Christmas Drives and Parties

 We had a couple of nice days for driving when Erin was here so we took two different kinds of drives. First we went to one of the "outer islands" where the Atlantic Ocean is on one side and the calmer shipping lane is on the other. There are many inlets and bays -each with its own docks and harbors.

This was the last harbor we could drive to. It seemed to wear the ravages of its exposure to the wind, waves and storms.

New housing units across from the weather worn warehouse on stilts.

Now this place just looks cold. Yeah, I live in the stone house with the stone roof. Could you ever heat it up inside there?

This group missed the memo on Swans getting out of here before winter. I hope for their sakes they aren't vacationing. Ooooo look, two white ones and two black ones!

I think the Volvo is one of the few things that Norwegians and Swedes agree on. I didn't park our VW Polo anywhere near this slot.

After midafternoon church services we were guests for a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner with the Vågenes family. We feasted on a delicious Norwegian ham and all the trimmin's plus some Amercian fare. My favorite was Aud's Rice Cream pudding with fresh raspberry sauce.

 After dinner the boys handed out gifts for everyone. We enjoyed being a part of the gift giving on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day after church we had another dinner appointment for a fabulous fish dinner and then retired to our apartment to Skype with the family.

On Erin's last full day in Norway we braved the wind and storm to drive up Sørfjord. We found the old road that is wide enough for two cars most of the way. It was wonderful to wind up the fjord from one settlement to the next.

We enjoyed our in the car picnic lunch parked next to the railway station down at the right center of this photo. We drove until it was dark (3:40 PM) and then cruised back home to pack up for Erin's early flight home.

Saying good-bye at Flesland airport after a week that went much too fast.

So, what is left for us this New Year?

How about we start with more long walks to work off all of the lucious chocolate, rich sauces, cream and cookies?

By the way, best pre-mission purchase? Rain suits and waterproof walking/hiking shoes.

Godt Nytt År allesammen!

Midwinter's Night

We started our week with the "Barnespil" or children's play of the Nativity on Sunday. It was very well done. This pic is before the arrival of Joseph, Mary, The Baby, shepherds, wisemen and a few others. Wonderful songs and readings were a crowd pleaser.

Erin flew in to town on Monday night after a week of work in London. After we did our Tuesday assignments - district meeting and a funeral - we took a night walk in a little snowstorm.

We went to our favorite streets and shops and walked until we got cold.

 We warmed up in one of the many downtown malls. We called it a night and prepared for a big day on Dec. 21 - the shortest day of the year - sunrise at about 9:40 and sunset at about 3:24 for us.

We had this great road trip to one of the outer islands with great ocean views, little harbors, etc. but it was so foggy we turned around when it was obvious that the trip was a lost cause. We ran into a friend who gave us tickets to the "Pepperkakebyen" -gingerbread house city. It is a large collection of gingerbread buildings representing all of the parts of the city.

We checked it out and after a quick Kabab at a local stand up and eat restaurant there was a break in the foggy weather. We headed for the cable car up to Fløyen for a look at the city in the snow.

Erin up on the mountain with her new stylish wool hat.

The Winter sun is never far above the horizon.



The city is down there somewhere. Solstice 2011.

We got the front window seat for the ride back down to the city. The fog vanished for our walk back to the car.

We had a great day together in the cold and snow - now for a cup of hot cocoa and an evening together at home.

Merry Christmas!



Thunder Snow at Christmas Time

 Our lovely Autumn turned to Winter on December first with the coming of the first snow. You may have heard about how the Eskimo tribe has dozens of words for snow. In Norway there is just snø. 

We started with just a light snowfall.

During the day it became "Thunder Snow" which comes down fast and heavy. By bedtime we had a frozen Winter wonderland outside the front door.



By the next morning at sunrise - about 9:30 - it was beautiful and slick with temps in the 20's.

We are struggling to keep our walking regime up but even with our cleats - "thank you Costco!" we couldn't keep from sliding and slipping. We were forced to use the DVD and exercise cords.

A word on the sunshine; sunrise is a little before 9:30 and sunset is a little after 3:30. We are pretty far south in Norway. Still the sun is so low on the horizon that we only see it peek over the hill behind our leilighet for about one hour each day. On lots with good southern exposure they get two or three hours. We still have ten days until winter solstice. I wonder if we will get any direct light at that point.

