winifredcreamer

Iron and War

How much we learned in school! How little that was! Like most Americans, I know nothing of the history of Norway other than a general sense of it being politically neutral in general (probably confusing it with Sweden). We’ve discovered that our area was central to the German invasion and occupation of Norway, 1940-1944. ThisContinue reading “Iron and War”

Recycling is a mystery

Norway has a system for recycling food waste, paper, glass, metal, plastic packaging, other plastic and everything else (“residual waste”). Sounds great, doesn’t it? The resulting system is so complex that: a) after two weeks, I still don’t know what goes in the green-topped bin vs. the blue-topped bin, and b) it appears that mostContinue reading “Recycling is a mystery”

History, arts and culture–if this is the result of high taxes, give me some.

At the end of the road on Tjeldoya Island (and that is saying something) we parked, got out to fish and amid the ruined bunkers of the WWII Fort Tjeldodden we found Georg’s Plass, a picnic spot complete with tables, benches, fire pit, tripod and cooking vessel, dishes, cups and other supplies in a settingContinue reading “History, arts and culture–if this is the result of high taxes, give me some.”

Fishing

A great day of fishing, everyone caught fish and had to toss them back. We kept enough fish for two meals, one of pollock. My big moment was catching a cod, the first fish other than a pollock (seithe) that we’ve gotten. The wind had come up a bitContinue reading “Fishing”

Beachcombing in northern Norway

Beachcombing is not so simple in our area–most of the shore is rock. There are a variety of clams, whelks and we learned that little sand trails come from lugworms. (Amanda is our visiting marine biologist.) There is still a lot to look at when there is a sandy spot, and a surprising quantity ofContinue reading “Beachcombing in northern Norway”

Our house in the woods

We’re not exactly roughing it here in Norway. Our rental home is spacious and light, as well as very nicely decorated. There are some Norwegian folk art bowls in the kitchen on a shelf above a painted chest dated 1855, though most of the furnishings are quite a bit more recent. See the photos belowContinue reading “Our house in the woods”

You’re where? June in northern Norway

Kjerstad, Norway is a degree or two of latitude north of the Arctic Circle. We have been here two days and already experienced the midnight sun–or as good as. Both nights Jonathan has said, “OK, going to bed now,” and I’ve said “What time is it?” and been a couple of hours off. It’s lightContinue reading “You’re where? June in northern Norway”

Good to know about Lisbon and Portugal

This is my last post on Portugal, where I provide a few observations that may prove useful to anyone considering a visit. Portugal is a wonderful place, so very much worth planning your trip. Language How disappointed we were to find that speaking Spanish is of so little assistance in Portugal! For people who don’tContinue reading “Good to know about Lisbon and Portugal”

Tile is everywhere in Portugal

We’ve seen a lot of decorative tile in Portugal. It covers many buildings, sometimes as an overall pattern: exterior walls, interior walls, decorative wainscoting, decorative details. Sometimes there are scenes created from tile. The Porto train station is one such place, Here is a church that is completely tiled with religious scenes on the exteriorContinue reading “Tile is everywhere in Portugal”

Empedrada is underfoot in Portugal

Empedrada is a particular kind of square cobblestone surface that is found all over Portugal. The material tends to be a uniform pale color and it covers lots of sidewalk and many public plazas, private patios and even streets. Contrasting designs are made with black stone, and very rarely colors. There are some typical patternsContinue reading “Empedrada is underfoot in Portugal”