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Travel: Bergen 2

Today, I got an early start and managed to beat many of the tour buses that drop off large crowds at the various museums and other locations. It was successful as I had several places to myself, if only for a few minutes.

It began with a stroll around the harbor to the far side.

Coming to the other side, I arrived at Bergenhus Fortress, the oldest parts date back to 1270 AD. Not my photo, but the one below shows the entire complex from the water.

The stone building on the left is Haakon’s Hall and the stone building on the far right is Rosenkrantz Tower. I toured the tower first and only banged my head once on the very low doorways.

Spiral staircase from the basement to the top floor.
The Dungeon.
The Oratory which served as the king’s private chapel. The stained glass window is not original.
A fun little hallway that I wanted to travel down, but was blocked off.
Fireplace in the Gentleman’s Hall.
The fortress is the location of many battles.

One of the sea battles, The Battle of Vågan (1665), was initiated by the English who were attempting to rob Dutch ships that were harbored in Bergen. The King of Norway had decided to side with the English, but due to a lack of communication, the commander in the area sided with the Dutch. The English were defeated, but lost no ships.

Clothing/personal armor at the time.

I then made my way into Haakon’s Hall. It has seen quite extensive renovation following an incident in 1944, when a ship laden with 135 tons of dynamite exploded in the harbor. This event was the largest accident in Norway during the WWII.

When I walked in, I was the only one there.

In 1969, Queen Elizabeth II and family visited King Olav and family (perhaps it was to make up for that little incident back in 1665.)

Christ Church, which was located on the grounds of the fortress, was torn down to make room for the needs of the fortress. However, the church contained the relics of the Patron Saint of Bergen, Sunniva.

THE LEGEND OF ST. SUNNIVA
According to the saga, Sunniva was a Christian princess who lived in Ireland in the mid-9th century. To avoid marriage with a heathen King, she set sail with a small entourage and eventually landed on Selja, an island in Nordfjord. In answer to her prayers for exemption from prosecution for her Christian faith, God let boulders be placed to seal off the mouth of the cave in which she and her entourage were sheltered. When her body was discovered unscathed a long time later, she was looked upon as a sacred being and was enshrined in 996. In, 1170 this shrine was moved to the large Christ Church in Bergen. She was revered as the town’s guardian saint.

A pretty flower after a sad story. Google tells me that this is a variety of Rhododendron.

And a tasty meal after a long walk. Brother likes his seafood, so I stopped at the Bergen Fish Market, which is lined with various vendors selling prepared and fresh caught fish. Believe it or not, it didn’t smell fishy at all.

The items on the first plate you’ll likely recognize, but that second one, I’m guessing not—Minke Whale. Yep. I ate whale meat, and before you lose your conservationist dang mind, the common Minke has a very healthy population and is considered a “least concerned” species, meaning it is still plentiful in the wild. It is also quite tasty.

How did I end up eating whale meat after that first plate? Well, I thought about getting it first, but then decided against it. Go with what you know on this one, I said to myself. Then, as I was enjoying what I know, I remembered Anthony Bourdain, and then I remembered his quote that everyone knows…

Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. Eat slowly. Tip your server. Check in on your friends. Check in on yourself. Enjoy the ride.

If you are given the opportunity, try the reindeer, the octopus, and the whale meat. It is all rich in the other person’s heritage and understanding of the world. It is a way of entering into the depths of creation. Also, I haven’t been disappointed yet! Although, I’m still afraid of the sea urchin, but someday… yes, you squishy little yellow snotty looking thing, you and me have a date.

It is 8:30 a.m. back home. Pray you all have a great day.

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Travel: Bergen 1

If you happen to be visiting Bergen on May 17, Norway’s Constitution Day celebration (and a national holiday), you should know that at 7 AM, every church bell in town will begin to ring, and then, in the midst of it, there is a canon salute. I have not yet seen the canon, but from the sound of it, it is quite large. It’s an interesting way to be woken up.

