Norway and Sweden Trip Blog
Our
Journey to Norway and Sweden, June 2018
After years of dreaming and planning, this bucket list trip finally became a reality for us. Ken had long wanted to return to Sweden where he had served his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. DeNeise and Ken both had also dreamed about seeing the fjords and Lofoten Islands of Norway for many years. Finally, time and money came together to allow us to take this dream trip.
We started our Journey to Norway and Sweden by driving from our home in Rapid City to spend a weekend with our family in Utah. Then, on Monday, June 4th at 7 am we drove from Latissa’s house and met Mom and Jerry around 9 am at the SLC airport where they took our car to their home. Everything was going smooth, we got through security quickly, and had plenty of time to eat breakfast at McDonalds and relax before the flight, which left around 11 am. Our first flight on Delta took us to LAX, getting there 20 minutes early, where we had a 5½ hour layover.
We started our Journey to Norway and Sweden by driving from our home in Rapid City to spend a weekend with our family in Utah. Then, on Monday, June 4th at 7 am we drove from Latissa’s house and met Mom and Jerry around 9 am at the SLC airport where they took our car to their home. Everything was going smooth, we got through security quickly, and had plenty of time to eat breakfast at McDonalds and relax before the flight, which left around 11 am. Our first flight on Delta took us to LAX, getting there 20 minutes early, where we had a 5½ hour layover.
Before we boarded the Lufthansa plane, we spoke with the
ticketing agents about our planned tight connection in Munich, and they
informed us that we would need to pick up and re-check our luggage in Munich
before flying from there to Oslo. They assured us that there would be no
problems, that we would have enough time to do it. Around 5:00 pm we flew to
Munich, Germany. We lucked out by having a vacant seat next to us in a 3-seat
section, giving us a little more room on the long 11½ hour flight.
DeNeise (on the
plane): “I can’t believe this day has finally arrived. I am so
excited for our adventure. We’ve worked very hard for this trip, and I am
excited to see where Ken spent his mission. Seeing Norway is a bucket list for
both of us. 6½ hours to go before we are in Munich. I should be trying to
sleep, but that’s not going to happen. I’m too excited.” And then when we
landed, “Didn’t sleep a wink. Lost a whole night, but really excited to be this
far.”
The flight did not arrive on time, so our transfer in Munich to an SAS flight to Oslo was very hurried.
Ken: No time to write anything, or even breathe in Munich! The assurances given by the LAX ticket agents were not fulfilled. After going through customs, re-checking our bags, running through the airport, we barely made it to the plane, which would have left us had they not also been a little late. Whew!
DeNeise: “Up in the air again, Munich is beautiful. Very green. There’s lots of trees and farm land with little clusters of homes. It’s so flat, too. Not a mountain or hill in sight. But it looks like they had to cut down trees to farm certain areas. Wish we could have explored Germany.”
DeNeise: “Well, we made it to Oslo, Norway. What a
beautiful country. Forests, green pastures, and lots of water. Mountains in the
distance, everything is so green, and many of the homes are painted RED! It’s
so picturesque, I can’t wait to get to Bergen!” So we flew over snow-packed
mountains, so beautiful, that at first, I thought there was a massive cloud
over them. Then we saw fjords that were snow-capped, but green at sea level. Oh
my gosh, it’s so beautiful. Bergen is green and lush and so full of islands of
trees. And people live here!”
Landing in Bergen around 9 pm on Tuesday, June 3rd
was a relief to have finally arrived. Trying to decide the best way to get into
town, the ladies at the information booth suggested we take the bus in, rather
than the light rail, since it would be quicker.
At a ticket kiosk we bought some tickets for what we thought was the
bus, but the bus driver informed us they were actually for the train. So we had
to buy some new bus tickets. It was a pretty drive into town, but as it turned
out, the train would have been the better option. The driver did not stop as we
anticipated at the train station, where we planned to get off, which was near
our hotel. We got off the bus about 3 blocks away, pulling our heavy luggage
down city streets and along the lake park. When we finally got to our hotel,
the Zander K Hotel, it was around 11:00 pm. It turns out the hotel is located
right next to the train station, where we could have easily stepped off and
been there earlier.
Zander K Hotel Room in Bergen
We should have been ready to crash after travelling for more than 28 hours, but we were so excited to be there, that we went for a walk outside to the lake park and took pictures of the near midnight sunset. The park was beautiful after 11:00 pm, it was quite light like at dusk, and it felt very comfortable to be walking around, both with temperature and light. It was an awesome feeling to experience the late night sunlight – a bucket list item for DeNeise. Our room was small but comfortable, and we finally got to bed around 1:30 am.
Bergen City Park
After such a long day of travel, it would have been nice to
just sleep in for a while. But no, we had a tour scheduled that we had to pick
up tickets for at the train station at 8:15 am the next morning. Quickly taking
advantage of the hotel’s nice breakfast buffet, we got ourselves up and going.
It’s amazing what adrenaline can do!
Our first full day in Norway, Wednesday the 5th,
started with a little jaunt to the lake park nearby before joining the Norway
in a Nutshell tour.
The beautiful park and the hillside just a block or so away from our hotel
Being here was such a dream come true for us
Beautiful walkway around the park
Norway In A Nutshell Tour: Bergen-Myrdal-Flåm-Gudvangen-Bergen
We boarded a train in Bergen which took us through beautiful countryside
and waterways. On the train we sat next to and got to know a nice couple from
Minnesota, Bob and Peggy Eddy. We found that they were also going to be on the
Hurtigruten ship on our coastal cruise. It was fun seeing them several times
and socializing during this part of our journey. They got off the train in Voss
to take the same tour as we were, but took the tour in the opposite direction.
We continued on the train to Myrdal, and boarded another train taking us down a
beautiful canyon towards Flåm.
Train Station in Bergen
Beautiful countryside from the train
The train stopped at a powerfully flowing waterfall, where we were able
to get off briefly and experience the mist from the falls and watch a
mysterious woman on a platform dancing to mystic music in the mist.
A beautiful ride took us down the canyon through tunnels
and over bridges to the small village of Flåm.
In Flåm, we had a couple of hours to walk around and shop a little. Here we found the first of many troll statues that we would find in Norway. We bought lunch at an outdoor food tent specializing in local traditional foods. DeNeise got the Bacalao fish soup, which surprised her how much she was enjoying seafood! Ken got the reindeer meat soup, which was equally satisfying.
Aren't these cute?
Ken found a new friend.
We walked around the shore at the end of the beautiful fjord where we saw some sheep with lambs.
Ken just had to get his feet into the Norwegian fjord water that wasn’t really that cold!
Cruise on the Aurlands and Naeroy Fjords
From there we boarded a small boat which took us on a cruise through the
Aurlands and Nærøy fjords. It
was amazing to be in such a beautiful place that we had dreamed about seeing –
the Norwegian fjords. The mountains were so tall, starkly rising out of the
water. The blues and greens so vivid everywhere, the tall, beautiful waterfalls
cascading down long heights, the small villages and clusters of homes that
clung on to narrow stretches of land along the waterfront. It seemed amazing
that there were people who lived in such remote, uneasily accessed locations in
such gorgeous scenery. Yet, all of these small areas and islands are connected
by roads that pass through tunnels and over bridges.
The boat captain took us up close to where a fantastic
waterfall entered the fjord that we could see cascaded down from the top of the
mountain.
A Titanic moment!
DeNeise: These waterfalls were so amazing. They came from the very top of the mountain and emptied on the fjord. I've never seen such amazing and striking mountains and waterfalls.
DeNeise: There are places on the earth that I feel closer to our Heavenly Home....this is one of them.
These shots show the enormity of these fjords. Magnificent!
We arrived at the end of the Nærøy
(meaning narrow) fjord in Gudvangen, where we had some time to shop and visit the Njardarheim
Viking Village, which is a recreation of an older Viking settlement on this
spot. The people working there lived in the village during the summer, making
their crafts and leading tours, explaining the history and ways of the Vikings.
The homes they lived in were as before, without running water or electricity.
The first tour we joined was with a group of people from India, and some had to
translate for the others and were quite boisterous. We ended up leaving that
group and joined another that we enjoyed much better.
These actors stayed in this village during the busy tourist season. With no running water or electricity, they lived very much like the Vikings of old.
Don't you just love this little guy?
DeNeise found a Norwegian round pewter medallion necklace
with a snowflake on it that really spoke to her, and talked Ken (didn’t have to
twist his arm much) into buying a really cool, detailed pewter statue of the
Viking god/leader Odin. Odin is the main character in Ken’s next book he’s
writing, so this was a special souvenir.
