Living large on the Hurtigruten

Our time in Norway has involved more driving than we expected.   When Google would say 4 hours, we started to count on it taking 5 or more because there were ferries, buses, sheep, winding roads and all sorts of obstacles.  While I was driving and didn't mind it much, the kids did not look forward to the car trips (although they got impressively good at them).  After making our way down the Lofoten Islands we needed to get back up to Tromsø.  Google told us to count on 10 hours and we all knew that it would be much much more.  Even I was not looking forward to retracing our path for that long, so we took the plunge and got a ferry from the southern end of the island chain back to Tromso.

The Hurtigruten or the "fast route" was established in 1893 to make a regular, more predictable connection between the coastal towns of Western Norway and it helped to build up the whole coastline.  Today it serves not only as a ferry but also as a tourist ship.  When I emailed to make the reservations, I was told if we wanted to do the basic boat, not the tour ships, I needed to contact a different department, and so I figured we would go on a relatively small boat, maybe like the Alaska Ferry System. The day of our ferry departure came and it appeared as though we were the only people in line to board.   It seemed odd.  We double checked our tickets, asked the store clerk, and yep- we were at the right place. Then a massive ship towering above the harbor pulls up sideways to the dock, lined with spectators.   We drove our car on where an elevator took us down to the parking garage, and we left the keys so a "forklift" could park the car.

In a slight daze, we walked to the "reception" area- a gorgeous lobby with a gas fireplace, stunning artwork, and a reception desk.  We checked in and took a look around.   It did not take us long to find the dual outside hot tubs where we jumped in to watch the setting sun and an incoming storm.  

The ferry was 20 hrs of indulgence.  Our pass included a beautiful 4-course evening meal, a huge breakfast, and a lunch buffet.  After being very conscious of cost in Norway, let's just say the kids got their money worth. 

It was striking to see many nicely dressed people speaking English.  We have our own little routine and our own "nuclear family,"  and it was fun to branch outside of this, meet other people, hear their stories and answer questions. Sailing past Senja guests were asking: "what do people do on that island?"  "Do they really live in those houses?"  We knew exactly what it was like to live in one of those houses for a month and it made us all grateful for this extended travel time instead of only being able to scratch the surface.

Our massive home as we made our way back North to fly out of Norway.

As we were waiting for the ferry, Traverse was checking out the awesome Norwegian boats.

More fun waiting on the dock.

Again amazing engineering as we loaded on the ship.

It did not take us long to find the best place to enjoy the sunset on the ship.

We thought this would be packed, but we often had it to ourselves.

Having fun with the Viking beard.

Ridding past the Senja island where we had spent a month.

Ahh these two and this lovely time with them as they grow into amazing adults.

Not sure I can ever get enough of the light and this land.

Taco Tuesday (or Friday)

I would be remiss if I didn't put something in about taco Fridays.  In Alaska, if your neighbor chooses red, then you choose green.   There is this intense American individualism and independence.  Norway, on the other hand, that same intensity appears to be displayed in a degree of conformity that was new and intriguing to us. Be it house color, Sunday family events or what you eat on Friday night, they are in it together, for better for worse.  Maybe it is the fact that the country has only had independence for just over a hundred years, and during that time they were occupied by Germany during WWII.  I am not sure, but it continues to fascinate me that these very similar places in terms of oil, geography, and fiercely practical, resilient people have such a different view of the government and social order in general. 

When I was looking for dried beans in the store (which I never found) I would find these big sections of "tex-mex" food and I thought it was just popular.  However, we soon learned that Friday night is  "Mexican night".  That’s right- a country of only 5 million people spread out across an intense and isolated landscape all eat the same imported food every Friday night.  This is a place where the landscape has kept people so far apart that there are three major dialects and 2 different formal written forms of Norwegian, yet everyone fills their carts with "Old El Paso" on the same day every week.   It’s funny which things catch on in a country, but we did enjoy our taco nights!     

No matter the size store, they always had this shelf, you always knew what would be in people’s carts on Friday.

While Mexican was big, the other two things we loved was the yarn in every store and Traverse and his black licorice. Every kind and variety you could think of. One last bag for the road.

