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Norway Visit December 13-28,1990. My father had received a grant to help establish a Center for Networks and Health in Oslo. My parents spent seven months there. I visited them with my friend, Seth.
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Norway Visit December 13-28,1990 My father had received a grant to help establish a Center for Networks and Health in Oslo. My parents spent seven months there. I visited them with my friend, Seth.
Some things don’t change. First day go to Vigeland Park. “Everything seemed to be in place...The same bird seemed to be perched on top of the same statue as in June (right).”
The most famous statue is the boy having a temper tantrum (left). Across from him is the girl who you can’t tell is crying or laughing.
Among the statues surrounding the Monolith is this of a grandfather with his grandchildren.
“As we walked up the steps leading to the Monolith, Seth spotted two snowball‑packing kids. ‘If you throw those things you’re dead,’ Seth shouted in English. “We made it safely to the Monolith and the statues surrounding it. “On the way back, we were suddenly face‑to‑face with those kids. Perhaps, they did understand Seth’s English. They started to pelt us with snowballs. Ah, a cycle of children’s lives Vigeland didn’t sculpt! “We had to try to defend ourselves ‑‑ and life, liberty and the American way? We did the best we could. After all, we were suffering jet lag, right?
“The snowballs kept coming our way. This event became an attraction as other people with cameras stopped to take pictures of these American adults being pelted with snowballs by two 10‑year old Norwegian boys. Tourists, go figure! “At one point, I had to leave Seth on his own, so I could get in position for a picture of the kids throwing at us. Then a friend of the two boys came by looking for his comrades only to find them engaged in this exciting snowball fight. Naturally, he joined in. At this point, I started shouting at them in Norwegian about the unfairness of this situation. ‘Tre mot to!’ ‘Three against two!’ “Finally, we got close enough to them and made a truce.”
The following Sunday we went to Frognerseteren and Holmenkollen with Eivind and Angela. View of old Holmenkollen jump as we got off the train at Frognerseteren.
“The kids poured out of the trikk with their sleds and toboggans and began hopping on them to challenge the hill. Three girls adorned in Norwegian sweaters crowded onto one sled.”
After eple kake med krem at Frognerseteren Restaurant, we walked down toward Holmenkollen. “Views of either the old or new jump were never far from sight…We saw cross‑country skiers in their knickers, and what looked like a father and son riding a toboggan…Eivind couldn’t remember where the trikk station was, but I did, resulting in some joking about my knowing the area better than they did.”
The next day, Torbjørn took us to Rauland for three days. The center of Rauland is about 150 yards.
It’s finally snowing! In front of Torbjørn and Debbie’s house.
“Debbie was rushing out of the house with Ingrid. Debbie pleaded, ‘You must come to the day care center for the Christmas program before you leave and see Ingrid.’ “The prospect of experiencing a children’s Christmas in a small village in Norway was hard to pass up. “Torbjørn explained that more than Santa Claus, the central figures for Norwegian children are Julenisse (pronounced Yula neesa), Christmas elves. There are good and bad elves. The good elves are dressed in red. Fairy tale legends claim that nisse …moved from living underground to becoming ‘house gods’ in Norwegian homes. They took care of the cattle. The Norwegians fed the nisse well to keep them happy. Porridge was placed in the barn every Christmas Eve.”
“We walked into the day care center and there were all these children dressed in red, wearing what looked like red crepe paper hats tied at the top in a cone shape. The beautiful children, mostly blonde, sat at tables eating porridge, drinking juice and listening to the story of the Julenisse.” Above, Ingrid.
While in Rauland, I was able to arrange an interview with the Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee, which would be hosting the 1994 Olympics. The editor of publications picked me up at the train station and I spent a remarkable four hours with him in Lillehammer.
Though four years away, Lillehammer Olympic flags line this side street leading to the Olympic Center.
Storgata (Main Street) of Lillehammer. Notice the simple Christmas decorations crossing the street.
The Hafjell Alpinesenter, which would host some of the alpine skiing events. “The steep course was surrounded by trees. People were using the slope, including a young boy. Frode mentioned that near the top of the mountain would be the cross‑country trails. The ski jumps would also be nearby.”
In 1969-70, we had become friends with Morris, an American, who had married a Norwegian, Liv. At the time, they had a four-year old daughter, Rachel, and another child about to be born. My parents had found out that they now lived in Bergen on the West Coast, which allowed us to take one of the most beautiful train rides in the world.
“As the ride progresses, the train is going higher and higher in the mountains. The tracks are on narrow roads, winding around curves and through the tunnels. The tunnels are to protect against snow avalanches. One marvels at the engineering that went into building the rail line. The halfway point of the journey is Geilo and the train goes right past the Geilo Hotel, which brought back fond memories.
“Here we spent a long weekend in February 1970... Somewhere in those snowy mountains I was now photographing…I took a reindeer sleigh ride to the Sami camp.”
Finse train station and view. Finse is the highest point on the ride, 1,232 meters above sea level (4,040.96 feet).
. Between Finse and Myrdal
“At Voss, (above) the ride begins to level out as we come down from the mountains and travel along the water of the fjords.”
“Snow covered some of the fjords, more pronounced on some than others.” Evanger on left and just past Dale and into the homestretch to Bergen.
Past Dale. As is usually the case, it rained in Bergen so there are no good pictures from this trip.
