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Newsletter #48 - May 13 to May 20, 1960 |
Newsletter No. 48 NORWAY Greetings, We certainly are enjoying Oslo and have had a very busy day [May 14] getting haircuts, shampoos and general overhaulings for the three of us. Even our "Little Princess" decided to have a flat tire today and we've been informed the tire's inside lining is ruined -- this means another new tire! We've also sent clothes to be cleaned and pressed so we will look a little more presentable for our boat trips. Tonight we had dinner with our new friends who also invited three Norwegians and we had a lovely dinner as well as a friendly evening in a very charming Norwegian home. About midnight we went to watch some very wonderful fireworks' displays which were in celebration of 100 years of service from Oslo's leading newspaper concern.Today, Sunday, [May 15] we did extensive sightseeing. We took a trip to Frogner Park where we saw the Vigeland sculptures done by Gustav Vigeland. He really created a world of human beings and animals in stone, iron, wood and bronze. The layout of these sculptural works covers about 75 acres and comprises 150 sculptural groups which create a motif. The most important features are the wrought-iron gates with a reptile motif; then the bridge comprising 58 bronze groups depicting various phases of human life. These are flanked by four reptile groups in granite. Adjacent to the bronze groups is the Children's Play- ground encircled by nine bronze figures showing the various stages of development of the child - from the embryo to the toddler. The last group is known as the Fountain Group and consists of 60 reliefs and 23 tree groups placed around a gigantic fountain which depicts the life cycle from childhood through adolescence, manhood, old age and death. Around this large and very unusual fountain are black and white mosaic stones which symbolize the journey of life and the entire park is climaxed by a granite obelisk known as the "Monolith". The "Monolith" is 50 feet high and is made of 121 figures shown in a struggle to reach the light. This unique column is surrounded by 36 large granite groups like the spokes of a wheel. It is said this Life Wheel which forms the concluding groups of motifs in the central axis is one of Vigeland's most challenging works. This work took Vigeland thirty years to complete and is really a tremendous achievement for which the city of Oslo can be justly proud. Our sightseeing today also included seeing the many buildings of the University of Oslo, the lovely Oslo City Hall which was formally opened in 1950 and is quite beautiful. We also saw Akershus Castle which stands on the top of the rocky promontory with slender towers which greet visitors who sail into Oslo. This is very similar to our Statue of Liberty and effects visitors to Oslo as does our own Statue when visitors enter the harbor of New York. Akershus Castle is one of Norway's most venerable, medieval monuments and was built by King Haakon V in 1300 and was used as a royal residence. It has often been restored and redecorated. At present, the castle is used for important state occasions. In the harbor we saw hundreds
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of interesting ships from many countries. However, we especially enjoyed seeing the Windjammer named "Christian Radich" which was the very one we saw in the cinerama called "Windjammer" and she is a very beautiful ship. Today's jaunts also took us out of town to the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. This ski jump is high in the hills and here you have a spectacular view of Oslo. We then went on to several areas along the Oslo fiord. We left this morning [May 16] for our trip to Bergen. Since only one road is open north to this city, we must travel 4½ hours by a ferry which leaves at 8:30 each morning. In order to catch the ferry, we had to drive about 225 miles over gravel roads which were quite narrow and winding the entire distance as we were up and down mountains all the way. I wish I knew how to describe the drive we had today as it was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. The natural elements of nature have been untouched and the magnificent terrain makes you realize how insignificant we really are. During the entire trip we've marveled at the beauties God has created for us to enjoy. However, we both feel God was especially kind to Norway as he gave this country such an abundance of magnificent scenery. We went- through towns such as Honefoss, Gjovik, Vang, Fagernes and tonight we're in Lærdalsøyri - the town where we take the ferry for 4½ hours to Gudvangen on the Sognefiord. Lærdalsøyri is often called "Norway's Hot House" because of its dry climate. This is because the town is between two very steep mountains at the head of the Sognefiord. The Laerdal River is to be the best salmon river in the world and nearby we saw the Borgund Stave Church which was built before 1150 and is considered one of Norway's finest. The trip today along the fjord was even more spectacular than yesterday's drive. This morning we were awakened and could see the lovely falls of which Laerdal has many. The falls were right outside our window as the mountain really seams you in. We met two most interesting Americans from Iowa at the hotel last night and drank cokes together until very late. Today, we continued our conversation for 4½ more hours on the boat. Today [May 17] is Norway's largest celebration of the