We then hopped on a bus that took us through another
beautiful canyon to the town of Voss, where we boarded the train back to
Bergen. Eating dinner at one of the many Burger Kings that we found in
Scandinavia, we then made our way back to the hotel and crashed.
BERGEN: Bryggen Wharf - Old Town Area
The next morning, Thursday June 6th, we decided
to sleep in a little and try to catch up from all our busy travel. Around 11 am
we left the room and took a walk through downtown Bergen and into Bryggen, or the
wharf, area. After seeing pictures of this place it was exciting to be there,
but what Ken thought he would find was a quaint, peaceful old world fishing
wharf that ended up being chock full of tourists and felt something akin to the San
Francisco wharf area. But it was still cool and fun.
After climbing the stairs inside an old, 3-story building
that is now Julehuset, or a Norwegian Christmas shop, we perused the other
shops on the wharf. In one of these, DeNeise found what she knew she had to buy
in Norway: An authentic Norwegian designed sweater made by Dale of Norway. The
bottom floor of the building had leaned quite a bit, making the doorway and
windows slanted, but somehow it had been made structurally sound, because the
upper floors were sitting straight! A cool old building for DeNeise to get her
sweater at.
We took a walk up a narrow alley into the back buildings of
what was a few hundred year old fishing village. The architecture and history
of the place was amazing.
Then, up to the adjacent street, we looked into a couple of antiques shops and ate lunch at a local diner that had a southeastern Europe type menu.
From there, we made it to the Fløibanen, a funicular train
that we rode to the top of the hill near town. At the top, we enjoyed a
beautiful view of the entire Bergen area, with many islands stretching out to
the North Sea. We stopped and enjoyed a pastry at a little shop before riding
back down. Walking back to our hotel, we walked through another quaint, older
area with the interesting architecture that says, “you’re in Europe!”.
This is a view of the park near our hotel.
HURTIGRUTEN COASTAL CRUISE
Back at the hotel, we grabbed our bags, got a taxi to the Hurtigruten pier, and embarked onto our coastal cruise ship named Midnatsol, or Midnight Sun. Departing around 6 pm, we watched as the ship gave us a greater view of the city from the water.
Our first meal on board was then enjoyed at the buffet. The
rest of the evening we enjoyed the scenery, including small islands with little
villages and farmland with clustered homes, on the upper deck of the ship –
either on the outside deck or in the inside viewing lounge. The sun went down
over the water somewhere around 11:15 pm, though it never really got dark, and
we were reluctant to call it a day. DeNeise stayed up to watch the sun come
back up sometime after 1 am.
On Friday the 7th, after a buffet breakfast including some interesting Norwegian food selections, we watched as the ship made a brief stop at the port of Ålesund.
Later, we sailed into the Geiranger fjord. The early fog and mist cleared and showed us a beautiful fjord with tall mountains and beautiful waterfalls.
The Seven Sisters Waterfalls
At the end of the fjord, we got off the ship onto a smaller
boat, and rode it into the pier. From there, we got on a bus that drove up a
series of switchbacks on the mountain to a deck with a fantastic view over the
fjord. Looking down, we watched as our ship, which looked quite small from up
there, headed back out the fjord to catch up with us later in the day at
another port.
This was the beginning of a wonderful excursion from Geiranger on a bus that took us up the steep Ørneveien (Eagle Road), which rises up to over 2,035 ft above sea level. We stopped at the viewpoint and a waterfall at the summit. It was a great view of Geiranger, the Geirangerfjord, with its sheer mountainsides plunging into the sea, and the Seven Sisters waterfalls.
Then we drove along Eidsvatnet Lake and proceeded to Eidsdal, where we took a ferry across the fjord to Linge.
From Linge, we drove up a beautiful valley towards the mountains.
We made a brief stop at the waterfall in the Gudbrandsjuvet gorge. It had a walkway that crossed and zig-zagged above it with beautiful views of the falls.
Back on the bus we continued to climb higher into the mountain peaks through green, lush valleys. There were so many places along this drive that we wished we could have had time to stop, enjoy and take pictures. But the bus excursion continued on a schedule.
Our next stop was near the summit above Trollstigen, which means the troll's ladder. It made a stunning viewpoint above a huge dropping valley with two major waterfalls flowing down – one from the top of the massive cliffs, falling down to the bottom, continuing on down the valley. We had a bit of time at the top to see the magnificent views along a walkway above the cliff that ended in a platform jutting out over the cliff, with views looking straight down. Scarily awesome.
Back on the bus we started the scary switchback journey down the
Trollstigen road that descends out of the mountains on 11 hairpin turns at a 9% grade. Watching the bus in front of us made it quite nerve-wracking
to see what was ahead and how difficult it was to maneuver such a large vehicle
around very tight bends. The male driver of the bus ahead had to back up on the
bend just to make it around, but our skilled, woman bus driver was able to
negotiate each bend without backing up.
Our new friends, the Eddys, sat in the
front seat and later told us it looked as though the front of the bus was going
over the edge before turning. There were some cars trying to drive up the road
that had to back down a ways to allow the busses to turn. Every time our bus
driver made it around a bend, we all clapped for her, and finally at the
bottom, she won our enthusiastic applause. Each bend gave us new views of the
valley and the waterfalls that was just gorgeous. A definite trip highlight.
At the bottom of Trollstigen, the busses pulled over to the side of the road to allow us all to get off for a few minutes and take pictures of the amazing cliff-side journey we had just completed.
A few minutes later we
stopped at a tourist center for a coffee break. We chose to get some soft ice
cream which was not very good. DeNeise threw hers away. There were some big
statues of trolls there that seemed to be right at home.
Later, we crossed the Romsdalsfjord on a ferry and then passed through more
beautiful countryside and waterfalls.
Finally, we passed under another fjord in an underwater tunnel, and came to our destination in the port town of Molde. At the Hotel Scandic Alexandra we ate a delicious fish dinner, and we sat with Bob and Peggy. Afterwards we walked through town and
along the water, waiting for our ship to come. Embarking the ship, we enjoyed
the views for a while before heading to bed in our small, interior cabin. It
was a very exciting, enjoyable day.
DeNeise: “There were so many times on this trip that I
closed my eyes and said ‘thank you.’ I
couldn’t believe we were there.”
Trondheim
The first stop on Saturday morning, June 8th,
was at the port of Norway’s 3rd largest city, Trondheim. We got off
the ship around 8:30 am and walked down through the center of town to the
Nidaros Cathedral, an old, gothic-style church. Inside we had a tour of the
building. No longer used by one church, it is available for various
denominations and events. The central area of the sanctuary was much older than
the rest.
After, we walked across an old bridge with an archway over
the river to the older area of town called Bakklandet. We walked up a lane of
cute, old buildings, but most places were still closed. On the corner we found
a little bakery-coffee shop, where we ordered some pastries and drank some warm
hot chocolate. Not as hot as we’re used to, but very delicious. They made it
with steamed milk adding in pellets of chocolate, and served in a bowl. We
enjoyed this tasty bit of Norwegian food and culture at a little table in the
sun near the cobblestone road.
Then we walked back to the cathedral gift shop where
DeNeise was interested in buying a souvenir. She found a beautiful, tall wooden
angel while Ken popped back in the cathedral and listened to a bit of an organ
recital.
Time got away from us however, and we had to hurry back to
the ship. The walk seemed much longer getting back, and we were really pushing
it for time. The stewards had told us to not be late, the ship waits for no
one. At the end, Ken had to run forward and hold the ship, not really
remembering how long we had to go to get there. DeNeise hurried as quickly as
she could, wearing herself out, hurting so much that she was crying. We both
worried that she wouldn’t make it as the stewards were telling Ken to get on
board, it was time to depart. Both of us started to think we were going to have
to let the ship go and figure out how to get to the next port.
At the last possible second, DeNeise rounded the corner to
enter the port area just in time for the ship personnel to see her and let her
come on board, wheezing, crying and falling apart. She felt horrible and Ken
felt awful for her, apologizing profusely. But we made it! And DeNeise got her
angel, so all’s well that end’s well, and DeNeise learned, once again, not
trust Ken about timing.
The rest of the day was spent cruising up the Norwegian coast, relaxing
in the lounge areas and enjoying the views, reading, writing, eating, drinking
and basically being still, since we really hadn’t done that yet on the trip.
Ken spent some time in the upper deck Jacuzzi, keeping warm in the water, but
otherwise quite chilly in the open sea air. Way too cold for DeNeise. That
evening, as the boat was approaching the arctic circle, Ken spent some chilly
night time in the Jacuzzi again (both times he had the pool to himself – no one
else was brave enough!)
