The main reason for our trip was for the Haga Family Reunion. This would be relatives that are on my grandpa's mom's side of the family. (Both my grandpa's parents came from Norway.) Martin and Karen Marie Haga are at the top of the family tree, and they had ten children: Martin, Trygve, Klara, Thorvald, Magnus, Kristine, Martha, Kari & Torborg, and Torvald. My grandpa's mom was Klara Haga. At the reunion were the decedents of these ten children.
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We left on Wednesday, August 2. In the morning I drove from Ames to my home. We quickly finished getting ready to leave, and then I left with Mom, John, and Sarah to head up to Grandma's in Minneapolis. We had a few hours before we had to go to the airport, but at least we were up near the airport. We - Grandma, Mom, Julie, John, Sarah, Jakob, Oskar, and I - got to the airport Wednesday evening for our 10:00 flight. It was about a 7 1/2 hour flight to Amsterdam. We all pretty much tried to sleep on the plane (it was our normal bedtime), but sleeping on a plane is just hard. I dozed off some, but I don't think I ever really got into any deep sleep. Landing in Amsterdam was so much fun! It was very windy there, so there were a lot of air turbulence - it was like riding a roller coaster! (I may have even let out a big "wee," followed by a "shh" from my mom and aunt who were on both sides of me.)
Amsterdam and Norway are seven hours ahead of us here in Minnesota, so when we got to Amsterdam it was like early Thursday morning for us, but actually early afternoon there. We had about a three hour lay-over, which I thought was a good amount of time - enough so we weren't rushed and could take a break from sitting in an airplane, but not too long that it was boring.
I do really like traveling, especially being in airports and flying - it is just really thrilling. I think that traveling internationally is such a neat experience - being in an airport, seeing people from all over the world, and hearing many languages and accents. It made me realize how privileged I am that I am born into speaking the universal language, English. Many people have to learn more than one language, yet I, and I think many Americans, are only fluent in one.
We flew from Amsterdam to Stavanger, Norway, which took only a little over an hour. It was fun seeing Norway's landscape from the plane as we got close to ground.
We were greeted by many relatives waving Norwegian flags, holding a sign saying "Haga," and with hugs. It was a pretty awesome greeting! Most of the relatives were ones that lived in Norway, but a few of our American relatives that arrived before us, were also there to greet us. Shortly, we headed over to Marit and Per's for dinner.
Marit is my grandpa's first cousin. Marit's dad, Trygve, is my grandpa's mom's brother. There were other relatives that came over to Marit and Per's for dinner as well.
For the first part of the trip, we stayed at the Kronen Gaard Hotell. It is a historic hotel near Stavanger. It was a beautiful hotel! Below are some pictures from around the hotel.
The picture above was taken a little after 10:00 at night. Look how light it still was!! It wouldn't get dark until around 10:00 pm, and then the sun would start coming up around 4:30 am. I was pretty amazed by this - it just showed how far north we were!
The weather there in Norway felt a lot more like the United State's Midwest fall. Most days were in the 60's (degrees fahrenheit) and pretty cloudy and rainy. Even though it rained a lot while we were there, we still lucked out with pretty good weather. For the majority of the times that we were outside, the weather was nice. When I was thinking about packing for the trip, I was planning on bringing lots of shorts and t-shirts. Then my mom reminded me that I would need some warmer clothes. It felt weird packing jeans and sweaters since it has been so hot here, but I'm glad I had warmer clothes.
Most of the bathrooms in Norway (the ones in people's homes) had heated floors. It made them so nice and warm and cozy. I just wanted to hang out in the bathrooms!
Breakfast was included with our stay. They served a very nice breakfast! There were eggs, bacon, super delicious bread, lots of meats/fish, cheeses, many sauces, cereal, several jams, fruit, veggies, and yogurt. It was all good, but I don't feel like I did the best of trying these traditional Norwegian breakfast foods. It was a bit overwhelming for me (to pick what to eat, and I feel weird about myself when I sample too many little things). I didn't really know what anything was, or what the proper way to eat it was or what to pair with it.
Friday, August 4
I woke up at 2:00 in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I went out into the lobby to do some journaling and my devotion - in my pajamas. The chef was already there preparing the food for breakfast... I feel like I got some weird looks from him (maybe that I was up so early and in the lobby in pjs). I tried to go back to bed, but couldn't. I was just too excited... and a bit jet lagged.
I woke my sister up early - we got ready, explored the hotel property, went for a little walk, and then we were the first to eat breakfast. The continental hotel breakfast was nothing like an American hotel's continental breakfast. It was way nicer and had way more options. The breakfast I ate was nothing like what I usually eat - it was good, but just different (it feels weird eating things that are just way out of my usual.). And the coffee, it was a bit scary to get a cup at first. I think it was an espresso machine with buttons that I had to figure out which one to press (I can't read Norwegian).
Later in the morning, I went with my Mom and Julie so that they could pick up our rental cars. We had gotten to the airport after the rental car place closed the night before. Katherine and Jeff (Katherine is my grandpa's first cousin and lives in America) were staying at the same hotel as us and had arrived to Norway before us, so they gave us a ride.
When we finally got back to the hotel, we spent some time to figure out what we were going to do. Marianne and Trine, who are Jostein's daughters, came over to help us figure out what we should spend our time doing. Trine ended up being our tour guide for the day. And she was a pretty awesome one!
First she took us to see Anne Magrethe's farm - she raises sheep. Anne Magrethe is Martin Haga's daughter. Martin is my grandpa's mom's brother. So Anne Magrethe and my grandpa would be first cousins.
