I haven't known how to write about our trip to Norway, so I'll just begin. Norway is an incredibly beautiful country (and I live in beautiful Duluth, MN), and it is an incredibly expensive country. We were gone 17 days--a long time for me, but it was a wonderful trip.
4 nights in Bergen, staying in the old part called Bryggen. Water, boats, old buildings, tourist stores, lots of sweaters (I bought 1 in Bryggen and a 2nd in another city. We visited the Grieg Museum, Norway's most famous composer. It was an incredibly charming place, located on a lake. Lots of wildflowers, trees, his Victorian-like house where he and his wife lived in the latter years. His tiny red composing cabin was perched next to the lake. Imagine looking out your window onto a lovely lake and then continuing your composing at your little piano. Idyllic.
From Bergen, we boarded our Hertigruten ship called MS Trollfjord, named after a huge fjord we saw on our 11 day fjord cruise. My first cruise of any kind, so I was taken with the tiny cabin, which was outfitted perfectly. We could both sleep in it, sit on the couch that folded out into a bed at night, and totally unpack all of our things and stow them in all the little cupboards and cubbies for them. Our deck was the Promenade deck, where we walked outside around the entire ship daily, exercising and snapping photos of the beautiful scenery. 3 huge meals daily. Each meal I slathered the good butter on the equally good bread. Dinner was sit down and served (no choices) and quite good. Out group of 6 sat at "our" table each night. Miraculously, I didn't gain weight.
We journeyed northward up the fjord coast, stopping at many towns and cities along the way, as the ship was a working ship, loading and unloading passengers and cargo at each stop. We would debark the ship and walk around the cities we stopped in, being SURE to make it back in time before the ship left port. We crossed the Arctic Circle, and I was the only one of our group of 6 to get the ice cubes down my back, poured by King Neptune, to celebrate the crossing.
We took advantage of being on the ship as it traveled and sat by a window and read and read (yes, and dozed some). So luxurious to have all that time. I had taken my Kindle loaded up with books to read on the trip.
The ship issued a kind of "charge card" with which we bought everything we purchased on the ship (wasn't that smart of them--almost like not spending money?) We bought bottles of wine (the cheapest was 330 kroner, which is about $60 US!) and could take them to our table and save them for the next night, a few snacks; I bought a souvenir Trollfjord baseball cap. I also bought "kleenex" as I developed a cold-type thing, although I didn't feel sick.
After leaving the Trollfjord, we spent 1 night in Trondheim and took the train the next day to Oslo, a 6 hour ride through incredibly gorgeous scenery of green lands, rushing streams, waterfalls, cattle, sheep, red, yellow, orange, and white houses, "mountains," tundra-type land for a time.
Our friends had a friend, Harald, in Oslo, who had been an AFS student at Denfeld High School in Duluth in 1955. Harald showed us around Oslo, although it was a rainy and foggy day, so our view of the famous Holmenkollen (sp?) ski jump was thwarted. He had us for supper, which his friend, Lill, had prepared while we were touring Oslo. When we arrived in Oslo, the children and grandchildren of one of the couples traveling with us, and who live in Germany, met us at the train! Each one came on and grabbed one of our bags, including 7y Meredith, and hauled them through the enormous station to our hotel. Sweet!
We found the Norwegian people we saw, especially the women, to be tall, fit, blond, and golden brown--gorgeous really. Lauren, my spouse, developed vertigo on the ship and the doctor we took him to in Kierkenes, was tall, athletic and Swedish. Lauren improved daily, thank heavens for that!
We flew home from Oslo. Both our flights were on Icelandic Air--no perks. I had had a wonderful time, and I was so happy to be home--almost euphoric for a week.
I found I don't sleep well at home or on a trip, but that I do well anyway. I also need alone time, and I had fun being with dear friends. I do love to eat. I loved reading. I love seeing nature, water, colorful villages, beautiful people, visiting with dear friends. Takk!
Doris was a "salt-of-the-earth" type of person. She was close to the earth and thoughtful and no-nonsense. Doris had been busy making apple butter this fall, gifting it to her child's restaurant and to others. Apple butter is one of my favorite things, especially spread on top of toast with peanut butter--yummy! Joe had brought me a jar of her delicious apple butter at the first of this month. How lucky I am to have received one of her last jars of apple butter. 