Locals waiving at us from a tall bridge that the ship passed under.
The midnight dusk was beautiful. DeNeise stayed up to watch
the beautiful nighttime sky during the short period between dusk and dawn. The
closer we came to the Arctic Circle the shorter nighttime we had.
DeNeise: In all reality, nighttime was only a couple of hours of dusk from the time we landed in Norway. That night it never really got dark at all. Because of clouds, I never was able to watch the sun dip in the horizon and then come back up again, but I could tell that it never really went completely down. It was so serene, quiet and so beautiful. We passed small islands and tiny villages with their lights on, which made me wonder if anyone slept at all in the summer! By 1:30 am or so the sky was full of color as the sun started coming back up and brightening the earth again. We docked at the village of Brønnøysund and picked up some backpackers that found places throughout the ship to crash until the next port. It was amazing to watch the ship as it slowly and precisely came to rest up against the dock without hardly a bump.
I was wishing Ken had been with me. He would have loved to take pictures of the ship docking and the beautiful scenery and sky we passed. But I thought he was asleep in the cabin since it was so late….like around 2:30 am. But when I finally came to the cabin he was awoke after having fallen asleep with the TV on. I should have made him come out with me. I really loved staying up and enjoying the midnight sun and watching God’s beautiful creations as we sailed passed.
Ken: I had read that the Hurtigruten cruises heading north
had a ceremony on board to mark the crossing of the Arctic Circle, and that all
those people crossing for the first time could be initiated in the ceremony by
having some ice water poured down their back. I thought that sounded fun, so
although DeNeise wasn’t interested in it, I wanted to be initiated. They
announced on board this evening that we would be crossing the Arctic Circle the
next morning, sometime around 7 am. I assumed that this would be the time for
the initiation ceremony, so we got up early to be up on the upper deck around
that time. When we got there, hardly anyone was around. I found that the
ceremony would be held later the next day, after we planned to disembark. What
a disappointment! Shouldn’t they do that right when you’re actually crossing?
The entire day of Sunday, June 10th, until we
disembarked around 7:30 pm, was spent cruising up the cold, foggy and cloudy
coastline, except for a 2½ hour stop in the town of Bodø. We
took the chance to explore around a bit in this cold town of about 50,000,
first looking at the marina, then stepping inside their library.
Since it was Sunday, we looked to see if there was an LDS church in the area, which there was, but it would take about 20 minutes to walk to, and we would be late for the Sacrament meeting, and then wouldn’t be able to stay very long. So instead, we visited the Lutheran church in town – not a service, but just a look inside. It had pretty stained glass and a separated steeple.
Afterward, we stopped at a little coffee shop and got a couple of warm hot chocolates and a pastry. Seemed the thing to do in these port cities.
From Bodø, the ship turned westward to
cross over to the Lofoten Islands. It was the furthest out into open sea we
would be, which lasted about 4 hours.
We got off the ship in Stamsund and hopped on an
excursion bus to visit the Lofotr Viking Museum in the area of Borg where we
enjoyed a dinner and show. We were inside a replication of an old Viking long
house that was along side the foundations of the actual longhouse used by the
Vikings, that was being excavated. The original Viking chieftain’s longhouse
was built about 500 A.D. It was located on a hill, with a beautiful view of the
mountains and valleys around it and had a pig yard and sheep grazing outside
the building.
Inside, the large room where we ate was made to appear like
the actual long house interiors. All wooden and dark, the center of the room
had a fire pit for cooking and the tables were located on either side, with a
separate head table used by the chieftain and his wife. The hosts were dressed
as the Vikings would have and acted their parts very well. We were in an
English-speaking tour, so it was all very understandable and interesting. The
Chieftain and his wife explained what life was like back in the Viking period,
and how they lived inside the long house.
The chieftess explained that women in
her day had equal rights as well as responsibilities. When her husband was gone
on raids or hunting, she was the one to protect and manage the house and
village. She showed us how well she could wield a sword. There were servants
who gave us the food and drink. To drink in, we had some cone-shaped blown
glasses that were held in curled iron holders. We each had two of these in
front of us, one being filled with water and the other with mead – a honey-based
ale. We were given several chances to raise our glasses and say “skål!” or cheers! We tasted the mead, which tasted like a very strong mix
of sweet and bitter honey. One taste was enough!
For dinner, they served us lamb, turnips and bread. We had
a good-sized sharp knife and a spoon to eat with. There were no forks, and when
asked why, the chieftess said, “Why do you want a fork? Forks are for hay!” The
meal was quite delicious. During and after dinner we were entertained by the
servants with music and then we all joined in a circle for a simple dance while
the chieftain, cheiftess and their servants sang.
In the main hall where we ate, that was commonly used for
large assemblies and dining, there were 4 wooden pillars that were carved to
represent the main Viking gods, which they introduced us to, including Odin,
the father god, Thor, his son and god of thunder, Njord, god of wind and sea,
and his daughter Freya, the fertility goddess. Adjoining this hall, were other
rooms including the personal living areas, the workshop and other rooms for
village use. One of the rooms even had racks for drying cod fish.
This excursion was a very interesting and fun experience. The bus then
took us to the next ship port at Svolvaer, where we disembarked, said farewell
to our cruise friends, the Eddys, and got a taxi to our little fishing cottage
over the water.
The place was located on Svinøya, an island in the harbor near the main part of town, which was the original settlement in the area. Many older fishing cottages, or rorbuer, were there that were rented out. Giving the address to our cottage to the taxi-driver, we assumed we would get there easily. Wrong. The address to our cottage wasn’t easily found – it was separately owned and rented from most of the others on the island. The driver dropped us off in front of a restaurant that had a reception office, but we found that this was not the right place. A nice girl who worked in the restaurant helped us find where we needed to go, loading our luggage in her van and driving us around, stopping and asking others where the cottage was. It took us a while to track down the owners and the location of the cottage, but when we finally did, we were so enthralled with it.
Because of the nearby mountains and the cloudy sky we couldn’t actually see the midnight sun, but its effects were surrounding us. It felt so amazing to be there. We couldn’t think of going to bed right away, so we took a walk around the island and up on the high bridge that led to town. Beauty and majesty everywhere!
Monday, June 11th was our day to explore the Lofoten Islands.
This region was the highlight of our trip to Norway, a place we had looked very
much forward to seeing. So much beauty everywhere, and even though it was cold,
the clouds and mist over the mountainous sea islands gave the place a beauty
unlike we have seen elsewhere. It exceeded our expectations. Starting in
Svolvaer, our first stop was in Kabelvåg to walk around the church,
which is known to be the largest wooden structure north of Trondheim.
Next we visited the small fishing village of Henningsvaer, that had some cute shops by the water. We watched a glassblower and bought some souvenirs, including hats for our freezing ears. Out by the water it was pretty cold.
Outside one of the shops we saw this little sign near some tables and chairs that said in Norwegian “Sit down and just enjoy a little while”. But it was too cold to do so!
In all the fishing areas we visited there were large, wooden racks with
lots of drying cod fish hanging from them. We learned that this area of Norway
is famous worldwide for their dried cod, and it has long been a strong industry
for the area.
Traveling down the main highway, we stopped off the road many times to wander and take pictures of the beautiful countryside and coastline. The grass, plants and flowers seemed to be more vivid and vibrant because of the moisture everywhere – sometimes above us, sometimes all around us, as mist or rain.
In the town of Leknes we stopped at Peppe’s and ate some
yummy pizza for lunch.
Buknes Church
After backtracking a bit, having taken a wrong road, we
stopped along the road and took a trail that gave us a magnificent view of a
lake in a valley and the coastline beyond, and found the perfect Norwegian
house.
DeNeise: I have always loved the Little Red Houses that I
saw in pictures of Norway. They were so quaint and homey to me. Now that I was
in Norway and seeing them in person, I wished I could come home and paint my
home red and white. As we walked along the path to the look out we found the
perfect red house, with the perfect setting. If I could have, I would have
kicked the owner out and stayed. It was so cute and the setting was more than I
could have imagined. They overlooked the
valley with the lake and coastline. The house and barn were red with white trim
and the house had a deck in back to take advantage of the view. As I took in
the view, I couldn’t help but get teary-eyed. I couldn’t believe I was standing
in this beautiful country. It certainly was one of God’s Masterpieces. If I was
rich I would own that home or one just like it in the Lofoten Islands.
A little bit later we made another nice roadside stop. On
the mountain side near the road were some sheep and little lambs grazing near a
small cascading creek. On the coast side was a gorgeous little white sand
beach, requiring a bit a of rock hopping to get to.
