7/22/26 Summer Attire in Norway

We have been reading about the terrible heat in the US this summer, so I thought I'd list what I've been wearing this summer in Norway. Let's take yesterday, for example. It was raining as we made the passage from Sorjerfjorden to Leka, north of Rorvik. We are at Latitude 65.26, about 65 miles south of the Arctic Circle, which is at 66.33.

Starting from the inside out - merino wool bikini underwear (don't knock them until you try them. I LOVE mine), hoodie base layer top, Eddie Bauer light fleece top, Patagonia sweater-style fleece top, Under Armor thick exercise pants, lined English hiking pants, Gill offshore rated bib rain pants, English Gull offshore foul weather jacket, Darn Tough wool socks, West Marine sea boots, a buff, gloves  (I went through two pairs which got soaked so Nico and I resorted to sharing waterproof fisherman's gloves with a liner.) and to top it off, the thickest, most wonderful Norwegian fisherman's hat made by Devold. On days it is not raining, I eliminate the outer foul weather gear but sometimes wear light rain pants to cut the wind. I sound like a real influencer. Perhaps my readership will jump to over 50!

Here are some pretty pictures as we sail up the coast from Bergen to Bronnoysund

Strusshamn

Typical views as we motored along

I don't know the name of this anchorage, but it was typical of several we stopped in for the night.

Mind-boggling scenery on the Froysjoen

The former trading post of Rungsund

The view from the top of the hill on Rugsundoya

The famous Hornelen cliff

The town of Alesund. Most of the town burned in 1906 and was rebuilt, with the help of Kaiser William of Germany, in the Beaux-Art style.

Details of some of the Beaux-Art architecture
 

The town from the top of the hill that had 418 steps.

We tied alongside an old fish trading post, now an inn and party venue, called Rungsund on a gorgeous evening. We visited it last year.

The old fish drying rack and an example of a sod roof.

There was a wedding the night we arrived, and the place had festive flags all around. Many of the young men were in naval or cadet uniforms, and the women all wore long, pastel colored sleeveless dresses while we were bundled in layers of fleece.

Coastal fishing village of Uthaug

Detail of the bell for an old school in Uthaug

Old school building in Uthaug

Our anchorage in Sorjerfjorden

A sculpture on one side and a climbing wall on the other in the town of Bronnoysund

 7/15/26  The Agony of Defeat

We have really enjoyed being in Norway during the World Cup. I had always heard that other countries took the World Cup seriously, but I had no idea. It just isn't the same in the US. Super Bowl Sunday doesn't even come close. In America, we enjoy having parties at home to watch the Super Bowl, but in Norway, it is an even greater collective experience. The towns we visited were preparing for it way in advance. Giant screens were set up in town squares with lines and lines of picnic tables, beer concessions, and giant speakers (not to mention funky Scandinavian-style porta-potties). 

For one of the matches (Norway v Brazil), we were in the town of Farsund. Because of the time difference, the matches start at 10 or 11 o'clock over here. We had to get up at 4:00 AM the next morning to make a long run before some bad weather, so we didn't go. Well, we got so much grief from friends and family that for the Norway v England match, we chose the town of Strusshamn because Nico knew they had a good community center and there would be a good scene. Strusshamn didn't disappoint. Around 5:00 PM, there was a pounding of drums, and a Viking ship glided into the harbor, blasting rap music in Norwegian. Although it used a motor, the passengers were wearing furs and helmets and in full pillage mode. 

Around 10:00, things really got going with flashing lights, long lines for $11 beers, and pounding music. Judging from the crowd, I believe there had been a bit of pre-gaming. Everyone there wore team shirts and crocheted Norwegian team hats. So much red! I loved the shirts with the names on the back in Viking-style runic letters. Women danced with each other on the stage, and later, after the first goal, on the tables. Suddenly, horns blared and "the Vikings" filed in. They led us in The Row and sang the Norwegian National Anthem. There was such national pride in this match. Norway is a small country, and they haven't gone so far in the World Cup standings against the great soccer powerhouses in a long, long time. How wonderful to see such pride in a country. Erling Haaland is a hero and a good sport. The pregame show was all about his good deeds, especially the things he does for children.  (How about his taxidermy raccoon with a whiskey bottle?) The Norwegian Football Federation donated all ticket revenues from their match against Israel to humanitarian aid to Gaza. They are good role models!

