Glaciers, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and Autumn colored trees. Beautiful!
Showing posts with label Norway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Norway. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Heading to Sweden...
Tomorrow morning we leave for Sweden to meet up with our friend Joakim. I (Craig) shared a room with him on our trip to Kenya a few years ago. I remember him as a very humorous Swed. We look forward to visiting our friend. Mariella and I will be taking a train to Oslo then to Gothenburg, Sweden (about ten hours). The travel book describes the train ride from Bergen to Oslo as a “seven-hour journey past forests, alpine villages and starkly beautiful Hardangervidda plateau. The train climbs 600m through tundra-like landscape of high lakes and snow-capped mountains.” We are excited about soaking in more rugged Norwegian beauty from a train window, but we are saddened by the thought of saying goodbye to our friends Jon Andre and Crystal.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A Trip to the Family Village
Crystal took us on another road trip today. This time we met her husband’s grandparents who live in a village called Andvik, named after their family-what the heck? The family owns a huge chunk of land in the village. The land includes hundreds of acres of breathtaking mountains surrounded by a valley that best resembles a mini Yosemite, complete with its own waterfall, creeks, and trout filled lakes that drain into the fjord, also on their land. Oh, and there is an airstrip that some uncles use to operate their micro light airplanes (single man airplanes). The house sits yards away from an arm of the fjord and looks out to a large stream fed by another huge waterfall. Amazing! The more time we spend in this area of the world the more I am taken back by the creativity of our Creator. This is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, knocking off the South Island of New Zealand, which holds a close second place. Bergen and the surrounding area is an amazing blend of human infrastructure and rugged nature. After a day of exploring we get mentally and physically exhausted from trying to take in the grandeur of this land. On our way to the Andvik village we fished a fresh water lake, but caught nothing. No fish were even seen in the water, so we moved on and fished part of the fjord. I was able to land one mackerel from the shore. We will add the fish to our evening dinner for tomorrow. Grandpa and Grandma Andvik shared awesome, strong coffee, cake, lefse (a thin, sweet bread with butter and brown sugar inside), and conversation with us (Crystal did a great job translating). I asked Grandpa how long his family had lived in the area. It was so long ago that he didn’t even know when the land was first settled. Grandpa figured it was hundreds of years ago, more than he could count. It will be difficult to leave this beautiful setting in the coming days.
A Sunny Afternoon!
Yesterday we took advantage of the final hours of the sunny day, and went out on the sailboat to soak up the sun. We did a little fishing as well. Mariella caught one Mackerel and I caught two. Unfortunately, one of my fish escaped as I attempted to fill up the fish bucket with more sea water. We will cook the fish for dinner tonight (Tuesday). Crystal (whom we are staying with) completed another quarter of her master degree program. We celebrated with turkey sandwiches, Sprite and cookies as we floated along in the fjord.
Mariella and I are really blessed by spending time with Crystal. We frequently discuss the joys and challenges that accompany a marriage relationship. We are experiencing transformation as we are transparent before each other and God about our marital successes and challenges. We find that our discussions are bringing about much needed change and growth. Just last night we had a candlelit discussion, really it was more like a counseling session, Maryanne you would’ve enjoyed this, she pretty much did what you did when we were living with you guys-pretty awesome, she Crystal’s husband returns today from his two weeks of work out on an oil rig. We look forward to meeting him.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Road Trip to Hellesoy
Yesterday we went on a little road trip to Hellesoy. The sun was out and it is beautiful here. On the way out of town we went to the Bergen food festival. We enjoyed some Norwegian pancakes with jam and sour cream, crepes also with jam and sour cream, fresh cheese, and bratwurst wrapped in a tortilla like bun and sprinkled with fried onions-oh yeah super good. After tasting some food and walking around, we drove out to the open ocean. We went over many bridges and tunnels, island after island until we reached the open ocean. We planned on fishing from the point, but unfortunately the wind was too strong. We drove back to Crystals place to watch the sunset from her balcony. The last ships of the day were leaving port and a paraglider was being pulled into the air by a boat. The paraglider would detach from the rope and catch the jet streams to float over the fjord. Mariella and I walked down to the fjord this morning to soak in the rare sunny day. Included are some photos of the nearby waters.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Fishing Trip
Saturday, September 12, 2009
So, the fishing trip was great fun and surreal, we were in an absolutely majestic landscape. A handful of fish were caught, but not nearly as many as expected. I fished with Trygve and Asle, Trygve is Crystal’s neighbor and he invited me to go fishing just last night. We set out a massive line composed of over 100 hooks…we caught about five fish and kept three, one of the ones thrown out was poisonous. The fishing was slow, but the scenery was mind-boggling. We fished below Asle’s parents house. The pictures are of the village where he grew up and where we fished. After baiting all the hooks we took the small boat out into the fjord to drop the line. After setting the line we trolled back to the dock and went up to the house for a cup of coffee and some greute (rice and milk-Norway’s version of oatmeal). After a couple hours we went back out to pull up the line. The fish were cleaned and will be smoked. After fishing we drove down the road to find out if Axle’s father had a successful deer hunt. It turns out his dad and friends shot more deer (eight) than we caught fish (five). I guess we should have gone hunting instead of fishing.