Final days in Norway

Our last few days in Norway were full of excitement, but also we lived in anticipation of our upcoming transition. Our last days in Norway felt like days before a birthday when I was a child when I would count every “sleep” and celebrate the last day of school as a 7 year old, both nervous and excited about turning 8.  There were a lot of lasts; the last time we would have salmon, a last Norwegian fjord hike, the last long run in this fantastic country, yet all with the excitement of something new and unknown ahead.   Norway has indeed begun to feel like home, and somehow we are almost two months into this adventure.  We had a spectacular final day in the southern tip of the Lofoten islands, and it was a bittersweet end to this chapter. 

A final salmon lunch after a great hike - sitting on the water with these mountains in the background and the kids playing at the swing set right behind this picture. Also Traverse sporting his “viking” beard.

I had a fantastic final long run: rain, sun, rainbows, beautiful fjords. It was also the first time in 6 weeks that I was able to run on mostly flat ground because there was no huge hill to climb to get out of our town - so I felt fast and free. I sprinted at the end and then I looked up and this is what I saw. It was just breathtaking (ok maybe I had already lost my breath or was hypoxic) but it was one of those moments you know you will always remember. The light in Norway just appears to dance though the day, coming and going through mountains, clouds and then it is reflected back through the water.

And this is the view the other direction!

Finding hidden sculptures on a near by beach on a day full of rain.

Here is the sculpture we found. The Lofoten island are dotted with these different “natural” sculptures from around the world.

Our last breakfast on the Lofoten island, I had to get a picture of what we saw everyone morning from our kitchen table: all hours of the day people taking pictures of the cabin we stayed in and the massive wall behind us.

“Lets see what is up this hill” Each hike was like this, offering more rewards for getting out and seeing what is around the next corner.

Just checking out the view. Above you can see all the dried fish we saw and bird eggs - I really loved the dried fish light fixutre. Below are the kids being kids while we headed up the near by mountain.

King of the mountain!

On our way to the ferry we took a lunch break and headed up this hill, again taking in the view of this amazing part of the country.

One last shot looking back. Thank you Norway. I can’t wait to come back.

We landed in a postcard

We arrived in a postcard and it was more stunning in person than I had ever imagined.  Traverse kept telling me to watch the road and not my surroundings, but our drive near the end of the island chain was seriously incredible. We arrived around 6 pm, had dinner and watched the sunset, and then vowed to get up early the next morning to watch it rise. The tourism here feels more like southern Norway and we were glad we came on the shoulder season; it is clear why this area is so popular.   This town has bent to the ebbs and flows of tourism; we felt strangely out of place seeing things outside the normal Norwegian routine such as restaurants open on Sunday, evening fires in town and people greeting you on the street.  As we went to bed, I pulled the window curtains closed to hide the tourists taking pictures from the bridge of our little iconic red fisherman’s cottage nestled by surrounding peaks.  We listened to the sounds of the pounding surf with the incoming storm. 

A view on our morning walk into Reine.

The little red cabin in the front is our home for the next 4 days. This is taken from the bridge connecting these impossible islands together and one of many cabins modeled after the traditional fishing cabins.

This is the back side of our little red cabin - or “Rorbuer” as they are known. You can see one of the series of bridges and how this area connects island to island to form a road that goes the length of island chain.

Another set of cabins and an activity center, but the water is so blue. The worlds largest deep water coral reef is off the Lofoten island and you can see even with the storm brewing, the crystal clear water and fish swimming.

Another little place with the traditional insulating grass roofs.

Me: Can you girls go back so I can get a picture of you coming towards me?

Girls: Only if we can do it the way we feel

Me: (a little worried what was going to happen) Ok?

This picture as they were skipping and singing towards me.

Little one taking in the sights.

The ferry boat that takes you to the back fo the fjord to explore the western beaches and hikes in the setting sun.

It was so stunning, I had to have my coffee on the rocks and the world slowly turned towards the sun.

Seeing new sights

After our time in Husoy, we drove six hours south onto the start of the famous Lofoten Island chain; any quick google search of must-see places in Norway includes this group of rocks jutting into the Arctic Ocean. Here you find crystal clear blue water, white sand beaches created by arctic waves and mountains that seem to rise straight out of the sea.  Known for their rugged beauty and rich fishing history, the Lofoten islands had always been on our list, but we put them later in the year to allow the hoards of tourists to clear out first.