Next, we went to the cementary where Martin and Maria Haga, along with their son, Torvald, are buried. Then we went to this little mall to look around and find something to eat. The mall was little but it had some nice stores. I really didn't buy too much in Norway - I had a hard time finding anything I really wanted and everything is so expensive.
We made a quick stop to see the Skjaeveland Bru, a bridge built by either Katherine's grandfather or great grandfather, Gabriel Hoyland. We aren't related to the architect of this bridge, but it's special because he didn't build things for wealth. Instead, Gabriel built structures that were beautiful and would last a long time.
Next we went to Odd and Sissel's farm. Their children are Anita and Helge. Sissel is the daughter of Torvald Haga, which would make her my grandpa's first cousin. I had a very nice time there! They had Norwegian waffles, ice cream, strawberries, and coffee waiting for us on their back porch. This is just what I needed to help fight some major jet lag!
Whenever we were served coffee in someone's home, they would put the freshly brewed coffee into a thermos and then set it on the table. I like it! Maybe people do that here in America too, but I guess it was one thing I noticed in Norway. Also, the coffee cups there are much smaller - I'm used to having a big mug. My grandma explained to me that that way, the coffee wouldn't be cold by the time you got to the end of the cup.
Odd and Sissel board horses. Helge and another guy, own a race horse together, and then there is another guy who races it. When we were there, the race horse had just gotten back from it's workout. It was panting and sweaty, which it was kind of funny to see a horse like this (I only image people panting and sweaty). We got to watch the trainer give it a shower to help the horse cool down and clean up.
We got to see Helge's house, which is on the same property as his parent's. It was a really nice house!
We went back to the hotel for a little while. I took a much needed nap. Waking up wasn't fun at all, but once I got walking around again, I felt a bit better. For dinner we, along with other relatives, went to Sigmund and Gunnhild's farm. Their children are Kjettil and Marie. Sigmund is Torvald Haga's son.
They have goats, sheep, and a horse on their farm - which are more of a hobby. I think one of the highlights of the trip for me was getting to see how Sigmund's dog, a border collie, would herd the sheep. The dog knows where to go depending on where Sigmund moves to. You can tell that the dog just loves doing it's work - he was always watching his master for the next command.
I REALLY like hearing the sheep! I love hearing their bells ring and hear them "bah." I just love it!
We eventually went inside Sigmund and Gunnhild's house to eat. They had ordered in pizza for dinner! After dinner, boys got a game of soccer going. Benjamin played against a bunch of big boys and was such a good soccer player!
This day felt like one of the longest days of my life. I haven't ever really experienced jet lag before, so I never really knew what it felt like. But now I do, and it's AWEFUL. All day I felt tired, ornary, irritable, hunger, and I didn't want to talk with anyone. It sort of made everything not as much fun. I really did like everything that we did, but I think I would have enjoyed it much more if I hadn't been so tired. When traveling far, you really just need a day of rest afterward.
I really did enjoy getting to go to individual farms and to meet our relatives that live there. It helped me put names and faces together. Meeting a bunch of new people in a large group is a little bit overwhelming and makes it hard to remember who someone is.
Saturday, August 5
This was the day for the Haga family reunion - the main reason of our trip. It took place at the Haga farm. This is were Martin and Karen Marie Haga lived and raised all their children. So, its been in the family for awhile! Currently, Marianne lives in the old farm house and cares for all the livestock. Her parents, Jostein and Maj-Borghild also have a home on the property. Jostein is the son of Torvald, which makes him one of my grandpa's first cousins.
We all slept late, so we didn't have much time to get to the reunion. Luckily the Haga farm was only about 10 minutes from the hotel. They planned to start the reunion at 10:00 with a hike around the farm, for anyone who was interested. Only John, Jakob, Sarah, and I were ready to go by then. So my mom dropped us off at the farm for the hike and then went back to the hotel.
It was a very rainy morning. We were somewhat prepared for the rain, but the Norwegians gave us some extra rain gear to wear. The people that live in Norway, don't let the weather stop them from doing much. They know how to properly gear up for whatever it's like outside.
Now, I thought going on a hike around the farm would be nothing super great - just walking around to see the place. But, it was actually one of the highlights of the trip for me! The hike was led by Marianne. First, we hiked up a hill to see some baby sheep. The view was beautiful! Along the way, Marianne would explain to use how they kind of ran the farm - like when animals can be inside or outside, what they eat, ect.
We went through a pasture that was super muddy. People were getting stock in mud. In the super wet places the men, who were mostly wearing big boots, were finding good places to step and then letting others step on their feet so that we wouldn't get too wet. We hiked up a hill to see some cows! The cows were only 10 months old, and were super friendly. They were like a bunch of friendly dogs! They would come up to us and smell us. The cows were one of my favorite parts of the trip! They're so cute! I believe Marianne makes sure to be friendly with the cows when they are young.
To get out of the pasture, we had to go back down the hill. The cows, thinking we were part of their herd, followed us. Only, when a cow goes down a hill, it charges down. So, we ended up having to step aside and let the cows go down first.
By the end of the hike, we (John, Jakob, Sarah, and I) were very wet and muddy. Maj-Borghild was so sweet and found some clean and dry close for us to wear. Jakob ended up getting a pair of pants that were pretty big on him. So, someone gave him some suspenders to wear - I think he liked them!
It wasn't a super big group of us that went on the hike, but for the main part of the reunion, there were over 100 people that came!
Torborg, Katherine's mom, lived in Montana and was the last of Martin and Karen Maria's children to pass away. She passed away last fall, but we had a little memorial service and buried her at the reunion on the farm were she grew up.
