Nine Years in Norway

An American's Reflections

Celebrating

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A week ago Saturday there were hints of the sun appearing from behind the clouds. I had a birthday also making an appearance soon, and Jan and I grabbed the opportunity to head into Bergen for a couple hours of celebrating and hanging out in Bryggen, followed by a fantastic meal at one of our favorite traditional Norwegian restaurants, Bryggeloftet & Stuene, that “…has an extensive and varied menu offering a wide choice of fish and game dishes based on Norwegian traditions.”

September 12, 2015 - celebrating!

Our conversation while surrounded by the history of Bryggen, and then the perfect meal, was the best way to celebrate the beginning of a new year. And what a year it’s going to be: One of change with two weddings, three new grandbabies … and a move!

Where will we be moving? Stay tuned….

Statsraad Lehmkuhl: leaving the Bergen Harbor

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This week I have had the most fun reliving our short fjord journey as I went through my photos and edited the videos. I’d thought to have a complete “sail trip” post today, but decided it really needs to be broken up even more to avoid a ridiculously long post that would be difficult for anyone to follow. So, today’s photos and short video are about leaving the Bergen Harbor and entering Byfjorden: the beginning of our trip south on the inner fjord waters around Bergen.

As she began to move, I walked from starboard to port and back again, setting my camera on the rail, snapping and recording, capturing the experience of this large ship backing slowly out of her berth and turning about 220 degrees to face the mouth of the harbor and begin the journey. It was so gentle and slow, I had a hard time believing we were moving; of course that makes sense, as there can’t be any heavy waves or wake in a harbor, but the reality was even more quietly intense than I’d expected. The underwater propellers made interesting patterns on the surface of the water (which I was able to capture in the video).

I remember looking at the people standing and watching us, thinking what it must be like for them to see this large ship back and gracefully turn. Perhaps they were a little envious of those of us on board?

After turning, I took one final shot towards Bryggen, with the Fløibanen tracks rising up Fløyen, and Ulriken’s tower barely visible past the rigging.

August 20, 2014 – leaving the Bergen Harbor

 

We began to move forward towards Bergenhus Fortress.

August 20, 2014 – leaving the Bergen Harbor

 

Another Tall Ship, the Oosterschelde schooner out of Rotterdam, was in port. (Her history is interesting; originally built in 1918, she’s flown many flags, transported several different types of cargo, been completely restored to her original state, and made two around-the-world journeys with the last one ending this past May.)

August 20, 2014 – leaving the Bergen Harbor

 

Staying on the starboard side, I took a few photos of Bergenhus Fortress. First Rosenkrantz Tower had her side portrait captured.

August 20, 2014 – leaving the Bergen Harbor

 

Then is was Haakon’s Hall’s turn for its photo op.

August 20, 2014 – leaving the Bergen Harbor

 

All together now!

August 20, 2014 – leaving the Bergen Harbor

 

Moving over to the port side, I snapped a few images as we approached Nordnesparken at the mouth of the Harbor, and saw the spot where I’d stood during the Tall Ships Races 2014 Parade of Sails.

August 20, 2014 – leaving the Bergen Harbor

August 20, 2014 – leaving the Bergen Harbor

 

And then we were in Byfjorden and picking up speed as we headed towards the bridge to Askøy and beyond.

August 20, 2014 – leaving the Bergen Harbor

 

Jan and I went below deck for the shrimp and herring meal. We sat with a couple from Germany, and between their English and Jan’s German, we enjoyed getting to know them and a little of their travels (they come to Norway every summer) while sailing through Byfjorden.

Please join us as we begin our trip; here are few highlights!

 

After eating I went back up on deck. The huge cruise liner that had been in port had just passed us. She’d left her berth near the mouth of the harbor (seen in the video) after we had traveled by, but moved a bit faster. We’d traveled under one bridge and were headed for another. And my camera was out to capture it all! Tomorrow I’ll share an overview of my impressions of “motoring” through the fjord — and next weekend, a few specific moments. I hope you’ll accompany me through my words and images! 🙂

Bergen Tall Ships 2014 “Parade of Sails”

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This morning and early afternoon, Jan and I went into Bergen to watch the Tall Ships leave the harbor and begin their “Parade of Sails” as they gathered for the next leg of their race, this time to Esbjerg, Denmark.