As we drove south on a spectacular day, I kept having that dazed feeling you get when you walk out of a movie theater into the bright light.  Every kilometer we traveled had scenery which was new, different, bright and fresh; I kept rubbing my eyes and blinking to make sure it was real. You could spend a lifetime between Senja and the Lofotens and never hit all the peaks, see all the beaches, or run all the trails.

The first few days on the Lofoten Islands we spent in the second largest city of the islands, Svolvær where the airport is located.  We had rented an Airbnb, run by a charming retired Swedish woman, who had opened her basement “to give herself something to do”. We were all figuratively and literally like kids in a candy store in Svolvær. There were cappuccinos, bikes paths, ice cream shops, and endless rocky beaches. We only barely scratched the surface however, because it took us hours to leave our place with its sauna, garden, and sun-drenched yoga deck. We also got late starts after coming back from long morning trail runs.  Svolvær’s walkable beautiful town blessed us with cloudless skies, changing fall colors and the fun of being in a city for the first time in over a month.

Evening explorations took us along the beach and the setting sun. This quite out look was a 15 min walk from downtown and a great place to watch the boats come and go.

The girls wanted some time to play, and I wanted on top of the mountains that surrounded us, so Traverse and I walked from the house and found ourselves here - a breathtaking spot with the city below.

Making a wood and moss shelter.

Fishing is everting to these towns and their history. This used fishing net decorated a house near the waters edge.

“Devils Gate” on our way down from our explorations. It is hard to tell from the picture, but the thing had a pretty good drop off. Fun finding new places and new sights.

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More fun in the sun! I am surprised we are still in summer cloths this time of year this far north. Granted many people in town had down jackets on, but with the direct sun, it was hard to not want to absorb every moment.

Perfectly still water on our walk into town.

more fun with shadows!

A final morning run. You could hear the cheers from the local soccer game all the way up the hill the the joy of a whole town basking in the sun.

Becoming a Viking

As we left Svolvær to drive south along a chain of islands towards the famous town of Reine, we passed the Viking Museum.  Before our trip, we had written this museum off as a “tourist trap”, but now, 2 months of adventures later, we were seeking other ways to learn about our environment.  This interactive museum was a fun change from learning on the internet or from books and chance experiences. These are few of the hundreds of pictures and hundreds of laughs we had pretending we were Vikings and learning about their history.

Fun playing Viking for a day. I kept laughing at these pictures all day.

More fun in costume. The iron link jacket I am wearing had to weigh 30 pounds. Little One felt like she couldn't stand up when she had it on. It is hard to imagine fighting in that thing, let along wielding that sword.

Grinding wheat into flour in costume. Part of the long house living museum which we basically had to ourselves for the afternoon.

Remembering how to spin yarn from wool.

The museum had a lot of information about the Norse Gods. It was fun to see the kids put together what they had read in the Magnus Chase Book Series and what they had learned at the Birchtree School with what they were really seeing in Norway. I know very little about Norse history, but it was interesting to see how the themes play out in modern-day stories, like the home tree in Avitar.

We were too late in the season to get to row this boat, but we still could explore it. It was surprisingly small, and the thought of getting in here and sailing to Iceland was hard to comprehend.

King of the mountain!

Fun day all around.

Saying Goodbye

The earth moves around the sun and time continues to flow past.  Yesterday felt like a significant milestone for us as we packed up and left our little Husøy home.   

Husøy was a benchmark for us, our first real resting place. It was the first place where we slowed down to transition from traveling to life at “home”.  It is where we got caught up, got bored, spent hours picking blueberries and watched the tide come in.  After about two weeks there, we were ready to see something else and explore someplace new. But something happened between weeks three and four. We stopped searching and deeply settled in, becoming more content with the quiet rhythms of the town.  In this quiet, we hardly noticed as the days passed by and suddenly it was time to leave again.