The barn on the Haga farm was cleaned out and set up for us all to gather in. I think it was done up really well: there were lights that were strung around; tables set up; the seating had warm blankets/furs/cushions for us to sit on; a mini stage; and beverages for us to help ourselves to. It was so cute!
We had a light lunch. There was meat, cheese, crackers, bread, potato salad, and fruit.
Throughout the afternoon, people would get up on the stage - family stories were told, music was played, and more. There was also time when we could talk with relatives or look around the farm.
In another barn on the farm, a little museum was set up. There were family pictures and various things from around the farm that had been used in the past.
The day had started out being wet, cold, and rainy. But, by afternoon, it had turned out to be a pretty nice day!
Dinner was prepared by Maj-Borghild's sister-in-law - stir fry and egg rolls!
After dinner, all the Norwegian desserts were brought out! It was super exciting! I tried a lot of them. I believe many people brought a dessert to share.
Below are a bunch of pictures from around the farm.
The grass in Norway was so green, thick, and lush. And, the air there was SO fresh. It was so nice. Also, Norway has the best water that I have ever tasted! It was just really good water. Even on the way home, when we had some water in Amsterdam and some bottled water, we all thought that it tasted funny.
Sunday, August 6
One thing that is popular to do in Norway is to hike up to Pulpit Rock, or Preikestolen as the Norwegians call it. It is about a 2 1/2 mile hike each way, and takes couple hours each way to do. If the weather is bad (rainy), it is advised that you do not to the hike. The trail gets wet and slippery, which makes it more dangerous. Not too many years ago, stones were put into place to lay out a more defined path. Most of us really wanted to do the hike, but the weather didn't look to promising. We really didn't know if we'd do the hike until Sunday morning - we just needed to see what the weather would be like. The day started off a bit rainy, but by the time we started hiking, it was clearing up. The weather can change fast!
Since we would need some food to eat along the hike, we ordered to-go lunches from the hotel. We picked them up before leaving - the lunches were so cute! In each bag were two sandwiches (on different breads), an apple, clementine, a chocolate bar, and bottle of water.
A group of relatives joined us for the hike. We met up at the hotel, and the car below led the way!
The Norwegians were so helpful with making sure we had the proper hiking gear - shoes, warm clothes, clothes to keep us dry, hiking sticks. They even packed a lot of extra gear in their backpacks incase we needed it for the hike. The Norwegians recommend wearing first a fitted wool layer to keep you dry, then a fleece layer to keep you warm, and finally something to break the wind and repel water. They also would have a clean, dry, warm layer to put on when taking a break or done hiking. That way, if your hiking clothes get wet, you can change and not get chilled.
We stopped for lunch at the top. Again, the Norwegians were very well prepared. They brought thermoses of hot tea and coffee. And, they had some super neat cups for them! They also brought some little mats to sit on. The sandwiches that the hotel gave us had ham, cheese, lettuce, thinly sliced cucumbers, and butter. They were SO good! One sandwich was on multigrain bread and the other was on French bread. It might be a new favorite sandwich combination for me (also, adding a little salami to the sandwich is very good)! Though, I'm a bit sick of ham sandwiches right now because I feel like that is what I ate most while in Norway... and chocolate too, but I'm not sick of that.
On the way down from Pulpit Rock, we stopped to take a break. Then the Norwegians started singing some traditional Norwegian songs. It was so cute! Another highlight of the trip for me!
At the bottom, there is a little concession stand/souvenir shop. We were taking a rest, and then the Norwegians started calling us up and putting metals around. They all started singing a Norwegian olympic song. It was a fun way to celebrate us finishing the hike.
Oh, there is a scene for the New Mission Impossible movie, with Tom Cruise, that is going to be filmed at Pulpit Rock in September. I am going to watch the movie just because I've been there now!
Monday, August 7
On Monday morning, we packed up and checked out of our hotel. We made a quick stop at the Figgjo factory outlet store so that Julie could get some mugs. Then we meet Unni in the city of Stavanger. Unni is the daughter of Magne, who is the son of Martha (Martha is one of Martin and Karen Maria's daughters). This would make Unni my mom and aunt's second cousin.
It was a very wet and rainy morning, which I did not like being out in it, but the Norwegians just go with it. Luckily, the rain eventually ended and the sun came out. It ended up being a pretty nice day.
Unni's brother, Gisle, and one of his daughters meet up with us. Later, Gisle's wife, Anlaug, and two of their other daughters meet up with us as well (they have four daughters total).
Gisle loves seafood, so he bought us some at the fish market to try. He got shrimp, and taught us how to eat it. We also tried some fish cakes.
We walked through the area with wooden houses. Up in this area is a sardine museum, so some of us looked around in it for a little bit. Grandma loves sardines!
There is an old church near the harbor - almost 1000 years old - that Unni really wanted us to see. Unfortunately, it was closed to the public because they were getting it ready for an event. But, Unni knew someone that could get us in so. There was a piece of art that Unni showed us (bottom left photo).
There are a bunch of shopping stores near the harbor. We didn't have a lot of time to look around because we had to catch a ferry (but they looked like some fun places to shop in). Of course, one thing that I wanted to do while in Norway was to go to a Norwegian bakery. Unni took us to one and then we had to quickly get to the ferry.
In Norway, there is a lot of water, which makes getting around a bit tricky. Throughout the trip, we had to take a lot of ferries. The ferries were almost like moveable roads. The ferry would come right up to where the road met up with water, and you would just drive right onto it. Then the ferry would take you across, you'd drive off, and continue driving on the road.