F.Y.I.:Dead deer are shown in the slide show. If your a Bambi lover you may not want to look at the photos.
So, the fishing trip was great fun and surreal, we were in an absolutely majestic landscape. A handful of fish were caught, but not nearly as many as expected. I fished with Trygve and Asle, Trygve is Crystal’s neighbor and he invited me to go fishing just last night. We set out a massive line composed of over 100 hooks…we caught about five fish and kept three, one of the ones thrown out was poisonous. The fishing was slow, but the scenery was mind-boggling. We fished below Asle’s parents house. The pictures are of the village where he grew up and where we fished. After baiting all the hooks we took the small boat out into the fjord to drop the line. After setting the line we trolled back to the dock and went up to the house for a cup of coffee and some greute (rice and milk-Norway’s version of oatmeal). After a couple hours we went back out to pull up the line. The fish were cleaned and will be smoked. After fishing we drove down the road to find out if Axle’s father had a successful deer hunt. It turns out his dad and friends shot more deer (eight) than we caught fish (five). I guess we should have gone hunting instead of fishing.
F.Y.I.:Dead deer are shown in the slide show. If your a Bambi lover you may not want to look at the photos.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Happy Saturday Morning
Hello friends. It is Saturday morning at 7:50 am. The weather in Bergen is overcast and rainy. Looks like a perfect day to go fishing in the cold rain. A neighbor has invited me to go fishing out on the fjord. Should be fun and wet. Blessings, Craig
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Road Trip with Crystal
I am not sure guys, Norway might take the cake so far. Sure it rains a lot and there are crazy wind storms, Craig and I saw a little child's inflatable pool with palm tree attached fly right by the kitchen window the other day. Still, it's an absolutely gorgeous place.
Yesterday, Crystal took us on a road trip, this girl doesn't mess around, we were on the road for 11 hours, going from place to place. Craig took way too many pictures as usual, but I really couldn't blame him, there were waterfalls everywhere and it was amazing. In order to give you the true details of this trip I will need to wait to have Crystal spell out all the names of the places we visited, but I can tell you we stopped at two fjords and two giant waterfalls, one of which we walked behind-yeah behind the waterfall. Craig nearly was in tears because we failed to bring along the fishing rod and there were great fishing spots everywhere. I think of the places we've visited so far, this might be Craig's favorite. Why? All you really need is fresh air, fish, lakes, rivers or other bodies of water, and mountains to climb. It's definitely his most suited habitat, the man becomes a different person in nature. It's funny actually because most of you know him to be a pretty ...how do you say...laid back, mellow, sometimes-difficult-to-record-a-heartbeat-kind-of-guy. Well, just take this guy into nature and he really comes alive, it makes me so happy to see him like that and it was great to have had Crystal witness it all.
Yesterday, Crystal took us on a road trip, this girl doesn't mess around, we were on the road for 11 hours, going from place to place. Craig took way too many pictures as usual, but I really couldn't blame him, there were waterfalls everywhere and it was amazing. In order to give you the true details of this trip I will need to wait to have Crystal spell out all the names of the places we visited, but I can tell you we stopped at two fjords and two giant waterfalls, one of which we walked behind-yeah behind the waterfall. Craig nearly was in tears because we failed to bring along the fishing rod and there were great fishing spots everywhere. I think of the places we've visited so far, this might be Craig's favorite. Why? All you really need is fresh air, fish, lakes, rivers or other bodies of water, and mountains to climb. It's definitely his most suited habitat, the man becomes a different person in nature. It's funny actually because most of you know him to be a pretty ...how do you say...laid back, mellow, sometimes-difficult-to-record-a-heartbeat-kind-of-guy. Well, just take this guy into nature and he really comes alive, it makes me so happy to see him like that and it was great to have had Crystal witness it all.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sailing
Monday, September 7th 2009
Yesterday we went for a sail on the local fjord. We experienced a variety of weather. We were thankful for a strong wind which made for good sailing. It was sunny at times and windy and rainy at others. The weather changed frequently and we were blessed with witnessing the beauty of rainbows as the sun and rained intermingled to produce a beautiful landscape. It would rain and I would get soaking wet then the sun would come and I would dry out then it would rain some more. Mariella took shelter in the cabin when the rain became too heavy. Crystal remained comfortable while wearing her nice boiler suit, protecting her from the wind and rain.