When we chose Husøy, a town of 150 people, we had hoped that the girls would make friends.  We thought it would be small enough to get to know the community. However, we didn't take into account the Norwegian "space bubble" (as we called it) where it is customary for Norwegians to mainly interact through structured events. On our final night there, the bubble finally burst. The girls started to really play with the other kids on the island who had been watching us for the whole month. Five hours later they were bursting at the seams and happily recounting stories of their time with the kids of Husøy. They shared their favorite foods, compared differences between the US and Norway, and played games while laughing and running through the town together.   When I tucked Little One in bed, she must have said "it was so much fun" 50 times before she finally settled down to go to sleep.  Hopefully, they will put these lovely stories into writing, because they reflect what we had hoped the girls would get out of our time there all along.  Our last day brought new friends, a new running record on our little 9% grade hill outside of town and a return of the glorious sun. But alas, the calendar had us moving on, and it was time to say goodbye.  As we drove away, I knew I would always carry with me a piece of Husøy.  I will remember it not only for its quiet, comfortable, simple routine but also for the beautiful hidden treasures that only slowly reveal themselves with time and mindful patience.  

On my way down from my final run up the "hill", the clouds broke and the rainbow appeared, a fitting end to our magical time.

Saying no to say yes

For every action, there is a reaction.  For every “yes” we said to make this year happen, there was a “no” that also had to happen.  This week has been a reflection of those “yes” and the “no”s.

When I was 21, I traveled after college for a year as a Watson Fellow. At that time, there were not a lot of “no”s in my life; I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next, I was not in a relationship, and I had no one and nothing depending on me.  The toughest and most significant “no” that year was not being able to return for the wedding of my aunt and uncle-two people I had introduced to each other. 

This year it was very different.  Our whole family had a house, dogs, work, school and friendships and all of us, especially the girls, had to change in one way or another to leave.   As our time away has progressed, we notice the  things we have had to say “no” to: the first day of school, work gatherings, awards missed, the Alaska State Fair. The world keeps turning, the colors fade to autumn reds, and the windy winter chill makes its presence felt in the afternoon. Our time away has started to feel real and meaningful which is both liberating and sad.  This weekend, one of those “no”s surfaced when my beautiful, funny, smart and gracious cousin got married in Colorado. She played her flute at my wedding, she has always made me laugh, and she has always been my kindred spirit in our crazy family.  To miss her wedding day was hard!  As my family gathered in Colorado, cousin pictures and meeting plans popped up via group text throughout the day and night. The choice we made to be here, instead of at her wedding, continued to crystallize.  The girls talked endlessly about their love for family gatherings, cousin time, grandparents, and what they would be doing if they were present.  We talked about how much we love our families and that sense of community and how we all wished we were there in person but knew we were there in spirit.   We are all grateful that we said “yes” to this year and to our own unique family adventure. We appreciate the clarity that comes with distance, but we recognize that the “no”s we have said are what to allow us to be here for this special time together in our lives.  We spent the day of the wedding climbing another spectacular peak while the girls hiked up a different trail to play in the woods and on a boardwalk - independent and free in the bright sun.  We came home, talked to our families with technology (that gives us the illusion that the world is incredibly small) and we sent our love and our blessings from our little perch - 200 miles above the Arctic Circle. 

Text pictures of a lovely day we experienced from a distance.

Making my way down a little rock face on our way down the mountain with Mt. Segla in the background as we enjoyed this break in the rain.

A favorite post-hike activity has been playing at the beach. How they get in that water and hang out in swimsuits is beyond me. Traverse and I were both in long pants and puffy jackets when this picture was taken.

In and out they went for hours.

A beautiful 9 mile hike through the National Park of Senja.

Boardwalks for miles

Loving our time together as a family.

The amount of mud and miles these shoes have seen over the past few weeks is impressive. It has become standard to have the flip-flops waiting in the car after each day's adventure.

Close up with Norway's Prime Minister, "Where-is-Waldo" and other adventures when people come to town

All week there has been mounting excitement in town. Every year this little town of 150 people hosts a political debate among the different party leaders in the country, and they go all out.  The town put out the Norwegian flag, built a market on the pier to sell local fish, hand knit crafts and berries. They constructed a fish restaurant in a fishing warehouse.  Local kids served the dignitaries fish soup, meats and other local dishes. The dessert table looked as though everyone in town had been baking their family favorites for the last month.  They decorated the warehouse with old fishing nets and pictures of the townspeople. The politically curious and politically influential ate together and enjoyed what felt like a real community event.