Ken: I had read about some beautiful beaches along the
coast of these islands, and just had to get on one. The setting for this one
was idyllic – small waves of turquoise water splashing onto a perfect fine
white sand beach – it could have passed for a beach on Kaua’i had it been
warmer and with a few palm trees. I’m a sucker for beaches, whether warm or
cold. As I’ve always said, there’s something about water, and being near it
speaks to my soul, and makes me feel as though I have returned home, to my
natural habitat. I do believe I must be part dolphin or something!
On a side road heading to Nusfjord, we stopped along a beautiful creek
area and found a trail that took us over to a small dike at the edge of a
reservoir. It was fun to explore areas off the road.
The road then
took us to Nusfjord, a very small fishing village at the mouth of its own little
fjord. Walking along the pier we found birds making nests in strange places, on
the side of the buildings, above doors and windows. We saw what looked to be
targets painted on the side of rocks by the water, that we decided must be to
help the boats find their way in heavy fog.
Driving on, we found another, larger stretch of beach on a
crescent bay called Rambergstrand. We took a stroll along the cold shoreline,
and Ken was tempted to jump in the water, although knee level was as high in as
he made it. DeNeise even got her toes wet in this sea water above the Arctic
Circle. We gathered several seashells and wished the day was warmer so we could
really enjoy the beach and water.
Further down the coast we passed through several tunnels, one which was
underwater, that eventually took us to the last island of Moskenes. This island
took us to places we had long dreamed of visiting. Our first stop was at Hamnøy, with a beautiful little harbor and fishing cottages and a
magnificent mountain backdrop.
Reine, Norway
Then our main destination came at Reine. This village has one of the most spectacular settings of striking, mountainous natural beauty with a pretty sea harbor lined with fishing cottages. At the view above the village we got out and said, “We made it! We’re here!”
Then our main destination came at Reine. This village has one of the most spectacular settings of striking, mountainous natural beauty with a pretty sea harbor lined with fishing cottages. At the view above the village we got out and said, “We made it! We’re here!”
About 24 years earlier, we found a big, framed picture of
this village when we were backstage at the Virgin Valley High School in
Mesquite, NV, while we were rehearsing for performances of the community
musical “Miss Kate.” No one knew who it belonged to, so we brought it home. It
was the source of fantasy, and we dreamed about one day going to that place. We
later had some friends over for dinner, one of whom was a band teacher at the
high school who saw the picture and said, “Where did you find this? That’s my
picture!” So, although we had to give up the picture, we did not give up the
dream. Later on, we saw a similar picture of this beautiful place in an
enlarged artist’s photo in a gallery in Park City. We affirmed again, that one
day we would go see this place.
So here we were. A dream fulfilled. It was hard to believe
that we were actually here, enjoying the view in person.
We drove into the village and walked around a bit, and then
decided to continue driving to the next village called Å, which means small river, and is
at the end of the road on these islands. To go further south, you need to take
a boat. By the time we got there, it was after 6:00 pm, so the only interesting
place to see here, the Fishing Museum, was closed. After watching lots of noisy
birds flying around and nesting on the sides of buildings, and seeing a fishing
boat come into the pier, we decided to head back to Reine and find a place to
eat.
We ate dinner at a small restaurant called Lanternen (the
Lantern), and talked with a young man there named David, from Atlanta, who had
just come back from a harrowing solo hiking experience on the mountains above
Reine. He showed us some beautiful scenic pictures taken from above Reine and
told us his story of camping for a few hours in the snowy weather up there. By
3 am he decided that the snow and wind was more than he wanted to deal with, so
finding a break in the weather, he started to make his way back down the
mountain. But the weather picked up again, making his descent slippery and
dangerous. At one point, he actually lost his footing and slid down a way, and
would have gone over the edge if it hadn’t been for a tree branch that he was
able to grab onto just as he was going over. After laying there for about a
half an hour to calm his heart, he very carefully made his way down the rest of
the mountain. God definitely helped save his life! DeNeise told him to not tell
his mother about this mishap until he was safely at home! He said he told some
girl hikers that they shouldn’t try the trail, convincing them it was not safe.
He was a nice, friendly kid that we enjoyed visiting with
.
.
After dinner, we wished that we had a room to stay in at
this beautiful place and didn’t want to leave. We walked around some more and
shopped at a small gift shop. At the view area above the village we stopped
again, and Ken went down to the water’s edge to capture a memorable view.
DeNeise: I’ll just
say it right now…..I’m a crier!! When I witness perfection either in nature or
by someone that has worked hard to achieve near perfection, it touches my soul.
I feel it gives me a glimpse of paradise and what all of us has within us if we
could tap into our royal and eternal self. So, standing there alone while Ken
was taking pictures, I felt and was part of as near perfection as you can get
here on this earth. And yes, the tears rolled down my face. Even now looking at
pictures of that moment and writing this down, tears again are on my cheeks. I
felt this way in Hana, Maui when again I was standing in a near perfect place.
Touching heaven and feeling it makes you want to stay and never return to the realities of earth life. But we must. But I hope that I have been touched so deeply that I will never forget the emotions of the precious time we had in a part of this magnificent world God created that helped me remember my home above.
Touching heaven and feeling it makes you want to stay and never return to the realities of earth life. But we must. But I hope that I have been touched so deeply that I will never forget the emotions of the precious time we had in a part of this magnificent world God created that helped me remember my home above.
DeNeise: Well, after
getting back to our cute little Red and White cottage by the sea, I couldn’t
sleep. How could I sleep when I knew tomorrow we would be leaving this
beautiful picturesque place. Even the sun was beckoning me to stay up and enjoy
the moment a little while longer. There are two kinds of accommodations that I
have dreamt of staying in, one is an overwater bungalow in Tahiti and the other a
Red cottage by the sea in Norway. And here I was….so I sat by the window and
drank it in. It was so quiet and peaceful. Again, I felt like a part of heaven
was surrounding me. I couldn’t help but say a prayer of thanksgiving for giving
Ken and I this gift. We would be leaving Norway today, but it will be a part of
my heart forever. Norway was everything and more than I anticipated it would
be.
The next morning, June 12th, had us driving northeast through
the islands towards Narvik. There were still many beautiful vistas that we
wished we had more time to explore and enjoy. One stop we made was near a small
herd of reindeer, including one we had never before seen – a rare albino.
On the Train from Narvik, Norway to Boden, Sweden
A few hours later we drove into the town of Narvik, where
we turned in our car and got a ride to the train station. The train took us on
a 6-hour ride up into the mountains and crossing the border into Sweden. At a
short stop in the mining town of Kiruna, Ken stepped out and picked a cluster
of small wild flowers for DeNeise, which she preserved by flattening in a book.
After seeing so many mountains on our trip through Norway, it was interesting
to see the landscape change to lower, rolling hills and flatter, forested
areas.
SWEDEN
Late evening, near 10 pm, we stepped off the train in the
town of Boden, which was the first area Ken served in on his mission, 40 years
earlier. We were picked up by Marianne Näslund and her daughter in-law Rose-Marie.
After a quick drive through town, we drove into the countryside, dropped
Marianne off at her cute, little yellow farmhouse, and then went home to stay
with Rose-Marie and Robert (Marianne’s son) in their 200-year old 3-story white
farmhouse in the village of Unbyn, about 10 miles south of Boden.
Although it
was late, it was just like dusk, and we took a nice walk through the peaceful
little village, passing an old schoolhouse, red barns and houses, and beautiful
fields before coming back to go to bed. We had a very comfortable room up on
the 3rd floor.
DeNeise: Rose-Marie and Roberts home was the perfect place to stay. It was like staying in a bed and breakfast. Each morning she had breakfast for us and treated us like family. Little by little Rose-Marie was renovating this beautiful farm house. She was working on the sun-room while we were there, making it into a dining area. The curved staircase that led to our room on the third floor was made of solid wood. They were at least double the width of a normal staircase and was absolutely beautiful. I love finding places like this to stay at. We were so fortunate and blessed to be invited to stay with them.
DeNeise: Rose-Marie and Roberts home was the perfect place to stay. It was like staying in a bed and breakfast. Each morning she had breakfast for us and treated us like family. Little by little Rose-Marie was renovating this beautiful farm house. She was working on the sun-room while we were there, making it into a dining area. The curved staircase that led to our room on the third floor was made of solid wood. They were at least double the width of a normal staircase and was absolutely beautiful. I love finding places like this to stay at. We were so fortunate and blessed to be invited to stay with them.
This picture was taken after 11pm. The sun really never went down. I was very grateful for my eye mask when sleeping.
