Road Trips- Norway for the first time

 Editor's note:    Today is Father's Day and I thought it would be a good time to resume some of the Granum family stories.  I had taken a short hiatus from this blog to focus on other projects related more to my immediate family but I am ready to resume sharing  a few  more Granum stories.  In other words, I am ready to start decluttering  the next layer of Richard's life...that of his retirement years!  

In amongst a bunch of mis-matched stuff, I found a journal from 1996.  It appears to be the diary from Richard's first trip to Norway.   A trip that was a gift from his mother, Hazel.   A trip planned just prior to his retirement from the University of Georgia.  I would also like to think it would be a trip where  Richard would discover a true passion for travel-both local, regional and international. And just maybe- it was this trip that sparked his interest in becoming a volunteer at Norskedalen once he moved back to Holmen.  

Paying it forward- as docent at Norskdalen

circa early 2000s

No matter the reasons for the trip or the take-away lessons he would experience, it is pretty safe to  assume that Grandma Hazel had no idea that while this would be the first trip to Norway for Richard, it would most definitely not be his only trip.  

We all would lose  track of how many times he would visit Norway during his retirement years.  What we do know is that Richard would fall in love with the land, the people and customs of Norway.    

For this entry (which could be a book in an of itself if I don't reign in my ramblings)- I will use a combination of my words to add flow and clarity while pulling also from the diary that Richard kept.  It's worth noting- the diary is about 30 pages in length and Richard's handwriting has never been easy to decipher.  A lot of what he writes includes what he ate for dinner, costs of items and of course, a few of his signature "grumble grumble" remarks.  

As for the photos- some of the pictures are from Richard's collection while others are Google Images.  All are aimed at adding context and interest to the narrative..

The letter that prompted the trip- 

with Richard and Robert-date unknown

Where they would go while they wandered Norway

8.27-9.12 1996

Norskedalen is a nature and heritage center located near where Richard's ancestors all settled in the Lacrosse region.   At the time of this trip- a popular offering from this center were genealogy trips .  The tour  host, Borghild Olson, would plan an itinerary that included tourist highlight but also would give travelers a chance to visit regions that their own ancestors came from.    Ms. Olson was a teacher by trade and very active in the Sons of Norway community.  I recall that this was a big selling point for Richard, Uncle Bob and Aunt Birdie and most likely why they selected this particular trip.   Our great uncle Jack Vollendorf would also join in on the trip.  Jack is related on the maternal side- and doubtful he had any interest in Norwegian genealogy but as a fellow widower- I think he enjoyed traveling as Richard's side kick.  

Day 1-  Richard writes that "I prepared by reading various travel guides while also attending a meeting at Norskedalen on June 29th.  I packed early and tried to eliminate a few items but basically got a bigger suitcase."  

One curious gem was when Richard wrote "The previous day I signed my application for retirement and wrote a letter resigning from the faculty.  It felt good.  If back pain is caused by stress, this should disappear".   Can you imagine that feeling of happiness- like a modern day "mic drop"- I'm outta here..but first we must take an epic vacation..

Day 2-3- Oslo (A on the map). In his journal, Richard laments on jet lag and how the tour guide "makes it up as we go, no list of what we will see tomorrow but all is ok, I feel retired and am willing to along."  While in Oslo, he visited a variety of places- with everything from taking a harbor cruise to watching the changing of the guards at the palace. He was most impressed with the absence of a homeless population and the genuine friendly ways of the Norwegian people.  

Day 4-6 Tretten (b)- The group of travelers would board a bus and begin their journey into the interior to the country.   One of the first stops Richard mentions is at a garden party at the home of Hans og Solveig Torpin.   Richard notes that "the yard was manicured and filled with flowers- dahlias, sweet peas, marigolds, gladiolas and pansies.  A bird house was converted into a light.  After pleasantries outside the house, we were invited into the house.  A cream cake decorated with the Norwegian flag was served along with sweet buns and chocolate cake."  

It sure sounds like a lovely time was had by all- 

even if I can't decipher what town this was in.

Later I discovered this was in the town of Hamar Norway- an area where some of Richard's maternal relatives hailed from.

Next stop would be the Lillehammer area.   Here, they would not only visit the Olympic area, but Richard would recount a story  where a hostess noticed his name tag that had our surname on it "Granum, are you from here?" 

