Ask

I have a problem. I like to do things myself. It is difficult for me to ask others for help. Why? I don't want to be a bother.

That's one reason it took me two weeks to write Cousin Tora with the latest information on our trip. I thanked her the card she sent in April extending her generous arrangement for lodging, site-seeing and a family gathering during our visit. I answered her questions about us six ladies. I also explained details of our arrival in Trondheim. I included my host dad's appraisal of the rental vehicle situation, including the manual transmission.

I put down my pen and I prayed:

If this trip was reversed – so that I was waiting for incoming visitors – would I help? Of course, if I am able – was my reply.

Most people like to help. But if no one asks, those needs go unknown.

After a long meditation, I wrote on to Tora.

"That means we must practice driving a stick-shift car because such vehicles are not so common here in the USA. If there is someone who can help us with the driving, that would be suitable. But we'll take it all in stride."

I asked Tora's advice on whether we should wait two hours at the pier for the rental agency to open and come with the vehicle or if we could walk on a leisurely site-seeing tour to the station.

A huge burden lifted, as I signed, folded, addressed and mailed this envelope at the post office. Whatever, Tora's reply matters little compared to the giant step taken for me to ASK.

God has a plan!

Vehicle Verification

Today my host dad sent me a short email verifying the rental vehicle situation.

Whether Svein spoke to the Trondheim representative before or after I did, I may never know. But in his email, Svein verified the Trondheim representative, his telephone number and the reservation number – all information I had gotten four days ago. Svein also noted he used his own credit card to hold the vehicle until we arrived and could present the card used for payment.

He arranged for us to be picked up at Hurtigruten pier with a vehicle for six adults and their luggage. His only regret was that such a rental vehicle comes only with manual transmission...

I am touched and wonder what all this means. One thing is for sure: Time to brush up on stick-shift driving skills or ask for help.

Vehicle Secured

"There's nothing like waking up to (someone speaking) Norwegian in the morning," Dan chided. I sighed, "Sorry, but I had to call the Trondheim office before 7 AM here to take care of our rental vehicle."


Two weeks ago, I emailed the auto-rental agency in Verdal to confirm prices and availability on a van for six. The representative replied everything was as stated in the quote I received from her in March. However, she did need a credit card number to secure the booking. I refused to send the information in an email and tried the telephone number at the bottom of her message. That number failed. She ignored my next email question for her direct number. Instead, she asked again to email my credit card information.

Frustrated, I called my host dad and asked for the number he used months ago to speak with this Verdal representative. My host dad said he would try calling and get back to me. I waited a week. Then I began researching the Norwegian telephone system and discovered, the number on the Verdal representative's email was "toll free" – in Norway, of course. I googled the Verdal office and found a direct telephone number. I emailed the representative, explained the "toll free" number trouble and asked whether the telephone number I'd found on the website would connect me to her.

She replied: If you want to call direct, use this telephone number xxxxxxxxxxx. I researched the city number and discovered it to be a Trondheim number. Since it was late in their day, I decided to call the next day – today – in our early morning hours.

"Well, at least that's settled," I told Dan. "I talked to a man in the Trondheim office. He listened to my story and understood my concern about sending my credit card number in an email. He took my booking, answered my questions about a drop box for an early return so we could catch the early morning train to Lillehammer, gave me the reservation number and said he didn't need my credit card number.

"What?" I said. He replied: "Just bring your credit card along with the reservation number when you come to the city-center station."

Rental Vehicle Secured!

Web Research

This past week I've surfed the web looking for answers to questions such as:

How do we spend an 11-hour layover in Iceland?



Perhaps by catching the FlyBus from the Keflavik Airport into Reykjavik?






Maybe riding
a double-decker
bus for
a hop-on/hop-off
tour
around the
capital city?











Or heading to
the Blue Lagoon
hot springs
for a dip
in the
therapeutic
waters?






Another question entails:

How do we travel from the Bergen Airport to the City Center for overnight lodging: Taxi or Shuttle Bus? Much depends on where we decide to stay: in a hostel or a hotel?



If I can secure in a rental vehicle in Trondheim, I will book a single train travel ticket for six of us to traveling from Trondheim to Lillehammer.

