Errata, Trolls and Other Things

Not granite. Most likely schist, with quartz running through it, or that’s what the guy on the bus said.

I misspelled Stiklestad.

Trolls: there are three kinds of trolls, all of them mean: mountain, with 1-3 heads; forest, with 1 head; and underworld, 1-3. None of them are like troll dolls. Not in any way, shape or form. None of them are cute or sweet. Remember, when you see one, RUN (though it probably won’t do you any good. They are mean, after all. And we know for a fact that they eat disobedient children — after all, it was told in many books. We have a picture of what we take as a forest troll; it only has one head and it certainly looks evil enough to scare little kids, not just into eating 1 maybe (OMG) 2 helpings of brussels sprouts or peas, but into their beds — or under them if they are smart. We will try to publish the pic as soon as Laird remembers how to do it.

We went through more and more spectacular landscape, left the north and coming south, were farms, cows, cabbages and whatever else. It felt like we were driving through the food basket of Norway. We had a lovely, scenic detour of about 1/2-1 hour with more stunning landscape, then connected back to the highway we wanted and on Into Trondheim, homeland and capital of the Vikings. On the Tronheim fjord. There is a river that meanders through the town past 1,000 years of history. — spelled Nideiva, no idea how it’s called.

Here’s the wonder of both Sweden and Norway: they have BRUTAL winters, but EVERYTHING is so clean and well-kept — beautiful traditional houses that look spotless, with spotless yards. In Norway (maybe Sweden, but no one told us of it) in the rural areas, in the evening, as dusk is soon upon them, they light the lamps in the windows, a tradition from Old Days when they were there to guide anyone lost in the snow. So still a symbol of hospitality. I only saw two out of thousands of houses that needed stucco or paint.

Went on Old Town tour this morning, or most of it, I hope, until I had outstood and outwalked my back and we ubered back to hotel. I then spend hours, after already spending hours last night, trying to get back into lairdandjonelle.com dashboard to write this. I got in and so we went off for very late lunch. Oh, my, it was fantastic. 3 courses, no choices (unless not eating something is your choice). I started with a Norwegian gin and tonic, delish! As to food, first came the most delicious bread, with butter that must have been whipped maybe with cream to utter smoothness and served with green herb oil on it — yes, homemade, of course. Whoever the chef is, he is a star. First course was salmon (of course), with creme fraiche (how the hell do you spell that word?!?), Icelandic wasabi and some delicate herb that I forgot to ask about. Third was pork belly in a curry sauce that wasn’t like anything I know of as curry – almost delicate, balanced so well with the fat of pork belly; and roasted potatoes, with a mustard mayo drizzle. For dessert a pana cotta, with spoonful of vanilla ice cream and stawberry puree. We have a reservation for tonight — though it is at 8:30, so I hope we will be awake.

Speaking of food — I have been so happy to see veggies for breakfast everywhere. What I call Turkish breakfast is, of course, served everywhere in Europe. The hotel breakfast buffet at the hotel we are staying at was magnificent spread over 5, 6 or maybe 7 stations. Starters: starfruit, watermelon (served on every buffet we’ve been at) and a melon that I’ve never seen before and, yes, salmon blinis with salmon caviar and little bowls of salmon with creme fraiche. Next, an overeasy egg and veggies and great bread (Norwegian bread, I’m telling you, yum!) and I think more salmon. Alas, so many things I passed up! Maybe I should have skipped the tour and just eaten at the buffet all morning — hard choice.

Swedish tradition: fika. It means “stop work and go have coffee/tea and cake”. Shawna, take note — every worker (and everyone else), has fika twice a day. Perhaps a new tradition should be started in LCS?

I actually think we go by rail tomorrow — isn’t that a novel idea for a rail tour?!? The scenic Rauma railway. But I don’t think we are on it for very long, just a couple of hours and then we are on the bus again to Geiranger, but think there is a short ferry crossing involved.

So that’s it for this installment. Next up is Bergen and then Oslo at the end.