It was sad to see the mood of the huge room change from such jubilation after the first goal to quiet despair when the ref discounted the second goal. At the end, everyone filed out and quiet decended upon the harbor in the early morning hour.

 

7/11/26 BASE Jumping by the Lysefjord

Before you get excited, Nico and I have not taken up a new sport. I just thought it might grab some attention. We did, however, have a couple of amazing nights in the town of Lysebotn at the head of the Lysefjord near Stavanger. Nico had been there a month earlier when he was by himself, and he wanted me to see it. The town was created for the workers who built a large nearby hydroelectric project in the early 1950s, but now it is a base for tourists and the home for SBK BASE, an outdoor company specializing in BASE jumping.

We had a lovely motor down the fjord on a sunny day, passing waterfalls and majestic cliffs. It was our 44th anniversary, so we made reservations at a local establishment. I had bought beautiful salmon roe in Kristiansand, flatbread, and cream cheese, along with a split of champagne to enjoy beforehand. 

The next morning, we joined a few jumpers in the shuttle van that brings them to the top. We asked if we could tag along and watch. The BASE company manager appraised us and asked if we were strong hikers. We assured him we are, and the next thing we knew, we were clambering up rocks on a back route to the cliffs. By the time we were halfway there, I was gasping, and two of the young men dropped out ( too much pot the night before). That left Sajid, the manager, and Daniel, a regular who hailed from France. They showed us their special suits (not batwings), but loose tough material, helmets, and GoPro cameras. They shook hands, joked, took deep breaths, and ran together off the 3,000-foot cliff. Nico lay down and watched them drop the whole way down. Between 500 and 1,000 feet above the ground, they deployed their chutes, whooping with glee and gently landing on a tiny piece of grass by the water. 

Nico and I continued to a famous rock that is wedged between the cliffs. It is a major tourist draw, and I don't know why more people don't fall off. I was taking a picture of a young couple in front of it. The next thing I saw was Nico leap onto the rock and then off again, totally photobombing their picture! 

Sajid stopped by the boat, and we invited him for dinner. One of the great things about cruising is meeting so many people from around the world. Sajid is a forty-two-year-old entrepreneur from Mumbai. He is tall with a wonderful bushy beard from which shines a glittering smile. He runs the outfit in Lysebotn in the summer and works out of Mumbai when he isn't jumping off cliffs, towers, buildings, and antennas around the world. He is a sponsored jumper with a major web presence. His mother says that if he dies BASE jumping, she is going to kill him.

Crusing down Lysefjord

Our anniversary celebration

The road to the top

 

Getting ready for the jump

This is the suit - with a tiny parachute in back

Daniel showed us the amount of material in the suit. It has scoops to catch air while they are going down, causing the suit to inflate.

Checking the route down

A joke and a handshake...

A running jump and into thin air!

Nico watching them as they go down

A short video of the jump

Preikestolen, a famous boulder, is 1,982 feet above the water

Nico's accidental photobomb

The sky was amazing that day. The barren plateau stretched for miles and was littered with glacial erratics.

There was the sound of bells as we hiked along

The view of the town and Far and Away from the top.

And the view from the sauna at the bottom. So welcome after a big hike!

Evening by the fjord (10:00 PM)

Heading out the next day, looking up at the spot where they jumped and landed at the bottom

Looking back at the town...

And forward, down the 26-mile fjord.

We stopped to do the tradition of touching the waterfall. Even though it was still 150 feet deep at 25 feet from the wall, we were too chicken to bring our trusty boat so close to the rocks.

If you want to see the movie Sajid took on the way down the cliff with his GoPro, try copying this link:

https://www.facebook.com/502721718/videos/1042518808465542/