Without wheels, we may need to take the train to the relatives – then, a buying Norway Pass for several days travel might be more cost efficient.

Telefon Ringen til Norge

This morning I called to wish Happy Birthday to my host mom.

I also explained that tonight we would celebrate 17. mai – Norway's Constitution Day – at our church with a Scandinavian Dinner and Music. Dan would be one of two "torsk" masters and I would wear my Norwegian-inspired costume to welcome about 100 attendants and sing the Norwegian table prayer. Gunn told me to greet everyone and then turned me over to my host dad to talk about our upcoming Norway trip.

Many area people I know there want to connect during our last days of this tour. Uncertain, I asked his advice on scheduling. Svein suggested taking the train from Trondheim to Lillehammer.

There the two of them will meet us with a mini-bus – which he will lease and has a license to operate. They will show us around this 1994 Olympic city and its sites, drive us over to Hamar for a look along Lake Mjøsa, through Kongsvinger, and south into the community where they live and work.

They plan to house us at their lake cabin during our stay and will also show us around local points of interest, arrange a gathering and help us through Oslo and to the airport for our departure. He assured me that we can take into account everyone's well-being and stamina when we arrive and make final decisions at that time.

With "pappa's" assurance, I "let go" of these details and felt refreshed – having a clear picture of how to navigate through my responsibilities – after this Telephone Call to Norway.

Trip Tips

While we're struggling to see Spring here in Minnesota, my host sister emailed these gorgeous "Summer in Oslo" photos taken today outside the new Opera House.

She advised:

A "must see" on your sightseeing through Oslo City
in August! The roof is built like a large hill, coming all the way down to the fjord. (Hard to see in the picture). As you can see from the photo, people have already started having picnics up here. They lie in the sun and relax; or enjoy the view and a cup of coffee.


Notice the wonderful view of the Oslofjord! There will be a new tunnel also which will take care of all the traffic in the area. Then the fjord will be even more beautiful.

It's a Small World

My sister lives an away hour from me. The end of April, her church hosted an arts-and-craft show. One church member showed her rosemål work there. My sister suggested the woman should check out my blogs – particularly this one on my upcoming Norway trip. The woman did and left a comment on the post entitled Email Encouragment. Here's what I emailed back to Patti Goke.

Hei Patti!

Tusen takk for melding! Koselig til å høre om de norske forbindelsene dine. Takk for forslag om hvordan man skulle leie bil. Det skal jeg ordne ennå til turen vår.

Sorry it's been a while since my last Norway Bound entry. I've got a ton of other writing obligations I'm attending to at the moment. I plan to update this blog soon. We'll be on the Hurtigruten ship during our Geiranger Fjord visit and I believe it stops in Geiranger rather than Hellesylt. My husband and I rode the ferry from Geiranger to Hellesylt and back again in 1999. Unfortunately, we did not tour the community museum. I'd love to see the Peer Gynt carvings... we'll have to play it by ear as the ladies and I have our go this August.

Thanks again for the encouragement sparked by (my sister) Brenda. She knows I love connecting with other Nordic-interested folks. She mentioned you might write and that you'd asked where I'd studied in Norway.

I was at Øvrebyen videregående skole in Kongsvinger (near the Swedish border) as a high school exchange student. I spent my senior year of my UW-Eau Claire studies at Telemark distriktshøgskole (Telemarks Regional College) i Bø working on first year norsk grunnfag (foundational Norwegian) to finish out my Norwegian language and literature studies for my minor in Scandinavian Studies back home.


I've only dabbled in rosemåling at Skogfjorden – Concordia College's Norwegian Language Village in Bemidji. I've studied its history at various points in my life – including for an article I wrote in the Nov/Dec 07 issue of the Lake Country Journal Magazine on a Scandinavian Style house in the Nisswa area.

OH MY GOSH! I just reviewed those notes and realized YOU were the Myklebust's rosemåler! I have written about your incredible work – on their catwalk, front entry and range hood: "Næmen, har du sett på maken?" (Have you ever seen the likes?)

It truly is a small world.

Hilsen fra
Wendy