Going on ferry rides where actually kind of fun - they were even one of John's favorite parts of the trip. Some of the ferry rides were quite long. We could get out of the car and walk around. The views were always really pretty! Some of the ferries had a place where you could get something to eat, go to the bathroom, tables to sit at, and windows to look out from on the top.
We drove a couple hours to meet some relatives on my grandpa's dad's side of the family. They live on a farm (The Sabo Farm) in Hjelmeland, where my grandpa's dad, Bjorn, grew up. Bjorn's half cousin inherited the farm, who has passed away, but his wife Anna still lives there. One of their daughters also lives in a house on the farm. On this farm, they mostly grow fruit.
We had dinner in Anna's home and they served us soup and bread. Then for dessert we had apple crisp, ice cream, and a braided pastry. All which was perfect for a cold and rainy evening.
All the homes in Norway had LOTS of plants and candles in them. When you would drive by homes in a neighborhood, you could just see all the plants through the windows. And, all the homes we were in had lots of plants and candles. Now I want to get a lot of plants and candles in my home!
We stayed Monday night at a hostel in Hjelmeland, which was a new experience for me, John, Sarah, Jakob, and Oskar.
Tuesday, August 8
Tuesday morning, we got up and hit the road pretty early. We stopped at the grocery store to get some things for breakfast. We had a long drive to our next destination - a summer house outside Bergen. The roads to get there were narrow and very twisty-turny - nothing like American roads. But, the scenery was beautiful!
It took us a lot longer than we expected to get to the summer house, and then we couldn't even find it when the GPS told us we were there. We were on an island, outside a little town, and at the end of a long, narrow, twisty-turny road when the GPS told us we were there. We drove up the road for a ways before we started to find any homes. But we couldn't find ours. We ended up asking someone and then we found it. It was very nice, but not quite what we expected. Mainly, we thought we were going to be right outside Bergen. But we were on an island, farther from Bergen than we expected. Basically the area we were in was Norway's "cabin country," where people go just to get away. There actually ended up being many homes and people around, but not much else.
Tuesday night, we just hung out at our summer house - we needed some time to rest and relax. We got some groceries in the little town we were outside of and just hung out.
At some point in our stay, John, Sarah, Jakob, Oskar, and Julie all jumped into the sea. It was cold, but your body would go into shock and heat up really fast. So, by the time they got out of the water, you'd feel warm.
Wednesday, August 9
We decided to go to Bergen on this day. Since we were on an island, we had to take a ferry to get there - the whole trip to Bergen took longer than expected. But, we made it, found a place to park, and got to the main area. The whole area was a bit touristy with lots of shopping, but I am glad we got to see Bergen. We didn't end up doing too much while we were there - I feel like we spent a lot of time looking around. Which, I think I learned that when you are visiting a new place, it is good to have a little bit of a game plan on what you are going to do there. Otherwise, you can waste time trying to figure out what to do.
Bergen is known for being rainy. But, we lucked out with a beautiful day there - it was warm and sunny.
We went on the city tour bus. It is definitely a touristy thing, but I actually really enjoyed it. The bus takes you around the city and you can listen to an audio that tells you about what you are going by. The audio explained some of the history and what is happening in Bergen currently. The ride wasn't too long or too short, and it really helped me make sense of the city.
I feel like I didn't get to really experience the Norwegain cuisine while we were in Norway, which was a little disappointing to me. I got some Norwegain food from the hotel and what we ate in peoples' homes, but going to a restaurant would have been fun. We did get some seafood from the wharf (the fish market).
Liv made an ice cake - it was delicious! It had an almond crust and ice cream topping. There was also lefsa! It was served already prepared - with butter and sugar (and I think a little cinnamon) on it - which is different than how we do it here. Usually we but the butter and sugar on ourselves. And, instead of rolling the lefsa, it was folded into rectangles. I really liked it this way, and next time I have lefsa, I want to try doing it this way. I believe she said that this is the traditional way to fold it. I tried to find something that would show me how to fold it like she did, and this is the best that I found.
Friday, August 11
On Friday morning, we had to pack up and leave. We were flying out of Bergen, and since the pervious trips had taken so long to get to Bergen, we planned to leave really early - we left our summer house around six in the morning. We didn't want to miss any ferries, which we ended up arriving way before the first ferry even was out. We made it to the airport, returned our rental cars, got our baggage checked, and found our gate. We didn't have a super long wait before our flight at 10:15.
One of the days, my aunt picked up some Berliners (like a donut) to try. We just shared a couple, but they were so good! We wanted to find some more to pick up to enjoy while we were waiting for our flight. We stopped at a grocery store, gas station, and looked around the airport for them, but couldn't find any. We ended up getting a cinnamon sugar bun at the airport instead.
We had about an hour and a half flight to Amsterdam, where we had a couple hour layover - just enough time to get around the airport and to get something to eat. Then we had a very long flight back to Minnesota, about nine hours. We got back to Minnesota in the early evening. Then Mom, John, Sarah, and I headed home. By the time I went to bed that night, I had been up for 24 hours... except the couple times that I dozed off on the plane. I have never been awake for a whole 24 hours before!
Going to Norway was such a fun and exciting experience, but I was also happy to get home. Traveling is tiring, but such a great learning experience. It seems crazy that we have already been home for a week and a half - I just keep thinking about the new memories I have. Traveling makes me really appreciate home, but in a way I sort of miss Norway.
I would like to give a great, big thank you to my grandma for this trip! Thank you grandma for taking all of us to Norway! It was such a unique experience that I don't want to ever forget.
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We flew from Amsterdam to Stavanger, Norway, which took only a little over an hour. It was fun seeing Norway's landscape from the plane as we got close to ground.