Most of the downtown area is blocked off and there are people everywhere. When I was in Oslo, I went to the opera. I had a button down shirt and, although some were dressed up, I felt like I was dressed appropriately. Today, I felt severely underdressed. Many wore casual clothes, but at least half the men were in their Sunday best, and most women were in dresses. For the women (and some of the men), there were some who were in Bunad, traditional Norwegian folk dress. According to visitnorway.com, there are about 450 different Bunads in the country, and “the embroidery and design of a bunad differs from village to village, so you can tell by their bunad where a person comes from, or where they descend from.”

There was something for everyone, from food to music, and it was all happening at once.

The harbor was busy as well, but it was these massive boats that caught my attention there.

They are designed for handling the anchors of deep water oil rigs and other ocean construction.

Just an observation: in the USA, we will put the flag on anything—shoes, socks, shower curtains, underwear, you name it. Here… no. Many are carrying small flags and there are others that hang from windows, but their flag is not worn. I suppose we all show respect in different ways. An interesting study is on American’s fascination/obsession with our flag (I’m not saying it is wrong! Just an observation.)

Sometimes you come across something you would just like to know more about. Taking a sidewalk that led through an underpass, I came across this image.

I learned that it is by the street artist TÖDDEL who operates in southern Norway. Perhaps I should have known who was pictured, but… it is Alexei Navalny (Russian opposition leader who was recently murdered by Putin and his gang.) It is based on this image or one similar.

Alexei and his wife, Yulia, had their own sign language that was developed during his multiple court appearances. In the picture, he clearly only has eyes for her. “Never Give Up,” even in the most difficult of situations.

I also later came upon this one, but don’t know anything about it other than I liked it.

Finally, this evening I attended the Gospelnight at Johanneskirken (St. John’s Church.) A

Norwegian Lutheran blended (contemporary/traditional) Eucharist service. Not my thing. Too Loud. Packed with young people. Yeah, Fr. John, complain all you want, but it was packed and they really seemed to enjoy being there. Again, not a clue as to what was being said, but I did know certain parts of the liturgy.

Perhaps the most disorienting point was when a young Asian girl, dressed in full Norwegian folk dress, got up and sang a solo. That bit was fine, but she sounded like Dolly Parton! My brain couldn’t keep it all straight.

Again, this may not be a service that I would attend regularly, but church attendance in Norway is 2%, which means they are doing whatever is necessary to bring people to the Good News. As I could not understand the pastor’s message, I prayed while she preached, that it might be received by those in attendance.

On the way back to my hotel, I saw the sun setting behind the church that is just up the street. I know where I’ll be attending on Sunday.

The traditional greeting on May 17 in Norway is “Gratulerer med dagen!” It means, “Congratulations on the day,” or “Happy Birthday.”

Happy Birthday, y’all! Hope your day is blessed.

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Travel: Oslo to Bergen

I don’t know what I expected to see today, but snow was not really on the radar. These are a few of the pictures I took while on a seven hour train ride from Oslo to Bergen.

Two shots—in the words of Professor McGonagall—were pure dumb luck.

Through a crack in the rocks (unfortunately, catching part of my reflection on the inside of the window)…

And La Bella La Luna…

After arriving and checking in at the hotel, I went out in search of food. I succeeded! Stefano Restaurant, just a few doors down from my hotel.

For starters, I had the Scamorza alla Brace (Fried smoked cheese, green apple, honey and balsamic vinegar.)

Followed this up with Gnocchi all Sorrentina (Potato-pasta pillows with tomato sauce and mozzarella.) You just cut that little pastry open and all that yummy cheesy gnocchi goodness is inside (sauce was like the best tomato basil soup you’ve ever had.)

I was all in at this point, so added the Tiramisu.

Yeah, that little sprig of mint had to go. With the chocolate… Bleh, but not enough for me to lower my opinion of this restaurant. I’ll be going back to try the pizza, which looked amazing.