The weather was gorgeous … to begin with. And then the skies darkened a bit, the wind picked up, and the rain moved in. We were soaked by the time we left, but that kind of fits the idea of being on one of the beautiful ships and experiencing the wind-and-sea-water splash to your face, doesn’t it?

We began the day on the opposite side of the Harbor from where I was on Wednesday, in the same spot I took my photo for my “paintings and photographs – Bergen” post:

July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"

My perspective!

We were there for about thirty minutes. Although none had their sails up yet, it was exciting to be so close to the ships as they passed.

July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"

 

After feeling up-close-and-personal, we moved to Nordnesparken (standing here), where we could see the ships further out in Byfjorden after they had left the Harbor:

July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"

A few of the Tall Ships, and many pleasure boaters, military frigates, fire and police boats, and other official harbor boats out in Byfjorden.

From my vantage point, I could see families gathered in the warm sunshine: swimming, grilling, taking photos. I watched the waves hit the area after a larger ship had passed by. And I saw it empty out as the rain began to fall.

July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"

 

To my right, with Sandviken in the background, I could see the ships as they left the Harbor and entered Byfjorden, some with full or partial sails flying in all their glory, a few with their crew standing at the railings, one with the crew singing a sea chanty, and all of them proud and beautiful.

July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"

 

Out in the fjord, as the rain moved in the clarity of the far-away ships disintegrated even more than the rain-fuzzy details of the ships as they left the harbor … but I was still fairly pleased with the photos I captured during the two hours we were there.

July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
cindi-keller_2014-07-27_12.38.27_tall-ships_bb
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"

 

And then it was time to slosh our way back to our car … except I kept stopping to grab “just one more!!!!”

July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"
July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"

 

Our ride home took us out of the rain to beautiful sun … but the rain clouds followed us, and I captured one lone sailboat on our fjord, doing its own version of “Parade of Sails” as the rain clouds bore down.

July 27, 2014 - Tall Ships "Parade of Sails"

 

(Obviously I wasn’t entirely truthful at the end of my last post when I wrote “Next up: a post featuring the Statsraad Lemkuhl.” That one is coming soon — but I decided that this one is more timely and exciting!)

The Tall Ships Races 2014: Wednesday and Thursday in Bergen

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The Tall Ships Races 2014 is in Bergen!

These beautiful sailing ships raced from Harlingen, The Netherlands to Fredrikstad, Norway from July 3rd through 6th. My blogging friend Dina was invited to join the ships out of Fredrikstad as they began the leisurely leg of the Tall Ships experience towards Bergen. She has a wonderful post with photos as they left Fredrikstad; it’s fascinating to see these gorgeous ships as they’re meant to be, out on the water. Go ahead and visit her (but please come back!) … I’ll wait. 🙂

The journey from Fredrikstad to Bergen was the “Cruise-in-Company” portion of the journey, with racing thoughts set aside and enjoyment of the sailing experience the focus. After several stops along the way, the ships were scheduled to begin arriving in Bergen on Wednesday throughout the day. Living almost an hour from the city, I tried to time a Wednesday visit to be there as a ship or two were arriving yet before the crowds descended (crutches, camera, and crowds don’t mix very well). Unfortunately I didn’t see any arriving ships, but two were in port already and I enjoyed walking around in the hot sunshine experiencing the market stalls and stages being set up for their official 5:00 pm opening, people-watching, and soaking up the atmosphere.

The Festningskaien road Stage and Market area, closest to the mouth of the Bergen Harbor, were almost ready for their opening concerts and crowds …

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

Walking towards Bryggen, I captured a few perspectives around me — towards the two ships in port, across the harbor to Nykirken with the little Akvariet (Aquarium) ferry taking visitors to the Bergen Aquarium passing by, towards the mouth of the Harbor with a couple cruise ships in port, looking down Festningskaien road just to the right of the harbor mouth towards Skuteviken, across Festningskaien to Haakon’s Hall and Rosenkrantz Tower, and finally looking over the people walking in front of Bryggen …