We were greeted by many relatives waving Norwegian flags, holding a sign saying "Haga," and with hugs. It was a pretty awesome greeting! Most of the relatives were ones that lived in Norway, but a few of our American relatives that arrived before us, were also there to greet us. Shortly, we headed over to Marit and Per's for dinner.
Marit is my grandpa's first cousin. Marit's dad, Trygve, is my grandpa's mom's brother. There were other relatives that came over to Marit and Per's for dinner as well.
There was this cake for dessert. It was real good!
And then there was this!
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| ^^These ladies would all be first cousins, and second cousins with my mom and aunt. From left to right: Trine, Anita, Siri, Marianne, and Marie. Marianne, Siri, and Trine are all sisters.^^ |
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| ^^The kids' table. From left to right: Martin, Marcus, Filip, me, Sarah, Oskar, John, and Jakob. We are third cousins with Martin, Marcus, and Filip (Martin and Marcus are brothers).^^ |
Us kids talked a lot about what our cultures are like. It was fun learning about some of the Norwegian culture!
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| ^^Marit and Per^^ |
For the first part of the trip, we stayed at the Kronen Gaard Hotell. It is a historic hotel near Stavanger. It was a beautiful hotel! Below are some pictures from around the hotel.
The picture above was taken a little after 10:00 at night. Look how light it still was!! It wouldn't get dark until around 10:00 pm, and then the sun would start coming up around 4:30 am. I was pretty amazed by this - it just showed how far north we were!
The weather there in Norway felt a lot more like the United State's Midwest fall. Most days were in the 60's (degrees fahrenheit) and pretty cloudy and rainy. Even though it rained a lot while we were there, we still lucked out with pretty good weather. For the majority of the times that we were outside, the weather was nice. When I was thinking about packing for the trip, I was planning on bringing lots of shorts and t-shirts. Then my mom reminded me that I would need some warmer clothes. It felt weird packing jeans and sweaters since it has been so hot here, but I'm glad I had warmer clothes.
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| ^^Sarah and I shared a room while we were here!^^ |
Most of the bathrooms in Norway (the ones in people's homes) had heated floors. It made them so nice and warm and cozy. I just wanted to hang out in the bathrooms!
Breakfast was included with our stay. They served a very nice breakfast! There were eggs, bacon, super delicious bread, lots of meats/fish, cheeses, many sauces, cereal, several jams, fruit, veggies, and yogurt. It was all good, but I don't feel like I did the best of trying these traditional Norwegian breakfast foods. It was a bit overwhelming for me (to pick what to eat, and I feel weird about myself when I sample too many little things). I didn't really know what anything was, or what the proper way to eat it was or what to pair with it.
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| ^^The dining room where we ate breakfast.^^ |
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| ^^Breakfast the first morning. Definitely not my usual breakfast - the candle, the food, the table setting.^^ |
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| ^^A little bit more of my usual breakfast.^^ |
Friday, August 4
I woke up at 2:00 in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I went out into the lobby to do some journaling and my devotion - in my pajamas. The chef was already there preparing the food for breakfast... I feel like I got some weird looks from him (maybe that I was up so early and in the lobby in pjs). I tried to go back to bed, but couldn't. I was just too excited... and a bit jet lagged.
I woke my sister up early - we got ready, explored the hotel property, went for a little walk, and then we were the first to eat breakfast. The continental hotel breakfast was nothing like an American hotel's continental breakfast. It was way nicer and had way more options. The breakfast I ate was nothing like what I usually eat - it was good, but just different (it feels weird eating things that are just way out of my usual.). And the coffee, it was a bit scary to get a cup at first. I think it was an espresso machine with buttons that I had to figure out which one to press (I can't read Norwegian).
Later in the morning, I went with my Mom and Julie so that they could pick up our rental cars. We had gotten to the airport after the rental car place closed the night before. Katherine and Jeff (Katherine is my grandpa's first cousin and lives in America) were staying at the same hotel as us and had arrived to Norway before us, so they gave us a ride.
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| ^^Mom got a Mercedes to drive. She was pretty exciting about it!^^ |
First she took us to see Anne Magrethe's farm - she raises sheep. Anne Magrethe is Martin Haga's daughter. Martin is my grandpa's mom's brother. So Anne Magrethe and my grandpa would be first cousins.
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| ^^Anne Magrethe and Trine^^ |
Next, we went to the cementary where Martin and Maria Haga, along with their son, Torvald, are buried. Then we went to this little mall to look around and find something to eat. The mall was little but it had some nice stores. I really didn't buy too much in Norway - I had a hard time finding anything I really wanted and everything is so expensive.
We made a quick stop to see the Skjaeveland Bru, a bridge built by either Katherine's grandfather or great grandfather, Gabriel Hoyland. We aren't related to the architect of this bridge, but it's special because he didn't build things for wealth. Instead, Gabriel built structures that were beautiful and would last a long time.
Next we went to Odd and Sissel's farm. Their children are Anita and Helge. Sissel is the daughter of Torvald Haga, which would make her my grandpa's first cousin. I had a very nice time there! They had Norwegian waffles, ice cream, strawberries, and coffee waiting for us on their back porch. This is just what I needed to help fight some major jet lag!
Whenever we were served coffee in someone's home, they would put the freshly brewed coffee into a thermos and then set it on the table. I like it! Maybe people do that here in America too, but I guess it was one thing I noticed in Norway. Also, the coffee cups there are much smaller - I'm used to having a big mug. My grandma explained to me that that way, the coffee wouldn't be cold by the time you got to the end of the cup.
