Kerry & Shanna in Norway: 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.