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

The first of the two ships that had arrived: the Kruzenshtern from Russia …

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

And the second that had arrived: the Santa Maria Manuela from Portugal …

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

With only two Tall Ships in port, and the markets and stages still a few hours from being open, walking along Bryggen to the end of harbor while stopping to take occasional quick photos towards the mouth of the harbor and one towards the Hanseatic Museum, finding a place to sit down near the fish market, people-watch, and gaze out towards the mouth of the harbor was almost peaceful …

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

Thursday found Jan and I part way up Fløyen, looking down on the amazing sites in the Harbor. The photographic perspective is only partially captured in my images, but it was exciting to be up there “above it all” and see the Harbor from that angle. I loved the perspective of the masts peeking above the buildings of Bryggen while the sounds of the concerts on the stages drifted up our way.

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

And most excitedly — although they don’t show up very clearly — from our vantage point we saw two of the three Norwegian ships scheduled to arrive on Thursday as they were in Byfjorden and approaching the Harbor. Our perspective showed them accompanied by hundreds of smaller boats dotting the waters around them. It’s difficult to see, but my husband thinks they were the Christian Radich and the Sørlandet.

July 24, 2014 - Tall Ships Races 2104 in Bergen

It was a magical glimpse for us!

It looks to be a fairly busy weekend and I’m not sure we’ll be able to get back to Bergen … but I hope so, as I’d really like to see the “Parade of Sail” as the ships leave the harbor on Sunday!

Next up: a post featuring the Statsraad Lemkuhl. An integral part of Bergen, I’m fascinated with her history, her part of the Bergen Maritime Museum, her place in the Tall Ships Race, and my observations of her over the years. For a landlubber suburban girl from the U.S., she completely captivates me!

a glimpse of history: Lysekloster

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I love exploring the history of the places we visit. Experiencing a place of historical significance, and imagining what life was like “back in time,” helps me understand that place in today’s world. I walk and look and listen and wonder. What were people like? How did the interaction of people with their surroundings shape the environment I’m experiencing now? How did their location affect and mold their personalities and life – and how have those traits been passed down through the generations?

I live in an area of the world that is steeped in history, and we are very close to a specific area of historical significance. The ruins of Lysekloster are a five minute drive away. From Wikipedia:

Lyse Abbey or Saint Mary’s Abbey … is a now-ruined Cistercian monastery in Os in the county of Hordaland in south-western Norway. The name “Lyse” is derived from the Lysefjorden, “the fjord of light”, on which the building stood.

Lyse Abbey was founded in 1146 by Sigurd, Bishop of Bergen, on farmland that he owned, as the Christianisation of Norway was nearing completion. The first monks were brought from Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, England. This was the first Cistercian monastery in Norway and was modelled on others built in England and France.

As with all Cistercians, the monks took a vow of poverty. Renouncing all sources of income except from farming, they developed considerable skill in farming operations and management. Over time, this led to the abbey acquiring many other farms in the area, making it ever more rich and powerful. In all, the monastery had about 50 other farms in Os with at least as many more in other areas.

The abbey was dissolved in 1537 when Christian III of Denmark decreed Lutheranism to be the state religion of Norway. The abbey’s possessions were confiscated, becoming the property of the King. Over the next two centuries, the stones of the monastery structures were gradually removed and contributed to buildings such as the Rosenkrantz Tower in Bergen, and Kronborg Castle in Helsingør in Denmark. Some stones were shipped as far as Germany.

The ruins are protected as a national monument and archaeological work to preserve and record the site continues. The monastery is a well-visited tourist site with good nature walks nearby.

Jan and I have visited the ruins of Lyse Abbey a couple of times in my seven years in Norway. I’ve read that the official Norwegian name is Lyse Mariakloster, but the historical signs around the area say simply “Lysekloster” – which is the name given our area of Os Kommune. And that’s how I think of it.

Since moving to Lysekloster last March we’ve walked the trails behind the ruins: trails that meander through the farmland, near the cows, past a barn, and up the mountain. But we hadn’t stopped to fully explore the ruins since our first visit soon after I moved to Norway. (Surprisingly I don’t have any photos of that trip, but I remember it was spring and green and the birds were singing, and between that and Jan’s description of the area I felt history come alive.)

The image below is from this website. That site is older and doesn’t seem to be maintained anymore, but on it there is a small floor plan image with a key to the rooms.