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| ^^From left to right: Sissel, Anita, Odd, and Helge^^ |
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| ^^I really liked Sissel's plates, cups, and napkins!^^ |
Odd and Sissel board horses. Helge and another guy, own a race horse together, and then there is another guy who races it. When we were there, the race horse had just gotten back from it's workout. It was panting and sweaty, which it was kind of funny to see a horse like this (I only image people panting and sweaty). We got to watch the trainer give it a shower to help the horse cool down and clean up.
We got to see Helge's house, which is on the same property as his parent's. It was a really nice house!
We went back to the hotel for a little while. I took a much needed nap. Waking up wasn't fun at all, but once I got walking around again, I felt a bit better. For dinner we, along with other relatives, went to Sigmund and Gunnhild's farm. Their children are Kjettil and Marie. Sigmund is Torvald Haga's son.
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| ^^Being welcomed by their dogs.^^ |
They have goats, sheep, and a horse on their farm - which are more of a hobby. I think one of the highlights of the trip for me was getting to see how Sigmund's dog, a border collie, would herd the sheep. The dog knows where to go depending on where Sigmund moves to. You can tell that the dog just loves doing it's work - he was always watching his master for the next command.
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| ^^Marie and her horse.^^ |
I REALLY like hearing the sheep! I love hearing their bells ring and hear them "bah." I just love it!
Marie is a veterinarian assistance and has a small night business where she does dog physical therapy. I didn't even know dog physical therapy was a thing! Her office is on her parents property, so we got to see it and hear about her business.
Kjettil and his family - wife Elisabeth, and children Benjamin and Henriette - live on the same property as Sigmund and Gunnhild.
We eventually went inside Sigmund and Gunnhild's house to eat. They had ordered in pizza for dinner! After dinner, boys got a game of soccer going. Benjamin played against a bunch of big boys and was such a good soccer player!
This day felt like one of the longest days of my life. I haven't ever really experienced jet lag before, so I never really knew what it felt like. But now I do, and it's AWEFUL. All day I felt tired, ornary, irritable, hunger, and I didn't want to talk with anyone. It sort of made everything not as much fun. I really did like everything that we did, but I think I would have enjoyed it much more if I hadn't been so tired. When traveling far, you really just need a day of rest afterward.
I really did enjoy getting to go to individual farms and to meet our relatives that live there. It helped me put names and faces together. Meeting a bunch of new people in a large group is a little bit overwhelming and makes it hard to remember who someone is.
Saturday, August 5
This was the day for the Haga family reunion - the main reason of our trip. It took place at the Haga farm. This is were Martin and Karen Marie Haga lived and raised all their children. So, its been in the family for awhile! Currently, Marianne lives in the old farm house and cares for all the livestock. Her parents, Jostein and Maj-Borghild also have a home on the property. Jostein is the son of Torvald, which makes him one of my grandpa's first cousins.
We all slept late, so we didn't have much time to get to the reunion. Luckily the Haga farm was only about 10 minutes from the hotel. They planned to start the reunion at 10:00 with a hike around the farm, for anyone who was interested. Only John, Jakob, Sarah, and I were ready to go by then. So my mom dropped us off at the farm for the hike and then went back to the hotel.
It was a very rainy morning. We were somewhat prepared for the rain, but the Norwegians gave us some extra rain gear to wear. The people that live in Norway, don't let the weather stop them from doing much. They know how to properly gear up for whatever it's like outside.
Now, I thought going on a hike around the farm would be nothing super great - just walking around to see the place. But, it was actually one of the highlights of the trip for me! The hike was led by Marianne. First, we hiked up a hill to see some baby sheep. The view was beautiful! Along the way, Marianne would explain to use how they kind of ran the farm - like when animals can be inside or outside, what they eat, ect.
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| ^^Marianne bringing one of the baby sheep over to us.^^ |
We went through a pasture that was super muddy. People were getting stock in mud. In the super wet places the men, who were mostly wearing big boots, were finding good places to step and then letting others step on their feet so that we wouldn't get too wet. We hiked up a hill to see some cows! The cows were only 10 months old, and were super friendly. They were like a bunch of friendly dogs! They would come up to us and smell us. The cows were one of my favorite parts of the trip! They're so cute! I believe Marianne makes sure to be friendly with the cows when they are young.
To get out of the pasture, we had to go back down the hill. The cows, thinking we were part of their herd, followed us. Only, when a cow goes down a hill, it charges down. So, we ended up having to step aside and let the cows go down first.
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| ^^The cows saying good bye to us.^^ |
It wasn't a super big group of us that went on the hike, but for the main part of the reunion, there were over 100 people that came!
Torborg, Katherine's mom, lived in Montana and was the last of Martin and Karen Maria's children to pass away. She passed away last fall, but we had a little memorial service and buried her at the reunion on the farm were she grew up.
The barn on the Haga farm was cleaned out and set up for us all to gather in. I think it was done up really well: there were lights that were strung around; tables set up; the seating had warm blankets/furs/cushions for us to sit on; a mini stage; and beverages for us to help ourselves to. It was so cute!
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| ^^There was hot coffee and tea, water, juice, and pop in coolers.^^ |
We had a light lunch. There was meat, cheese, crackers, bread, potato salad, and fruit.
Throughout the afternoon, people would get up on the stage - family stories were told, music was played, and more. There was also time when we could talk with relatives or look around the farm.
In another barn on the farm, a little museum was set up. There were family pictures and various things from around the farm that had been used in the past.
The day had started out being wet, cold, and rainy. But, by afternoon, it had turned out to be a pretty nice day!
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| ^^Working on getting the camera set up to take a group picture.^^ |
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| ^^Group photo^^ |
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| ^^First cousins^^ |
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| ^^Second cousins^^ |
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| ^^Third cousins^^ |
Dinner was prepared by Maj-Borghild's sister-in-law - stir fry and egg rolls!
