Thirty-sixth Lighthouse Expedition

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July 9 - 26, 2000 -- Norway with the U.S. Lighthouse Society

July 8, 2000, Saturday

6:50 am

Left home.

7:35 am

Arrived at US Park where we left our car.

7:45 am

Arrived at Metro Airport. Chaos would be a good word. The baggage conveyor belts were not working. Lines at ticket counters were long and confusing. After we got our e-ticket we went to the counter to check in our luggage. Fortunately the lady at the counter suggested we take the luggage and leave it nearer to where the belts were working. We left it there reluctantly, wondering when we would see it again. We went right from there to the gate and boarded the plane immediately.

9:00 am

Plane took off.

9:00 am (CDST)

We arrived in Chicago. We went to baggage claim and Diana's suitcase was there (by some miracle) but Don's was not. The people in Chicago were very helpful. They told us Don's bag would be sent on the 12:30 flight and since our flight to Newark was at 2:30 there should be no problem. When we got to the counter to check in, we were informed that our flight had been changed to 1:30! Why are planes leaving on time and early just when we needed them NOT to?

10:40 am

An early lunch at McDonald's at Chicago O'Hare airport. Don went back to the Northwest terminal and found out the 12:30 plane from Detroit had been canceled. The information at that time was the bag would be sent on the next flight and then on to Oslo, eventually.

1:00 pm

We boarded the plane and it was 2:20 before the plane took off.

5:00 pm (EDST)

We arrived in Newark and took the monorail from terminal A to B. That was very convenient.

7:20 pm

We left Newark on SAS. It's a FULL flight. Total miles from Newark to Oslo: 3704. Nice flight and Diana watched the movie "Return to Me."

July 9, 2000, Sunday

8:20 am (Norway Time)

We arrived in Oslo. Don's bag was not there and they speculated it had been sent via Amsterdam. We were met by Martin Hvam, Don's e-mail friend. Martin had contacted Don about 4 years ago after having seen our web-site. They have been corresponding back and forth and exchanging information and lighthouse calendars, books, etc. We had hoped to meet him in Sweden last year but that did not work out. When we notified Martin about the Norway trip, he and his family invited us to come early and spend a few days with them. Before we left the airport Martin gave the baggage claim people his address and they said it would be delivered to his home when it arrived.

9:20 am

We left the Oslo airport which is north of the city and headed south. We enjoyed the ride and the beautiful scenery. It was wonderful to finally meet Martin and we had non-stop conversation during the trip to his home.

12:00 Noon

We arrived at Martin's home in Stavern. We were warmly greeted by his wife, Ragnhild, and daughters, Elisabeth (age 17) and Anne Helene (age 11). We had lunch on the terrace overlooking the Stavern harbor. Their home is up on the hill and the view from there is truly wonderful. Martin suggested a brief nap since we had lost a night's sleep.

3:20 pm

We walked through town to the harbor and Martin's friend and neighbor, Arne Kopstad, took us out on his boat to see the local lighthouses.

3:45 pm

Arrived at the Stavernsodden Lighthouse and took pictures from the boat. It is a white house with small tower. This is the one the Hvam's can see from their terrace.

4:00 pm

The Svenner Lighthouse is nearby. It is made of cast iron and painted red. We had hoped to go into it, but there was no place to dock. This is a very popular place on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Arne took us all around the lighthouse in the boat for a variety of photo opportunities.

4:30 pm

We headed back to Stavern via a different route.

4:45 pm

We stopped in a beautiful cove for cookies and drinks (coffee and sodas). I looked at my watch and realized it was 10:45 am at home!

5:05 pm

After enjoying the beautiful scenery and our brief stop, we went back to Stavern Harbor and walked through town to Martin's home. Arne had given Martin a US flag to fly from the top of the house so it is easy to spot the house from the harbor. What a nice and thoughtful gesture.

7:30 pm

We had a wonderful dinner. Martin grilled salmon, one of our favorites.

8:30 pm

Diana crashed.

10:30 pm

Don finally gave in.

July 10, 2000 Monday

9:30 am

Up and breakfast.

12:30 pm

We left Stavern with Martin and Ragnhild and began a tour of the area. We went to the neighboring town of Larvik and saw the clinic where Martin works, and also saw Elisabeth's school. We drove through the back roads and saw beautiful countryside on the way to Tønsberg. We went to the Marinemusseet (Museum) in Horten. They had many wonderful ship models and all kinds of military displays up to the present time. Outside next to the museum was a submarine which we were able to tour. We went back to Tønsberg for a late lunch at the Shipwreck Restaurant on the wharf. They took us to the library where we could look through the windows of the building and see the archaelogical dig of the old town walls. We stopped at the Telenor Maritime Tjøme Radio station. Even though Martin's friend who works there was not on duty, Eva Sofher and Bjorn Amundsen showed us around. From this station they can contact ships all over the world.

