This past week was very full - I left for Trondheim on Monday.  My destination was actually a small town about an hour south, southwest of the city, called Orkanger, which is in the Orkdal municipality.  I arrived just around 6 in the evening  and had been assured there would be bused traveling to and from Orkanger well into the evening.  I had a minor panic attack when the only sign I could find at the bus terminal said the last bus left an hour before my arrival.  I walked to the train station, dragging my suitcase, only to find there were no trains to Orkanger and no one manning the bus terminal.  The young woman behind the ticket counter was able to find a schedule which indicated there WERE buses going to Orkanger every hour, just at a different platform.  OK - bus to Orkanger found.

When I got to Orkanger, the hotel, Hotel Baardshaug Herregaard, was  lovely - nestled at the foot of the mountains. It usually hosts conferences and events such as weddings.  It has been expanded several times,with the original building a manor home of a prominent architect and business man, Christian Thams. Many of his mass-produced designs for cottages, schools, and churches are framed and displayed on the walls. Based on those, I think many of houses I see along the Oslofjord as I take the train into the city are his designs.  If it were possible, I'd like have one myself - as a vacation home in Europe. (ha ha ha - heeeee!  That's a good one!)

I returned to Trondheim and was at Trondheim Katedralskole Wednesday and Thursday. The school is the oldest in Norway, founded in the early 1100s as an adjunct to the cathedral which served as the episcopal seat of the Church in Norway for centuries.  The visit went well, but the highlight was a huskonsert organized by the students.  They have waiting lists of students, many of whom are interested in the arts program.  After listening to these students, I can wee why.  A poem followed by piano, cello, french horn (which as FABULOUS!) and oboe pieces. Just amazing.  And apparently, these concerts are held once a month - I would love to see Snowden and Central, where my kids go to school, do something similar.  What a way to showcase the talents of the students!  (of course, for some of the students, it was obvious it was nerve-wracking to perform in front of their friends!)

One constant I heard in this visit was the lack of snow.  Which boggles MY mind, but apparently the 3-4 inches on the ground is not normal, nor enough for cross-country skiing, which not only is a fave past time, but a considerable source of tourist kroner in Orkanger.  Of course, it's snowing in Oslo.

I've had a busy week - visiting several schools.  I started the week in Bodø, which if you don't remember my post from the fall, is above the Arctic Circle.  It was actually WARMER in Bodø than in Oslo.  The area is one of National Geographic's Top 20 trips for 2013.  (As is, of course, Memphis.) It was overcast the ENTIRE time I was there, and I was denied Northern Lights.  Again.  I only have one or maybe two more trips to the north planned so I better get to see them -  seriously - 7 trips to the Arctic, including one to Svalbard and no Northern Lights?!  That's so not fair!

I returned from the not quite as frozen as Oslo Arctic and made a repeat visit to Nydalen, which is in the north of Oslo.  It is a very large, very modern school.  The contact teacher, James, is originally form Alabama.  He is on sabbatical for the rest of the year, so I didn't have to listen to him crow about the Tide.  Thankfully.  Tom, who is taking the classes, and I had a fantastic discussion after class about gun control, politics, food, and the cruelty of parents who give their children horrific names.  Now that I have visited every English class at the school, alas, I won't return.  (although I may go to see if I can get a good picture of their upside down bear again - I want one of him with snow!)  I literally left the school, went home, picked up my suitcase, and was off again.

I took the train to Porgsrunn, which is about 3 hours south of Olso by train.  it is a very old city, and home to Norway's on china factory.  It traditionally served as the port for the nearby city of Skien, which is a little further up the Telemarksvassdraget River. It's large by either American or Norwegian standards, but it is a vital industrial center.  What I was able to see was lovely - the river runs through the town, and I could only imagine how spectacular the scenery was in spring, given how lovely it was in winter.  I didn't get to visit the china factory, but there was talk of having me visit again in April, so hopefully I'll see it then.  And maybe I'll be able to take some pictures as well. 

The teachers at the schools I visited this week were incredibly generous!  The week started with a book - always a winner with me!  It was a Norwegian best seller that has been translated into English, as well as other languages. "The Half Brother" tells the story of a Norwegian family struggling with personal tragedies in post-war Norway into the present era.  Last Sunday, the first installment of a mini-series of the book premiered on Norwegian TV.  The book is supposed to be a fantastic and realistic look into the development of post-war Norwegian society.

The "saft," or soda flavor, tea (I wish you could smell it - and it's named after the great Norwegian polar explorer, Roald Amundsen) jelly, and chocolate candies are from another school.   All the products are made in Norway and I am assured reflective of Norwegian tastes.   I hope they all taste as wonderful as they smell and look! 

The NEXT day, I was gifted with "flowers."  The teacher had them wrapped in in layers of paper, not only for ease of transport, but to protection from the cold. (Why it is warmer above the Arctic Circle than in Oslo is a question no one can answer for me.)  The school was about an hour and half north of the city, so I waited until I got home to open the package.  As I unwrapped the layers of newspaper and butcher's paper, I gasped when I realized it was a potted hydrangea with flowers as white as, well, snow.  Absolutely beautiful.  The teacher had no way of knowing how much I love hydrangeas.  My absolutely favorite flower, second only to purple irises, which remind my of my grandmother.  Every house I have ever lived in - from Louisiana to Georgia to North Carolina, Illinois, and Tennessee - all had hydrangeas in the yard.  A very welcome reminder of home.

The humidity has been hovering around 100% but the temperatures has stayed right at or just above freezing, depending how high up a mountain you are.  The air seems to be full - you can see the moisture, hanging in the air.  It's almost the reverse of the Deep South - where the air literally weeps with moisture, but it's not raining.  A blanket of thick, frozen fog hovered over the valley below my apartment -which was stunning at sunset. 

Having my family here was wonderful.  The children had never really seen snow - not like this.  When we lived in Illinois, there was one really heavy snow. but they were both toddlers and even though there are pictures of their sledding and building snowmen, they don't really remember.  But I think this is different.  Huge drifts 3-4 feet high, flakes as big as your hand.  We spent a lot of time walking Oslo with my sister and her husband, and the snow was a constant.  A little surreal for Southerners.  But beautiful.

Even though it seemed they had only just arrived, it was time for everyone to return to the States.  We did and saw so  many things, including Berlin, but one thing we had not done was go up the mountain to Frognerseteren.  So, we hopped on T-bane line 1 and traveled all the way to end, passing the Holmenkollen Skijump, where they recently held an international ski jumping competition.  We had been told by countless people we HAD to go up to Frognerseteren, if for no other reason than to see the view.   Unfortunately, it was misty and foggy so we could not see much other than the the trail through the snow to the restaurant.  We followed the trail through the woods, which Brian enjoyed immensely, and ended up having a delightful meal at Cafe Seterstua, one of two eateries in the historic building which is nestled in the evergreens.  Although most people had been sledding or skiing, some were there simply for a picturesque meal.

After we ate, we admired the view and started back up to the T-bane stop.  We passed the rental place for sleds.  We were totally unprepared - blue jeans, regular boots, and non-waterproof gloves and hats.  None of us had sledged before, but it looked pretty straightforward.  The course winds down the mountain, is well traveled, and fairly well lit.  So- we rented some. And went hurtling down a Norwegian mountain, at dusk and into the dark winter night.  It was exhilarating and frightening.  Brian and the children took to it and Patrick declared he had finally found his sport.   I had a few good runs, but spent most of my time picking myself up out of the snow and nursing my wounds.  If we had not been soaked to the bone with the temperature dropping, we have stayed there until closing time.  A very Norwegian way to close their Norwegian adventure.