Paris

After church on Sunday, the 7th of November I flew to Oslo. The flight was delayed due to a snowstorm in Bodø. I was pleasantly surprised that the airline offered me round-trip transportation back into town and a meal voucher. You would never get that in the U.S.  I finally arrived at Gardermoen Airport in Oslo at about 11 pm. Turid (a distant cousin) picked my up and I spent the night at their house in Jessheim. Monday afternoon I went down to Oslo to meet one of the professors at Oslo Conservatory of Music. We had a couple friends in common, in particular (the late) Einar Haugen and his daughter Camilla Cai. Professor Herresthal has just finished a 4-volume work on Ole Bull. Einar and Camilla published a book on Ole Bull in the early 1990’s. The meeting was very pleasant and fruitful.



That evening I had dinner and coffee with my friend Gjerulf, Tuesday morning coffee with Harry, then off to the music store, and finally back to Jessheim Tuesday afternoon. Gunnar (Turid’s husband) has a bad knee and it needs surgery. He’s now on canes and in pain. I hope it goes well.



Early Thursday morning I got the 8 am flight to Paris. I arrived at Jim’s apartment about 11:30 am. Fortunately I brought some smoked salmon with me and we had a delicious lunch. That afternoon we went to Notre Dame for a commemoration service for Armistice Day (11th of November). We were up in the organ gallery and had great views of the procession and pageantry.



On Friday morning I hit the music stores. I made my way back to the Mont Parnasse area where Jim and I had lunch with Jaqueline and Pascale. (Jaqueline is the daughter of André Marchal; Pascale is the granddaughter of Louis Vierne). After lunch we had a walk in the cemetery of Mont Parnasse and saw the graves of many famous composers (Franck, Saint-Saëns, Vierne & Guilmant) and the famous 19-century organ builder Cavaille Coll. That evening I went up to the 56th floor in the Mont Parnasse Tower and saw Paris by night. Mont Parnasse Tower is quite ugly, but it offers great views.



Saturday I spent the morning at the Pompidou Center for Modern Art. Jim and I had lunch with Brigitte, the biographer for Louis Vierne. That evening we heard a performance of Heinrich Schütz’ Musicalische Exequien.



Sunday morning Jim and I went to Saint-Sulpice to hear Daniel Roth. There were about 10 in the organ gallery. Roth played a few improvisations, but for the most part he played Bach. After church I took a walk in Luxembourg Gardens, then made my way to the Church of the Madeleine. From there I walked to La Trinité where I met Carolyn. She was a classmate at New England Conservatory. The Church of la Trinité was where Messiaen was organist. Carolyn and I made our way to St Roche for a solo-violin concert. Carolyn directed my way back to Notre Dame. Jim and I had dinner with a couple of his friends who were in Paris for a week (Jay and Izzy). Monday morning was early. I caught the 11 am flight back to Oslo, bought provisions at the duty-free store in Oslo, and spent the rest of the day waiting for my flight. After delays I finally arrived back in Sandnessjøen at about 11 pm.



Tuesday was overcast with snow. Both Wednesday Thursday were clear. The sun is now hiding behind the mountains. We won’t get direct sunlight until the end of January. The quality of light is very unusual. It seems like a very long twilight. You can see the sun shining on the mountains to the north. As of Thursday, the 18th of November, the sun rise is at 9,05 am, the sun sets at 2,40 pm.

Half-way through

Week 42. I am now beginning the 2nd half of my adventure in Norway.




Tuesday began with rain. It gradually turned over to snow and got very cold. The winds were terrific. It was so raw. I bought a winter coat yesterday. I didn’t realize I would use it so soon.



Thursday morning I woke up to about 8 inches of snow. Am I ready for 7-8 months of winter? Today I feel like I’m in the Narnia Chronicles and the wicked white witch has declared perpetual winter.



Friday I bought “isbrudd”. They are cleats that fit over your shoe. On the bottom are metal studs so you can walk on ice.