 Apparently the area has a place called  Granum Bakery.  A rather popular bakery with 3 locations in town.   Richard shared that the Olympic museum was "worth the trip" but that when he met the owners of the Granum bakery, they seemed "less than interested in meeting a namesake".   

So much for the joyous reunion of distantly related kin folk...

I guess not everything has a Hollywood style ending?!

Another highlight while in this area was the Maihaugen Open air museum which is part of the Stiftelsen Lillehammer Museum collection.  Richard wrote that it was "very interesting and I could have spent a full day here.  We saw a house from the 12th century and a stave church.   Logs were scarred to increase the resin and make the houses last longer.  We saw a cupboard just like my aunt had- only this one was  in a 15th century house."

The itinerary for the trip notes that the tour group would stay at the Glostad Gaard.  And well, God Bless google and the internet- I found a  photo of the property

According to the little bit of research I did- this lovely property is a bed and breakfast that has hosted countless travelers to the area, offering hospitality and some insight into the ancestral sites in the region.

During his visit to this area, Richard mentions attending church where our descendants worshiped and were once employed.   He would visit a farm that his maternal great-grandparents were born and the farm that they worked on (Dahl relatives).   He wrote "The log house was falling down but still visible across the river.  The house is more than 200 years old."

Day 7-8 Roros-(C on the map).  During these entries, Richard writes about his explorations of the town, the foods that he ate, the shopping that they did and even spoke highly of the sauna located within the hotel.  

One curious bit of foreshadowing was how when he wrote "We saw many older people with 4 wheel walkers.  Release the grip and the wheels lock.  Locals use these to put packages in the basket or sit on to be pushed by another person."

I chuckled thinking- 25 years later- here he is with just such a walker!

As for visiting the town of Roros, Richard commented on how "the buildings are all old, made of logs and the town is designated as a historic area by UNESCO. Copper has been mined for over 300 years and Edward Sohlberg a painter lived here".  

As you can tell- I am starting to get way more invested in the research of this trip.

So- Thanks to Google- filling in a few blanks- it sounds like a really cool place to visit!  The town is recognized for being one of the world's oldest towns with all wooden buildings, with the entire town being essentially a living history museum.  The town itself first came into being with the discovery of copper in 1644 and went on to become one of the most important mining towns in Norway.  One of the top attractions is the Roros Church- also known as the Bergstadens Ziir- which translates to Pride of the mining town. 

None of the photos I found were labeled

but let's pretend this is from the interior of this historic church?

Richard writes "Edward Sohlbery, a painter lived here".   

Street in Roros-1902

Curiously, my mad google skills could not locate any famous painters by that name- but I did find mention of a Harald Sohlberg.    And yes indeed- he was indeed pretty famous!

Winter Night in the Mountains-1913

one of Norway's best known and popular works

currently housed in the National Museum in Oslo

Day 9-10 Trondheim (D on the map).   It is on this page in Richard's journal that I would be most curious to ask him some questions- for on the page, he writes a lovely tale that starts out with

 "Once upon a time in a land far away, two old trolls strayed far away from their teacher.  They crossed the street and boarded a motorized sled and traveled to the center of the city.  They wandered the streets and snooped in the theaters, ancient halls and hotels.  

At dusk they walked in the cemetery of the dome where upon they hear music and pressed their ear against the big oak door.  The music stopped and somebody tapped them on the shoulders and asked "Do you know the time, if you do, I have the golden key".  We replied it was 9:53 to which he said that is not right- it is 2153. 

 One of us  said "are you the man that makes the music? to which he replied "yes, and because I do not have a watch you have helped me, I will invite you in".   The man proceeded to play many notes, pausing to ask if we were still listening "We are" we replied.  

The man responded we must all leave by 2300 as that is when the night watchman comes around."   We left soon after, catching the sled and arrived at the teacher's house just as the party was ending and we had not been missed".  

Is this the teacher he snuck away from?

I think it is Bergie the tour guide

I suspect what this story is saying is that Richard and his friend Linda had grown weary of the tour guide's agenda (his journal references lots of time spent with group meals and organized shopping from the sounds of things) and they snuck away.  

Further piecing together the details- it sounds like they had wandered over to the Nidaros Cathedral which is situated over the tomb of St. Olaf- the Viking King who converted Norway to Christianity.  

