Mumsie & Me: Drammen, Fagernes and Bergen

Alright folks, it has been awhile since Mom left, but I never had the chance to finish writing about our adventures! So, I am now going to take a little break from studying to update you all. Better late than never, right?
Ok, so after our adventure in Prague, Mumsie and me headed to Drammen, a very small town outside of Oslo where here cousin, Geten and her boyfriend, Nils live. Whenever I tell a Norwegian that I spent some time in Drammen over Easter break they always give me a confused look and say "WHAT would posses you to go there?". I guess I didn't know how small it was, but it was great to see Geten and finally meet her three daughters. The last time I saw Geten, I was 9 years old. I remember going to her farm and picking strawberries with my sister and cousin (she lived and ran a strawberry farm). I ALSO remember there was a train track near by that Geten forgot to mention, and when I heard the sound of the train, the three of us girls just ran for the hills because we didn't know where this loud sound was coming from! Anyway, this was my memory of Geten and getting to see her again was a great delight. Two of her daughters now live on the farm, so we were staying with her in the "city". Our first night there she served us the traditional meal of salmon with boiled potatoes. It was delicious, of course. The next day, we went to see the famous new ski jump in Oslo, Holmenkollen. Neither Nils nor Geten had been there so it was a new thing for them too!




Our main adventure for the day was going to see Geten's sister (my mom's other cousin), Ingrid in Oslo. We had tea and lots of great sweets to eat (which of course, I was happy about). Geten was also determined to force me to use my Norwegian, so I did as best as I could and we talked for a few hours "på norsk". Needless to say, at the end of the visit my brain was very tired. I am also very grateful to Ingrid because she offered me and Zach (my soon to be travel partner!) a place to stay for the 17th of May (Norway's national day) when we will be in Oslo. I'm excited to see that part of my family again before I leave.
Then, Geten made us dinner. It was an interesting meal. It was raw herring, with boiled potatoes (those Norwegians love their potatoes) and sour cream. Mom really enjoyed it. I know my Dad would've LOVED it.
One of our main reasons for going to Oslo so that we could a make a day trip out to visit my Dad's Dad's cousin (?). I think that's correct, but I'm not sure. Either way, he is a lovely man named Kolbjørn. His daughter and her family were staying at their cabin up in the mountains (commonly referred to as the "hytta" in Norwegian) so we spent the day soaking up the sun on the deck of their little cabin overlooking the beautiful landscape of Norway. Kolbjørn had two grandsons that were wonderful to talk to, especially the eldest, Joakim. He was thirteen and spoke nearly perfect English. He was very interested in traveling so he knew a lot about North America and is also loves music so him and I had a lot to talk about. After lunch, I saw the two boys were playing with a bow and arrow that they had made. They invited me to join in, and I did my best, but I eventually gave up and just started to throw a large stick instead.





After some more visiting, Kolbjørn was nice enough to take us on a mini tour of the fjord and show us where his relatives had lived. But then, we had to head back to Drammen for the night. We were in the bus just as the sun was setting, and I was able to get some pictures on the way. In reality, it was 100x prettier but...I tried my best to capture what I could.



The next morning we left relatively early for Bergen. When we got back into town, the sun was shining, the city center was full of people, but I was so tired and just wanted to get home. The one plus about having to wait for a bus (for 45 minutes) was that I saw the cutest couple ever!!! They were sitting on a park bench, sharing some lunch and basically...were just the most adorable two people in the world. DON'T WORRY-I TOOK PICTURES.



AM I RIGHT?!?!? Yes. I know I am. They were just so fantastic. I wanted to get closer to take pictures, but then I thought it would seem creepy. I tell myself that taking pictures from 100 ft. away makes it okay. When we got home, Mumsie and I relaxed and enjoyed the idea that we would be in the same place for a week.
Our Easter Sunday was spent at a Norwegian church (loved it!) and of course we had a great Easter meal: a hot dog from the gas station. Seriously-nothing is open on Easter Sunday. I WILL say that it was a delicious hot dog. Oh yeah, and we also put bunny ears to celebrate the holiday. Please don't be jealous of how cool we are.

Throughout the week, Mumsie and I just spent our time in the city center, walking around, getting my bangs cut (which was a disaster, but I'm beginning to accept the fact that I look like a 7 yr. old) and just enjoying each other. We also treated ourselves (and by treated ourselves, I mean Mom treated ME) to a movie with the beautiful Simone!
We went and saw "Water for Elephants" which was so great! Mom also took Bernhard, one of my closest friends here out for dinner



Mumsie and I's final adventure together was doing the famous tour "Norway in a Nutshell". It consists of train rides, boat rides, bus rides and generally a lot of transportation. I know it doesn't sound that amazing, but the scenery is what makes the trip so great. Thus, I will not put my trust in the pictures to express to you the greatness of this trip. I will say that this tour made me realize how much I hate tourists. I was constantly finding them similar to chickens with their heads cut off. They are always panicked, and too busy taking pictures of every. single. thing that they don't even take the time to appreciate the beauty around them!! So...when they were busy taking pictures of the fjords, I was taking pictures of them.

Anyway, the tour started off with a train ride from Bergen to Voss. There, I met a troll.


Then, the busy took us from Voss to Gudvangen where I met my dad's ideal mate for me: a Norwegian viking who I'm SURE is Lutheran...


The highlight of the bus ride were the "hair pin turns" that were just opened that day. These turns allow you to be drive right from the top of the fjord down to the valley. There were also very pretty waterfalls on either side. Again, the tourists took about a million pictures because apparently they had never seen a natural water source before.



The boat ride was fantastic and of course, Mom got some great pictures. In between pictures, Mom was able to carry a conversation with this (somewhat crazy) couple from Texas. They were originally from New Jersey and were having a little trouble guiding themselves on the tour. Mom took them under her a wing, and man-my Mom is really able to talk to anyone. I finally understand where I get my visiting skills from (not that I thought I thought for a SECOND I got them from my dad...). Anyway, this lady got so comfortable with Mom she was taking out photo albums, talking about her daughters divorces etc. etc. Oh and also-her husband didn't say a thing the whole time. Literally. The whole time. Anyway, Mom and I had so much fun. And our new friends even captured a candid laughing moment...





Then, in Flåm, we had some soft is (soft ice cream) and I met yet another troll.


Then, it was time for the authentic open-air train. It was really old and was super slow but it was an experience!



Then, it was back on the normal train and back to Bergen. We spent the next day packing (which could be an entire blog entry on its own), but eventually we got nearly all of my stuff into the suitcases and Mumsie left the next morning at 4:00 AM. I was very sad to see her go, but I WAS excited to get my bed back. ;) It was so amazing have a full three weeks alone with my Mom. I don't think that has ever happened before. Not only did I get to see her, but we got to share in some adventures together that I will always remember. (I don't think anyone will be able to fully understand the craziness of that musical theatre show in Prague...)
Anyways, I love her. Loved the time we had together and am so thankful that she is my Mumsie!! Love you always ya lil'cutie.
Now it's back to the books!
Sending love!
A