BERGEN BRANCH JULEKONSERT

This branch has a great group of singers. There are several with professional quality voices. Some hold degrees in voice performance, some sing professionally. Many others have really good voices. Our choir - 36 strong - gave a wonderful performance. It was moving to hear them sing.

Besides the choir there were vocal solos and duets, a violin solo and a violin duet, piano solos and short readings. When the program ended we all went into the hall for a "Julebord." The Christmas Table or meal.

 

 We had a group of around 150 for dinner.

The young full-time missionaries were our servers.

Everyone waited patiently...

The menu included pinnekjøtt (lambchops), ribbe (boneless pork ribs), mashed kålrabi (the yellowish stuff) and of course boiled potatoes.  Julebrus is the red drink. It is a special soda sold only during the Christmas season.

The lamb has been cured by salting it so it has to be soaked in water for a day before cooking. The water has to be changed to get rid of the salt. Still it is salty but the way it is cooked makes it delicious. The pork is oven roasted and D-licious. The kålrabi stappe and poteter complement the meats very well.

As dinner was being cleared we sang Christmas songs; some carols but mostly Norwegian songs about Christmas traditions such as the Julenissen song - a song about the Christmas Elf.

As dessert was served the music and dancing began. The desserts were various puddings served with vanilla sauce or berry sauce. My favorite is riskrem, a rice pudding cooked up with loads of thick cream and sugar. Good thing that Christmas season only lasts for four weeks!

For the next couple of hours the dessert, dancing and entertainment continued. Kerry joins our Branch President and others for a rendition of "Hotel California."

Kjetil,(blue shirt)and I hung in there with the dishes and a rotating crew until almost midnight to get the kitchen cleaned up and all of the dishes washed and put away.

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Norwegians don't go in for loads of decorations - especially outdoors. The lights are "understated" almost no colored lights at all; mostly single strands of white lights wound around trees here and there or across railings. Most homes have electric advent candles in the window(s). Same thing at the malls and shopping areas downtown - white lights or lighted snowflakes here and there. Today the Christmas tree lots opened. This is the third week of advent and the week to get your tree.

What they do here is celebrate with feasts and concerts. We had the Julekoncert at church last night. Today the young women presented a long program for everyone. Next Sunday the Primary children will present an hour long Christmas program. On the 23rd people get together for "Little Christmas Eve dinners in their homes to celebrate with family and/or friends. On Christmas Eve afternoon there will be a program at church at 2pm with the reading of the Christmas story and singing of carols. The big day here is the 24th - that evening gifts are opened after dinner. On Christmas day we will meet in church for Sacrament Meeting and one more Christmas program after which people will gather in groups for Christmas Brunch. In case you missed getting together with everyone on your list there is also The Second Day of Christmas on December 26th. I have attended Christmas parties in Norway as late as the 2nd of January! Hey, it is a long, cold, dark winter here so you need to lift your spirits. 



Life around the Center for Young Adults

First, on a personal note. Kerry passed his driving test!! On the green form you will see multiple usage of the adjective "bra" meaning "good" in the descriptors of the skills demonstrated.

Seriously, I am stoked. The licence is good until I am 100 years old. The temporary is on the left.

We had a special guest at the center this month. Our reception included a table full of great food, which everyone helped to prepare.

Smørbrød are little open face sandwiches topped with lots of good stuff.

Elder Matti Jotunus from Finland was our guest. He is the Area 70 over the Scandinavian countries. He hung out with and talked to our group for over an hour. He is in the middle with some of our group.



There is a new class being taught on Fridays. How to conduct music is held just before sports night begins. This class is required before students can start the keyboard (piano) class. Five students began the series. (That is our new sign leaning against the wall - it goes on the outside wall-someday.)

Yes, we did have Thanksgiving. We prepared dinner for 25 at the church. We cooked two turkeys so there have been plenty of leftovers. We made our own stuffing from scratch (cut and dried the bread ourselves) and cooked our Halloween pumkin to make pumkin pie filling.

Turkey #2 just out of the oven.



Apple pies, Shanna's rolls, Turkey #1

We had hoped to have eaters from five continents but ended up with just North and South America, Europe and Africa. Note the Utah touch - pear/green jello /whipped cream salad topped with Kiwi and raspberries -mmmmmmm. The meal was delicious. We served the pies after class so everyone had room for dessert.