Trip to Trondheim

Finally we’re getting a few nice summer days.  Saturday (the 14^th of August) I drove to Mosjøen and took the train to Trondheim.  I saw a part of Nordland and Nord-Trøndelag that I hadn’t seen before.  About 50 or 60 miles from Trondheim I began to see fields of golden barley.  It hadn’t occurred to me before that barley can’t grow so far north in Nordland.

I had to laugh at myself: as the train was coming into Trondheim I thought, O wow, Trondheim is such a big city.  I’ve been in Sandnessjøen too long.  I need to get out about once every 4-6 weeks.

Sunday morning I went to Ilen Church (busman’s holiday).  The organ there is from the 1880’s and is the model on which the organ is Sandnessjøen is built.  The only difference is that the acoustics in Ilen are much better.  I met Øyvind Kåre after church and we went to Hospital Church to see the 1841 Albrechtsen organ, recently restored.  Unfortunately the humid weather wreaked havoc with windchests and there were constant ciphers.  We then went to Hoeggen Church to see a modern replica of a small French choir organ.  Very beautiful.  From there we went back to the center of Trondheim, picked up John Mosand (who recently lost his wife, Gayle), and went to a restaurant called Tavern near Sverres Borg.

Monday morning I did a bit a shopping and caught the 4pm train back to Mosjøen.  The road between Mosjøen and Sandnessjøen is very narrow in places.  It’s only about 60 km in distance but you can’t drive fast on hairpin-curved roads.

The weather is still very nice.  On Wednesday it got up to about 80 F.  You could certainly tell who hadn’t used deodorant.  On Saturday I took a hike up to Åsen – The Ridge which divides Sandnessjøen into the sea side and the mountain side.  (Sandnes, the name of the settlement on the mountain side, goes way back to the Viking Age.  Sjøen or sea, is where the fishermen lived.  When the two communities grew together the area was renamed Sandnessjøen).   The views from “The Ridge” are spectacular.

I woke to rain on Sunday morning.  But it didn’t really matter.  It stopped about noon.  Two services: one at 11 and one at 4 on the island of Austbø.  Attendance at the 11 am service in Sandnessjøen was about 50.  Three people came to the service on Austbø.  Wherever two or three are gathered together….

Sunrise on 22 August is at 5:10 am, sunset at 9:15.  It’s now completely dark at night.  I hope to see the northern lights soon.

History being made

Week 31: Monday I had free.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I worked, mostly getting choral repertoire ready for the choir.  Friday was a beautifully clear day.  I decided to take a boat trip up to Træna, a group of islands north of here about 60 km (40 miles).  The arctic circle intersects Træna.   When I got off the boat I wasn’t really sure where to go, but I found out that Husøy (the main island of Træna) is so small you can’t get lost.  The church, from 1773, was open and I walked in.  Organ music filled the church.  It turned out the organist was Chris with whom I had played a concert in June at Alstahaug Church.  Chris is the director for Helgelands Chamber Choir and he was there for a wedding that took place later in the afternoon.  Small world (on a small island).  I walked up to the Petter Dass chapel, built in 1997.  It was designed to look like an upside-down boat.  The building is very small, maybe 50 or 60 can sit comfortably.  The acoustics are great.  The atmosphere is intimate.  The artwork is beautiful.  It’s a perfect place for contemplation and meditation.  From the chapel I walked the short distance to the water tower, one of the highest points on Husøy.  On a clear day you can see Sweden.  (I couldn’t and probably wouldn’t know what to look for).  On the island of Sanna there are spectacular caves and evidence of people living there 9000 years ago.  I didn’t get there this time, but that’s on the agenda for the next trip.  The weather held off until the boat trip back.  About 8 pm it began to rain, but not steadily.  I arrived back in Sandnessjøen about 10 pm.

On Saturday history was made at Tjøtta.  The sogneprest (pastor of Tjøtta and Alstahaug parishes) married her partner.  The civil ceremony took place at the Tjøtta parsonage.  This is the first same-sex marriage at a parsonage in Norway.  After the marriage ceremony everyone got on a boat and went to the island of Skålvær where the union was blessed in Skålvær Church.  What I found moving was the welcome and support  from the community.  After the actual marriage ceremony a few cars passed celebrating the event by bearing Norwegian flags.  When we arrived in Skålvær there were two welcoming boats with flags waving.  The bishop in Bodø supports the sogneprest and the union, as do almost all of her colleagues.  Norway is a very modern country, no longer a romanticized version of the land of our ancestors.  It is gratifying to be in a civilized country, and to see history in the making.

On Sunday there were 4 baptisms at church so it was quite noisy.  About 80 people attended.  After church I went on a bike ride to Søvik, then by ferry over to Herøy, cycled to Dønna, and took the ferry back.  In all about a 40 km  trip.

As of 8 August the sun rose at 4:20 and set at 10 pm.  It’s almost completely dark at 1 am.

Dark Nights Begin

The week began with more rain.  It seems we have 4 or 5 days of dreary weather, then 3 days of glorious sunshine.  Being so far north I’m not used to the arctic summer.

