Laowai

These next three photos make me laugh. First we have an eye roll.

Then we have a smirk.

Then Brian closes his eyes.

Could you all please just smile at once.

During our vacation I was gathering photos and thoughts about old windows. Why else would I go on a European vacation?

Back at home I've just finished one window and I've made a start on another. I realized after looking at all the very old windows in Norway that windows are not meant to look perfect like they were made in a factory. They are supposed to look handmade. So that takes a little pressure off when I'm working on my own windows. Not that I don't want to strive for neatness but I just see that even the windows at the Hanseatic Museum (where they emphasize proper restoration) show signs of a real person's hands.

Here are some of the lovelies that I saw in Bergen.

The little roofs above the windows were fantastic. I'm sure they have a name but I have yet to discover it. Also, they seem to have holes cut under there – for ventilation?

Most windows that I see in Europe are casement windows like mine. Most windows here in the US are double hung windows.

Doors are nice too.

Color!

They use bracket/hinges on most all of their windows.

The shutters are opened and closed with a rope on these very old windows. There was a little cleat to keep the rope in place in the middle of the window inside. Also, the hearts… swoon.

Wavy glass is fun.

You can see the rope that operates the shutters below (in the middle of the window)

This is charming, whatever it is.

I've even convinced my sister to feed my window obsession. Jennifer and Jenna are having a tour of Europe and she sent this one – I think – from Prague. So pretty.

So back to my little window world. Here's the window that I recently finished. It matches the other one in our upstairs hallway that I finished last summer. Now all the upstairs windows on the north side of the house have been restored – yay!

And finally, here are a few photos (inside and out) of the window I'm working on now. It's a window from the front of our house. They are about the same height as me – 60 ish inches tall! I already have all the old glazing and glass out and I only broke one pane. Progress over perfection is my mantra.

I think this is the first time we've ever had these windows open because they were painted shut and the storm windows are a bit wonky. The fresh breeze that came into the living room felt so nice.

I'm so glad I was filled up with window inspiration and motivation after our vacation. It's going to be so nice to have these old windows finally looking cared for.

SUMMER MORNING
by Mary Oliver

Heart,
I implore you,
it’s time to come back
from the dark,
it’s morning,
the hills are pink
and the roses
whatever they felt

in the valley of night
are opening now
their soft dresses,
their leaves

are shining.
Why are you laggard?
Sure you have seen this
a thousand times,

which isn’t half enough.
Let the world
have its way with you,
luminous as it is

with mystery
and pain–
graced as it is
with the ordinary.

 

Here I am on our last day. I'm wearing a me-made outfit for the hot day.

For our last day in Bergen we visited a couple more museums. I have to say I was super impressed with the quality of all the museums we saw in Bergen.

We started the day on the edge of town – we visited the home of Edvard Grieg – called Troldhaugen. I didn't know much about Grieg before this, but I learned that Norway became independent when Grieg was composing and so the identity of Norway and his music became intertwined.

There are concerts of Grieg's music offered everyday. The performance hall is cleverly tucked into a hill and it overlooks the water. 

Just below the performance hall is Grieg's little hut where he composed his music.

At the top of the hill is the home Grieg shared with his wife Nina. It was built in 1885.

Everything here was so peaceful.

Next we decided to go back Bergen University to see the Natural History Museum.

This museum was beautiful! They had all the old artifacts and architecture but it was interpreted in a modern and thoughtful way. Even the paint colors were swoon worthy.

We had to catch an early flight the next morning so we had some famous hotdogs (reindeer for me) and Brian enjoyed a beer. Then it was off to bed even thought the sun was still shinning.

I loved Norway – I would love to go back again and rent a little house on a fjord for a week. The people were very friendly and we had some great meals. And Bergen was was relaxed with such an interesting history. Thanks Norway.

Blanching and freezing a few peas.

On our eighth day of vacation we saw a couple essential Bergen sites. First up, a boat tour of a fjord. I didn't want to go to Norway without seeing a fjord – so we took a mini trip – a three hour tour to see the fjord that is closest to Bergen. 