In the morning, on June 13th, we came down the curved, creaking stairway down to their farm kitchen and had some breakfast, including delicious bread and cheese. Rose-Marie was busy fixing up and painting the adjacent porch. Robert ate with us and told us about his work at the City of Boden, where his position is similar to a Public Works director. He is quite the talker (Ken remembers this, knowing him as a teenager) and he described his other work that keeps him quite busy, managing a large farm, with hundreds of cows and growing alfalfa.
It was fun to be with them and amazing to see and stay in their old, charming farm house. Marianne came and picked us up in her car and drove us to the Luleå Airport, about a half hour away, where we picked up a rental car.
Our first stop was to visit the historic Gammelstad Church Town in Lulea,a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the world's most extensive and best preserved example of a church town, with more than 400 church cottages gathered around a medieval stone church.The houses were only used on Sundays and during religious festivals to accommodate worshipers from the surrounding countryside who could not return home the same day because of the distance and difficult traveling conditions.
We then drove up the freeway to Boden and stopped halfway at a pretty
pullover area near the Lule river.
In Boden, we parked and walked around the downtown area, and got some lunch at a little restaurant called Den Glada Schweizaren, or The Happy Swissman. Here were learned the difference between struedel (a pastry) and schnitzel (thinly pounded, battered and fried veal). DeNeise thought she was getting the former when she ordered the latter. A little Switzerland experience in Sweden.
While in town we walked around the Boden Church and church cottages and strolled along the lake and park.
We then bought some flowers to take to Marianne, where we
headed for a very enjoyable afternoon and evening visit. We were there until
almost 12:30 am, the time seemed to pass quickly as we caught up and talked
about our lives. Mostly in English, sometimes Swenglish and a bit of Swedish
here and there. She served us a dinner of delicious chicken and rice, followed
by a meringue raspberry torte. Yummy. Spending time with her was like being
with a loved relative we’ve missed seeing for a long time.
Ken: I was so happy to see Marianne again, after so many
years! She really did a lot to make a new, greenie missionary feel at home, and
gave us a lot of support with meals, rides to church and a place to crash and
visit after a long day of proselyting. Over the years I tried to keep in touch
with her, sometimes only with a hit-and-miss record of sending Christmas cards.
The last several years we have been Facebook friends, and had discussed for a
while the possibility, or at least desire, of me returning and visiting. I got
a bit choked up to see her again and hugged her like a mom, which she
definitely is to me.
Coming to Boden was really all about seeing Marianne again, and we ended up spending much of our time with her. I sure love that woman. DeNeise, too, formed a good bond with her and we had a wonderful visit.
DeNeise: Tears again are streaming down my face. I've always wanted to visit Kens mission. His mission was such an important time period in his life and it made me sad that I wasn't a part of that. I would have loved to write to him. So being in Sweden and seeing the places that were so very important to Ken was a dream come true. But the most amazing experiences were meeting the people that meant the most to Elder Ken and still do. And when I met Marianne it came as a surprise to me that I felt I was with a dear friend that I hadn't seen for a long time. Going to her home and spending time with her was like going to my grandparents as a child. It was full of love and peace and the conversations we had with her were full of reminiscing, catching up and spiritual concepts. I love Marianne and her family. It was a joy to be with them and feel so much love between us.
Coming to Boden was really all about seeing Marianne again, and we ended up spending much of our time with her. I sure love that woman. DeNeise, too, formed a good bond with her and we had a wonderful visit.
DeNeise: Tears again are streaming down my face. I've always wanted to visit Kens mission. His mission was such an important time period in his life and it made me sad that I wasn't a part of that. I would have loved to write to him. So being in Sweden and seeing the places that were so very important to Ken was a dream come true. But the most amazing experiences were meeting the people that meant the most to Elder Ken and still do. And when I met Marianne it came as a surprise to me that I felt I was with a dear friend that I hadn't seen for a long time. Going to her home and spending time with her was like going to my grandparents as a child. It was full of love and peace and the conversations we had with her were full of reminiscing, catching up and spiritual concepts. I love Marianne and her family. It was a joy to be with them and feel so much love between us.
On Thursday, the 14th, we took a drive to the
river and beautiful countryside near Boden. DeNeise fell in love with all the
fields of yellow wild flowers.
DeNeise: The best way to describe the two countries we visited is..... Norway was breathtakingly beautiful. It was AWESOME!!!!! Sweden was a colorful country road. It was a long drawn out ahhhhhh.... It was full of beautiful fields of flowers, red, yellow and green homes and barns and quiet beauty. Of course Stockholm was a busy city, but get out into the countryside and it was ahhhhhhh......
DeNeise: The best way to describe the two countries we visited is..... Norway was breathtakingly beautiful. It was AWESOME!!!!! Sweden was a colorful country road. It was a long drawn out ahhhhhh.... It was full of beautiful fields of flowers, red, yellow and green homes and barns and quiet beauty. Of course Stockholm was a busy city, but get out into the countryside and it was ahhhhhhh......
Ken: It was odd seeing these places that I had been to so long ago, in what seems to be another life. 40 years puts a lot of change on the person and the place. It almost felt unreal that I was back – it felt similar, and yet not the same. It was a definite growing time for me, being here then as a new missionary. Struggling with a new language and learning a different culture, place and people. It all seems so distant, yet very much a part of me. What a blessing for me to be able to return after all these years!
In town, we found an antique shop where we purchased several authentically Swedish items: embroidered flower pictures, crystal bowl, table cloth, old breadbasket and a cameo necklace. On the way back to Marianne’s we drove past the old, cool train station and the house that Ken first lived in when he arrived in Sweden, painted now a lighter color.
Marianne fed us lunch/dinner today, this time some delicious spaghetti. Before the meal, we walked around a bit on the graveled roads behind her house near the river. Such a pretty area.
Just down a gravel road from Marianne's home was this perfect place to sit and enjoy the ahhhhh!!
We had another few hours of an enjoyable visit with her before we had to leave to catch our flight to Stockholm. It was hard to leave her, knowing we probably wouldn’t see her again. She is now in her early eighties.
DeNeise: I am so grateful for the time we had with Marianne. Leaving her was so hard. She truly became family to me in the short time we had. There was a spiritual connection that will always be very special to me.
DeNeise: I am so grateful for the time we had with Marianne. Leaving her was so hard. She truly became family to me in the short time we had. There was a spiritual connection that will always be very special to me.
We caught Robert coming in on his tractor, and Rose-Marie over by the barn, and said goodbye.
DeNeise: So grateful for all that we were able to experience here with such wonderful people. It most definitely was a highlight of our time in Sweden. They are truly family now and always!!
DeNeise: So grateful for all that we were able to experience here with such wonderful people. It most definitely was a highlight of our time in Sweden. They are truly family now and always!!
The flight to Stockholm was a little over an hour, and it
went smoothly. Fun to see some of Sweden from the air. After getting our car,
we drove towards the city, and stopped at a freeway-side Burger King for some
dinner. There was only one guy out front who was trying to do everything,
making us wait quite a while.
Ken: I remember there was one McDonalds in downtown
Stockholm when I was here before. It was quite a deal for us Americans to go
there. But now, we find McDonalds and Burger Kings all over. The
Americanization of Sweden.
We checked in to the Radisson Blu Royal Park in the Solna
area, outside of Stockholm on a hill overlooking a pretty lake called
Brunnsviken. The hotel was nice and situated in a nice location. The room
wasn’t overly special, but it was comfortable. However, there was no air
conditioning, so we left the window open most of the time. Fortunately, they
weren’t having a heat wave, so we were fine.
We slept in the next morning, Friday June 15th, trying to catch up a little bit after going and going so much. We went to the breakfast buffet, which we enjoyed everyday that week, and enjoyed the best breakfast buffet we’ve had. Lots to choose from including delicious breads, cheeses, pastries, and hot dishes. The buffet area was next to a large patio with a great view of the lake, where we enjoyed our morning meals – sometimes shewing away the birds.
Stockholm Harbor and the Royal Palace
We drove into Stockholm and parked near the water in Gamla Stan. We got
some sandwiches at a little deli/bakery on the waterfront.
Then, we walked over to the Royal Palace and did some tours, including
the treasury with the old crowns and jewels, the royal apartments, the three
crowns museum (history of the old palace that had mostly burned down), and the
antiquities (sculptures).
Exploring Gamla Stan (Old Town)
After, we walked a bit through Gamla Stan, toured the Storkyrkan church and saw the original St. George and the Dragon sculpture created in the 1400s. There were many burial vaults and grave stones from important people and leaders from long ago. There was so much of ornate, gilded decoration and tapestries, stained glass, etc. A beautiful church-museum.