Our day started with the discovery that the credit card machines did not take our cards.  We were stuck: not enough cash, no ATMs or banks for the next two days, no cash advances from the grocery store, and no one took US dollars.  We had brought double of everything for this reason and things had been fine in Norway as long as we had both cards until today when we encountered “Waldo”.  "Waldo" is what we have named our neighbor as he is EVERYWHERE.   People say that many Norwegians tend to keep to themselves and we had not gotten to know as many people in town as we had hoped to except for “Waldo”. We first met "Waldo" as we chatted with the school principal about hiking, blueberries, and other adventures- then we started seeing him everywhere. The night before he appeared as the girls were struggling to pay at the ice cream truck. Then he saved the day and got us into a festival offering to lend us money when we could not get cash.   Embarrassed and grateful we entered the festival hoping that this would be the last time he would need to help us. All was well until another machine gave us troubles at the fish restaurant and “Waldo” showed up, paid and ushered us in. Though we knew few people in Norway, “Waldo”’s kindness and generosity mark the feeling of this country and our time.  He knew nothing about us including our names, yet he lent us money and insisted on making sure that we saw and enjoyed every part of the festival.  

That same kindness was apparent during the political debates.  People were casual, lively and kind. A woman sat in the front row and knitted a green sweater as a discussion about taxation, industry, and immigration took place a few feet in front of her.  There was a general feeling of respect and simplicity.  As we stood outside the grocery store debating our next move to get cash, the Prime Minister of Norway (with 5.3 million people) walked passed us without hardly any fan fair.   A few people in blue shoes (her party’s color) walked with her, but that was it-no bag checks, no helicopters, no drama. She was kind, eloquent and she and her rivals debated with respect.  It reminded me of best of democracy and our Norwegian experience was in direct contrast to the turmoil and political discourse in our own country.   We came home full, content and exhausted.  We had not had that much human interaction in weeks and we loved every moment of Husoy days!

More people watching the debates then even live in this town.

No big deal, just the Prime Minister walking past, almost asked for a selfie. I think the guy in the blue jeans is giving me the evil eye.

Selling the amazing local salmon in town. You can see the fishing boat out the window and we now recongize most the people on the poster.

Buying ice cream, as the truck comes to town twice a year and everyone stocks up.

Eating Lefser - a sweet local bread with more games in the wearhouse in the background.

Days like these

We have settled into a pattern here above the Arctic Circle.  The weather dominates our daily activities as storms blow in and out and we alternate between work, play, and exercise.  The girls have come a long way in their math as Traverse and I plan out the next steps of our journey, and catch up on work.  When the weather breaks we find another mountain to climb (and collect our daily quota of blueberries!)

For years, I have felt like Sisyphus trying to empty my inbox, but here my email goes to zero before breakfast and stays there for hours.  The sensation of completeness is strange, like the deafening silence after a loud noise stops, or feeling of being off balance after a long boat ride. We are finding a new balance, which was the whole point of this year. Indeed, for the first time since we left, it has felt like there has been time and space to read, watch the clouds or fully explore a child’s question. It is interesting to see how your perspective changes;  the mountains no longer feel like a big adventure, now that we know what it is like to walk most of the ridge lines and stand on the top of many of the peaks we can see.   We are getting accustomed to having Time and we have found new and unexpected treasures as life slows and unfolds.

Afterschool breaks: exploring the tide on an empty white sand beach after a day of linear algebra

This is actually the same beach as above, but on a different day with a different perspective. I can't get over the color of the water.

Watching the waves crash and enjoying the sun as we venture a few fjords over.

Playing on the end of a boardwalk we had only driven past before.

I love how the Norwegian government has added these little stops along beautiful streach of road, this modern boardwalk brings you down to a stunning rock outcropings seen above.

Best road side pit stop! Why not do everything in style?!?

"River" as bear as best known, has been a part of many of the adventures, and is starting to look a little more loved on every muddy trail we explore. This picture was taken after Little One summersaulted off a steep trail’s edge-both ending up a little dirtier after the roll.

Another afternoon stroll took us up a breathtaking ridge to the mountain of Barden, the fourth highest peak on Senja. We debated on the way down; maybe this one was our absolute favorite. They are all just a perfect 4-6 miles, 800-1000 feet of elevation gain, views the whole way, with a little bit of challenge and exposure. It reminded me of road biking in Mallorca where every hill climb was a perfect 5K and 5%.

