Blog Stop Part 1

Suddenly it was full stop blogging.  I have some explanations, but in fact I have not been clever enough to organize my time.. To make amends I will tell you about the time from my last blog till now.  It´s more than half a year, and the explanation will be split up in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 I think...

Summer Guests from Wolfson College in Cambridge

Last summer was full og events.  In June Anna from Cambridge, Saliha from Istanbul and Silvia from Mexico City visited for 12 days.  Saliha and Silvia came on the 16th of June and Anna on the 18th of June.  Awad from Karthoum did not get his tourist visa (Shame on the Schengen System) which I have written about previously.       

                                                                                                                                                      

Anna frå Cambridge

Silvia frå Mexico City

Saliha frå Istanbul

Nevertheless we had wonderful and intense days touring Vesterålen and Lofoten.  Our first outing was of course Sortland.  The stores were inspected and Saliha bought woolen underwear from Janus and a windbreaker for bitter autumn and winter days in Turkey at Sport 1.  The sunny part of Kringla was invaded by the ladies and the Ocean Eye was admired.  Tuesday we drove around the island of Hadsel.  At the west side of the island an eagle was spreading it´s wings sailing along on the up-coming wind. My friend, Siri Randers Person,  accompanied us as an extra guide

Voyage with MS/Vesterålen from Sortland to Svolvær

Anna arrived Tuesday evening and brought gifts from Awad - tea from the hibiscus flower and super fruit from the Bao - bao tree! Wednesday Anna, Saliha and Silvia travelled by boat (M/S Vesterålen) from Sortland to Svolvær.  Harald went to the 

University Hospital in Tromsø for his regular check.  I went by car to prepare dinner for our friends in our resort house.  The ladies were full og praise when I picked them up on the quay in Svolvær. Photographer Anna took a lot of photos from the voyage which was documented thoroughly.  (Most pictures from the visit are taken by Anna) In the evening there was a simple dinner combined with up-dating of what had happened since last time we all met,  a long, long time ago.  

Working ladies

The house in Kabelvåg is still without internet.  Consequently the ladies had to frequent the local internet café to keep in touch with their work. Silvia and Saliha are professors at universities in Mexico City and in Istanbul. Anna is a doctor of biology and a specialist in moulds on vegetables and fruits. She travels the world around inspecting cargoes to decide where the source of the rotting process started.  At the farm, during transport to the harbour, in transit, on the boat, or when the cargo reached it's final port of call?    Anna takes the most spectacular as well as beautiful photos of moulds on vegetables and fruits.  Silvia is a  professor of anthropology/sociology and was in the process of going through papers from her students.  Saliha is a professor of literature and specialist on translated literature to Turkish or from Turkish to other languages.  She is apart from this the driving force behind the The Cunda International Workshop for Tranlators of Turkish Literature, which takes place every year in Cunda. (I was privileged to participate in September 2012.)  The World Wide Web is a wonderful thing, making it possible to drag your work along where ever you go...    

To the right above, you see the picture of our guard, the hare von Strobel.    He guards the house in Kabelvåg when we are away.  To be on the safe side, he has got a rifle and a quarter of a bottle of Jägermeister. 

Outings in Lofoten

Lofoten has lots of things to see and to do. It´s in fact difficult to choose. But when the weather is pleasant as it was most of the time last June, there is not a problem to be a hostess.  Below  you see pictures from Svolvær and Kabelvåg. It must be added that the picture of The Lofoten Cathedral is taken from our garden. Splendid view, I must say. 

Svolvær  from Svinøya

 Lofoten Cathedral, Kabelvåg

Drying cod, Svinøya, Svolvær

What to see and what to do?

We chose to consentrate our outings to Vestvågøy and Austvågøy.  One day was dedicated to beautiful Vestvågøy.  Our first stop was Artscape Nordland: "The Shower Cabinet" or  "No Title" by the American artist, Dan Graham.  It used to be possible to walk inside the sculpture, but lately it´s no longer an option for some reason or other.  The sculpture is located at Lyngvær on Austvågøy.