6:45 pm

We arrived at Verdens Ende and saw the replica of an original coal burning basket light. Verdens Ende means "lands end" or "end of the world." It was sprinkling but we walked from the parking lot to the light and quickly got pictures. Martin and Ragnhild bought us a certificate which states: "This document certifies that the above mentioned persons have visited "Worlds End" in the township of Tjøme." A nice souvenir. After a stop for groceries, we went back to Stavern and had dinner about 10:00 pm.

July 11, 2000, Tuesday

After breakfast, Anne Helene and Elisabeth took us on a walking tour of Stavern. We did a little shopping and Anne Helene and Elisabeth bought each of us a drinking glass with maritime decorations (including a lighthouse). They match the little tray which we bought. They took us to see the beautiful Stavern Kirke (church) built in 1756. We were able to go inside and see the beautiful altar. From there we went to the military base. One of the buildings held a maritime and shipwreck display which we enjoyed seeing. Martin joined us and we went to the marina to see his sailboat. When we returned to the house, Don's suitcase had arrived - YEA! Martin had spent lots of time on the phone trying to track it down for us the past couple of days. We were relieved it arrived before we left Stavern. We walked about 10 minutes up over the hill to Martin's parents home. Martin Sr. and Helene, his wife, made us feel very welcome and had a wonderful lunch for us. They also have a spectacular view and can see the Svenner Lighthouse from their front window. The elder Hvams had lived in New Jersey when Martin was born and returned to Norway when he was twelve. They have many relatives in the US in New Jersey and Minnesota. That evening we went out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Langesund which was south of Stavern. Afterwards, we went to the beach at Mølen. It's a huge rock beach with large round colorful stones. After we returned home, and since Don's suitcase had arrived, we were able to give the Hvam family the gifts we had brought for them. Ragnhild surprised Diana with a pretty slate pendant. The slate is found in the local area and is sent to Italy where it is sliced and polished and used in buildings all over the world.

July 12, 2000, Wednesday

After breakfast we took Arne a little gift as a thank you for taking us out on his boat on Sunday. We met his wife, Laila, and they gave us a tour of their beautiful gardens and home. They have several terraces and all have wonderful views of Stavern, the sea and the lighthouses. From there we climbed up on the highest point in Stavern and had a 360 degree panoramic view! On top of the hill was an old navigational signal. We took several pictures from this spot. We went back to the Hvams to finish packing and said our farewells to Ragnhild, Elisabeth and Anne Helene. Even though we had just met, we felt so warmly received and their hospitality was wonderful. The girls are delightful and we were impressed with their English skills. Children start English in the third grade in Norway. Funny how we Americans expect everyone else to converse with us in our language! Before leaving Stavern, Martin took us to the Seaman's Memorial. It's a pyramid shaped building which can be seen from most parts of town. It was built to recognize the Norwegian seaman who lost their lives in World War I. At the end of World War II it was decided that the Hall should be a memorial to all Norwegian seamen who had sacrificed their lives for Norway. There are 4,696 names listed in the memorial books.

2:15 pm

Left Stavern and Martin drove us to our hotel, the Rainbow Europa in Oslo.

4:30 pm

Checked in at the hotel. Some of the tour members were delayed in London and didn't arrive at the hotel until 6:30. It was great seeing the other 11 people who were on the Sweden trip with us last year and the 4 others who were on the Ireland trip in 1995. We all had dinner together in the hotel dining room. While we had adjusted to the time change, the others who had just arrived were a bit sleepy.
On the tour with us were: Chuck & Shirley Alderman of Tampa, FL; John Armacost of Marysville, OH, Truman & Elizabeth Bassett of Trumbull, CT; Karl & Nancy Brekke of Fon du Lac, WI; Cheryl Debelak of Cheboygan, MI; Carol Dickerson of Jupiper, FL; George & Bridget Doerner of Arlington Heights, IL; E. Fraser of Ocean City, NJ; Barbara German of Covina, CA; Betty Gohman of Cedar Hill, TX; Dorothy Jarczynski of Clinton Twp., MI; Harold & Maryann Jenkins of Sacramento, CA; Joe Jenkins of Charlottesville, VA; Art & Carolyn Krenz of Middlefield, CT; Dom & Carol Maglieri of Williamsburg, VA; Mike & Norma McKinley of Brooksville, FL; Helen Martin of Fair Oaks, CA; Laurel Martin of Pasadena, CA; Dave & Sallie Raube of Ceres, CA; Shirley Reeve of Rochester Hills, MI; Kornel & Janet Schorle' of Laguna Hills, CA; Dave Snyder of San Francisco, CA; Joe & Nina Steg of Indian Rocks Beach, FL; Steve & Sue Valder of West Columbia, SC; Paul & Jean VanNostrand of Tallahassee, FL; Bob & Betty Wilder of Kent, WA; and Nancy Younger of El Cajon, CA.

