Norway, Day 10
I didn't get this written on June 30 because I was just too tired to do more than brush my teeth after travelling all day yesterday, So I'm typing on the next day instead from my mother-in-law's apartment in Barrie. It's still very early in the morning but of course I'm hopelessly jetlagged & after 20 games of solitaire (trying to bore myself back to sleep) decided to do something productive.
Yesterday started out as yet another hot sunny Oslo day. Rhia & Eivind helped me haul my luggage the kilometer or two from the house to the train station. After another combination of trains & buses (it really helps to have a policy of bringing no more luggage than you can manage & still leave one hand free) I arrived at the airport. There's not much to say, really. The naturally high prices for everything in Norway, coupled with the exhorbitant prices that you usually get subjected to in airports, freed me from the temptation to shop for souvenir gifts.
The trip was uneventful with no missed connections, no surprises. I did get called out at the security checkpoint in Frankfurt to explain my little XO laptop... The very efficient security supervisor, in grey suit & tie, took me to a little room & wanted to know what this is ('It's a special laptop computer developed for children in Third World countries'), where I was going ('Toronto, Canada') & where my trip had begun ('Oslo'). 'Hm,' he said, writing all of this down, 'Oslo, Norway... ' but apparently that was the right answer because he stopped writing, motioned to the door, & told me I was free to go.
Would I choose Norway as a tourist destination? Probably not. For one thing, it's just a bit too similar to Canada so you don't feel you're satisfying the natural desire for novelty when travelling. The sticker shock is another damper. I would not describe the Norwegian people as a whole as outstandingly effusive & warm, although the people we visited specifically were extremely generous & hospitable. So would I visit Norway again? Given the coelescing family ties between Rhia & Eivind, a return visit seems inevitable.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Norway, Day 9
Norway, Day 9
June 29
As planned (totally out of character) we did go to the folk museum today. This is a place that you want to allot plenty of time. For one thing, the museum covers a lot of territory, physically; for another, there is just so much to see. It is kind of like Fort Steele/Barkerville/Ste. Marie among the Hurons etc. & the National Museum of Canada, combined. How do you portray a country with so much extant history?
They have divided the area into a number of villages, sort of, each representing a particular epoch in Norway's history. So they have representive structures from the edge of history, Saami dwellings. And they have structures from the Viking era. And Middle Ages, Renaissance, etc. etc. They have gathered all sorts of structures from all over the country & have reconstructed them here, complete with all the logs and/or boards, furnishings, linens, ... even the graffiti. Once again, it is eerie for someone like me from North America to run my hands over human constructions so old.
Tbe stave church was especially interesting. It dates from about 1200, shortly after Christianity arrived in Norway. It is exceedingly apparent how the church worked to adapt its message and expression to the existing rituals and mythology of Viking-era Norway: the church is decorated with dragons and the peak of the roof looks like a Viking prow.
The other very interesting part for me was the costume exhibit in the museum exhibition area. It's hard to fathom the incredible variety, the sophistication of clothing in this part of the world. For example, if you look at the variety of women's hats alone, you will be dumbfounded: there were separate styles of hats for girls and unmarried women, for a bride on her way to church, for a bride on her way from the church, for a bride on the day after her wedding, for widows, and for unwed mothers.
The other interesting costume phenomenon is the bunad: the national Norwegian women's costume. Maybe I have written about this before. Anyway, apparently there has been incredible variety in women's costumes in Norway; maybe not quite so interesting when viewed over time but certainly when viewed from region to region. The costume starts with a white linen blouse with heavy crossstitch embroidery on the collar & bodice area. Then there is a dark navy woolen dress with a very full skirt, embroidered & weighted around the hem. This is overlaid with an apron which may also be dark navy with hem embroidery or it may be another colour. After this, I kind of lose track. There appears to be a broad embroidered belt or cummerbund or something like that. There is a fair bit of silver dress-jewellery on top of that (especially for a bride). There are special shoes & stockings. And of course a hat as described above.
I mentioned my fascination with all of this when I returned to the home of our hosts tonight. So the daughters showed me their bunads. It is all so complicated & beautiful but what was most impressive was their obvious pride in knowing how to wear it. Apparently the folk dress was almost eclipsed by modern wear around the turn of the last century but Norway was at the time ruled by Sweden & the growing Norwegian nationalism movement revived the significance of wearing the bunad. Obviously it caught on.
Time to head for bed. I have to be up early tomorrow in order to head for the airport in time for my flight out of here.
June 29
As planned (totally out of character) we did go to the folk museum today. This is a place that you want to allot plenty of time. For one thing, the museum covers a lot of territory, physically; for another, there is just so much to see. It is kind of like Fort Steele/Barkerville/Ste. Marie among the Hurons etc. & the National Museum of Canada, combined. How do you portray a country with so much extant history?
They have divided the area into a number of villages, sort of, each representing a particular epoch in Norway's history. So they have representive structures from the edge of history, Saami dwellings. And they have structures from the Viking era. And Middle Ages, Renaissance, etc. etc. They have gathered all sorts of structures from all over the country & have reconstructed them here, complete with all the logs and/or boards, furnishings, linens, ... even the graffiti. Once again, it is eerie for someone like me from North America to run my hands over human constructions so old.