Leave it to Richard to find his way towards mischief! 

Other places that Richard mentions visiting was "Music Museum Ringve founded by a Russian"

The museum is actually located on a historic farm in Trondheim, the childhood home of a Danish-nobleman, the first buildings date back to 1521.  However, it wasn't until 1878- when the property was auctioned off and purchased by a man who's wife was an artist who had fled the Russian Revolution.  While the couple had no children, they poured their energies into their love for music and would go on to assembling a huge collection of musical instruments.  In 1952- the collection would open to the public for all to enjoy.

Another scenario of foreshadowing pops into my head- as Richard would go on in later years to serve as a docent at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix Arizona.  This museum, much like the one in Trondheim was born out of a collection of instruments acquired by the wealthy Bob Ulrich (one time CEO of Target).  

Docent at the MIM

circa 2015

Day 11 Molde (E on the map).    It is here that I think Richard starts to be star-struck with the beauty of Norway for he wrote "this day provided the most Norwegian and spectacular scenery to date! After breakfast, we motored about 60k to the first ferry, no real town, just the end of the road.  The crossing was the smoothest boat ride I have ever experienced, such that I did not realize we were moving until we were well away from the dock.  This is The Atlantic Highway!"

A series of several miles worth of bridges connect many island 

and provide an up close view of the coastal area

Around this point in the journey, Richard is clearly fed up with the ways of group travel.  I can see why he soon switched to the DIY style of travel.  Perhaps Ms.Borgie wasn't as gifted a guide as they had all hoped she would have been?  And again- maybe it's what prompted his decision to become active in Norskdalen-thinking that he could and would do better in sharing stories involving the Norwegian people.  

After Molde- Richard writes that "we left by a tunnel that travels under the fjord and into a canyon with sheer walls.  We stopped at an international hostel in the town of Andalsness.  The owners were from Scotland, whose family originally came here in the 1600s to kidnap Norwegians.

Curious history, eh?

And while I couldn't unearth any specifics about this story, I did travel down a google-rabbit hole about the town of Andalsness and found it to be curious in and of itself...for one famous Norwegian author (Joe Nesbo) wrote this in one of his books- 

courtesy of Google Images

Then he told of Åndalsnes, a small town up in Romsdalen surrounded by high mountains, where it was so beautiful that his mother had always said that this was where God had begun when he created the world, and that he had spent so much time on the nature in Romsdalen that the rest of the world had to be done in a hurry to be finished by Sunday. - Jo Nesbø, The Batman

Sign me up!

Day 12- Geiranger- (F on the map)  after safely traveling the famed Trolllstigen Road, Richard would arrive at the Grande Hotel.    

It is around this point that Richard clearly sounds travel weary.  His writing is difficult to decipher (even more than baseline) and the thoughts jotted down are hard to track.  

It does sound like they visited a glacier, stayed in a nice hotel..but he writes such things as "Seen one Fjord, you've seen them all" and "The food is ok, but please, no more herring!"

Day 13-14 Skei I Jolster (G on the map) Richard writes of the ferry that they took from Geiranger to Hellesylt.  (oh thank heavens for google- as his attempts to spell these towns in cursive were nowhere close to the actual spelling!). 

Richard noted that it was a rainy start but the sun would appear, allowing them to take in several of the iconic sites such as Devil's Gate, Seven Sisters waterfall and farms that have long been abandoned.   

Filling in the gaps thanks to Google- I learned a little bit more-

The fjord also has several impressive waterfalls. The two most notable waterfalls in the Geirangerfjord are ‘de Syv Søstre’ (the seven sisters) and ‘Friaren’ (the suitor, also called the wooer). The two waterfalls face one another across the fjord, and the suitor is said to be trying to woo the sister's opposite.

 Brudesløret (the bridal veil) is another waterfall on the fjord, thus named because it falls delicately over one rocky edge, and when seen backlit by the sun looks like a thin veil over the rocks.

 Day 13-14 Jolster (G on the map)-  Richard writes about a trip to a sculpture museum that left quite an impression on him.  Richard's pondering include "the artist won several international prizes and yet died penniless.  He seldom returned home.  Was it  because he had little money and needed to keep the clay damp or was it because he was not regarded as a a man because he did not make a living farming or fishing.?"

