Extra Helpings

The "extra" day in Trondheim was put to good use.  I put "extra" in quotations because we had originally planned to make the trip from Bergen to Trondheim in a single day.  When Sigrid and Hogne recommended a slower, more scenic route we decided it would be better to take two.  However, last minute we decided to take the faster, "less scenic" route past Stalheim.  I put "less scenic" in quotations because, even though we didn't take the recommended scenic route, the route we did take sure seemed pretty darn scenic to me.  In fact, I don't think there are many places in Norway that aren't scenic, at least by an American's standards.  So we made it to Trondheim in a single day as described in my previous post and have since spent two days seeing the city's highlights.  The highest of highlights, however, has been visiting those of my family that live in Trondheim.

We started off our "extra" day in Trondheim (Wednesday) with a breakfast similar to those served at the hotel in Bergen and at Sigrid and Hogne's house.  That's one of the wonderful things about Norwegian breakfast: it's practically the same wherever you go yet you never get tired of the bread slices, cucumbers, tomatoes, salmon, and cheese.  It's a much lighter and much healthier breakfast compared to many served back home in the States.  I'm considering adopting it as my breakfast of choice once back in the United States.

As soon as we'd finished our breakfast it was out the door we went, rain jackets in hand.  It's unfortunate that it was raining for much of the day but this was the first rain I've had in weeks and the first rain my dad and Patti dealt with since arriving in Norway; so I'd say overall we were pretty lucky overall where the weather is concerned.  We were inside Nidaros Cathedral much of the morning, anyway.  It was a spectacular building as well it should be, being the largest cathedral in Norway.  The guided tour we went on was interesting but slightly disappointing.  I knew most of the history of the church from my History class.  The only details I didn't know were specifics concerning the building and restoration of the cathedral throughout its nearly 1000 year history filled with fire and soapstone.

Our next mission (no pun intended) was to find a serving dish.  I wasn't particularly keen on the whole idea of shopping more but walking from shop to shop was a good way to see the city so I guess I can't complain.  With a serving dish bubble-wrapped, packed, and tucked safely away under Patti's arm our next stop was lunch at my cousin Anne's house.  To be honest, I don't know exactly how we're related.  In a family as big as mine, I tend to simply say we're cousins and forget the rest.  It's too complicated and confusing.  For instance, I know that Anne is actually of my generation but, due to a difference in time between generations, her children are actually of more the same age as me and my brother than she is.  Anyway, lunch was amazing.  I ended up going back for second and third helpings.

While eating I had the opportunity to use some of the Norwegian I learned over my six weeks at the summer school.  My Norwegian family encouraged me to use Norwegian but they weren't pushy, which I appreciate.  It makes speaking a new language a lot more fun and a lot less stressful when I can just sit back and listen and pipe up when I actually understood what was said and know how to reply.  It's difficult because they speak so fast but even over the past couple days I think I've been able to pick up more and more of the conversations.  I look forward to staying in better contact with all my Norwegian relatives so I can continue to practice, improve, and avoid the otherwise inevitable pits of forgetfulness.  My family will be indispensably helpful in my long quest to become fluent in Norwegian.

After lunch and saying farewell to those I wouldn't see the next day, I went to a music museum with my dad and Patti.  It was mainly just a way to waste time until we were scheduled to meet another family member for dinner.  Our time in Trondheim has basically been hopping from meal to meal with a few extraneous activities in between -- much like the Minnesotan State Fair.  I'm getting off topic again.  Yes, the music museum was very interesting.  The main part of the museum was housed in an old manor house, where a small fraction of the museum's 2000 instruments are on display.  If you're interested in learning more, I've provided a link to the museum's website at the end of this post.  (Perhaps that's something I will start doing more of.  I think I do an alright job of describing things but I don't actually give specifics of where I went in case others wish to visit those places as well.)

After our fill of music we went to a Norwegian coop to burn a little more time and money.  Finally, it was time to go to dinner.  I'm not sure how I'm related to this person either but it was a highly enjoyable evening all the same.  It wasn't the most complicated food to make but it was very tasty.  Again, I had second and third helpings, partly because I was still a little hungry and partly because of our host's insistence.  She's a very opinionated woman who isn't afraid to let you know it -- much like many of the women in my family.  Even so, she is fascinating to listen to and is, for the most part, a delight to spend time with so long as I avoid the cloud of cigarette smoke constantly hanging around her head.  But no judgement here.  To each their own.  "Enjoy life the way you want, while you can."  "There aren't any pockets in your death garments."  These words of wisdom and many, many, many more brought to you by cousin(?) Wenche.  After chatting for at least an hour and a half after dinner we caught a ride back to Bjorn's (our host's) house.

On the way back I snapped a picture of the city bus garages.  I'd seen many of the distinctively colored buses throughout the day and decided to dub them the "Gag-reflex Fleet."  Needless to say, I think the puke-green buses are one of the less aesthetically pleasing aspects of the city.

Today (Thursday), or I suppose it's yesterday now, we had to drop Patti off at the airport and then went straight from there for a drive around the countryside.  It was pleasant -- or at least I think it was -- I slept for most of the car ride.  I woke up when it was time to get out of the car and actually see something.  The first stop we made was to see Tinghaugen.  This was the hill where all the jarls and important men of Norway met in a ting to decide the laws of the recently united Norway.  These laws would influence how Norway was governed, at least on a local level, all the way up until 1814 when Norway wrote its new Constitution.

We then went to the ruins of an old Monastery from the 13th Century.  There wasn't a whole lot to see so we continued our tour of the countryside.  Before heading back into Trondheim, we stopped at a bakery for coffee and rolls.  It "hit the spot" as my father would say.

We got back to Bjorn's house and spent the afternoon lounging about in the scorching Norwegian Sun.  You think I'm kidding but I'm really not.  It gets warm out there in the sunshine!  I could only stand it for about 45 minutes before I moved inside to do some blogging, as you may have noticed if you read my last post.

This evening we were invited to dinner at another cousin(?)'s house.  I got to see more of my family and got to eat two or three helpings of more delicious food.  As the evening came to a close, it was time to say good-bye to many of my family members who I won't see tomorrow before leaving Trondheim.  It's sad, of course, but I have a feeling I'll be seeing them a lot more often from now on, whether that be via Skype or future visits to Norway.

I'm finally caught up so I can leave it there for the time being.  I hope you enjoyed reading this post and, as always, please feel free to leave a comment below.  Thanks for reading!  Stay tuned.  -NLD

Music Museum Link