On Saturday I decided to buy a car. It’s not cheap but in months left it will still be cheaper than if I lease by the month. It’s a little frightening: to buy a car (or any other major possession) seems like a step toward a move here. I’m not ready for that (unless the Republicans take control of Congress, gut the health care bill, abolish Social Security, and force through a pre-F.D.Roosevelt United States). I really think the next supreme court justice should be Anita Hill. When they announce that it will give Clarence Thomas a fatal heart attack and give Obama another choice for an open position.



There were about 70 attending church on Sunday, with a baptism. Sunrise today is 8:35 am, sunset at 5:10 pm. Total daylight is 8 hours, 36 minutes.



Monday, 25 October. Week 43. I picked up my car. Tuesday I drove to Tjøtta for a funeral. On Tuesday afternoon I got my absentee ballot and immediately sent it back. Thursday I finally decided to go with car insurance through the bank. The other possibility was through KNIF (Kristen-Norges InnkjøpsFelleskap – Christian Norway Purchasing Cooperative). I’m totally ready for winter: I got studded tires for my bicycle! Thursday evening Anna (one of the ministers on staff) and I drove to Mosjøen to see Eugene O’Neil’s “Long Day’s Journey toward Night”. Liv Ullmann and Bjørn Sundquist were leads in the Riksteater production. Fortunately I read the book a couple times so I didn’t have many problems following the dialogue (everything was in Norwegian, of course). It was great theatre. The drive back was hair-raising, as usual. The road is awful between Sandnessjøen and Mosjøen. They are building a new one but it won’t be ready until 2013. I had Friday free and drove down to Brønnøysund to visit my friend Bjarne. On Saturday we drove out to Torghatten and hiked up to the mountain with the hole. The hole is huge. It seemed as though a storm was brewing: the winds were very strong, but Bjarne explained that it is quite normal to have powerful wind gusts where the mountains create wind tunnels. Bjarne rode back to Sandnessjøen with me. He had a birthday party to attend. Sunday morning was the time change. (Spring ahead, fall back, or fall over!). Sunday was an exhausting day, plus my legs were so stiff from the hike up Torghatten the previous day. There was extra music for Sunday: a special day called “Prayer and Penance Sunday”. On Sunday afternoon Anna (the prosti minister) and I drove up north to Lurøy for a service at 5 pm. It took about 3 hours to drive there. The place is called Konsvik and it’s about 3 miles south of the arctic circle. A good crowd showed up – about 25 or 30 people in all. It took place in a “bedehus”, a meeting house which is less formal and smaller than a church. We got back to Sandnessjøen about 10 pm. This past weekend I saw most of the Helgeland coast: from Torghatten and Brønnøysund in the south to Lurøy and Rødøy in the north.



Sunrise on 31 October is at 8:00 am. Sunset at 3:40. Total daylight is 7 hours, 40 minutes.



The first week (44) in November was uneventful, except that my Macbook seems to be very sick. I can't get a wifi signal. So I bought a pc this week. At least I have a connection to the internet now.

The choir will be singing in church on Sunday so we've been rehearsing the pieces for Sunday.



The news from the U.S. isn't very cheerful (referring to the elections), but it could have been worse. Here in Norway the right-wing party (Høyre) is to the left of the mainstream Democratic party. There is one party here which is against everything that social democracy stands for. They are called The Progress Party (Fremskrittsparti). What a misnomer. Fortunately they are only about 20%, but the third largest party. I still think that Obama should nominate Anita Hill to the Supreme Court. That would give Clarence Thomas a fatal heart attach (hopefully) and another nomination for Obama. I heard from my mother that the church where I grew up is pulling out of the ELCA over the gay issue. How unchristian can you get? I hope I never have to set foot in that place again. And there is a burial plot for sale!



Sunday the sun rose at 8:25 am, sunset at 3:20 pm. Total daylight is just under 7 hours.

Winter Begins

The leaves are beginning to fall.  I’ll be sorry when they all fall off.  That means I will see more of that ugly Tine creamery building.  On Wednesday we had rain and high winds.  A few of the trees are now bare, although some are still green.

Nothing unusual this week: just one funeral.  I spent the week getting prepared for the organ recital I’m giving on Sunday evening.