Gary and Luana (from Mattapoisett and Rødven) arrived on Saturday afternoon.  I showed them the Petter Dass Museum and Alstahaug Church.  Sunday we went by boat to Skålvær, an island west of here a few miles.  It is still within the Alstahaug municipality.  The weather was glorious.  (I told them to bring good weather and they brought the best weather so far).  There were about 60 people on the boat (Gamle Helgeland – Old Helgeland).  A church service took place at 12 noon.  Many people attended – around 95.  It is very unusual to have so many attend church.  Since services are held at this church only 3 or 4 times each year, and the weather was great, people decided to go to church.  It is rather difficult to get to Skålvær, and practically impossible to get there and back in one day, unless a special event with transportation is arranged.  It was a great occasion and I’m glad Gary and Luana got a flavor of Nordland.  They left for Bodø on Monday morning.

The weather is moderating a bit.  There was a passing light shower on Monday afternoon, and mostly overcast on Tuesday, but fairly warm (for arctic Norway).  Most of the staff at church is on holiday so there were only 5 at our weekly staff meeting.

I finally figured out how to use the music data program at church.  Vegard (my predecessor and for whom I’m interim) showed me how it works.  For the past few weeks I’ve been assembling choral repertoire for the choir.  Norway doesn’t have the rich liturgical music tradition that you’ll find in other countries in Europe.  Most of the pieces I’ve chosen are from the last century but are easy and flexible.  Rehearsals begin at the end of August.

On Thursday I took a bike ride to the island of Dønna, just north of Sandnessjøen.  The trip began with a ferry ride over to Bjørn, the ferry landing on Dønna.  From there I cycled north to Dønnes, stopping at Nordvik Church to take a few pictures.  It was incredible seeing Dønnes Church for the first time, almost like a Disney feature film.  Dønnes Church is a medieval stone church from about 1200.   A mausoleum was added in 1690.  In 1866 the church was enlarged and an onion dome was added.  In 2006 the church was voted the most beautiful in northern Norway by Radio Norway listeners.  After Dønnes Church I went up to Dønnes Mountain and took in the great views of the surrounding area.  From Dønnes Mountain I continued north-west a few kilometers and saw the monument to Ole Edvard Rølvaag who was born here in 1876.  On the northeastern side of Dønna, in Glein, there are Viking Burial Mounds.  On top of one of the largest mound, Valhaugen, is a marble phallus measuring 89 cm high x 50 cm diameter (roughly 3 feet x 20 inches).  It dates from the Age of Migration, 300 to 700 AD.  The stone phallus is associated with fertility rites in the Viking religion.  The bike ride back was a breeze with tailwinds.  In all I must have cycled 65 kilometers.

Friday we had more rain.  I still have the heat on in my bathroom, but it’s off in the living areas.  Being so far north there is no need for air conditioning here.  Sunrise on the 1^st of August is about 4 am, sunset about 10:30 pm.  Tomorrow (2 Aug) we will begin to have completely dark nights.

Summer, finally

Nothing unusual this week (5-11 July): one funeral and two weddings for Saturday. Summer has finally arrived here. There were one or two days of rain but otherwise sunshine. I feel sorry for my friends in Boston with the heat wave. Here in northern Norway the warmest it has been so far is about 70 to 75 F.

Friday I went hiking in one of the Seven Sisters Mountains. It had rained on Thursday so parts of the path were slippery. At the end of the trail I slipped. Fortunately I didn’t fall but I caught my 4^th finger on a fence. Nothing serious but it’s a little sore. So I guess that’s a sign to give up mountain climbing.

Two weddings on Saturday the 10^th. Fortunately they were at the same church (Alstahaug). Both weddings were planned in detail. There was a singer for each and instrumentalists for the 2^nd wedding so extra rehearsals are needed. A trumpeter played at the 2^nd wedding. For the postlude they also brought in a tuba player, a drummer and a 2^nd trumpet player. Most of the wedding music is new to me. There are Norwegian wedding marches that are traditional here. So far the only wedding music that I knew are the Mendelssohn and Wagner marches, and also the Purcell Trumpet Tune.

After the service on Sunday I took a boat trip to Vega, an island south of here. We stopped at several islands on the way and back. The round-trip tour took about 5 hours. It was a perfect was to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Rain is predicted for Monday.

(12-18 July). And this time the prediction for rain was correct. We had 3 lousy wet days. My relatives Turid & Gunnar arrived on Tuesday for a couple days. On Wednesday we drove to Dønna and Herøy but we couldn’t see much. Thursday was a gloriously beautiful day. Unfortunately that was the day they left for the trip back south. Friday was equally beautiful with heat. Rain was predicted for Saturday but they were wrong! Another beautiful day. Norway really is the land of extremes. Friday afternoon I picked up my passport from the local police station. My residence permit is stamped into my passport. Now the major bureaucratic obstacles are behind me.

There is a nest of little seagulls near the roof on the parish house. Sometime on the weekend the young ones got out and were walking around on the ground near the front entrance. When I arrived at the parish house on Saturday morning I was dive bombed by seagulls. It felt like I was transported to Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. What an strident screech seagulls make when they are angry.

