tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51856921514396669502024-02-08T04:24:31.657+01:00A Life in Norwayour journey in the ways of NorgeRachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-51585571842868984702023-06-20T17:20:00.000+02:002023-06-20T17:20:34.541+02:00Mountains and Glaciers of JoyWe spent a long weekend in the mountains of central Norway near the village of Lom (pronounced Loom) exploring glaciers, hiking, and rock climbing with the University of Oslo mountaineering group.
Map of Lom, NorwayRachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-23472386644216812292011-04-03T11:07:00.001+02:002011-05-26T08:19:00.290+02:00Arolla, Switzerland ~ March 2011We headed south to Switzerland in early March for a ski trip to the Swiss Alps (my conference in Lausanne being the impetus for the trip). Our friend Art, another Fulbrighter in Norway, joined us for the adventure, as well as our friends Seth and Ellen, whom we met in Bermuda on their way home after a 3-year round the world sailing trip and now residents of Geneva.
We arrived in Geneva Airport Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-43953332245552288012011-04-03T09:59:00.000+02:002011-04-03T09:59:12.984+02:00Nordic World Ski ChampionshipLate February brought the much-anticipated Nordic World Ski Championship to Oslo. The events included ski jumping and cross-country ski events. There was an incredible buzz about in the days leading up to the opening of the event. In fact, Karl and I were stopped on the street while pulling our heavily laden ski bags, as the person was sure we were competitors (why else would Americans be pullingRachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-23080992441608439332011-02-13T16:00:00.255+01:002011-02-27T21:46:54.558+01:00Iceland ~ IslandSnow, wind, rock, water
A stark and stunning landscape
Broke open our hearts
Iceland is a place of magic and inspiration. The scale of the landscape is breathtaking. The angle of light plays upon the land, bringing it to life. It is place steeped in lore, and one's imagination needn't work hard to glimpse evidence of the hidden people. Are those elven footprints in the snow?
We began our Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-66400582525534127912011-02-13T14:47:00.001+01:002011-02-13T15:37:25.251+01:00Skiing in HemsedalWe spent a superb weekend in Hemsedal, Norway with our friend Hans Olav at his family's cabin along with several of his friends in mid-January. We spent the first day skiing in area with Ingrid and Bjørnar until our legs about fell off from exhaustion, while the rest of the group went ice climbing. It was so great to have some turns after nearly one year away from skiing.
That night we Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-10017799715284945072011-01-04T23:01:00.002+01:002011-01-04T23:04:14.476+01:00Overnight Ski Tour in the MarkaWhen we purchased our DNT (Norwegian Touring Association) membership last week, we vowed to pack a year's worth into 6 months. So, after ringing in the new year, we made plans for our first ski tour to a DNT hytte (hut/cabin) in Nordmarka (The North Forest, well north of Oslo anyway) for the 2-3 January. Our fearless compatriots were John and Fran.
This was a ski tour unlike others we've done. Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-60825684241214658732011-01-01T19:24:00.001+01:002011-01-01T19:24:58.981+01:00Happy New Year!Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-16009765326793659062010-12-06T16:01:00.000+01:002010-12-06T16:01:33.885+01:00Lutefisk, a delicacy from the far north
Lutefisk served traditionally with bacon garnish
I think it is safe to say that the thought of eating gelled fish lacks appeal for most. Perhaps all the more so when one learns it achieves that gelatin-like state after soaking for months in a lye bath. Yet a life in Norway would not be complete without tasting the notorious Lutefisk. As our friend and co-initiant John aptly described, our Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-70837544471510717152010-12-01T11:30:00.000+01:002010-12-01T11:30:26.740+01:00Views from the NeighborhoodWe live in the Skøyen neighborhood of west Oslo. For a bit of history: This area used to be farmland (part of the name means meadow or pasture), with two manors that marked the South and North Skøyen farms. The first division of the farmland occurred in 1617. It was later divided in the 1800s into four farms, portions of which were farmed by tenant farmers. It later became an industrial area, andRachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-25712837001402699262010-11-15T12:47:00.000+01:002010-11-15T12:47:34.151+01:00KNS Turseilercup 2010We were featured on the the KNS (Royal Norwegian Yacht Club) Website for winning the KNS Turseilcup 2010. We sailed on Leif Benestad's boat "Serenity" in the regatta series this autumn. Here's a link to the website (in Norwegian): http://www.kns.no/nor/Turseiling/Resultater+og+premieutdeling+i+KNS+turseilercup+2010.b7C_wlfK0f.ipsRachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-33797255623181580322010-11-11T23:27:00.001+01:002010-12-01T10:36:58.450+01:00The First Snow and Other News on NovemberWe came out of the fjell (mountaineering) group meeting this evening to find a thin blanket of snow covering the ground. Glee filled our hearts! Until we remembered what we left sitting out in the cockpit when we left...But still we glided and skipped with joy at these first flakes of the season.
And here's a glance at Sophia's decks...the first snow she's seen in her 31 years!