Just another part of the climb as we used these cables on Sukkertoppen outside of the "town" (really more just resort) of Hamn.

Looking out towards Greenland on the tip this amazing island in the artic Atlantic Ocean

Another adventure with the resort of Hamn in the background

These two enjoying a break in the weather and work

Scrambling down the mountain side.

You can see in this picture how you can connect ridge to ridge as they jet into the ocean.

Finding hearts along the way.

Another good day, another great adventure.

Appreciating the small things.

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Back to school- Mt Husfjell and beach fun

Back at home, the girls' friends have headed back to school, reconnecting with friends, meeting new teachers and starting new topics.  We have been on the road for a little over a month now, and some of the novelty is wearing off for the kids.  They have been working hard on their school work these last rainy days.  Today they needed a break and since the weather forecast had improved, we surprised them with breakfast in bed. We skipped math, yoga and chores and hopped in the car for a new adventure.

Senja is a large island made up of fingers of mountainous land that stretch into the sea with deep fjords in between.  The roads tend to go along the back of the fjords part way up the mountain and then cross under the mountain range via one of the impressive tunnels  (my spell check just told me that the noun "tunnel" does not usually go with the adjective "impressive," and I should consider a word like "deep"  - they have never been to Norway!).  Anyway, today we headed two fjords over to explore a new area.  

Our day took us up Mt. Husfjell, a relatively easy hike that was longer than usual but with a gentle elevation gain to a spectacular summit.  Despite the impressive drop-off from the top, it was the water that was most striking here; the fjord had sparkling blue water dotted with islands and lined with stunning white sand beaches. The vegetation was lush with both pine forests and rainforests. A promise of time on the beach kept everyone moving. The day ended with 5 hours of beach time that included walks, swimming, books, dinner, and sand castles.  The girls made an elaborate sand community that included a hospital, an orphanage, a waste disposal system, a water system, and a penitentiary system.  That evening, we watched the sun slowly set over the endless ocean. We sent our love to our friends and family at home; our energy was renewed for continuing our adventure. 

Walking the little one to "school"

All smiles today

It feels like you should just always be in panarmoa mode on this island.

Fun with the phone.

Dinner time.

Practicing cartwheels and hand stands

The kids' sand "city"

I took so many pictures at the beach, I just could not get enough of the beauty. Soon after this, a large school of large fish (possibly salmon) came right up to the girls. The whole night felt magical.

More setting sun pictures

Packing up to head home

A final view of the sun

Getting a different perspective - Mt Hesten

The kids had been working hard all morning and the weather started to break, so in the afternoon we ventured out again.  The rains came and went, but you could see the blue sky pushing apart the clouds as we drove to the next fjord over to go for an afternoon jaunt. Our plan was to climb Mt. Hesten, the sister of the famous Mt. Segla;  it was reported to be a nice hike with a good view of the stunning peak. To date, this has been my favorite hike of the trip.  The hike was a nice 5-mile loop continuously walking under, next to, or staring directly at the face of Mt. Segla.  Blueberries filled the valley.  There were only a few people and you could see the whole path, so the kids could just roam freely.  The top required some scrambling, some 5th class dirt moves and an amazing ridge hike connecting the two peaks.  The kids were in an energetic great mood and the weather kept coming and going around us, making the whole scene more dramatic.   

I love thinking about this peak, always there to welcome anyone who needs a change in scenery.  Regardless of the weather, the events of the day or the drama, Mt. Hesten and Mt. Selga stand yin-and-yang to each other, providing different perspectives on the same landscape and encouraging those who climb them to view things from all sides.   

Little one, singing to her self, making her way up on her own.

Celebrating the exposure at the top as the clouds come and go around us.

These two! As you can see we are starting to use every piece of clothing, we brought. This hike was our coldest to date.

Having fun with the drone on the top.

Little one getting a closer look

More views off the top

Down the ridge that connect the two peaks.

Ahh, it reminds me of the mountains in Patagonia where we met.

The blue berries bushes worked double duty holding up my phone and providing snacks!

A warming ski shack at the bottom also was filled with these reindeer hides and a fun end to a fun afternoon jaunt.

