NORWAY June 1996
End of June Arie had a conference in Norway and we decided to combine that with a holiday. So on June 12th we left and in the afternoon we arrived in Kiel-Germany, where we took the ferry to Oslo. That trip lasted 22 hours and gave us already a real holiday feeling. We arrived in Oslo with wonderful weather and we first drove to the Kon-Tiki museum where I saw the Kon-Tiki and the Ra II from Thor Heyerdahl and then we drove to my penfriend Marit's house. We correspond during 13 years already and this was the first time we met. She and her husband Stein were very nice people and Stein cooked us a delicious meal with salmon.
Next morning after breakfast and coffee we left and had lunch with my penfriend Astrid and her husband Svein at Astrid's workingplace (in Oslo). We have met several times already and this time we didn't stay with them as they had just come back from their holiday in USA. After lunch we drove to Kragerø on the southcoast to spend the weekend with our friends Reidun and Halle there. We had a lovely weekend with very good weather and spent the sunday in the summerhouse of Reidun's brother and sister-in-law Bjørn and Gro, built on the rocks near the ocean. Monday morning we left and drove via Kongsberg to Fagerness. Near there we had a cabin at a campingplace. The following day via the Sognefjell-road and Sognefjord to the Nigardsbreen, a glacier. We found a cabin quite near the glacier so in the evening we walked to it.
On Wednesday we had to drive back to Fagerness because I had forgotten our sleeping bags there!! and then via Gol to a next campingplace. On Thursday via Aurland and Flåm to Gudvangen where we had a tunnel of 11,4 km. long and via Voss and Odda to Røldal. We had expected to see more snow in the mountains, as the winter there too has been cold and long, but we were told that not much snow has fallen this past winter so that is probably why. In Røldal we have been before and on Thursday and Friday we drove on some old roads over the mountains instead of on the new ones with tunnels. There were more tunnels than 4 years ago,the last time we were in Norway and we heard that a new road through the mountains is planned (from Aurland south) with a tunnel of 20 km. long!!! In the future you can drive in Norway without seeing anything of the landscape: only tunnels!!??
Friday we drove along the Akrafjord (so beautiful) to the westcoast to see my penfriend Brit and her husband Walter. They live on a farm near a fjord north of Haugesund. With Brit I correspond 22 years already and this was our first meeting. Brit and Walter are very nice people too. After coffee we had a walk to the fjord, they live in such a quiet and beautiful area, such a different life as we have. Next morning after breakfast and coffee we left again to drive to Stavanger where Arie had the conference. Via a ferry and two subsea tunnels (one of 238 m. under the sea) we reached Stavanger and we spent five days in the luxuriously Victoria Hotel there. It was nice to meet some conferencemembers again, those who were in Rome last year too and of course I met some new members too.
On sundaymorning I attended a baptise-service in the cathedral, five babies were baptised. That evening we had a Midsummernight cruise by boat - three hours - in the Lysefjord, so well. On Monday afternoon I took part in a sightseeing trip - two hours- and I saw some nice parts of Stavanger and surroundings. On Tuesday I visited some museums (a.o. the canning museum, before "the oil came to Stavanger" the canning of sardines was the most important industry there). That evening we had an official dinner with the Mayor of Stavanger. Wednesday was business trips day and I joined them. We visited two firms, I was on a derrick (on land) and we visited a hitech firm, very interesting. On Thursday we left, we were 3 as Ravi, a friend from India, now living in Singapore, was on the conference too and he went back with us to Holland. We drove to Egersund and took the ferry to Hanstholm in Denmark where we arrived at 23.00 and took a hotel near there. The following day we drove through Denmark and Germany to Eindhoven where we arrived just before midnight. Mondaymorning Ravi left to fly to USA and I started working already. We have had a wonderful holiday in Norway, I met two "new" nice penfriends and our "old" friends in Oslo and Kragerø.