DeNeise: I really enjoyed Gamla Stan. Cars were not permitted down most of the cobblestone streets so it really felt like we stepped back in time. People worked and lived here among all the history. Wow!!!
Inside Storkyrkan Cathedral
The original "St. George and the Dragon" sculpture
DeNeise: Can't believe the history I was able to experience. The United States is such a baby country!!
Stortorget Square
Walking through Gamla Stan, we shopped in the many tourist
shops and made our way to Stortorget, the main town square, and found a
restaurant with tables overlooking the square, where we were compelled to order
the Swedish meatball dinner. It unfortunately took nearly an hour to get the
food, evidently the order was lost. The manager got someone else to help us –
we never saw our original waiter again – and he offered us free desserts. So,
overall it was worth it.
We ate a Swedish Meatballs Dinner at the Restaurant Stortorgsk
Morning walk along Lake Brunnsviken
On Saturday the 16th, we started the morning enjoying again a nice breakfast on the hotel’s outdoor patio, and then we took a walk down the trail along the lake. A beautiful nature walk by the water, with ducks and bumble bees.
DeNeise: I'm so glad that we decided to stay outside of the city. Breakfast outside overlooking the lake was a perfect way to start each morning!
We decided to head back in to Gamla Stan and the downtown
area to do some more sightseeing. We drove first to a bridge across the harbor
to take some pictures, and then went to go see the changing of the guard at the
Royal Palace. We got there in time, however there were so many people, there
wasn’t a good place for us to be able to watch it. So we decided to come back
another day for that, and just walked and shopped a bit more in Gamla Stan.
Vasa Museum
Then we drove over to the Vasa Museum, where the old 1600s
galleon Vasa was on display.
The Vasa is a royal 64-gun battleship that sunk on its maiden voyage in the Stockholm Harbor, and raised up again in the 1960s. Since then it has been restored to nearly 100% of its original form. 98% of the restored ship is original materials. Even the color of paint was able to be replicated to the original because of preserved pigments in the wood. Amazing.
The reason it sank was because of being constructed top heavy, with an extra level of cannons. It only took a gust of wind to make it tip enough to one side to where the water could enter into the cannon openings. The ships designer deflected responsibility, saying he only built it according to the King’s design. The museum around the ship is a very large, tall building that has many interesting exhibits about its history. There were even some skeletons of people who died with hair and shoes that had been preserved under the water and mud. It was a very intriguing visit into the ways of Swedish wartime 4 centuries ago.
DeNeise: Again, I can't believe the history!! This was so amazing. The detail that they were able to recover and preserve was unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it. We should have taken pictures of the bodies of crew members that were found. Some had hair still and their shoes on! Crazy!!
DeNeise: Again, I can't believe the history!! This was so amazing. The detail that they were able to recover and preserve was unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it. We should have taken pictures of the bodies of crew members that were found. Some had hair still and their shoes on! Crazy!!
We passed by "Operan", the Stockholm Opera House
Hässleby Palace
After our visit to the Vasa, we drove over to the west side of the Stockholm area to Hässelby where Ken served 6 months of his mission. We stopped to walk around the Hässelby Palace, a small country palace that had pretty gardens in the back, and we walked on a natural wooded trail near where Ken had lived.
DeNeise: I loved this garden outside the palace. So picturesque!!
The first of many Viking rune stones we saw in Sweden
Then,
passing by Ken’s old apartment building, we drove down to the nearby lake shore
and beach area at Hässelby Strand. We took a nice walk through the woods along
the lake and passed through the beach park where a lot of people were out and
enjoying the nice day.
The next morning was Sunday, and we had made plans to go to
church in Gubbängen, at the Stake Center in the other area of
Stockholm where Ken served for 6 months. There we met and sat next to Maggie
Morris (Hernelind), whom Ken knew from way back when, and her daughter Michelle
and baby grandson Liam. It was great to catch up with Maggie, and we spoke with
others while at church, including Lise-lott (formerly Johansson) who spoke in
church with her husband. It was fun to reminisce with her for a little bit. She
had helped the missionaries a lot and was a fellowshipper friend to Ann-Sofie
Paulander who I baptized in this area.
Ken:
I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t see some people I had looked forward
to while in Stockholm. I tried to meet with Ann-Sofie, a convert I had a
close connection with, but it didn’t work out. She gave an excuse that they
were renovating their cabin in the archipelago islands and wouldn’t have time.
As Lise-Lott pointed out, because she had gone inactive, she probably didn’t
feel comfortable meeting with me now. I guess I understand, but still… I also
tried to meet with Nina Svahn Navjord, who I had known pretty well and who
almost got baptized, and who I have communicated with recently on Facebook.
Nina said that she hadn’t been feeling well enough to even have family visits –
she has fibromyalgia and some other issues. Maybe her situation was similar to
Ann-Sofie’s. I wish things could stay the way they were in relationships, but
like everything else in life, a lot of things change in 40 years. This was a
hard reality for me to accept.
Sacrament meeting was a great experience to be able to sit
again in that chapel and listen to the services in Swedish. DeNeise enjoyed it,
too. She couldn't understand the words but felt the spirit of what was being said. During Sunday School, rather than
sitting through more Swedish, we chose to take a little ride through the
village area around there and drove past the place Ken had lived. Although Ken
recognized it, things had changed. Probably the biggest difference was the
amount of cars parked everywhere, up and down the narrow streets. Back at
church, we met and picked up Maggie, Michelle and Liam, and took them to
dinner, back into Gamla Stan. We had some interesting pizza at a place called
Michaelangelo’s, and driving back to take them home, we drove past the location
of the old Stockholm First Ward chapel in the old town area on Svartensgatan,
in an old theater. Ken had spent many Sundays there, long ago.
At Michaelangelo's Restaurant in Gamla Stan with Maggie and Michelle Morris
We helped them pick up some things at their apartment that was being renovated as part of a TV show and dropped them off at another place. It was great to be with Maggie who is a very kind, sweet lady, and who has maintained a positive attitude through many hard life experiences. It was an enjoyable afternoon with all three of them.
DeNeise: Again, it was like reconnecting with old friends. Maggie, Michelle and cute baby Liam were so loving and wonderful to be with. So glad that Ken has stayed in touch with the people he associated with during his mission.
On our way back to the hotel, Ken took a wrong turn downtown and thought he could find the right way back, but we got lost. In the process of trying to figure it out, Landon called us to wish Ken a Happy Father’s Day.
Ken: I had practically forgotten that it was Father’s Day!
Since DeNeise’s phone was being used for that, and Ken’s
phone didn’t work, we were not able to get Google directions while speaking to
Landon. Ken kept trying to find the way, but it just got worse. Anyway, it was
great to hear from Landon, and after the call was done we were able to google
our way to the hotel. We decided before getting out of the car to go right back
out and find a grocery store for our dinner. Finally back in our room, we
received texts from the other 3 kids wishing Ken a happy Father’s Day.
Stockholm LDS Temple
On Monday the 18th, we drove to the temple which
is about 45 minutes south of Stockholm.
Ken: I was happy that we came here, but quite disappointed that it was closed for renovations. I learned after booking our trip that we would be here when it would be closed, and even emailed the Temple President to see if there was any way we could still enter and even help out with cleaning or something. But the answer was no. I was quite bummed that after so many years and not ever being able to see it before (it was constructed in the late 80s, after I came home), that I still would not be able to go in and do a session in Swedish. Oh well. At least we came to see the building, which was in a pretty forest setting.
Ken: I was happy that we came here, but quite disappointed that it was closed for renovations. I learned after booking our trip that we would be here when it would be closed, and even emailed the Temple President to see if there was any way we could still enter and even help out with cleaning or something. But the answer was no. I was quite bummed that after so many years and not ever being able to see it before (it was constructed in the late 80s, after I came home), that I still would not be able to go in and do a session in Swedish. Oh well. At least we came to see the building, which was in a pretty forest setting.
Changing of the Guards at the Royal Palace
After, we went back again to Gamla Stan and the Royal
Palace, for the third time, to see the changing of the guards. We got there an
hour and a half early, so Ken was able to wait at the front of the rope line and
got us an excellent viewing spot. DeNeise had the tortuous task of having to
shop in the Palace gift shop while Ken enjoyed waiting outside in the cold air.
Seeing the changing of the guards really adds to the feeling that this is a
special, royal place. There was a marching band and several soldiers that
marched and changed the flags with the guard. It was cool to watch – not as
elaborate as in London, but still cool.