Below are a bunch of pictures from around the farm.
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| ^^The old farm house.^^ |
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| ^^Klara also came from America to Norway for the reunion. She stayed at the Kronen Gaard Hotell also.^^ |
The grass in Norway was so green, thick, and lush. And, the air there was SO fresh. It was so nice. Also, Norway has the best water that I have ever tasted! It was just really good water. Even on the way home, when we had some water in Amsterdam and some bottled water, we all thought that it tasted funny.
Sunday, August 6
One thing that is popular to do in Norway is to hike up to Pulpit Rock, or Preikestolen as the Norwegians call it. It is about a 2 1/2 mile hike each way, and takes couple hours each way to do. If the weather is bad (rainy), it is advised that you do not to the hike. The trail gets wet and slippery, which makes it more dangerous. Not too many years ago, stones were put into place to lay out a more defined path. Most of us really wanted to do the hike, but the weather didn't look to promising. We really didn't know if we'd do the hike until Sunday morning - we just needed to see what the weather would be like. The day started off a bit rainy, but by the time we started hiking, it was clearing up. The weather can change fast!
Since we would need some food to eat along the hike, we ordered to-go lunches from the hotel. We picked them up before leaving - the lunches were so cute! In each bag were two sandwiches (on different breads), an apple, clementine, a chocolate bar, and bottle of water.
A group of relatives joined us for the hike. We met up at the hotel, and the car below led the way!
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| ^^Waiting for the ferry.^^ |
The Norwegians were so helpful with making sure we had the proper hiking gear - shoes, warm clothes, clothes to keep us dry, hiking sticks. They even packed a lot of extra gear in their backpacks incase we needed it for the hike. The Norwegians recommend wearing first a fitted wool layer to keep you dry, then a fleece layer to keep you warm, and finally something to break the wind and repel water. They also would have a clean, dry, warm layer to put on when taking a break or done hiking. That way, if your hiking clothes get wet, you can change and not get chilled.
We stopped for lunch at the top. Again, the Norwegians were very well prepared. They brought thermoses of hot tea and coffee. And, they had some super neat cups for them! They also brought some little mats to sit on. The sandwiches that the hotel gave us had ham, cheese, lettuce, thinly sliced cucumbers, and butter. They were SO good! One sandwich was on multigrain bread and the other was on French bread. It might be a new favorite sandwich combination for me (also, adding a little salami to the sandwich is very good)! Though, I'm a bit sick of ham sandwiches right now because I feel like that is what I ate most while in Norway... and chocolate too, but I'm not sick of that.
There were 18 of us that did the hike, plus a dog.
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| ^^Everyone, except mom.^^ |
On the way down from Pulpit Rock, we stopped to take a break. Then the Norwegians started singing some traditional Norwegian songs. It was so cute! Another highlight of the trip for me!
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| ^^Sigmund and his daughter Marie^^ |
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| ^^Vidar and Signe Kari - They are from Norway, but also stayed at the Kronen Gaard Hotell with us.^^ |
At the bottom, there is a little concession stand/souvenir shop. We were taking a rest, and then the Norwegians started calling us up and putting metals around. They all started singing a Norwegian olympic song. It was a fun way to celebrate us finishing the hike.
Oh, there is a scene for the New Mission Impossible movie, with Tom Cruise, that is going to be filmed at Pulpit Rock in September. I am going to watch the movie just because I've been there now!
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| ^^They all are wearing big, pearl earrings.^^ |
On Monday morning, we packed up and checked out of our hotel. We made a quick stop at the Figgjo factory outlet store so that Julie could get some mugs. Then we meet Unni in the city of Stavanger. Unni is the daughter of Magne, who is the son of Martha (Martha is one of Martin and Karen Maria's daughters). This would make Unni my mom and aunt's second cousin.
It was a very wet and rainy morning, which I did not like being out in it, but the Norwegians just go with it. Luckily, the rain eventually ended and the sun came out. It ended up being a pretty nice day.
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| ^^The harbor in Stavanger.^^ |
Gisle loves seafood, so he bought us some at the fish market to try. He got shrimp, and taught us how to eat it. We also tried some fish cakes.
We walked through the area with wooden houses. Up in this area is a sardine museum, so some of us looked around in it for a little bit. Grandma loves sardines!
There is an old church near the harbor - almost 1000 years old - that Unni really wanted us to see. Unfortunately, it was closed to the public because they were getting it ready for an event. But, Unni knew someone that could get us in so. There was a piece of art that Unni showed us (bottom left photo).
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| ^^The colored street.^^ |
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| ^^The bakery where we got something to eat.^^ |
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| ^^A bakery near the ferry.^^ |
In Norway, there is a lot of water, which makes getting around a bit tricky. Throughout the trip, we had to take a lot of ferries. The ferries were almost like moveable roads. The ferry would come right up to where the road met up with water, and you would just drive right onto it. Then the ferry would take you across, you'd drive off, and continue driving on the road.
Going on ferry rides where actually kind of fun - they were even one of John's favorite parts of the trip. Some of the ferry rides were quite long. We could get out of the car and walk around. The views were always really pretty! Some of the ferries had a place where you could get something to eat, go to the bathroom, tables to sit at, and windows to look out from on the top.
We drove a couple hours to meet some relatives on my grandpa's dad's side of the family. They live on a farm (The Sabo Farm) in Hjelmeland, where my grandpa's dad, Bjorn, grew up. Bjorn's half cousin inherited the farm, who has passed away, but his wife Anna still lives there. One of their daughters also lives in a house on the farm. On this farm, they mostly grow fruit.
