Norway

When our good friends, Mark and Tammy Bitter, took an assignment in Norway this year, I told them how much I would love to visit them in the land of my ancestors. Tara took hold of that idea and went to work to make it happen! We told Gloria about our plans, and she said "count me in too!" So....Tara made all of the arrangements, and on September 12th I flew to Miami to meet Tara and Gloria for our great adventure.
The trip started off with plenty of excitement when Gloria's flight from Phoenix to Miami kept getting delayed later and later. Everyone was onboard for the flight to London and we were frantic that Gloria was going to miss the flight, so I staged a little anxiety attack (although I really was very anxious!) onboard with one of the gate agents. Gloria literally ran through the airport, the gate agent grabbed her hand and got her onboard, at the very last second! Whew!!!
When we arrived at Heathrow, we checked into the airport Hilton, dropped our bags, and jumped onto the train into central London. We spent the afternoon riding atop a red, double-decker tour bus all around London. We spent a little extra time at the Tower of London where we bought fish & chips from a street vendor. We wandered around and did some shopping, then had dinner in an English Pub before the hour-long train ride back out to the airport hotel.
Our flight to Stavanger, Norway, was first thing the next morning. Tammy was so excited to greet us at the airport, and we headed directly to church, arriving just in time for Sacrament Meeting. Mark had headphones ready for all of us so that we could hear everything translated into English. After church Mark & Tammy and Mikal took us to the "Iron Age Farm" which is a reconstructed farmstead from 1500 years ago. It was so interesting. Then we went to the Bitter's home where Tammy had prepared a traditional Norwegian meal for us. Mikal had had enough of the older crowd, but Tammy & Mark took us to see the "Broken Chain" monument, a lighthouse, and some remains of WWII German bunkers along the North Sea.
Our exercise Monday morning was walking along the beautiful fjord just below their house. Then we were off on a day of adventure Tammy had planned for us! We drove through the countryside and stopped to shop in a fun yarn shop. Next was a hike, and I mean the kind of hike where there are parts where you have to pull yourself up with your arms, to The Falls. The waterfalls were gorgeous. We stopped for lunch at a little inn, then drove to the "boulder field," which was absolutely amazing. It was a beautiful ride back to town, although we got stuck behind a flock of long-haired sheep who were determined to run down the middle of the road! Mark built a fire in the fire pit and we roasted hotdogs Norwegian-style for dinner.

Tuesday morning's exercise was along the fjord then up through the fields where Tammy showed us some Norwegian pictoglyphs on a rock wall. We went into downtown Stavanger and boarded a ferry for a tour up a fjord and a view of Pulpit Rock from the water. We had a great time shopping downtown and bought some Norwegian wool yarn in a cute little yarn shop. We had fun taking pictures at the monuments of the three Viking swords representing the battle that united Norway into one kingdom in 872 A.D. It was Tammy's birthday and we celebrated by going out for kabob pizza, then back home for birthday cake that Mark had baked from scratch!

We walked along the fjord again Wednesday morning before it was time to say goodbye to the Bitter family and be on our way back to London. The Bitters were generous hosts and we truly had a fabulous time. I loved learning so much about our Norwegian heritage.
Back in London we navigated the trains into town, with our suitcases in tow, and checked into an amazing hotel Tara had booked right next to Big Ben. We walked to Westminster Abbey and spent some time in there, then on to Buckingham Palace. We ended the day eating ice cream sitting along the Thames.
One more train ride back to Heathrow the next morning where we bought the last few souvenirs and a yummy croissant. Then Gloria boarded a flight that would take her to Dallas then home to Phoenix, and Tara and I boarded a flight to Miami. It was an absolutely fabulous adventure, filled with so many memory-making moments and experiences. Tara is such an experienced traveler, and patiently took great care of us. Gloria suggested we think of another awesome destination for next year and put Tara to work on it!!!
I stayed through the weekend with Tara in Coral Gables, and we had a great time winding down from our great adventure together.