Sunday morning we had 4 baptisms. There were about 70-80 in church. During the postlude the congregation usually sits quietly and listens. With all the children in church there was quite a racket during the postlude. As I told a few people at church, I would rather have screaming children than screeching seagulls.

4th of July

The Sunday services on 27 June went well, about 70-80 people attending the 11 am service in Sandnessjøen (with 4 baptisms). The bass trombonist is a great player. He was a godparent for one of the baptisms. The 3 pm service in Tjøtta went well. Many people said they hadn’t known that organ in Tjøtta Church had so much color. It makes me wonder how well my colleague plays. She’s mostly a pianist. Less about her later.

Sunday evening I took off for two days in Oslo. The flights were on schedule and I arrived in Oslo about ½ hour earlier than expected. Monday morning I met my 2^nd cousin Arlayne and her husband Chris. We went to the Norwegian Folk Museum, the Viking Ship Museum, Akershus Castle, and finally to the new Opera House. It was great to be with them, and to catch up of the gossip from that side of the family. Chris is an architect. It was very interesting to get his opinion on all the various buildings we visited. Tuesday I had expected to visit friends, but they were either suffering from bad colds or otherwise engaged. I used the day to visit music stores, bookstores, and walked around the Botanical Gardens, and the ruins of the medieval St. Hallvard’s Cathedral. The trip back to Sandnessjøen was on schedule. The weather is Oslo was quite warm, and thankfully sunny. It was about 80 F and dry. I’ve been told that since I now live in northern Norway (county of Nordland) I can’t complain about the weather.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were regular workdays. The weather has greatly improved here. Friday evening I took a hike up into the mountains. I got up about ¾ of the way up Grytfoten, one of the peaks of the Seven Sisters. Not unexpectedly, I woke up on Saturday morning with stiff legs. On Saturday afternoon I had two weddings at Alstahaug Church.

The lilacs and rhododendrons are finally in full bloom. With all the wet weather we’ve had the insects, especially mosquitoes, are out in full force. As of today (3 July) sunrise is at 1:41 am, sunset at 12:42 am. The length of day is 23 hours. It appears that daylight decreases by about 12 minutes a day.

Sunday, the 4^th of July. In Dan’s family they used to say, “the best way to celebrate the 4^th of July is to drink a fifth.” Two services today: 11 am and 6:30 pm, with two different ministers. Sometimes I feel I have to play 35 hymns each Sunday, well 32, when each minister chooses different hymns. Today isn’t so bad except the opening hymn at the evening service has 10 verses. I’m afraid of miscounting.

End of June

This week my free days are Monday (the 21^st) and Friday. I’m in another bureaucratic problem but this time with the bank (Spare Bank Nord-Norge). I can’t log into my account because of the change of my Norwegian ID number. They ordered a new credit card for me but it hasn’t arrived yet. But at least my credit card works at the stores. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I had funerals each day (each at a different church). Tuesday evening there was a thank-you party to those who were involved in this past year’s confirmation class. On Wednesday evening there was a Sankt Hans party at church. They served the traditional meal: rømmegrøt. Thursday was a wonderfully sunny and warm day. Unfortunately I had to spend most of the day indoors: midday prayer service, a devotional service, a funeral, and a rehearsal with a trumpeter. But on Thursday evening I rode my bike to one of the Seven Sisters trails (Botnkrone) and hiked up to see fantastic views of the area.

The lilacs are just now beginning to bloom. I’ve notices a few rhododendrons are also beginning to flower.

Friday evening we had a terrific down pour with thunder and lightning. The lightning knocked out many TV’s in the area. People were upset that they couldn’t watch the soccer matches. The lightning also knocked out the wifi that I’m hooked up to. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. In the meantime I’m using someone else’s that isn’t locked.

Saturday I had two weddings: 2pm and 3pm at different churches. I was able to just make the 3 pm wedding (arriving at 2:55). A very good trumpeter played at the 2^nd wedding. During the morning I rehearsed with a bass trombonist who will play a piece for the 11 am Sunday service.

Longest Day

Here in Norway the week ends on a Sunday. In the U.S. the week begins on a Sunday, at least according to the calendar. At end of this week (24) there was celebrations for Petter Dass (1647-1707) who was a clergyman/poet here in Alstahaug community. He wrote many hymns, several are still in the Norwegian hymnal. On Sunday morning there was a festival service at Alstahaug. The Bishop from Bodø attended and preached the sermon. During the afternoon I rehearsed with the Helgelands Choir for the program at 6 pm. For the concert there was a good turnout, about 100 to 125 attending. It was a great success. The director, Chris Eva, lives in Lurøy (north of here about 25 miles). He’s a Brit who has lived here for about 15 years. The program included several pieces by Norwegian composers, a few British pieces (Purcell, Gibbons & Tallis) and a Buxtehude cantata on Jesu, meine Lebens Leben. The program was well performed and was very well received by an appreciative audience.

Today (or tomorrow) is the longest day of the year. Tomorrow the days will begin to get shorter, and hopefully warmer.