Mom and Dad Sept. 2011

Visit from the South !

This week my parents drove up from Denmark for a visit. As our apartment is a little on the small side for 4 people and a cat, we had rented one of the company cabins for the event. So on Thursday we set off with Peo on the train to Son, where my parents picked us up at the train station. They had driven up from Fyn, crossed to Larvik on the ferry and then driven to Holden where another ferry took them to Moss, about 10 km south of Son. Not bad for a pair of farmers from Assenbølle !!!

The cabin we had rented was the same one we used for a weekend one month ago. With 3-4 bedrooms it was much more appropriate for the visit and still within range of Oslo. I needed that as I had to go to work every day.

Paula and my parents spent the days going for walks in the surrounding forest and finishing off with a coffee in town. If I know my parents right, there may also have been time for a game of backgammon, a soduko and a nap !!! And a cuddle for Peo ....

Friday the sun was shining brilliantly so when my Paula and my parents picked me up at the train station after work, we continued directly on down the coast in search of a beach or another place to enjoy the fjord. Most of the roadside was away from the coast so it was a little difficult to find a good place to stop, but we did find a small beach at Brevik just south of Son. Also stopped at the Spa Hotel but stayed out of their tub.

Saturday we made two excursions - one to Hvitsten and another to Moss.

Hvitsten is the notable because it is the home of my employer and his family through many generations. Here the company Fred Olsen was founded over 160 years ago and the family still resides here. Everything in Hvitsten has a connection to the Olsen family, but the most remarkable feature of the village is all the figureheads on display all over the village. These were taken from the vessels owned by Fred Olsen during the history of the company. Some are really cool - others are really weird!

Jeløy and Moss was more of a road trip for us. Jeløy has some notable museums and we visited a couple. But after-hours so it only amounted to a trip around the facilities. But as they were located on farms in spectacular surroundings, it didn't matter much - we enjoyed it anyway.

Sunday we drove back up to Oslo to see a bit of the town before my parents had to return to Denmark. This was my first time driving in Oslo and I am sure it would not have been any problem on a normal Sunday. But of all the Sunday's we could have picked we picked the day of the marathon. Talk about a navigational nightmare!

We did eventually manage to get home, away again to Holmenkollen and Frognerparken (with a truckload of Koreans) and return safely home again. After a quick lunch my parents drove off into the horizon .....

We were really glad to see them here in Norway. We are not normally close enough for them to visit us, so now was the chance. Soon enough we will be on the other side of the globe again ...

After my parents had left, Paula and I went out to see more of the marathon. This time on foot - easier! We did see a few dramas - like the guy who 200m before the finish line stopped running, staggered like a drunk man for 30m before falling flat. Totally empty he was attended to by the medics and eventually lifted off the street. Another person was being treated for cramps just 100m short of the finish line. So close ..... better luck next year!