What it takes to be a community

The sounds of a storm captivated our attention as we watched the bouts of fog, clouds, wind, and rain pass by.   The town and fjord were deserted Saturday and Sunday as the waves swelled until they could no longer hold themselves and tipped over, frothing on the surface with white caps.  Seabirds pushed the local seagulls off their usual perch, forcing them up near our house, all facing forward, into the escalating wind, waiting for this storm to pass.  Everyone in town stayed inside. In the house, we embraced the downtime;  school work, scones, and reading filled our days.  By afternoon, we ventured out for runs and berry picking and the girls played games of survival near the local lighthouse.  

Looking around at this harsh landscape, reminds me of the importance of community, and our little town is like a miniature version of every city.   It has a school, a church, a store, a bar, a park, and a cafe (on the porch of someone's house).  There is a local run on the town's mile-long road.  They have their quirks; one quarter mile section of the road changes names halfway through.  

We all have our paths, dreams, and aspirations, but when the wind blows, our community keeps us protected.

When you first come onto the island, the signs for the school and chapel come first.

The local bar.

The school teaching the kids that while they may live on a small island, they live in a big world.

This fish processing plant dominates one side of the island. We have gotten to know these boats by name as they come in and out bringing the bounty of the sea with them.

If you only have a few roads, maybe this one can have two names. It just changes half way through and is well marked.

Part of the past. The community looks to have stared on the mainland, but when the bridge went in and the fishing took off, the isaland became the heart of this community.

Little one, way underdressed, runs out to "bring tea" as I pick blueberries in the building storm.

Looking out as the fog roles over the mountains.

Is this for real? Mt. Segla

Yesterday we climbed Mt. Selga - "the sail" about a half hour drive from where we are staying.   We had a bit of shock entering back into reality;  there are a lot more people outside of our little island!  This hike has been "Instagrammed" (ie: popular on Instagram) and suddenly it has started to attract hoards of tourists from all over to a degree we had never before experienced.  A short, steep hike takes you up the relatively mellow backside to the summit of this incredibly picturesque peak. Its sharp, high cliffs face the ocean creating stunning views and dizzying drop offs.  I had never really had difficulty with heights until I had children who now can deftly climb exposed terrain and man, there was some exposure!  It was a great afternoon hike but we bailed on climbing the next door peak in favor of having dinner in a new town while enjoying the lingering exhilaration of this climb.   I always feel more grounded after standing on top of peaks surrounding my home; today felt great!  

My stomach was in my throat getting these pictures; the exposure was phenomenal! I am not sure how the weather is worked out so well, since today was predicted to have clouds and rain.

Little One making her way down from the top with fjords on both sides.

"Mom this is scarier than Space Mountain at Disney World” she said, as she hung her head off the cliff you can see in the first picture.

Big One making her way down with the fjord by our house in the background.

Loving the sun and a chance to explore.

I loved all of these signs on our trail.   

The first is to keep us from creating a new “turduga”.

The second is: "If you want to take this Instagram picture you are on the wrong trail”.

Our personal favorite was always: ”Tipa and Topp”.

Looking off towards the sea from the top of Mt. Selga. This wasn’t our group but I still needed to capture the view.

Husøy - Lily

This is the little red boat that passes our window every morning to greet us.

The mountains wish to be the sea, and the sea wishes to be the mountains. 

This is a picture that I drew looking out the kitchen window.  

Lily Zink

A Room with a View

We are now settled in our new home and routine in Husøy.  We will be here for a month which is the longest we have been in one place since we left Alaska.   It is hard to describe how good it feels to run the same road, get caught up on work and see the kids really dive into a school routine again.  

Last night we talked about how quiet and peaceful it was here listening to the waves hit the edge of the rocks nearby.  This may be the coolest, quietest place we will visit this year; this place is the closest thing to paradise I can imagine. The house is right on the ocean with blueberry and cloudberry bushes everywhere. We are surrounded by miles and miles of spectacular mountains to roam and explore with or without trails.  

We recently read the Alchemist. There is a character in the book who does not want to search out his personal legend and go to Mecca because his unfinished goal keeps him moving forward. I had this pang of sorrow last night wondering, "Is this it? Did I find my paradise, and everything after this will be more challenging and disappointing?  Should we have saved Norway for last?"  I realize that each new step has brought me delight and surprise in some way;  I now understand more completely that the goal of this year was not to find our perfect place but to grow as a family and as individuals. This is where we are right now;  this is the moment and place in time we occupy.  It is like opening a Christmas present which was not what you asked for but was exactly what you didn’t realize you really needed and wanted. 