Who was this artist?  It mattered enough to warrant some lines in Richard's journal.

Curiosity wins again and with a little bit of  google sleuthing and I learned that Anders  Svor (1864–1929) made himself noticed early as a wood carver. In 1882 he left his home village Hornindal to study at The Royal School of Drawing and Art in Kristiania (today Oslo), and then at the Academy of Art in Copenhagen. After studying in Paris in the mid-1890s, Anders Svor established himself with his own atelier in Kristiania, where he lived for the rest of his life. 

Svor was one of the central Norwegian sculptors of his generation. His artwork has been purchased by the National Museum in Norway, and has been represented at multiple national and international exhibitions. The museum contains a collection of almost 600 pieces – from sketches to several of his most central works, for instance the sculpture in plaster, “Ung pike” [Young Girl] (1895) and the bronze fountain “Bylgja” [The Wave] (1913).

Day 15-16 Bergen (H on the map).   Hang in there, fellow reader, we are approaching our final stop on this tour.  

Richard  describes more travel- via the longest fjord in Norway.  Visiting a dentist office, noting only how modern it appeared but did not explain whether this was a social call or a clinical concern?    We will never know the answer, will we?  The group would stop at a Stave Church.  

Ok- let's pause and chat about what is a Stave Church?

The Norwegian stave churches are some of the oldest preserved churches in christianity.  Once present throughout Norway, these days there are less than 30 that remain in more or less good condition.  During the Middle Ages, immense stone cathedrals were constructed in many parts of Europe. In Norway, a similar technique was used for building in wood, although on a much smaller scale.

The churches’ wooden doors and finials are often beautifully carved. The decorations feature an intriguing combination of Christian motifs and what is often assumed to be pre-Christian Viking themes with animals and dragons.

The excellent wood building techniques and wood carving traditions of the Vikings, used in the construction of ships and houses, were further developed and are often seen in stave churches.

There are several types of stave churches, but what they all have in common are corner-posts (“staves”) and a framework of timber with wall planks standing on sills. These walls are known as stave walls, hence the name "stave church".

There is reason to believe that many stave churches were built on sacred Norse ground. In olden times, the old Norse religion did not have a house of worship, but was instead practiced outdoors in sacred groves, by an altar, or at a heathen hov. The hov was often the great room, or the hall of the richest farmer in the village.

Richard finishes up his journal by mentioning a few more highlights.  He visited the home of famed composer Edvard Grieg. 

It is here that he composed many of his famous works.  

Richard would also note that the Bryggen harbor area of Bergen was very interesting and he suggests "Go back in the alley and explore!".

Looks safe enough- but just the same would need to do some more research

Richard's definition of safe and mine might vary just a tad?

One curious factoid that Richard shares is that "I discovered that the fortress island was called Holmen before it was Bergen"

Now- it's not that I don't believe Richard- but let's just say he can spin a good tale when needed.  And since Holmen is the name of the town where most of his relatives all settled in Wisconsin- well, how cool would that be if this was true?

And guess what?  It is true-or as true as the internet can be at times.  

Bergenhus is among the oldest and best preserved fortresses in Norway. In medieval times, the area of the present-day Bergenhus Castle was known as Holmen (The island). 

And that folks- brings us to the end of the journal- but for sure not the end of Richard's love of Norway!

Final thoughts-   It's taken me all day to sift through the journal, google some place names, fact check some stories.   Some might ask- why bother?  Who's going to read it besides my sister and I.  And why does it matter?

It matters because this journal is a glimpse of Richard.  Perhaps a bittersweet glimpse- in that through his writing I can hear his excitement of seeing new places, visiting historical places and learning of artists who hail from the homeland.  

But I can also hear a loneliness- while he traveled with family and friends- very few photos feature these companions.  Even fewer entries in the journal mention the experiences he had that were shared with others.  

I wish he had been more willing to share more about his travels.  And even more than that- I wish I had asked more questions, and listened with an open, curious mind.  

I never really cared if I ever made it to Norway...but as they say...Things change and so do travel wishes.. I think that someday I too would like to see the fjords first hand, travel the roads of my ancestors...although I am confident in saying they can skip the herring!  

Until next time..

We miss you, Richard...