July 13, 2000 Thursday

9:05 am

   We left the Rainbow Hotel Europa in Oslo for a 5 hour city tour. Our guide for the entire trip was Trude Brastad who began teaching in January and is a tour guide in the summers. Our bus driver for the trip was Audun Aga. We met our city tour guide, Analisa, who was with us for the day. As we drove through the city, Analisa gave us lots of history and details about the city where one-half million people live. We drove past many of the government buildings and the palace. She told us about living in Oslo and reminded us that while summer days are very long (sunrise about 4:00 am and sunset at 11:00 pm) the winter days are very short (sunrise at 9:30 am and sunset at 3:00 pm). 

9:45 am

   Our first stop was the Vigeland Sculpture Park with the works of Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). The 192 sculptures with more than 600 figures of bronze and granite depict the circle of life and family life. The first half of the park is the bronze statues and on the other side of a bridge are the granite statues. The focal point is the monolith with 121 figures intertwined and was carved out of one block of stone weighing 180 tons. Fortunately Analisa was able to explain the meaning of many of the sculptures. Diana also bought a souvenir book. This park is large and beautiful and an amazing gift which Oslo can share with their visitors. One hour was not enough time to fully take in the wonderful park with the sculptures and beautiful gardens. 

10:40 am

   We left the park and drove up into the mountains just outside of Oslo. It was a winding road with wonderful views of the city and the countryside. 

11:15 am

   We arrived at the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. This was the ski jump used in the 1994 Winter Olympic games which were held in Norway. The jump overlooks the city and the Oslo Fjord below. 

11:40 am

   We left and drove back down the mountain. 

12:00 Noon

   The Viking Ship Museum was our next stop. The building houses huge Viking ships which have been restored. We were surprised to learn that they had been burial ships. They were moved ashore and loaded with all the possessions the dead person would need in the next life. They were then buried under dirt and rock. The ones we saw had been excavated and then restored. 

12:50 pm

   We left and had a short drive to the Fram Polar Ship Museum. We learned about the explorer, Roland Amundsen, who was the first person to reach the South Pole in 1911, and his attempts to reach the North Pole in the early 1920's. There were many displays showing the routes and hardships endured on his adventures. 

1:50 pm

   We left the museum and arrived back at the hotel at 2:10 pm. After a quick trip to the room we met Dave Snyder, our leader from the US Lighthouse Society, and his sister Cheryl Debelak from Michigan. We walked the streets, had lunch, did a little shopping and visited the Oslo Cathedral. We met Metta, the person from Eaton Tours who made all of our arrangements in Norway. She was able to give us directions to a few places. We returned to the hotel at 5:45. 

6:30 pm

   The bus took us south of Oslo to the Quality Inn Hotel in Leangkollen in the suburb of Asker for a wonderful dinner. We had a beautiful dining room all to ourselves. The tables looked lovely with candles and fresh flowers. We soon found out this is a very common tradition in Norway. We had reindeer meat for our main course which was very good. After dinner we were able to walk out on the terrace. We arrived back at our hotel in Oslo at 10:30. 

July 14, 2000, Friday

9:35 am

   The bus left the hotel and our first stop was the Maritime Museum. We saw a wonderful movie on a wide screen showing the coastline of Norway. Then we were given a guided tour of the museum showing various types of Norwegian shipping and boating. We left there and the bus dropped us off at the Art Museum. We saw vaious paintings including the famous "Scream" by Edvard Munch. 

1:30 pm

   We arrived at the Palace to see the changing of the Guard. This was not a good day for the guards to show off. One guard dropped his bayonet and another his epaulette! From there we walked to the waterfront. The area looks quite nice and we saw some interesting boats and ships. We had hot dogs and ice cream for lunch and then walked back to the hotel about 4:00. 

6:30 pm

   We walked to the Pasta Factory for dinner. Not a very good meal. We walked back to the main street and enjoyed people watching. We returned to the hotel early.

July 15, 2000, Saturday

8:35 am

   The bus left Oslo and we headed south to begin our Lighthouse Tour. 

10:00 am

   We stopped in the town of Tønsberg for a break. We walked around and found an open air market which was just setting up. Don found a used comic book store and bought a couple for our son, David, an avid comic book collector. This was the town Martin & Ragnhild had brought us to on Monday for lunch. 