From there, we went back to Stortorget and got a couple of
hot dogs, then visited a favorite gift shop for more souvenirs. Then we got in
the car and headed to the apartment of Audur Gudmundsdottir and her mom Esther Karlsdottir, two sweet Icelandic ladies. Audur was a convert to the church
that Ken was able to teach when he was here. They were very sweet and welcoming
and seemed very happy to have us visit. They fed us a delicious sandwich torta
folllowed by a delicious yellow cake with fruit. Ken and the two ladies spoke a
lot of Swedish and had a great time visiting, and heard stories of their
Icelandic ancestry. DeNeise wasn’t feeling too well, unfortunately, so we
decided to leave a bit earlier than we might have. But it was great to see them
both again.
DeNeise: These sweet ladies were so excited to see Ken again. They were so kind and loving. The lunch they served was so delicious and I really enjoyed listening to them speak Swedish with Ken. I wish that I hadn't felt so yucky. I tried really hard not to show it but I'm afraid that didn't work out so well! Oh well!! I'm grateful that this was the only day I felt that bad, that is until the day we went home!!
DeNeise: These sweet ladies were so excited to see Ken again. They were so kind and loving. The lunch they served was so delicious and I really enjoyed listening to them speak Swedish with Ken. I wish that I hadn't felt so yucky. I tried really hard not to show it but I'm afraid that didn't work out so well! Oh well!! I'm grateful that this was the only day I felt that bad, that is until the day we went home!!
On the way to Vaxholm
After a stop back at the hotel to let DeNeise get some rest, we decided
to take a drive out to the island of Vaxholm in the Stockholm archipelago that
is connected to the mainland by a bridge. On the way there, we pulled off the
road to see a little Russian-style church and hamlet in Östra Ryd. We learned that the church was originally built in the
1200s. We walked down to the lake nearby and saw some real pretty countryside.
Vaxholm Island
We went on from there to Vaxholm which is a popular tourist
stop for the archipelago ferries. We walked around the town seeing the cute
little cottages in old architectural styles, with pretty flowers and waterways,
and then came into the commercial center. We stopped in a little chocolate shop
and bought some goodies, and walked around the town and marina some more, and
then took a ferry over to the Vaxholm Fortress on its own island in the harbor.
It was originally built to be a guard for water traffic coming in to Stockholm,
when Sweden was a formidable political power in the Baltic Sea region. To end
the day, we ate a delicious dinner at the Lilla Strand restaurant at the
Vaxholms Hotell.
Ferry to Vaxholm Fortress
Dinner at Lilla Strand Restaurant
Sigtuna and Viking Rune Stones
On Tuesday, the 19th, we got in the car and
headed north of Stockholm with the goal of visiting Gerd and Kurt Sjökvist that evening in Furuvik, outside Gävle. On the way we made several stops, first in the small
town of Sigtuna, one of the oldest settled areas in Sweden.
Ken: I wanted to stop in Sigtuna and other areas close by
to help me in my research for the new book I am writing, to be called “The Saga
of Odin”. The story will follow the ancient Viking God in his life as a real
man who came to Sweden, leading his people from lands of the middle east around
200 AD. Much of the ideas for this book came from research and stories of the
early peoples that lived in this particular area. In Sigtuna, there are several
old Viking rune stones throughout the town, which were old memorial markers
celebrating a person’s life or major events. Many of them are from the 7th
to 10th centuries and are easily accessible. These will be
incorporated into the story.
DeNeise: The quaint little towns we saw along our drive were so picturesque! It really was like stepping back in time! And I really want a home painted RED!!! :)
One of the rune stones was actually built into the wall of
the ruins of the old St. Olaf’s church that was built in the 12th
century near the newer-old Maria Church. The town of Sigtuna
was very charming and quaint, situated near the shores of a lake. We would love
to have had more time here, but we needed to keep heading north.
Another countryside church
Uppsala Cathedral
The next stop was in Uppsala, Sweden’s 3rd
largest city, where we visited the large and impressive Uppsala Cathedral, the
largest church in northern Europe that is just as high as it is long. To get a
picture of the entire front, we had to lay down in front of a nearby building.
Inside was very beautiful and ornate and had a memorial to the ancient King
Erik who became a saint after he was beheaded. DeNeise found several grave
markers that had the name of Gertrude (her grandma’s name) on them. It made her
feel right at home with her grandma.
Gamla Uppsala Viking Museum, Village and Mounds
Then, we drove to Gamla Uppsala, location of an old Viking
settlement (where it is claimed that Odin originally settled) and visited the
museum. There were many things there of interest to Ken and the story for his
book, but due to limited time, DeNeise helped Ken with his research and took
pictures of many of the exhibit information plaques. We found a Viking glass
with a wrought iron holder at the museum gift shop, the same kind as we used at
the Viking Feast in Norway. Buying that and a big history book on Gamla Uppsala
(in Swedish – not available in English), we felt our brief stop here was both
fruitful and interesting.
Before leaving we walked past the old Gamla Uppsala church, originally built in 1164, and the huge, nearby burial mounds that the Vikings buried their important people in, sometimes buried inside their boats. A Viking sort of pyramid.
Visit with Gerd and Kurt Sjökvist in Furuvik
It was then time to drive up to Furuvik and see the Sjökvists who had reserved a table at a seaside
restaurant on the Gävle bay of the Gulf of Bothnia.
We spent a very nice evening with them, both at the restaurant (they bought us
a delicious dinner!) and at their cute little forest home, where we enjoyed
some ice cream and talked quite a bit about old times and catching up on our
lives and the gospel, both in English and Swedish.
Ken: Gerd, or Sister Bergström
as I have called and known her since the days at the beginning of my mission in
the LTM / MTC, has long had a special place in my heart. Such a sweet lady, a
great friend and a good example. I am so glad to have known her, she impacted
me and my testimony a lot. I have seen her a few times over the years since
leaving the MTC (once at the Vasa Museum while serving in Stockholm, once
meeting her and Kurt at the “This is the Place” park and going to lunch in Salt
Lake shortly after DeNeise and I got married, and again when we lived on Maple
Court in Cedar Hills when we had them over for dinner, and later went with them
to the Salt Lake Swedish Heritage Sankta Lucia Fest.) Kurt was the branch
president of the Gävle branch when I was serving there, and he
and his family invited the missionaries over for Christmas Dinner. He was
always so positive and supportive, and it was great to see that he and Gerd got
together after his previous wife passed away.
Gerd's sculpted the wooden man on top of the cabinet. Since putting him up there, the ceiling has settled tightly on his hat, so he is literally holding up the ceiling.
A traditional Swedish bed, built by Kurt and decorated by Gerd
Inside her little art cabin workshop, Gerd gave Ken a very special gift – a bust sculpture of a Viking, which we decided was named Thor, that she had hand made. A very detailed and impressive piece of art that displays well her great talent - a fantastic treasure! She has created many sculptures for different places, including an old Swedish-style nativity set on display at the church museum in Salt Lake City.
Seeing Gerd and Kurt again was very special, a highlight to our visit in Sweden. We hated leaving them, would love to have had a longer visit.
DeNeise: I've had the privilege of seeing these two a few times throughout the years. What special people!! There's a spiritual connection between us that will always be strong. I loved listening to the stories of Ken's mission and catching up on their life since we saw them last. They are both so talented and I'm so grateful that we came home with a sculpture that Gerd had made. This was the most priceless souvenir we came home with. I know I keep saying this, but it was like meeting up with family that I haven't seen for a long time. I loved every minute that we had with them. We left wishing we had been able to stay longer.
Before leaving the area, we drove back out near the seaside restaurant we had eaten at and walked around a bit as the sun sat low over the horizon. A beautiful place.
DeNeise: I've had the privilege of seeing these two a few times throughout the years. What special people!! There's a spiritual connection between us that will always be strong. I loved listening to the stories of Ken's mission and catching up on their life since we saw them last. They are both so talented and I'm so grateful that we came home with a sculpture that Gerd had made. This was the most priceless souvenir we came home with. I know I keep saying this, but it was like meeting up with family that I haven't seen for a long time. I loved every minute that we had with them. We left wishing we had been able to stay longer.
Before leaving the area, we drove back out near the seaside restaurant we had eaten at and walked around a bit as the sun sat low over the horizon. A beautiful place.
Drottningholm Palace
Our final full day in Scandinavia, Wednesday, June 20th.
After breakfast, we drove out to Drottningholm (Queen’s Island) and visited the
royal palace there, which is the official residence of the Swedish Royalty - a
big, yellow baroque-style building overlooking Lake Mälaren. We toured the inside (which seemed rather dark and heavy) and
then went and walked through the back gardens, which seemed underwhelming.