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| ^^"Sabo" is spelt a little differently in Norwegian.^^ |
The view from the Sabo farm was beautiful!
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| ^^From left to right: Mom, Julie, Gro, and Tone.^^ |
We had dinner in Anna's home and they served us soup and bread. Then for dessert we had apple crisp, ice cream, and a braided pastry. All which was perfect for a cold and rainy evening.
All the homes in Norway had LOTS of plants and candles in them. When you would drive by homes in a neighborhood, you could just see all the plants through the windows. And, all the homes we were in had lots of plants and candles. Now I want to get a lot of plants and candles in my home!
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| ^^From left to right: Gro, Ingunn, Tone, and their mother Anna.^^ |
Tuesday, August 8
Tuesday morning, we got up and hit the road pretty early. We stopped at the grocery store to get some things for breakfast. We had a long drive to our next destination - a summer house outside Bergen. The roads to get there were narrow and very twisty-turny - nothing like American roads. But, the scenery was beautiful!
It took us a lot longer than we expected to get to the summer house, and then we couldn't even find it when the GPS told us we were there. We were on an island, outside a little town, and at the end of a long, narrow, twisty-turny road when the GPS told us we were there. We drove up the road for a ways before we started to find any homes. But we couldn't find ours. We ended up asking someone and then we found it. It was very nice, but not quite what we expected. Mainly, we thought we were going to be right outside Bergen. But we were on an island, farther from Bergen than we expected. Basically the area we were in was Norway's "cabin country," where people go just to get away. There actually ended up being many homes and people around, but not much else.
Tuesday night, we just hung out at our summer house - we needed some time to rest and relax. We got some groceries in the little town we were outside of and just hung out.
At some point in our stay, John, Sarah, Jakob, Oskar, and Julie all jumped into the sea. It was cold, but your body would go into shock and heat up really fast. So, by the time they got out of the water, you'd feel warm.
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| ^^The first to jump in on Tuesday night.^^ |
Wednesday, August 9
We decided to go to Bergen on this day. Since we were on an island, we had to take a ferry to get there - the whole trip to Bergen took longer than expected. But, we made it, found a place to park, and got to the main area. The whole area was a bit touristy with lots of shopping, but I am glad we got to see Bergen. We didn't end up doing too much while we were there - I feel like we spent a lot of time looking around. Which, I think I learned that when you are visiting a new place, it is good to have a little bit of a game plan on what you are going to do there. Otherwise, you can waste time trying to figure out what to do.
Bergen is known for being rainy. But, we lucked out with a beautiful day there - it was warm and sunny.
We went up to Johanneskirken, an old church.
We went on the city tour bus. It is definitely a touristy thing, but I actually really enjoyed it. The bus takes you around the city and you can listen to an audio that tells you about what you are going by. The audio explained some of the history and what is happening in Bergen currently. The ride wasn't too long or too short, and it really helped me make sense of the city.
I feel like I didn't get to really experience the Norwegain cuisine while we were in Norway, which was a little disappointing to me. I got some Norwegain food from the hotel and what we ate in peoples' homes, but going to a restaurant would have been fun. We did get some seafood from the wharf (the fish market).
Thursday, August 10
We spent Thursday pretty much just hanging out at our summer house. We all needed some time to rest and relax. Grandma, Mom, Julie, and I ended up going to visit Otar, his wife Helma, and their daughter Liv and son-in-law Leif that evening. Otar is my grandpa's first cousin. We were invited to Liv and Leif's home in Bergen. Otar also has a son named Ole Johan, who lives near Stavanger. We tried to meet up with him, but it didn't work out. Getting to visit Otar was one of the highlights of the trip for Grandma, and I really enjoyed it too!
Liv made an ice cake - it was delicious! It had an almond crust and ice cream topping. There was also lefsa! It was served already prepared - with butter and sugar (and I think a little cinnamon) on it - which is different than how we do it here. Usually we but the butter and sugar on ourselves. And, instead of rolling the lefsa, it was folded into rectangles. I really liked it this way, and next time I have lefsa, I want to try doing it this way. I believe she said that this is the traditional way to fold it. I tried to find something that would show me how to fold it like she did, and this is the best that I found.
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| ^^Otar and Helma - They are 95 and 94 respectively.^^ |
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| ^^Leif and Liv^^ |
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| ^^The view from Liv and Leif's home. It was beautiful!^^ |
Friday, August 11
On Friday morning, we had to pack up and leave. We were flying out of Bergen, and since the pervious trips had taken so long to get to Bergen, we planned to leave really early - we left our summer house around six in the morning. We didn't want to miss any ferries, which we ended up arriving way before the first ferry even was out. We made it to the airport, returned our rental cars, got our baggage checked, and found our gate. We didn't have a super long wait before our flight at 10:15.
One of the days, my aunt picked up some Berliners (like a donut) to try. We just shared a couple, but they were so good! We wanted to find some more to pick up to enjoy while we were waiting for our flight. We stopped at a grocery store, gas station, and looked around the airport for them, but couldn't find any. We ended up getting a cinnamon sugar bun at the airport instead.
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| ^^Lunch in Asterdam.^^ |
Going to Norway was such a fun and exciting experience, but I was also happy to get home. Traveling is tiring, but such a great learning experience. It seems crazy that we have already been home for a week and a half - I just keep thinking about the new memories I have. Traveling makes me really appreciate home, but in a way I sort of miss Norway.
I would like to give a great, big thank you to my grandma for this trip! Thank you grandma for taking all of us to Norway! It was such a unique experience that I don't want to ever forget.
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