Tomorrow is Constitution Day in Norway (think July 4th), and the entire country shuts down. It is celebrated with children’s parades and other events. I’m sure I’ll get out for a bit and see what it is all about.

Hope you all have a tremendous day.

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Prayed today’s Rosary at…

Room 2108, the brown chair.

Just for the record, I don’t go out every day to a church to pray my rosary, but I do pray every day. The location does not affect the intention or effectiveness of prayer. It is nice though to be in holy places where the saints of God have been praying  for centuries. 

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Travel: Oslo 9

(or “How I had a Hankering for Ramen and Ended Up at the Munch”

The title says it all. For whatever reason, the appetite wanted Ramen. Typed it in, found a good place, and discovered that it was only a block from the Munch Museum. So I crossed the Akrobaten (‘the acrobat’), a 206-meter long pedestrian bridge…

… and made my way to the museum.

Edvard Munch (1863-1944) is a local boy, so clearly, they are proud of him here. You’ll know him from The Scream, but he was a very prolific painter, who also worked as a sculptor and photographer.

As I entered, I was not skeptical, but did not have him marked up as one of my favorites. I left thinking quite differently.

A bit about his technique.

ON THE SURFACE: What are we really looking at when we look at a painting? Something that resembles reality, or just colours and shapes arranged on a physical surface? Could it be both? From the start of his artistic career, Munch was interested in everything that lay on the surface of a painting, and he allowed the very process of painting to come to light. The brushstrokes themselves were part of telling the story. This meant that his paintings could also look like unfinished drafts. Munch would scrape and add to the painting many times. Sometimes, he squeezed thick paint directly from the tube, or thinned it out so that it ran down the picture. His pictures were no longer just recognizable motifs, but also told the story of the action behind them – the act of painting.

Warning: a lot of pictures to follow.

The first I saw that caught my eye—why I don’t know—was Attraction, which perhaps spoke of the remainder of my tour.

I had to wonder if Tim Burton (A Nightmare Before Christmas) was influenced by Munch.

Munch was one who would return to certain themes and even images and rework them. So, where Attraction was painted in 1896, Eye in Eye (below) was painted in 1899-1900. Easy to see the similarities.

Another example of various time periods and media is found here / Crying Girl.

And here / The Human Mountain.

And here / Sick Child

1896
1927

He was fascinated with philosophy, religion, and the natural sciences—how all things worked together—which led to his “belief” in Crystallisation.

‘Crystallisation’ was one of the processes that occupied Munch. This was a pseudo-scientific theory which proposed that life forms and develops from inorganic material. For Munch, this process represented a factual, spiritual and philosophical belief in the life cycle. The divisions between humans and nature, plants and minerals, are wiped out: we are not separate from nature but a part of it.

This cycle can be found in much of his art, from the cycle of relationships to the cycle of nature. I believe these illustrate it as a whole.

Life and Death growing from the other.

Some other pieces that I enjoyed.

The Storm. Imagines the sudden onset of a storm. Painted the same year as The Scream (1893), so notice the hands up around the individual’s faces.
The Sun
The Kiss
Ashes
Tête-à-Tête

Of his more famous works, Madonna is a close second to The Scream.

And a crowd favorite is affectionately titled, Vampire, although it is only a woman kissing a man’s neck.

I could do this for quite a while longer, so I’ll stop here with my favorite. It was a drawing—Death and the Woman.

Not sure why I like it so much, but it made me smile. Maybe it indicates that a woman will be the death of me.

After all that, I remembered the reason I got out in the first place. I’ll give 4/5 ⭐️s for Koie Ramen.

Tomorrow is my last full day in Oslo and I’ll probably spend most of the day doing laundry and getting ready for the next leg of the journey. Where to next? You’ll just have to stay tuned.