Here we are heading out of the harbor. There are huge tour boats that stop in Bergen but these big boats service offshore oil rigs. 

It was windy!

The fjord was beautiful. The water was glassy and the tour guide pointed out interesting things like a salmon farm that we passed.

Claire and I decided to get out of the chilly wind and Brian bought me a coffee – very comfy.

The boat was able to pull up right next to the edge of the fjord and so if you were out on the bow you would get wet from the waterfall.

Here's the view coming back into Bergen.

After our fjord tour we visited the colorful buildings that line the harbor on one side.

The area is called Bryggen it was begun in 1360 as an important trading post for the German Hanseatic League. Here's a blurb from the internet to explain the area: 

"The Hanseatic League was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe."

"Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen, is a reminder of the town’s importance as part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century. Many fires, the last in 1955, have ravaged the characteristic wooden houses of Bryggen. Its rebuilding has traditionally followed old patterns and methods, thus leaving its main structure preserved, which is a relic of an ancient wooden urban structure once common in Northern Europe. Today, some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape."

Aren't the colors great! Behind that facade along the harbor is a warren of tiny allies. Many of them have shops and there are a few buildings that are preserved as a museum.

You can buy a troll.

I was looking at all the pretty old windows.

We finished the day with a some delicious traditional Norwegian food. Claire had meatballs with lingonberries, carrots, potatoes and smashed peas.

Bergen is surrounded by seven little mountains (little compared with the mountains we had just seen in Switzerland). So on our seventh day of vacation we decided to hike up one. We started out climbing through the neighborhoods with their quaint cobblestones and famous wooden houses.

Lovely views of the city.

At the top of the mountain are some pretty woods and little lakes. There were lots of people (that I cropped out of photos) since you could also ride a funicular to the top.

Turns out I probably should have been one of those people riding the funicular because I felt tired and didn't feel like doing the last bit of climbing. So Brian and the girls went up to see another lake, some cute sheep and more spectacular vistas.

Hmmm – I feel like knitting.

Bergen was lovely. A city on the water surrounded by pine tree covered hills and massive rocks poking up out of the ground here and there. Sort of reminded me of Maine or New Hampshire. 

Here's Brian's hotel breakfast. 

We started off with a visit to the Bergen Maritime Museum. It covered maritime history from the vikings through to the present and they had a bunch of boat models for each era. So cool.

Outside the museum (part of a university campus) was a nice garden. I'm not sure if I took a photo but the rhododendrons were blooming all over the city. Pretty, pretty, pretty.

Mjau (that's how you say meow in Norwegian).

The city was very pleasant for walking- next we walked over to the Science Museum. 

This part of the museum had me laughing so hard I almost peed my pants. Somehow it measured your brain activity with those headbands and you were supposed to think about nothing in order to push a ball in the table into a little goal. So basically the person who could clear their mind and be most calm would win. You can see the little playing field in the bottom photo.

We all played and if I remember correctly, Claire was the best at it and Brian was the worst. But everyone's facial expressions were hilarious.

One more photo from this museum. It's not a great photo but the thing about this museum is it got us laughing and a photo of my girls laughing together is rare. In this exhibit you had to sit your butt down to make a puff of air. That puff of air was directed out in front to propel the ball. So you have to repeatedly sit down like you mean it. They were trying to beat me while I took this photo.

Here's one of the harbors we walked around. I thought of my sister and brother-in-law when I looked at all the nice sailboats.

We had a great dinner overlooking the famous Bergen harbor.

After dinner I took this photo – it was 10:07 pm! Experiencing the long days was so surprising. The sun set at 11:11 on the first night. I kept waking up to a bright light in the window thinking it was probably around 6:00 or 7:00 am… nope, It was four in the morning. The light made you feel like staying out late and getting up early. Seems like you would be exhausted all summer. I guess you catch up on sleep in the winter when they only get four hours of daylight.

We were sad to leave Switzerland but excited to see to Bergen, Norway on our 5th day of vacation.

We headed to the grocery store for some snacks soon after landing and found this.