It's snowing.
Yes... it's April and there is snow all over the ground.
So today I'm traveling somewhere else...
to Norway... the land of my ancestors.
I'm sure there is snow in Norway right now ... so I'm pretending it's summertime there because I need GREEN.
And I think I'll do some time travel to visit in the 1800s to see a different life...
... one without ipods, dishwashers, washing machines, cars, television, minky-soft blankets, tennis shoes, blue jeans, treadmills, strollers, jell-o, chocolate chip cookies, Target, disposable diapers and wet-wipes, yummy smelling hair-products, etc, etc.
... a culture where the pace was slow ... people traveled by walking, skiing, boat, or horse and buggy.
This collage shows some of my ancestors who were born in Norway. Doesn't seeing old photos make you want to know these people? Were they happy? What did their voices sound like? What did they enjoy doing? What was their life like? Would they think my life-style was easy? or this culture hard?
What would it be like to have a room in your house for the cow and sheep?
What would it be like to ski for 2 hours (one-way) to cover the 7 mile distance to school?
What would it be like to travel by boat and sled in a blizzard to bury your mother in the church cemetery?
This was my great-grandfather's life in Norway.
... much different than my life here in 2010 - a life when I dread taking the kids to the bus stop around the corner in flurries of snow. Or when I think it's hard to find something to make for dinner when I have a huge pantry full of food... plus a stove to cook on... and running water out of the tap. Well... anyways... each period of time has good things and hard things, I suppose.
Hilsener. Velkommen til Norge,
landet av mine forfedre
landet av mine forfedre
(Greetings! Welcome to Norway, the land of my ancestors)
Aren't these delightful photos of the land of Norway:
Jeg håper du likte ditt besøk i Norge.
Jeg vet jeg gjorde.
Jeg vet jeg gjorde.
(I hope you enjoyed your visit to Norway. I know I did.)
Now... to learn how to actually pronounce things in Norwegian... an adventure for another day.
2 comments:
Wow! Those are amazing pictures. What a great heritage we have! Thanks for the visit :)
I got to go to Norway years ago and it really is that gorgeous. I absolutely loved everything about the country. The people were so nice and spoke English perfectly, the country was CLEAN, and the fjords were amazing. You should go.... you know, some day.
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