year - May 17th - Independence Day. We certainly enjoyed the villagers having a gay time in their native costumes and the flags and decorations. The two towns known as Vinje and Voss, which are surrounded by lakes and mountains, were quite colorful places with the inhabitants of these communities strolling the streets enjoying themselves. We later went on to Granvin which begins the famous Hardangerfjord. Here we began to see scenery and sights of unrivalled beauty with thundering waterfalls by the scores and glaciers plus awe inspiring mountains. I certainly need a dictionary full of descriptive adjectives to express the grandeur of today's trip from Laerdal to Bergen as it was certainly a thrilling sight on each curve of the road. It was certainly a piece of luck that we reserved our hotels for the remainder of our trip as Bergen is jammed with people and we're sure many found no place to stay. This second largest city of Norway is
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Today [May 18] we visited Fantoft Stave Church which is a typical Norwegian monument. At the beginning of the 19th century there were 180 of these stave churches and today only 28 remain. These ingenious churches date back to the early days of Christianity in Norway and are among the finest architectural achievements of Norway. They are the result of excellent craftsmanship, age-long experience in handling wood as a building material, never-failing artistic sense and deep, religious feeling. The ornamentation of these churches of worship is of fine wood carving and it was of a very high standard during this era of their construction. The motifs used were usually animals and leaves. This city of Bergen has wonderful, harmonious examples of medieval, Renaissance and strikingly modern architecture. We enjoyed seeing the oldest building in Bergen which is the Mariakirken or St. Mary's Church as well as the Bergen Hus, which was once a castle fortress and a prized Bergen example of 13th century architecture. The old wooden warehouses - long and narrow - jammed close to each other so that air and sunlight can enter only through tiny slits - are picturesque as well as a good idea of Bergen's by-gone times and are known as Bryggen. These old warehouses are along the quay. Today we also visited Bergen's well-known fish market - "Torget" - where we saw the thousand-year old scene of thrifty housewives negotiating for their daily supply of fish from the fishermen who caught the fish only a few hours before. All these scenes of early Hanseatic times with the complex pattern of wharves, warehouses, cottages, office buildings and narrow lanes are the unmistakable trademark of interesting Bergen. The highlight of our visit in Bergen was seeing our friend, Dr. Finn Birkeland, of Bergen who was one of our traveling companions on the "Ellen Bakke" - our ship between Hong Kong and Australia. He entertained us at his home and treated us royally after which we embarked on our present home for the next twelve days - the ship "Sanct Svithun". We have a very comfortable stateroom, a roomy lounge, plenty of deck space and a lovely dining room. Today [May 19] is the end of another newsletter week as well as the end of our first day upon our ship-home. We have discovered we have very congenial and interesting travel companions from England, Scotland, Australia, Norway, Sweden and the United States. Unfortunately, we had a rather rough first night's sailing and a rocky morning. This caused a few women passengers to be in "bad straits" but by lunch things seemed normal. |
We stopped at a port called Alesund which is built on three islands and is the home of the largest fishing fleet in Norway. Here we took a several-hour walk about the town and were then back to sea on our floating hotel where we had a delicious lunch. After several more hours at sea, we stopped at "Molde", known as the "Town of the Roses". This town was burned to the ground in 1916, later rebuilt and then bombed to destruction by the Germans in 1940. It has now been rebuilt and is once again one of the most delightful holiday resorts in. Norway with superb vistas across the fiord to the Romsdal mountains with their 87 peaks. We left Molde by motor coach and ferry to Kristiansund (thus avoiding one of the rough, open-sea passages) which is known as the Venice of Norway. Kristiansund is also built on several islands and uses "water taxis" as Venice uses gondolas. This is Norway's largest trawler port as well as having the distinction of 60$ of the clip-fish exported from Norway passing through its town. The clip-fish is dried in the sun and wind on the rocks around the town and is also processed in modern electrical drying plants. Tonight we had our dinner at the "Grand Hotel" in Kristiansund and it was delicious as well as beautifully served. After dinner, a woman's name was selected and she became the "Queen of the Clip-Fish" and was crowned by our tour guide. She was also presented with a large, dried clip-fish which added to the enjoyment of our first day. We later rejoined our ship and sailed at 10 P.M. At present, the water is calm and I'm hoping we have a calm night. It is now after midnight and light enough to read on deck. However, I think I'll retire soon as this sea air makes me sleepy. So, until tomorrow and another week at sea, I'll sign off and enjoy the relaxation and invigorating life aboard a ship. Fondest regards to all, Meredith & Charlotte
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