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Published: July 24th 2008
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Our wonderful hosts (Inger and Knut) and myself enjoying some good food and conversation on their lower deck. That is what David just told me, right after he asked if it would be appropriate to cut his fingernails in the waiting area of the train station. Just incase you are wondering, I said it was inappropriate and that I would not sit by him if he did. Too bad it costs 10 KOR to use the bathroom here (2 USD!) Guess they are only going to get longer!!
So we just left Jevnaker early this morning and are now beginning a fun-filled day of travel (and apparently personal hygiene)!
For the past three days, David and I have been visiting his relatives in Jevnaker (1.5 hour train ride north of Oslo). Jevenaker is a small town in the Norwegian countryside. It seemed like everyone in the town knew each other and we were told that many generations of families continue to live in the town. It was a stark contrast with Oslo, which had all the hustle and bustle of a thriving metropolitan city. Jevnaker is known for being the home of Hadeland glassworks factory (To be referred to again later).
We stayed with Knut and Inger (A second cousin of David’s father). Their hospitality was
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Hadeland Glassworks Factory. amazing! We had our first opportunity to experience a Norwegian breakfast. Breakfast is a huge meal comprised of bread, sliced meat, assortment of cheeses (including one called “Brown cheese” I think it tastes like peanut butter), fruit, fish, and vegetables. It was very filling, which I told them. Later we discussed that in Norweigan saying, “I’m full” = “I’m drunk”, oops!
During our full day in Jevnaker we visited the Hadeland Glassworks Factory. The factory opened in the 1700s and has produced many centuries of beautiful glass creations. The factory grounds themselves were massive. Years ago the factory had the makings of a small self containing community, just like major corporations today. Today, there were several different types of shops: The factory Store (this is where we shopped because it had discounted prices and sales!), a Christmas Store, a Honey Store, several other specialized glass stores (not discounted), a museum, the factory itself, and a few places to eat a snack (open faced shrimp sandwich and lefsa).
David and I forked over our 90 Kroner each and decided to live on the wild side. Well, by wild side, I mean participating in a very monitored and tourist oriented
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Becoming an expert glassblower. Look how serious I am... I am not about to get burned! activity: we blew glass! I know this sounds impressive and trust me, I took the experience very seriously. The glass is very VERY hot and very VERY close for comfort, but literally, all we did was blow into a tube while a worker turned the glass and placed it into a mold. An hour and a half later, we had two glass tumblers to prove to the world our creative ingenuity (or at least our ability to follow very simple commands, “blow slower…. “). It was really fun and not to brag, but the glassworker said I did a good job. I don’t know if I will ever have a chance to do it again though, glass blowing seems like it would be a slightly impractical hobby to entertain.
After Hadeland, Knut and Inger drove us around Jevnaker. It was a beautiful day (one of the warmest we have experienced so far during our travels). Locals were swimming in the fjord, which made David a little jealous! However, we had plans to have coffee and fistekaker (a delicious pastry) with more of David’s family. We drove to Malene and Ingvar’s (David’s grandma’s first-cousin) where we also met Einar and
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David and his new glass! Ronde (second cousin of David’s dad).
It was such a surreal experience sitting around the table with six Norwegians (several related to David). It made me feel like I was seeing the real Norway, the non-touristy version. In some ways it was different than a family gathering in the United States (Different food and different language). But in most ways, it was very similar. Lots of laughing, smiling and love! I think this was one of my favorite experiences so far in Norway. And I am now a HUGE fan of fistekaker….
Today is a full day of travels (8:35am to 9:10pm, 4 trains and 1 ferry!!) and most likely I will have many opportunities to practice patience with both my handsome husband and the little annoyances that often accompany traveling (i.e. the stinky and obnoxious teenagers making a scene across from me on the train right now!). If we survive today, we will be sure to blog about more family fun in the days to follow.
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edna
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AWESOME!
i love reading this! thanks for letting us in on what seems like an incredible experience.... can't wait to read more. miss you two. e