just need to buy the marshmallows and find graham crackers for s’mores.

And Ithaca worries about Senior Week ?

RUSS is for Norwegian high school student a month-long celebration of the end of 13 years of school. It began in the last week or so and ends May 17, which is Norway Day, (akin to our July 4.) The following week the students return to school to take their final exams – after a month long party! May 1, Labor Day, another Norwegian holiday, is when the students begin to add Russ knots to their caps denoting what they’ve done from Hallowe’en style pranks to binge drinking and more. Depending on their area of study, students dress in red or blue overalls which they’ve adorned with personal designs (Mac would love that.) I’ve heard from some parents that the practice is declining and others that it is getting worse.

Monday, a number of RUSS students were congregating around Stavanger’s harbor gaping (as were the adults) at the Navigator of the Seas, a 1020 foot long, 138,000 ton cruise ship visiting Stavanger for the day. When I first spotted RUSS girls in Bergen I thought they were members of a ski or football team. Now I know differently.

Delightful Visit from Edna Dugan
On my 5th trip to the airport in Stavanger, Edna finally arrived last Monday – 24 hours later than expected. The weather was Ithacating, but after my emergency trip to the dentist for a fractured tooth (eating gorp) we walked around downtown with Marijke, my Dutch friend and prospective tour guide, who showed us the sights. Tuesday and Wednesday continued rainy/overcast so we walked toVaulen, around Godalen and met Larry at IRIS. Roselyne and Jean Claude came for a glass of wine on Tuesday and we, along with Jenny and Bahram Fathi, went to their house Wednesday evening. Wednesday, Edna and I lunched and toured with Ellen and her sister who once sang and worked with Up With People! The typical Stavanger weather prevented us from doing strenuous, rocky hikes, but we walked lots and Edna met many of our friends. Thursday we went to Bergen and stayed at the historic Solstrand Hotel in a gorgeous setting (reminding me of Lake Louise and Hokkaido) a half-hour south of Bergen. The weather was clearing and we went for a lovely walk along the fjord and swam in the indoor pool, enjoyed a good dinner and even danced a little. We met the owner of the hotel whose late husband studied at Cornell’s Hotel School. Friday we struggled to find where Larry was to go in Bergen, gave up and connected with Willy via cellphone calls. Edna and I walked around Bergen and took the cable car up 300m., enjoyed lunch overlooking the city, walked down and connected with Larry and Willy. Edna departed early Saturday morning and we drove back via Avaldsnes, once the capital of Viking Norway, and still quite rural and Skudneshavn, a lovely sailing coastal town with picturesque homes. Stavanger has enjoyed wonderful sunny weather and blue skies for 5 days in a row!