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Travel: Oslo 8

Today’s adventure was to Ekebergparken Sculpture Park (6.9 miles / 13.3 steps / equivalent of 45 flights of stairs… I’m afraid of what the foot will have to say about this tomorrow.) However, when I saw this sign, I decided I was on the right path.

The Norwegians have a love affair with sculptures and parks. Where we might have one sculpture in a park, situated in a central location and easy to access, the Norwegians like to have many which are here and there and sometimes difficult to find. In many cases, you just happen upon them.

Many of the statues in this park were curious or comical or… “Huh?” So, here is a gallery of a few.

This one is called Anatomy of an Angel. I liked it until I got a bit too close.
I don’t know.

In case you need to reorient yourself, here is a flower and a duck. “Quack.”

A short walk up the hill and I came across Fideicommissum.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, “Why, that’s a woman having a little squat.” And it is! Not only is this a statue, but it is also an anatomically correct water fountain (I did not do a close inspection.) I had to know more, so I first did a Google translate of fideicommissum. “Fiddle Commission” didn’t seem quite right. Maybe “piddle commission?” But, no. From Wikipedia…

The title Fideicommissum refers to the former legal institution of the entail, under which estates and other family properties were passed down from one generation to the next, often benefitting the eldest son. 

What it all comes down to is marking your territory. By the way, have you read Golden Streams. It was written by I.P. Freely. Moving on.

I saw this woman walking toward me and decided to say, “Hi.” We struck up a nice conversation, but she had places to go, so we parted ways.

After such a long hike, I thought about taking a brief nap, but the bench was taken.

When I first saw these, I thought they were lanterns hanging in the trees, but when I got closer… One man’s dirty underwear are another man’s art installation. (They may kick me out of Norway if I get too snarky.)

Before heading back, I did a bit of self-reflecting. I couldn’t see the forest.

I’ve seen this bridge from my hotel window and wanted to get a closer look at it, so on the way back, I found the way to cross. It is the Nordenga Bridge.

Below and circled: the bridge from my window. The buildings to the right of the bridge are called the “Barcode Project.” Twelve buildings close together of varying height.

The arrow is pointing to where I was in the park when I took this panoramic shot of the fjord and city.

Now it is time for a big drink of water, some sushi, and a good book. Pray you are having a wonderful day.

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Travel: Oslo 7

Today, I attended St. Edmund’s Church (Church of England). The Rt. Rev. Dr. Robert Innes, Bishop of the Diocese of Europe was the Celebrant with Confirmations. It appeared to be a very special day for the congregation. I had a minute to visit with the Chaplain, The Rev. Canon Joanna Udal.

The service was in English and similar to ours, but with a different order for some parts.

Bishop Innes doing bishopy things. It took a few seconds to realize that it is a map of Europe on his miter.

There was so much construction out front, that it was difficult to get a good picture, so I stole this one from the web.

At the end of June, they will be celebrating their 140th anniversary, so by European standards, it is a very new congregation/church.

The walk to the church this morning was lonely business. Very little movement on the streets. It is my experience that most European cities are trashed on Sunday mornings with garbage everywhere.

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Travel: Oslo 6

I got a double shot of culture today at the Operahuset i Oslo, Den Norske Opera & Balletts (Opera House in Oslo, Norway Opera & Ballet.

As above, so below. You are able to walk up to the roof, which provides great views of the city and fjord.

Little red circle is my room at the Radisson Blu Plaza on the 21st floor.

The main show was Swan Lake, Act 2 (a new production). My seat was on the very back row, but still enjoyable.

While on the roof, I enjoyed playing with the reflection off the glass.

Of course, the day would not be complete without the obligatory selfie.

Finally, I came across this question in some of my reading from this morning: “If I had infinite money, already traveled the world, had no fear, and didn’t receive any recognition for what I do, what would I do or what would I create?” My next question was, “Then why aren’t you doing that?”

The next couple of days will probably be pretty quiet here. I’m looking forward to some reading and… yeah…. Reading.

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