The hike right up from the house is full of berries, steep cliffs on both sides with big drop-offs and a bright yellow bike almost at the top. This is an an impressively easily climb for the reward and has been a part of my morning runs.

We all had our chance to play on the bike!

Riding this bike was harder to do than it looked- there was no chain and flat tires didn't help.

Filling out the book on the top. In the background you can see our little island and our home for the month.

Big One working on her math with the world behind her.

Our place in this moment in time.

video

Bergen Artwork - Isabelle

Hello, this is Isabelle speaking.  Do you copy?  Just kidding.  Anyway I was supposed to be  working on my journal, but I really didn’t want to, so I started to use my backup-super-stalling-powers to get away from that dreaded journal.  Unfortunately my mom has become accustomed to my super-stalling-powers and told me to get back to work.  I had to move to my backup for my backup plan and start complaining about how I didn’t want to do my journal.  Then, being a mom, she found something else “educational” for me to do and said, “Why don’t you work on the blog instead?” So here I am.  Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, lets move on to what I was going to journal about.  

When we were in Bergen we decided one day that we should go to a museum.  Since Lily and I are really into art, our parents suggested that we go to an art museum. It’s really cool because we get a certain amount of money to spend on things relating to education from the homeschool program.  So we pretty much get to go to museums, science centers, plays, tours...etc for free.  We walked around the art museum for a little while and quickly got bored; all the paintings were old fashioned and it smelled musty and old in there.  But the museum was not all bad- we had fun making fun of the art under our breath (I had a hard time not laughing) and we did find a cool children's section were you could create your own art. After that “experience” I was determined to create a picture which was better than what we saw in the museum (see below).  Whether it’s really better or not I’m not so sure- but that’s beside the point.   A photo helped guide my drawing. Thanks for reading:) Over and out.

Moving North - Senja

After we left Anne and Eric's wonderful home, it was time to stretch our wings again and head north.  This move marked the start of the second half of our time in Norway; it was hard to grasp how quickly the first half had passed!  While our goal of the first half was to travel and hike in Norway, the goal of our second half was to stop, regroup, explore and experience Norwegian culture in a single location.  We rented a house on the island of Husøy, a small fishing village of 150 people near the larger island of Senja above the Arctic Circle.  We flew from Trondheim to Tromsø and then rented a car to drive and ferry our way to our new home. 

When we landed in Tromsø, it was early in the morning and we had some time to explore.  We first made our way to the essential local (and truly amazing) information center. I always feel like a kid in a free candy shop when I walk into these Norwegian centers; they have the nicest people to help you plan your visit with suggested itineraries, maps and advice and they can translate any website you are stuck on. We had a delightful breakfast in a downtown cafe and then headed to the library for hours.  The kids had really been missing the feel of real paper and real books, so when they spotted the town library, it was all they wanted to do. Little One learned to read via the "Piggy and Gerald" books when she was young. We found the same books in Norwegian and it was a blast trying to read those books and another favorite, The Giving Tree. Then we went off to a Walmart-sized grocery store to stock up on food for the month before we drove down to our new island home. 

There is definitely a different feel to the North.  It is a lot cooler, older, the roads with pot holes felt more like home. Small villages dot the arctic wilderness.  It took us two hours to arrive at the bridge to our small town. We found our cute little new home and settled in contentedly for this next phase of our journey. 

Traverse took this from the deck this morning while he was making coffee - "this is the Norway I had always imagined" he said.

So excited by her find in books

The libraries remind me of how much better off we are together. This free, warm, welcoming home, filled from top to bottom with stories, adventures, and knowledge for anyone to enjoy was a welcomed stop on this rainy day of travel.

On the ferry to our new home.

Moving into a small rural village of 150 practical Norwegians, I was worried about standing out like a sore thumb. Well, a snafu in our rental car reservations resulted in us being the proud drivers of this "subtle" ride for the next month. I had to abandon any hope of blending in- which was probably obvious anyway. So here is to standing out, letting go and moving forward!

My view as I type this blog: the family working on school work and bills while I look out over the fjord.