We set foot on Norwegian soil for the first time today. A
very interesting tidbit was discovered by my family member, Øyvind,
in Stavanger today…It was exactly one hundred years ago this month (May of
1916) that my Grandmother’s Father and Aunt set sail for the USA heading for
North Dakota. How fortuitous that we are returning exactly a century later.
We got off the ship early and explored the city a bit (a
free, strong WiFi signal at Starbucks was hard to resist). We then moved on the
the Cathedral (built in 1125…Wow!! I talked to our children about the fact that
no building built in the USA stands intact in its entirety for five hundred
years after the date of construction of the cathedral). The stone work on the
exterior had a pagan feel, but also resembled the architecture of other
cathedrals in Europe (Notre Dame, etc.). The interior was preserved in
excellent condition. The alter and other epitaphs around the church were carved
in the late 1600s…amazing!!! We took a ton of pictures and walked around the
city for a while until time to meet my cousin, Øyvind. He took us on a fantabulous
walking tour…we very much appreciated his hospitality and enjoyed meeting him
so much. We journeyed up to Vaaland tower for some phenomenal views of the
city. Øyvind shared some Norwegian snacks with
us. We walked back down toward the sea and stopped at the high school his wife,
Tone, teaches at for restroom breaks…haha. She teaches math and physic. We very
much enjoyed meeting her, and Haley enjoyed touring a Norwegian high school.
When we made our way back down to the ship, we walked through Gamli Stavanger (“Old
Stavanger”). It was so cozy and quaint. The streets were all cobblestone and
the homes were beautiful, little, picturesque cottages. We have never seen a
village so dainty and perfect! We said our goodbyes to Øyvind and boarded the
ship for a fantastic dinner (except for Carmie, hers sucked) and a short
journey to Ålesund. Many thanks to Øyvind and Tone for their hospitality and
kindness. We very much enjoyed meeting them and have re-connected with family
that we will forever appreciate!!
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