Reconstruction image drawn by Bernt Kristiansen

Reconstruction image drawn by Bernt Kristiansen

The ruins are stones and walls and grass and dirt and air; when visiting, it is difficult for me to visualize how the Abbey looked from the mid-1100’s to mid 1500’s when it was vital and alive. Looking at that reconstructed image above gives me an idea of the life and reality, and I can almost feel how it was to walk within the quiet stone walls and go out to work the area farms.

Abby and I visited the ruins two weeks ago, the day before she left. It was a cold, dreary, windy day (in other words, *normal* for this winter season in the Bergen area!), and that suited the desolation of the ruins and my mood at knowing I had to say goodbye to my daughter soon. Picking our way around the ice, Abby explored a bit while I tried to capture the mood of the ruins and the emotions of the day.

Hi, Abby!

Images from walks behind the ruins are for another time. For now, I feel the need to listen to a little Gregorian Chant and immerse myself in musical history from within the warmth of my home!

(Here is where this part of the world is located on the map.)

the history of Bergen: photo additions to a guest post

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It’s probably obvious from some of my past blog posts that I am engrossed with the history of every place I visit, and living in the Bergen area for almost seven years has given me many opportunities to really explore this area. My husband was born here, and his wonderful mind is “a walking history book” … I consider him my own personal resource, and our conversations over the years have brought to life the fascinating depth of this area.

I’ve been invited to submit a guest post for an open contest on Knok. It’s only natural, then, that I decided to write about the living past that surrounds me:

Bergen, Norway – 10 places to experience her history!

Due to space limits, I was allowed about ten images … but I had about sixty that I wanted to include! They suggested I publish them here on my blog, and then link them all together. Here they are; clicking on them gives minimal explanation, with more details in my post. (Most of these are my own personal photos, but I found a few online to expand the pictorial journey and have linked those images to their Wikipedia Commons source.)

Up close and personal: the silhouette, alleys, and inside of Bryggen

Photos of Bryggen, probably the most recognizable landmark to anyone who hasn’t visited Bergen.

Bryggen from across the harbor – August 2007
Bryggen looking up towards Fløyen – August 2007
June 2009
June 2009
June 2009
October 2013
inside the Bryggen construction – October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
Bryggen alley – October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
rope pulley hoist – October 2013
wooden peg – October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
a rope pulley hoist in action – October 2013
October 2013

Around Bryggen: the museums and Schøtstuene

These are photos of the museums around Bryggen: the Hanseatic Museum, Bryggens Museum, and Schøtstuene.

Hanseatic Museum – photo source
October 2013
Hanseatic Museum – June 2009
Hanseatic Museum – June 2009
Hanseatic Museum – June 2009
Bryggens Museum – photo source
October 2013
behind Bryggens Museum, with Schøtstuene in the background – October 2013
Bryggens Museum – October 2013
Schøtstuene – October 2013
front of Schøtstuene – October 2013
inside Schøtstuene – photo source

Past Bryggen: Bergenhus Fortress

Here are photos of the Bergenhus Fortress, which stands at the entrance to the Bergen Harbor.

Bergen harbor with Rosenkranz Tower behind Statsraad Lehmkuhl – June 2011
October 2013
Rosenkrantz Tower – October 2013
October 2013
Haakon’s Hall – photo source
Koengen – photo source
Muse performing at Koengen – July 23, 2010

A royal residence: Gamlehaugen

Photos of Gamlehaugen, the official residence of Norway’s royal family when they are in Bergen.

Gamlehaugen from Fjøsanger; we passed this way for the five years we lived on Løvstakken – photo source
Gamlehaugen peeking between the trees, as seen on a walk in Langeskogen – September 2012

Around Bergen: Hordamuseet and Bjørgvin Marknad

These are a few photos of Hordamuseet, and of the annual Bjørgvin Marknad (Viking Festival) that is held on its grounds.

Hordamuseet – October 2013

My guest post also includes the Fantoft Stave Church here in Bergen; my photos of that peaceful place are in my post about Stave Churches.

Do these images encourage you to come and explore a little of Bergen’s history? I’d love to meet up for coffee or a drink, and then share a little historical enjoyment and exploration in person. Come and visit!