I never tire of taking this round trip.  "The Inside" when westward bound. ("The Inside" is to the south and is somewhat sheltered from the fierce north wind.)   After that, Valberg, Stamsund, Steine, Sennesvik.  Then over the pass to Hol and Leknes. Onwards to Ballstad.  I had, of course, to show my friends the fishing village and cabin I lived in for three years. Then Gravdal, Voie, Hauknesstranda, Leitebakken Tangstad, Unstad, Borge and Eggum.

On our way back to Kabelvåg we stopped at The Viking Museum  at Borge. We arrived less than an hour before closing time, but managed to see the Museum and were lucky to be able to see the main building because they were expecting tourists from the Coastal Liner.  Anna took a picture of a "lace embroidery" made of the bones of fish. Beautiful isn´t it?  And beautiful and luscious is the island.  And all this is possible due to the Golf Stream bringing warm water from the Golf of Mexico.  

                                                   Late in the evening we came back home. 

Henningsvær

The following day, (one of the longest days of the year), we went to Henningsvær.  Midsummer was approaching as can be seen from the picture to the left.There you see the mountain Vågakallen and the mountain range in front.  In Henningsvær we visited the new gallery KAVI  FAC  ORY. The gallery is located in the old caviar factory in Henningsvær.  It must be admitted that it has been "slightly" overhauled by the architect Petter Hoff.  The gallery is host to contemporary art.  We haven´t got many buildings like this in North Norway.  The Hamsun Centre, by the architect Stephen Hall, is perhaps the other one - simple and strong! Saliha got a treasure - a woolen blanket from Røros Tweed, designed by Bjarne Mellgaard

The outing to Henningsvær was finnished off with dinner at  Fiskekrogen.

The Espolin Johnson Gallery                            and                               The Lofoten Aquarium 

Espolin Johnson Gallery is my favourite gallery.  I never tire of his pictures. Espolin Johnson is a master of ligth. He is also a master of depicting a period of time when life in this region was totally dependent on what the sea and the land yielded.

Above, to the right,  a fabulous picture by Anna,  from the Aquarium in Kabelvåg. 

A Midsummer Night´s Dream

"Hunting the midnight sun". To be accurate, Anna´s camera shows English time. (GMT)  The light was terrific that evening.  The sun broke through the fog banks just as we approached the northern side of the island.  It was absolutely magic...

Later in the night the the "tower cake" was put together, somewhat askew, because we were to celebrate the birthday of my sister Toril and my friend Annelise on the 24th of June.  In the morning the cream cake was decorated - with cloud berries of course -  and later in the afternoon, the dinner was prepared.  

And our guests arrived....

The birthday children to the left: Sister Toril and Annelise 

To the right: Siri, Berit, Toril, Venke, Silvia, Annelise og Anna.

Camera: Harald

Harald was the only man around and served the ladies food and wine.  Excellent attention and all the ladies purred... 

Final days in Vesterålen

Wednesday the 26 of June we returned to Sortland.  As an extra treat Kaja, my youngest daughter and her puppy dog, Sala,  came home. Later in the evening we were invited to Toril for a leg of lamb. My friends had never had lamb that tasty. (Lamb from Vesterålen and Lofoten is indeed a delicacy. The sheep graze in the mountains all summer)  It must be added that Toril is a master chef.  As my old friend, Elling Michelet, used to say: "Such food makes you benevolent" As if this wasn´t enough, the weather turned warm and sunny. (Remember we have sun both day and night!)

Around Andøy

The second last day our outing went around Andøy, this exotic island furthermost north in the Lofoten and Vesterålen archipelagio.  When you see the island from a distance it appears as if the middle part is swallowed up by the sea.  That´s the part where you find vast bog areas, superb for cloud berries, and with hills on either side.  The temperature was around 24 degrees Celcius, something rather unusual at our latitude.  The picture of Saliha in broad daylight tells everything about this glorious day.

Thanks to Anna, Silvia and Saliha for visiting us near the edge of the world!

And lots of love to Awad in Sudan.