In the Summertime, Part II

In the three previous summers I have been here I had never taken the short boat ride to Munkholmen. That changed in the summer of 2014.  One warm Sunday in July we took the small ferry boat to the island.

That's NOT one of the Hurtigrute ships that travels from Bergen to Kirkenes year-round. It's one of the many cruise-ships that travel up the Norwegian coast each summer.

The little spit of sand is where most of the sunbathers go.

We found our little spot among the crowd.

Safe swimming.  The water was basically the same temperature as the water temperature in Newport Beach in June.

The island's monastery buildings still stand.

Trondheim in the distance.

 

It was a lovely day on Munkholmen.  I would love to take my American friends and relatives here when (if?) they visit.

In the Summertime When the Weather is Fine

The summer of 2014 was the warmest in many years for Norway.  It was delightful.  Here are some highlights:

Just a few days after we got back from the States, we attended the baptism of Kitty's great-great grandchild!  The ceremony took place at a beautiful little church in Malvik, which is just north of Trondheim.  The weather was PERFECT!

Five generations.

Inside the church.  Unlike Roman Catholic priest in masses since Vatican II, Norwegian Lutheran priests still face the altar.  The liturgy was very similar to Catholic liturgy.

Tove loves babies.

A week later we visited another baby, Unn and Ola Morten's new baby boy, Einar.

Einar was ready for his nap!

I helped Ola Morten christen his new Weber grill.  Will grilled steak, marinated chicken, and Greek grilling cheese.

Einar was unimpressed:

This is the driveway to Ole Morten and Unn's new house.

Above is the side-yard where we placed the fire truck wind vane we got in San Francisco

Tove tackled the hillside overgrown garden with a rake.  There were lots of berries growing on the hillside.  Ola enjoyed eating them.

On our way back to Trondheim, the weather was so warm that we stopped at an outdoor cafe in Oslo

The food was good.

We were in Trondheim for Midsummer night.  Trondheim puts on a summer fair called Olavsfestdagene right after the summer solstice:

The Buddhist Association served vegetarian food.

A Swedish vendor was selling "Fresh American Donuts"

It was cool weather, but that would soon change.

The warmest in Trondheim since I've lived here.

It was so warm we went to one of the local lakes at about 9:30 PM to take a swim.  The water was lovely.

Perfect evening.

This is the same lake that I took Devon, Patrick and Piper to when they were here in 2011.

There is a nice outdoor restaurant near the yacht harbor.  We went there several times this summer to enjoy the warm weather. 

More to come!