OUR LAST WEEK IN NORWAY

A week ago today we returned to Kristiansund from our cruise and our Easter weekend in Lillehammer. Now I need to sum up these past days into one session of this blog as I want to be up to date when we leave Norway tomorrow morning. Our flight leaves here at 6:30 so we need to be out of the house by 5. Maybe I won't bother going to bed!

We were up early last Monday and left Lillehammer by 5:45. It was a lovely morning drive, little traffic, beautiful mountain scenery with the sun shining on the snowy peaks. We stopped for a picture of a Stave church. Howard and Todd posed for a picture on the railroad tracks by the side of the highway. A train came along just a few minutes later!

We were back in Kristiansund by 1:00 pm, stopped for groceries, had lunch, unpacked and had a relaxing rest of the day. It was back to work for Kristy and Todd on Tuesday.

We had a new experience this week when we took part in a demonstration! Residents of Kristiansund and surrounding area gathered at the hospital where the minister of health was speaking. The government has plans to close the maternity and surgery wards in Kristiansund and move them to Molde, over an hour away. Both cities are about the same size, in the 25,000 range. Todd got time off work to attend so we went along, he wearing his work clothes and a lime green tee shirt picturing a robber making off with a new born baby in a bundle. A band played and an 80's rock singer from the city sang a special song for the occasion. It was a peaceful demonstration that showed the feelings the people have about keeping their hospital.

On Thursday we had a visit from Odd Bjorn and Else Langvik, who live on the next island. Since our last visit the ferry has been replaced by a tunnel so their trip takes much less time now. They are planning another trip to the US this fall and will take in a day at Host Fest(much too short!)

Todd and Howard enjoyed an evening at the circus! They thought the adults got more out of it than the kids in the big tent. There were no large animals, but the antics of a horse, several cats, a mule and a mountain goat kept them entertained. Acrobats from Las Vegas, the Ukraine and the Czech republic impressed them too. They ended their boys night out by playing a few games of pool and Howard won those.

The Spare Bank celebrated 175 years in business in Kristiansund last weekend. We enjoyed the coffee and bløt kake served on Sat. morning, the choir competition on the street downtown and the acapella choir concert at Kirkeland Kirke on Sunday afternoon.

We also had a chance to shop at an outdoor market with lefse, fish, svelle, cheese and handmade articles for sale by local vendors. I bought a pair of red earrings and red Norwegian hand knit mittens. Howard got jeans at a bargain price at one of the local stores - regular price was 1000 kroner, on sale for 100. That's less than $20 Cdn. Good thing he got such a buy so I could spend the savings on a purple sweater and shell! Kristy says purple is the in color this spring so I will fit right in, at least in Norway!

On Saturday night we had an early birthday supper for Todd, who will be 33 on April 15. He cooked the lutefisk, we made lefse that morning and had meatballs and gravy plus potatoes and cooked carrots. I brought a Duncan Hines lemon cake mix from home so he had his favorite cake and ice cream for dessert. We ordered his gift before we left so hope it's there when we get home - a set of DVD's of the highlights of the Vancouver Olympics.

We were able to watch several games of the Mens World Curling from Italy. I guess we had better coverage than Canada did! The final wasn't a thriller, but we were happy that Canada won against Norway.

On Sunday evening we went to the After 7 service at the church. Kristy and Todd were in charge of the supper this time. The lasagne and tossed salad went over well with the group. It is an attempt to reach people who are not from Norway - immigrants and refugees make up most of the group. There were several young women from Africa. They gather for a meal, someone presents a topic of interest and they close with an informal worship service. It is a way to reach people who would not attend a regular church service because of language or other barriers.

We walked downtown every day so got our daily exercise. My favorite store this time was a little souvenir shop run by Erling. He had been to Canada when he was in the navy and could speak English quite well. I bought several figurines for the grandchildren at his store. They are made by "Candy", a company in Oslo.

The suitcases are packed and weighed. I left a few clothes behind so we could make room for gifts and other purchases. Now I better get to bed so I can better endure the four flights taking us home tomorrow. It has been a great holiday and it has been fun to share our special times with you in this blog. The next chapter will be written from Canada!! God natt. ( and Happy 13th Anniversary to Laurel and Greg. See you tomorrow night!)