So far so good Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-88816973692622357752010-11-02T13:36:00.000+01:002010-11-02T13:36:26.931+01:00Our first dayWell, we've made it through the first of November. It was a foggy morning that later gave way to warm sunshine. Karl worked on maintaining the winter water supply line with Janiver, which consists of a hose suspended under the water so it does not freeze. I worked on a paper review. We ended the day at the KNS yacht club meeting where we--the captain and crew of Serenity--received the first placeRachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-25525751032673461902010-11-02T13:27:00.002+01:002010-11-02T13:29:41.468+01:00How bad can it be?Ever since we arrived in Norway, people have warned us that November is the most awful month in Norway. "If you can get through November, then you'll survive in Norway!" they have claimed. We've wondered what happens in November? How awful will it be? Will we survive this litmus test of life in Norway? So, as we roll into the month of doom we will chronicle just what is so bad about November in Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-87845060459558460592010-10-22T21:02:00.000+02:002010-10-22T21:02:12.925+02:00Morgen Tur - A Morning Trip(Yes, I am surreptitiously trying to teach you Norwegian)
The other morning, as I was partaking of my usual routine of doing a little work while drinking my coffee, Karl was messing about on deck and running the engine (which is good practice to keep it in shape over the winter). I wasn't sure what he was up to, but didn't think too much of it as he's been doing lots of boat projects. He Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-30584896137594501502010-10-22T20:43:00.001+02:002010-10-22T20:45:38.285+02:00Gratulerer med dagen!That's Norwegian for 'Happy Birthday.' It was a fine birthday, too. My heart was warmed by the many well wishes from friends (thanks to Facebook) and cards from family.
On Tuesday (the day before my birthday), Hanne treated Karl and I to an afternoon at the theater -- Next to Normal, the recent Broadway sensation, in Nynorsk (the older Norwegian language). We didn't understand much, but enjoyed Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-80480205233212567212010-10-21T21:29:00.000+02:002010-10-21T21:29:13.545+02:00Ice!We awoke to a patina of ice on the water about one week ago. It was quite surprising since it had been relatively warm in the days prior (much like Seattle this time of year). Just one cold night (about -2 celcius) was enough to produce a thin layer of ice, although it quickly melted during the day.
But today marked the day the ice did not go away.
Though the sun was quite hot, the ice Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-33909860867589121822010-10-21T20:52:00.000+02:002010-10-21T20:52:46.256+02:00A Weekend in LillehammerWe got out of Olso the other weekend (Oct. 7-10) and headed north a couple of hours to the lovely town of Lillehammer. We were visiting Hanne and Leif at their cottage during their Week 40 vacation (traditionally so all could help with the autumn harvest). They loaned us Leif's car to make the trip, our first experience driving in Norway (and our first time driving since June). We were ableRachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-34506426774458965272010-09-22T10:26:00.003+02:002010-09-22T11:35:43.420+02:00Mountains and Glaciers of Joy!We spent a long weekend in the mountains of central Norway near the town of Lom (pronounced "Loom") exploring a glacier, rock climbing, and hiking. The scenery was spectacular, the people were wonderful (we went with the University of Oslo mountaineering group), and it was exhilerating to exert our muscles and lungs in the alpine air! After a those months at sea, it felt like we were coming home Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-59718541251210738902010-09-16T13:51:00.000+02:002010-09-16T13:51:46.228+02:00By the way, where exactly are you?We have been asked by several people now where we are actually located in Oslo. I think they must be experiencing SPOT withdrawals after being able to track our movements for the 5 months we were sailing to Norway. (Note that Dan, our friend who sailed with us and provided us with the SPOT is now riding his motorcycle through the back roads of Americana to his native land of Quebec, Canada.Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-19087029498156857372010-09-16T13:39:00.000+02:002010-09-16T13:39:41.023+02:00Birthday!Karl celebrated his birthday this past weekend. He continues to get better with age!
We started the celebration at midnight with our friends down the dock. Wine, champagne, coffee, strawberry daiquiris, wine, coffee...We were up until 5am ringing in Karl's 36th year. After a couple of hours of sleep we had a nice breakfast, possibly still a little tipsy, and planned for a hike.
We took Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-44637819601111125362010-09-07T12:07:00.000+02:002010-09-07T12:07:21.469+02:00Out with the Old, In with the NewPart of our getting settled into life in Norway has involved getting settled into living on a boat. As many of you know, we've been living on Sophia for five months already as we sailed to Norway from the west coast of Mexico. Living on a boat while cruising (and with 1 to 3 other people) is a very different type of living than when tied up to a dock and trying to have some semblance of a "normalRachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-76465594783233083112010-09-07T11:32:00.000+02:002010-09-07T11:32:04.599+02:00Berry ForagingOn occasion you will see people picking blackberries along the Burke Gilman trail in Seattle. But I've always thought of this as a rarity in the city. For one, Seattlites are primarily limited to the non-native and inaccurately named Himalayan Blackberry. I can't help but wonder if this is just another attempt, albeit more passive, to beat back the throngs of vines and thorns. Or perhaps it is a Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-39835825304554451702010-08-31T12:12:00.001+02:002010-08-31T12:13:40.878+02:00The Laundromat CafePerhaps many things can be paired successfully with a cafe -- gift shop, art gallery, hotel, museum -- but today I found my first cafe laundromat. It's ingenious really. You can sip a cappuccino or enjoy a cold beer, have some lunch (I recommend the laundromat special), chat with friends, surf the net or (in my case) update your blog in a comfy cafe. All the while your laundry is Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-43196199708027560502010-08-31T11:57:00.000+02:002010-08-31T11:57:00.786+02:00RegattaKarl and I are crewing on Serenity, Leif and Hanne's sailboat, for the weekly sailing club regatta. The purpose of the regattas are to get people out on their boats and have some fun. But we've also learned that, while very good-natured, there is quite a bit of competitiveness. We did quite well the first week, taking 1st, and were in the lead for most of the race during the 2nd week, but then weRachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185692151439666950.post-22701825435705057672010-08-18T23:22:00.003+02:002023-06-20T17:15:37.625+02:00Discovering Oslo
Sophia at the dock with
downtown Oslo in background
The final leg of our sailing journey (see www.sophiagoestonorway.blogspot.com) landed us in Oslo on Sunday, 15 August, our exact planned arrival date. No bad for sailing about 8,500 miles over 5 months! It is with some amount of sadness that we tied up Sophia to the dock; an end to a remarkable journey to Norway.
We also have said Rachel Seversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582157391965896947noreply@blogger.com0