Norway - Part 1/2

After our joint Mediterranean travels, my parents flew up to their second home in northern Norway on July 13th, while we stayed in Athens for an extra day.  Nate was not able to go to Norway with me and the kids last year, but this year he went with us to Norway for several days before flying home to Maryland and going back to work.  The kids and I stayed for two weeks at my parents' house in Hopen, near Bodø.  My brother Thomas was also in Norway and after visiting family in southern Norway earlier in the month, he flew up to my parents' house and was there the entire time we were.  This post includes the days Nate was in Norway with us.

The weather this summer was remarkably warm and dry, which may not have been ideal for water levels and trees, but was perfect for hiking.  While Nate was there, we tried to prioritize seeing a few cool things.  We did my favorite hike of Keiservarden, which has panoramic views of the city, as well as nearby and distant islands.  Thomas wanted to hike up Keiservarden a weird way --- the normal way is up the Sherpa steps (Sherpas from Nepal built the steps up the mountain in their traditional way in the 2010's).  So Thomas, Karina, Nate, and I ended up hiking up the mountain through some back trails and were just generally aiming in the right direction.  We walked on sheep trails and passed some cabins, and did eventually meet up with the main trail. 

My parents, Lydia, and Derek walked the normal way up the mountain, where there was at least no risk of getting lost.  I hope Derek was cooperative for Mimi, and I felt bad leaving both younger kids with them while we explored side trails. 

Eventually, we all made it to the top - 1201 feet, or 366 meters above sea level. 

The island of Landegode is in the background here. 

Norwegian trails have lots of cairns along the path, marking the way.  Lydia and Derek made a habit of creating their own cairns on our various hikes.

This cairn is a large marker dedicating the Keiservarden hike to German Emperor (Kaiser) Wilhelm II, who the trail is named after, as he used to go there and hike this trail during his many Norwegian visits in the late 1800s. 

We tried for a family photo. 

Below is the one I like best:

Playing with the workout equipment at the base of the hike cleverly created from natural materials like huge logs.  Uncle Thomas was lifting Karina up. 

At home at my parents' house there were no clouds blocking their beautiful view.  The mountains are beautiful and the view is bucolic. 

We also did some hiking in the woods behind my parents house, often on land they own.  This stream has water that is drinkable and Lydia enjoyed stopping for a very cold drink. 

My parents' red barn and white house are just behind Lydia and in front of Derek. 

We went on a trip to the Saltstraumen whirlpool, even though it was raining, to try and maximize our time while Nate was still there. 

We also hiked in the woods of Tverlandet, a nearby village.  The kids really like this hike, because you get to walk on wooden planks through the marsh, and there is a cool shelter to stop at where multiple streams meet and they also like playing near the water. 

Just that day I had told the kids a joke about the Norwegian name Odd.  And then that very day, we found a sign named for Odd, and they thought it was hilarious and wanted a photo by it.  I did not mention to them that since there was flowers at this sign, it may be marking where something tragic happened.  Months later, my kids still bring up the joke I told about Odd, so here it is, since they think it is so funny (but I'm not sure that it is).  

'There once was a man from Norway named Odd, which is a normal name there. He emmigrated to the United States and throughout his life in the US, people would tease him about his name. He was so tired of people making fun of his name that before he died, he left instructions to leave his first name off of his gravestone, so at least in death he would have some peace. When the man died, his family honored his wishes. However, whenever anyone walked by his gravestone and noticed the missing first name they would pause and mutter, "That's odd." '

That was the end of Nate's summer adventures, and I'm glad he got to go to Norway this summer with us.