Tbe stave church was especially interesting. It dates from about 1200, shortly after Christianity arrived in Norway. It is exceedingly apparent how the church worked to adapt its message and expression to the existing rituals and mythology of Viking-era Norway: the church is decorated with dragons and the peak of the roof looks like a Viking prow.
The other very interesting part for me was the costume exhibit in the museum exhibition area. It's hard to fathom the incredible variety, the sophistication of clothing in this part of the world. For example, if you look at the variety of women's hats alone, you will be dumbfounded: there were separate styles of hats for girls and unmarried women, for a bride on her way to church, for a bride on her way from the church, for a bride on the day after her wedding, for widows, and for unwed mothers.
The other interesting costume phenomenon is the bunad: the national Norwegian women's costume. Maybe I have written about this before. Anyway, apparently there has been incredible variety in women's costumes in Norway; maybe not quite so interesting when viewed over time but certainly when viewed from region to region. The costume starts with a white linen blouse with heavy crossstitch embroidery on the collar & bodice area. Then there is a dark navy woolen dress with a very full skirt, embroidered & weighted around the hem. This is overlaid with an apron which may also be dark navy with hem embroidery or it may be another colour. After this, I kind of lose track. There appears to be a broad embroidered belt or cummerbund or something like that. There is a fair bit of silver dress-jewellery on top of that (especially for a bride). There are special shoes & stockings. And of course a hat as described above.
I mentioned my fascination with all of this when I returned to the home of our hosts tonight. So the daughters showed me their bunads. It is all so complicated & beautiful but what was most impressive was their obvious pride in knowing how to wear it. Apparently the folk dress was almost eclipsed by modern wear around the turn of the last century but Norway was at the time ruled by Sweden & the growing Norwegian nationalism movement revived the significance of wearing the bunad. Obviously it caught on.
Time to head for bed. I have to be up early tomorrow in order to head for the airport in time for my flight out of here.
Norway, Day 8
Norway, Day 8
June 28
Yes indeed, Rhia & Eivind got home very late (or very early depending on how you look at it) so the day's activities were delayed considerably. This was fine with me: I was up before anybody else for the first time & so had time to catch up on email, do a little reading, & even have a cup of tea without conversation. Georgiana was the next one up so the two of us went for a walk on the pilgrims' path. I am just starting to learn about the tradition of pilgrimage in Europe. Like many other historically Catholic countries (it seems) Norway had a long path suitable for the journeying of pilgrims. It provided a means of demonstrating religious commitment, an opportunity for atonement, and no doubt a way of spiritual retreat for those who found it hard to sit still. This path went from Oslo to Trondheim, a distance of several hundred kilometers. We didn't go the whole way (of course); just a kilometer or so, but it was enough for me to imagine that this would have been on the whole a pretty pleasant thing to do. The forest is beautiful in the summer: lush & green, lots of deciduous trees & birdsong.
Later, we all helped out in the garden for a while where that lush green Norwegian summer growth is more of a deficit than a pleasure. Lots of weeding.
And that was pretty much the day. To tell the truth, I was glad to have a day without spending money. It's interesting how us North Americans get used to the idea that going on holidays often means going to a place where things are cheaper than at home. But in Norway everything costs more, far more. Did I mention that Norway is the richest country in the world? That's what Eivind says & I wouldn't be surprised. I really feel like a [relatively] third world tourist here, complaining about the high price of everything & feeling reluctant to buy so much as a cup of coffee. But no doubt that's how most of our project partners feel when they come to Canada & realize that their money has so little buying power.
Tomorrow we are going to go to the folk museum!
June 28
Yes indeed, Rhia & Eivind got home very late (or very early depending on how you look at it) so the day's activities were delayed considerably. This was fine with me: I was up before anybody else for the first time & so had time to catch up on email, do a little reading, & even have a cup of tea without conversation. Georgiana was the next one up so the two of us went for a walk on the pilgrims' path. I am just starting to learn about the tradition of pilgrimage in Europe. Like many other historically Catholic countries (it seems) Norway had a long path suitable for the journeying of pilgrims. It provided a means of demonstrating religious commitment, an opportunity for atonement, and no doubt a way of spiritual retreat for those who found it hard to sit still. This path went from Oslo to Trondheim, a distance of several hundred kilometers. We didn't go the whole way (of course); just a kilometer or so, but it was enough for me to imagine that this would have been on the whole a pretty pleasant thing to do. The forest is beautiful in the summer: lush & green, lots of deciduous trees & birdsong.
Later, we all helped out in the garden for a while where that lush green Norwegian summer growth is more of a deficit than a pleasure. Lots of weeding.
And that was pretty much the day. To tell the truth, I was glad to have a day without spending money. It's interesting how us North Americans get used to the idea that going on holidays often means going to a place where things are cheaper than at home. But in Norway everything costs more, far more. Did I mention that Norway is the richest country in the world? That's what Eivind says & I wouldn't be surprised. I really feel like a [relatively] third world tourist here, complaining about the high price of everything & feeling reluctant to buy so much as a cup of coffee. But no doubt that's how most of our project partners feel when they come to Canada & realize that their money has so little buying power.
Tomorrow we are going to go to the folk museum!
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