Tour of Norway
We spent Sunday in the company of Edrund and Jan Olaison and Peter and Barbara. All are members of ITHF and Edrund and Jan already had the other two (from Australia) as houseguests and so they arranged for us to stay with another Rotarian couple just down the road from them: Ingrid and Per.
What great people they all are!
Edrund has a large passenger van so the 6 of us headed up towards some fjords and mountains. 15 minutes south of the summit we stopped for lunch at another couple's house where they served us traditional Norwegian pancakes with cream and jam followed by cake and chocolates. All this while we watched the river flowing next to their house and listened to songbirds serenade us. They live in a paradise here. The river has cut a charming pond into a section of their property where it pools and where they catch fish. The local beavers have been discouraged from feeding on the silver birches by chicken wire wound around the trunks. Birhouses abound and we were told they've had mockingbirds visit.
Next stop was the summit. As promised, there was still snow on the ground and the wind was fierce with a biting chill. the Aussie's enjoyed the snow but you know, we're pretty familiar with it so it wasn't a huge thrill. Even so, i took a break on a stone bench sitting nearby and looked out on the panorama spread before me. It was gorgeous.
On our way down, we stopped to let a yearling moose cross the road before us and disappear into the forest on the other side.
We stopped for coffee by the side of fjord which was near an important WW2 site. During the war, the Norwegians had a heavy water plant and heavy water is a moderator for nuclear reaction (or something like that). Anyway, it's a necessary component. To prevent it from falling into enemy hands, the Norwegian Resistance disabled the plant but first had to send men down one side of the fjord, across and up the other side. today you can cross on a bridge. If you saw the vertical granite walls of this fjord, and the treacherous water at the bottom, well, you would realize what an incredible feat this was.
What great people they all are!
Edrund has a large passenger van so the 6 of us headed up towards some fjords and mountains. 15 minutes south of the summit we stopped for lunch at another couple's house where they served us traditional Norwegian pancakes with cream and jam followed by cake and chocolates. All this while we watched the river flowing next to their house and listened to songbirds serenade us. They live in a paradise here. The river has cut a charming pond into a section of their property where it pools and where they catch fish. The local beavers have been discouraged from feeding on the silver birches by chicken wire wound around the trunks. Birhouses abound and we were told they've had mockingbirds visit.
Next stop was the summit. As promised, there was still snow on the ground and the wind was fierce with a biting chill. the Aussie's enjoyed the snow but you know, we're pretty familiar with it so it wasn't a huge thrill. Even so, i took a break on a stone bench sitting nearby and looked out on the panorama spread before me. It was gorgeous.
On our way down, we stopped to let a yearling moose cross the road before us and disappear into the forest on the other side.
We stopped for coffee by the side of fjord which was near an important WW2 site. During the war, the Norwegians had a heavy water plant and heavy water is a moderator for nuclear reaction (or something like that). Anyway, it's a necessary component. To prevent it from falling into enemy hands, the Norwegian Resistance disabled the plant but first had to send men down one side of the fjord, across and up the other side. today you can cross on a bridge. If you saw the vertical granite walls of this fjord, and the treacherous water at the bottom, well, you would realize what an incredible feat this was.
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