We putted away from the dock using the motor then used wind power once we left the shelter of the cove. After sailing for a while I wanted to give fishing a try. While sailing the main body of the fjord I let out a trolling line. The line was in the water for about an hour and we hooked no fish. We decided to sail up a smaller channel where we finally got into some fish. We caught a bunch of mackerel. Mariella and took turns fishing. In the end we hooked eight fish and landed six. We were the only sailboat out on the water the entire day. I guess the other Norwegian sailors did not want to brave the unwelcoming weather. After a day of sailing and fishing we docked the boat and drove up the street to Crystals in-laws. They treated us to hot coffee and a pancake snack. Crystals father-in-law offered to clean the fish and her mother-in-law started frying them. Two hours after landing the fish we were eating batter fried Mackerel. What a great day!
Yesterday we went for a sail on the local fjord. We experienced a variety of weather. We were thankful for a strong wind which made for good sailing. It was sunny at times and windy and rainy at others. The weather changed frequently and we were blessed with witnessing the beauty of rainbows as the sun and rained intermingled to produce a beautiful landscape. It would rain and I would get soaking wet then the sun would come and I would dry out then it would rain some more. Mariella took shelter in the cabin when the rain became too heavy. Crystal remained comfortable while wearing her nice boiler suit, protecting her from the wind and rain.
We putted away from the dock using the motor then used wind power once we left the shelter of the cove. After sailing for a while I wanted to give fishing a try. While sailing the main body of the fjord I let out a trolling line. The line was in the water for about an hour and we hooked no fish. We decided to sail up a smaller channel where we finally got into some fish. We caught a bunch of mackerel. Mariella and took turns fishing. In the end we hooked eight fish and landed six. We were the only sailboat out on the water the entire day. I guess the other Norwegian sailors did not want to brave the unwelcoming weather. After a day of sailing and fishing we docked the boat and drove up the street to Crystals in-laws. They treated us to hot coffee and a pancake snack. Crystals father-in-law offered to clean the fish and her mother-in-law started frying them. Two hours after landing the fish we were eating batter fried Mackerel. What a great day!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Hiking around Bergen
Sunday, September 6th 2009
Yesterday Crystal took us on a long hike. There was no driving to the trail head. We just walked out the front door down the street and started up a mountain. We hike a couple of the mountains surrounding the city of Bergen. We were rewarded with great views of the city, sea and nearby islands. We walked past a WWII fort which the Nazis built. We also picked some fresh blueberries, which Crystal is making pancakes with this morning. Mariella slid down a rock on the hike and scraped up her arm. She is ok. After hiking from Crystals place to the city we took the bus to return home. Today we are planning on taking the sailboat out to see some fjords. The weather is overcast with frequent showers. This is typical weather for Bergen. Here are some photos.
Yesterday Crystal took us on a long hike. There was no driving to the trail head. We just walked out the front door down the street and started up a mountain. We hike a couple of the mountains surrounding the city of Bergen. We were rewarded with great views of the city, sea and nearby islands. We walked past a WWII fort which the Nazis built. We also picked some fresh blueberries, which Crystal is making pancakes with this morning. Mariella slid down a rock on the hike and scraped up her arm. She is ok. After hiking from Crystals place to the city we took the bus to return home. Today we are planning on taking the sailboat out to see some fjords. The weather is overcast with frequent showers. This is typical weather for Bergen. Here are some photos.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Arrived Safely In Bergen
Just want to make a quick update. We arrived last night to Bergen, Norway. We flew from Amsterdam to Copenhagen to Bergen. Our friend Crystal welcomed us at the airport. We are looking out their window to the ocean and a large island. Sailboats are cruising the fjord as the sun is out today(a rarity). We hope to go on an evening sail tonight on Crystal and Jon Andres' (Crystals Husband) 30 ft. sailboat. We are excited about soaking up the beautiful landscape. I assume the area is much like that in Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada. Unfortunately Jon Andre is working for the next two weeks out at sea on an oil rig. Crystal is graciously hosting us.
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