There’s so much more they could do to it – kind of boring, actually (Ken
remembers the gardens being better when he came here many years ago).
Outside, we watched
a guard enforce a distance from the back patio entrance that was marked by a
semi-circle line in the cobblestone, shooing away a guy who had crossed a line,
which seemed funny to us. There was no signage to tell anyone what the line was
for, and there didn’t seem to be any reason or maintaining that area free from
passersby.
We walked through the gardens and a forested area to the China Palace, which was built as a birthday present for one of the princesses back in the 1800s. It is decorated in a Chinese motif, which was popular during that era, and has many items that were brought back to Sweden from explorers visiting China. It was said to be the place where the royalty would go spend the day to get out of the larger palace.
This building, though smaller, was more impressive than the main palace. On the other side of the China Palace was a pretty forest and pond area that was the best landscape there.
This building, though smaller, was more impressive than the main palace. On the other side of the China Palace was a pretty forest and pond area that was the best landscape there.
The weather today was mostly either overcast or rainy. Looking like it would rain we decided to get some lunch at the restaurant nearby, but seeing a large crowd and line inside, we decided to move on.
Skansen Outdoor Museum
We then went to Skansen, the oldest outdoor museum in the
world, which has many older structures – homes, barns, commercial shops, a
church and a large manor, among other things. Over 200 structures had been
brought from all over Sweden, disassembled and then reconstructed in the park.
This historic preservation effort began in the early 1900s, and since then they
have created a very unique outdoor museum village - a great way to experience
Swedish history and culture. It was amazing to learn that even the large,
wooden church and the large, noble man’s manor had been taken apart where they
were originally constructed and moved to be rebuilt here.
We went first to a restaurant in the park and ordered a delicious Swedish meatballs meal. From there we began exploring the different areas of the park, starting with the commercial town area where we watched a glass-blower and visited a furniture shop, mechanics shop (which reminded DeNeise of her Grandpa West), a pottery and a bakery (where we bought some treats) among other places.
We went first to a restaurant in the park and ordered a delicious Swedish meatballs meal. From there we began exploring the different areas of the park, starting with the commercial town area where we watched a glass-blower and visited a furniture shop, mechanics shop (which reminded DeNeise of her Grandpa West), a pottery and a bakery (where we bought some treats) among other places.
We were able to go inside several of the old buildings, some that were homes, with period furniture. There were some farm homesteads with a grouping of buildings that were used by the people and their animals. One of the structures had been identified as being built in the 1320s. Most of these buildings were from the 1700s and 1800s, and had people dressed in period costumes who explained what life was like during the era the structure was built.
The oldest structure in Skansen, built in the 1320s
Two ladies we met showed us around a homestead, and asking their names, one replied that they weren’t supposed to give their names out. So, we named them Gertrude and Helga, which they thought were good names for who they were portraying. It rained a little on us here and there towards the end, so we had to cut some of our visit short, but the park was closing soon anyway. We ended our time at Skansen shopping in their gift shop, where DeNeise got a nice, authentically made Swedish blanket.
An all wooden church built in the 1700s in central Sweden that was taken apart, moved and re-built, piece by piece at this location in Skansen.
Ending our day, we came back to the room a bit earlier so
that we could relax before having to get packed for the journey home. DeNeise
stayed in the room and Ken spent some time at the indoor pool and sauna. Then
laying on the bed, Ken suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to pay the
parking meter at Skansen, which continues charging until you check out. So, he
drove back into town, paid the expensive parking fee (including at least a
couple of hours longer than we needed), and stopped at a hamburger shop to
bring back some dinner. After eating, we packed our bags, having a somewhat melancholy mood,
knowing this fantastic trip was coming to an end.
Ken: It was with mixed emotions that I packed to come home.
It had been a wonderful trip, and I felt really good about what we had been
able to do, the places we saw and the people we spent time with. This was a
dream trip come true, and it was so amazing that I had been able to return to
Sweden after so many years. The Lord truly blessed us over the last year with
the opportunity and ability to plan, save and take this trip. Returning to
Sweden was something I wasn’t sure for so many years that I would ever be able
to do, and now we had done it. Wow. Thank you, Lord!
My impressions of Sweden after having been away for so long was mostly favorable. It is still a beautiful, interesting place, yet 40 years had definitely made a change in some areas – sometimes things were newer and bigger, and sometimes they were older and not as nice as I remembered. But that is the way with everything, I suppose. Nothing stays the same, not even me. I have changed a lot, too! But my love for the country and some very special people will always remain strong. And, visiting Norway was another dream trip – to see the magnificent beauty of the fjords, the coastline and the Lofoten Islands – was simply fantastic. Especially Lofoten. If possible, we will return to spend a good amount of time there. What a blessing this whole trip has been!
DeNeise: I have been so touched by our experiences in both Norway and Sweden. At times, I felt so much excitement that I couldn't help but smile and pinch myself. Norway was a bucket list item and was everything and more than I expected it to be. The beauty and majesty of the scenery that we saw was, to me, a spiritual experience. I felt that same kind of connection with heaven in Hana when Ken and I visited Hawaii. God created such a beautiful world for His children to experience life in. I'm so grateful for all He has created and all the opportunities He has blessed me with. Sweden was also a truly special place for me to visit. It was full of experiences and memories that Ken had during his mission, years ago. I loved hearing him talk about his feelings and memories from his missionary days. Sweden was like a warm blanket in front of a fire. It was colorful meadows and meandering waterways, quaint colorful homes with beautiful gardens, so much history, both its own and Kens and people that we connected with, who truly became family. I will never be able to talk about this life changing experience without a tear and wishing with an ache in my heart that I could go back. Like Ken said....What a blessing this whole trip has been!!!
My impressions of Sweden after having been away for so long was mostly favorable. It is still a beautiful, interesting place, yet 40 years had definitely made a change in some areas – sometimes things were newer and bigger, and sometimes they were older and not as nice as I remembered. But that is the way with everything, I suppose. Nothing stays the same, not even me. I have changed a lot, too! But my love for the country and some very special people will always remain strong. And, visiting Norway was another dream trip – to see the magnificent beauty of the fjords, the coastline and the Lofoten Islands – was simply fantastic. Especially Lofoten. If possible, we will return to spend a good amount of time there. What a blessing this whole trip has been!
DeNeise: I have been so touched by our experiences in both Norway and Sweden. At times, I felt so much excitement that I couldn't help but smile and pinch myself. Norway was a bucket list item and was everything and more than I expected it to be. The beauty and majesty of the scenery that we saw was, to me, a spiritual experience. I felt that same kind of connection with heaven in Hana when Ken and I visited Hawaii. God created such a beautiful world for His children to experience life in. I'm so grateful for all He has created and all the opportunities He has blessed me with. Sweden was also a truly special place for me to visit. It was full of experiences and memories that Ken had during his mission, years ago. I loved hearing him talk about his feelings and memories from his missionary days. Sweden was like a warm blanket in front of a fire. It was colorful meadows and meandering waterways, quaint colorful homes with beautiful gardens, so much history, both its own and Kens and people that we connected with, who truly became family. I will never be able to talk about this life changing experience without a tear and wishing with an ache in my heart that I could go back. Like Ken said....What a blessing this whole trip has been!!!
The Journey Home
On Thursday the 21st, we got up early and drove to the Arlanda Airport to check into our Swiss Air flight to Zurich, Switzerland. The plane left late, and got there late, which was already going to be a tight layover time to get on another plane. Fortunately, we made it okay, after running through the airport, since that plane was also running a bit late. The long overseas flight, on which we passed time watching movies, landed in LAX. A 3 or so hour layover turned into about 5 hours as our flight from LAX to SLC kept getting delayed. The excitement and adrenaline coming from being in Europe was now gone, and we were so tired, and DeNeise got sick and lost her stomach. Coming home was not fun.
When we finally got into Salt Lake, Mom and Jerry met us at the airport to give us our car. It was near midnight and we thought we could easily find a hotel to stay in overnight, so that we could rest before having grandkids jump on us. However, everything in the Salt Lake area was booked except for a less-than-nice small hotel near the freeway in Sandy. But we were so tired, and since the room didn’t reek of smoke and the beds were decent, we just crashed there. Under other circumstances we wouldn’t have chosen to stay here.
The next day we spent time with our kids and grandkids,
told them about our experiences, gave them some souvenirs and showed them what
we brought home, too. It was a nice family time, and a day off from traveling
before we would have to drive back to Rapid City the following day.
HOME SWEET HOME!!!
HOME SWEET HOME!!!
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