10:55 am

   We're on our way again. 

11:50 am

   We stopped at a roadside cafe. Food is very expensive in Norway and our lunch of two baked potatoes with chicken chilli and drinks came to $20.00. We left about an hour later. 

2:25 pm

   We took the ferry from Gjering to the island of Lyngør to see the Lyngør Lighthouse . We were met by the lighthouse keeper, Mr. Thoresen, who told us about the lighthouse: [He alternates with another keeper - 12 days on and 16 days off. There are twenty lights remaining in Norway with lighthouse keepers. The keepers maintain the light and the aids to navigation in the area. There are three dwellings and the house attached to the light is rented out to men in the keepers service for vacations. The light opened in 1879 and is 16.9 meters high.] There were several smaller boats that took us in small groups to one of the other islands that make up the town of Lyngør. We bought some ice cream. (We're looking for our favorite ice cream bar in Norway.) We walked a little way from the dock area on a path which led us to an overlook of the town and the water ways. 

5:10 pm

   A large ferry picked us up to take us to Risør. We had sunny skies and calm seas for our 1 1/2 hour beautiful ride. 

6:05 pm

   As we approached the harbor at Risør there was a restaurant on the rocks which resembled a lighthouse. Sure enough it was the Stangholmen Lighthouse which was built in 1855, but no longer used as a lighthouse. It is now a restaurant, and Don jokingly calls it the "pizza light." 

6:30 pm

   We arrived at the dock and the Risør Hotel was right there on the waterfront. Audun was there with the bus and our luggage. The hotel is located on several levels on a hill. Getting our luggage to our room was quite a challenge. 

7:15 pm

   Dinner at the hotel was good. Afterwards we walked around the seaside town of Risør. All the shops were closed but we enjoyed seeing the boats in the marina and it was a beautiful evening. When we returned to the room about 11:00 the band was still playing in the outside bar. When they stopped at 2:00 am the band in the basement could still be heard. They played until 3:30 am. Guess you can't expect much different in a resort town on a Saturday night. 

July 16, 2000, Sunday

9:10 am

   We left the hotel in Risør and continued south along the coast. We saw some beautiful countryside. 

10:05 am

   The little seaside town of Grimstad was our first stop. Everything was closed because it was Sunday. We left about 45 minutes later. 

11:10 am

   Our next stop was the town of Lillesand. We found a little bakery open. We could see the Saltholmen Lighthouse way out in the water ... too far away for a picture. 

11:55 am

   We arrived in the city of Kristiansand. (This is Ragnhild Hvam's home town.) The bus parked near the harbor and we walked into town for a quick lunch. 

1:00 pm

   We boarded a nice boat to take us out into the Kristiansand Harbor. 

1:20 pm

   We passed the Odderøya Lighthouse from a distance. 

2:00 pm

   We docked at the Oksøy Lighthouse . The keeper, Kjell Hanson, was there to greet us and gave us a brief history: [This is one of the tallest lights in Norway and on a clear day it can be seen from Denmark! It's painted white with 2 red stripes. The original tower was built in 1832 and the base of the ruins is still visible. The current tower was erected in 1900. He and another keeper alternate being on the island 3 weeks at a time. This time we were told there are 31 manned stations in Norway. So somewhere between 20 and 31 should be correct. One of their duties here is to report the weather to Oslo eight times a day. He told us the Norweigian keepers have never had uniforms.] Don climbed down on the rocks to take pictures. He is one of a few "rock climbers" in the group. Diana checks on him every once in awhile to make sure he hasn't gone off a cliff! We climbed the tower and enjoyed the view from the top. The lens is a first order clam shell with 4 bullseyes. On the way back down the tower, Cheryl found an old log book which had the weather reports from the year we were born. With all three of us being born the same year in March, April and May we checked the weather on our birthdates. Diana's was cloudy, Don's was sunny and Cheryl's partly sunny. Don thought that was pretty neat that HE was the sunny one. 

3:00 pm

   The boat left the dock and took us out into the water to view the light from the point. 

3:10 pm

   Nearby was the Grønningen Lighthouse . This was just a photo op. It's a white house with a red lantern room. 

3:45 pm

   We got closer to the Odderøya Lighthouse for pictures. There have been several lighthouses on this site. The one we saw was built in 1832. 

3:55 pm

   We arrived back in Kristiansand and took the bus to the Scandic Hotel. 

6:30 pm

   Dinner was at the hotel. Afterwards we walked around town. We saw some postcards with pretty fountains on them and we asked the sales person where we could see them. She told us which direction to start walking and we found them down by the marina. There were several modern water fountains and beautiful rose gardens. We stopped for icecream (we're still looking) and bought a few snacks before heading back to the hotel.
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