DAYS 157 & 158 - Sweet Sweden Sunsets

Aug 23 & 24 - Did My Ancestors Catch the Boat From Göteborg?

Gothenburg (Swedish: Göteborg) is the 2nd largest city in Sweden and the 5th largest in the Nordic countries.  The site of the first church built in Gothenburg, and destroyed by Danish invaders, is marked by a stone near the north end of the Alvsborg Bridge in Farjenas Park. The church was built in 1603 and destroyed in 1611. The city was heavily influenced by the Dutch, Germans and Scots, and Dutch engineers were contracted to construct the city as they had the skills needed to drain and build in the marshy areas chosen for the city. The town was designed like Dutch cities such as Amsterdam.

The harbour developed into Sweden's main harbour for trade towards the west, and with Swedish emigration to the United States increasing, Gothenburg became Sweden's main point of departure.  Who knows?  Maybe this is where my ancestors departed from Sweden in 1870.  We tried to go to the Museum of Immigration while we were there, but it happened to be closed that day.  :(

 The "Guest Harbour" with the famous office building Lilla Bommen, jokingly referred to as the Lipstick building, in the background.

Quite the large ship in the dock

 Our hosts, the Jakobsen Family met us at the train station.  We were so excited to be with a family again and to relax.  We didn't even care if we saw much of the city.

Milo, age 3, let us use his room to sleep in for 4 nights

I slept on the bottom bunk and Rich slept on the top bunk.

Meet Amy & Joe - ages 9 & 11

Matthias takes his turn in the kitchen, too with both mom and dad working full time.

Such a cozy family room

Rich had fun making a lego creation with Joe

 They greeted us with a fantastic salmon dinner with the works.  It tasted so good after a long train ride.

oops....looks like most was eaten before the photo was taken.

We fixed crepes the next morning with fruit faces.

 Joe had a friend with him who had spent the night.  These kids are so smart.  In Sweden, children start kindergarten at age 2 and the schooling is provided by taxes and the different municipalities.  When a mother has a baby, she gets a year off from work with pay.  WOW!  What a concept.  Emphasis is highly put on education and children are expected to get good grades.  My theory is that this is one of the reasons that Sweden has such a high suicide rate.  People are required to be over-achievers.

The kids loved our pancakes.  Each one was unique.

 Two different evenings we took a 30 minute walk to the sea.  So beautiful.....sunset and full moon.  The whole Jakobsen family went with us and we walked up on the hills and around the boat dock.  Sweden is BEAUTIFUL!
           

I really liked this yellow house which I found on our walk.

Give me a gorgeous sunset and I'll smile from ear to ear.

They are such a great family and so kind to host us.

Beautiful walk back to their flat.

Now this is a great salad

 We made a potato bar for the family tonight.  Just like we do in Idaho.  Everyone seemed to like it.

Milo prefers just a plain potato.

DAY 156 - Swimming with Jellyfish?

Aug 22 - A Full Day in Moss, Norway
Moss is a coastal town and a municipality established in 1883 in Ostfold County.  The city has just over 30,000 inhabitants.  Parts of the town are located on the peninsula of Jeløy. The town is known for paper mills, as well as metalworks and other factories.

Line fixed us an amazing breakfast - no wonder they are so healthy!

She keeps herbs and vegetables growing in the window sill.

 Jonothan took us on a walk to the middle of town where the boat dock is.  Beautiful sunny day for it.

  Eww!  We saw tons of jelly fish in the waters.  I really wanted to go swimming with Line this afternoon on their beaches.  Maybe I can get brave and still do it.









 I saw lots of different colors and kinds.  Pictures don't show what amazing creatures they are.  Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. 

A few jellyfish inhabit freshwater. Large, often colorful, jellyfish are common in coastal zones worldwide. Jellyfish have roamed the seas for at least 500 million years, and possibly 700 million years or more, making them the oldest multi-organ animal.

 Jellyfish lifespans typically range from a few hours to several months. Life generally ends after the medusa has begun spawning. Life span varies by species. Most large coastal jellyfish live 2 to 6 months, during which they grow from a millimeter or two to many centimeters in diameter.

Jonothan's smile is contagious!

A contemporary monument on the boardwalk.

A beautiful historical church in Moss

An interesting park bench that Jonothan found.

We sang some songs in this little gazebo.

Time for Lunch

 One of Line's salads was with quinoa, chives, garlic, cucumbers, peppers, green onions, and a little salt.  It was so refreshing.

Off we go into the wilderness of their peninsula - close to Fiskehytta

Ferries are a common sight going from one side to the other.

OK - now this jellyfish is WAY too big and is stranded on the beach.

They're ready for ADVENTURE.

Line likes to swim here, but I think I'd rather find a beach.

Love these warm August days in Norway.

 We found a swing in a park area.  Line and Jonothan had WAY too much fun here (if that's possible) and doesn't Line look radiant and YOUNG?

Maybe instead of swimming, I'll sun bathe, collect rocks, and watch the ferries go by.

These rosehips are really ripe and boy are they G-O-O-D!

We know what Rich wants to do.

Everyone is lovin' the sunshine after all the rain in Bergen.

We came to the hotel/restaurant and found a glass blower shoppe.

 Jonothan enjoyed watching him as he had never seen anything like it before.

What beautiful creations he has made.

Time for a TREAT!  Line treated us.  I had the most famous pastry that was invented here - 

 Alby Kringle...it was dee-lish!  It is the one with the almonds on the bottom of the picture.

What a great relationship these two have.

The land is used for crops and hay.

Hope we always remember this GREAT day.  Jonothan even "played hooky" from school to show us a good time.

Very interesting tree - with personality.  (must be REALLY old).

Old Old rocks on the path show us the way to go.

Back to the neighborhood and we're chasing butterflies.

 Jonothan's favorite food is PIZZA and I love it, too, so we all go shopping to buy his favorite ready-made frozen brand.  But - we also buy ingredients to make our own.  We used an already made dough and put our own toppings on.  We had a picnic on their veranda. Line makes one that is gluten free.  (didn't get a photo of it.  :( 

My mouth is watering as I post this picture - SO GOOD!

After dinner we played Wii Games - tennis, bowling, and  ???

 The next morning, we got Jonothan off to school and Line and I were going to go exercise.

We'll miss you, Jonothan - come see us in America.

 I have never done Spinning before (stationery biking F-A-S-T and S-L-O-W)

What a work-out that was for an hour.

 Next...it was time for the new craze...ZUMBA.  Line had just become a certified Zumba teacher and I had never tried it before.  Here goes!

I actually did okay - not too many mistakes.

WHEW!  Tricky movements to VERY cool music.

The teacher said that I was GREAT for a 1st timer.

 Off we go to catch the bus.  Rich was to meet us and he almost missed the bus.  I've never seen him run so fast (and with his back pack on).  HA!

Two LDS missionaries doing their work in Moss Norway

 Line and Jonothan just happen to be LDS.  We enjoyed our two short days with them so much.  We only hope they can come visit us someday.

 "Farvel og lykke"  -  Good-bye and Good-Luck!