Nikolai, the child of Ann-Kristin & Trond Edvardsen, turned 5 on Thursday.  (I rent their basement apartment).  On Saturday they invited me to a coffee party to celebrate the event.

Well, there’s never a dull moment at organ recitals.  The weather turned quite cold, the high was only about 42 F.  The church was so cold Sunday morning that they tried to heat the place up with space heaters, but it kept on blowing fuses.  The organ recital began at 7:30.  Everything was going well until we had a power failure.  Jon, one of the employees of the church, tried to fix it but they ended up calling an electrician.  After about a 45-minute delay I played the rest of the program.  Fortunately, everyone patiently waited while the problem was fixed.  

Sunday (10-10-10) the sun rose at 7:45 am and set at 6 pm.  Total daylight is 10 hours, 15 minutes.

Week 41: winter began.  Sunday morning there was a dusting of snow on the mountains.  It looked liked a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  Each day there was a little more snow.  On Thursday, the 14^th of October it snowed.  According to the Old Norse Calendar this day is the first day of winter.  Like clockwork winter began in northern Norway.  Most people now have their winter tires on.  Quite a few years ago tires with studs were outlawed in Massachusetts.  The headline in the Boston Globe read, “Stud tires out”.

On Friday I had two funerals: one in Sandnessjøen Church for a 65-year old woman, and one in the chapel at the hospital for an infant that was stillborn.  This last one was so sad, of a life never lived.

I’m having a few problems with my macbook (computer).  It wouldn’t connect to the internet.  (All the other programs work fine).  I took it to a shop.  They looked at it and made some adjustments.  It does seem better but every once in a while I lose the signal.  I know the problem is with the macbook.  My iphone and ipod work perfectly fine.  I may have to get a pc.  Macs are not much in use in Norway.

Saturday I met Vera and John on the south-bound Hurtigruten.  They began their journey in Kirkenes and saw a part of Norway they hadn’t seen before.  If the weather had been better we would have taken the ferry over to Dønna and driven up to Dønnes and over to Rølvaag.    But it wouldn’t cooperate.  Instead we drove around Alstahaug: over the Helgeland Bridge, down to Søvik and Alstahaug Church and Museum, and back to Sandnessjøen on the valley road.

On Sunday Vera sang at the two services that played for: Sandnessjøen at 11 am and Alstahaug at 6:30.  The 11 am service was well attended.  They had presentation gifts for the 4-year olds.  There must have been about 120 in attendance.  The evening service was very sparsely attended.  In any case, Vera sang beautifully for both services.  The song was “Det er makt i de foldede hender” (There is strength in folded hands).  Monday morning they caught the 7 am bus to Mosjøen and from there the train down to Trondheim.  It was a short visit but at least they got a flavor of Helgeland.

Sunrise on 17 October is at 8:10 am, sunset at 5:40 pm.  Total daylight is 9 hours, 30 minutes.

Great fall weather

Monday morning was early (week 38).  I picked up my colleague Venera and we drove to Mosjøen for the Nordland County meeting of organists and district musicians.  Dolstad Church in Mosjøen had just dedicated their new Marcussen organ on Sunday evening.  I found the whole event very refreshing.  And it was great to meet colleagues.  The Friday before I found I that I was to play for a masterclass.  Everything went well despite the short notice.  It’s good to shake things up and take chances.  The cathedral organist from Bodø gave masterclasses in organ repertoire.  He is a gifted teacher and performer.  The other “star” for this convention was one of the professors from the conservatory in Oslo: W. Plagge. I had never heard of him but he’s quite famous in Norway.  He gave masterclasses/coaching in ensemble music.  He’s a fine pianist/teacher/coach.  But as a composer there is something missing.  The piece that was performed on Monday evening involved 6 or 7 instrumentalists and piano.  He seems to compose in a improvisational style, at times formless, dominated by the piano.  I wished to hear more of the other instruments, particularly in unusual combinations.

Two funerals and a wedding this week.  Thursday evening we had a staff activity: mushroom picking.  It  began with just two of us: Bjørnar and me.  About an hour later Tove arrived.  I picked a plastic bag full.  There are only two kinds that we picked: piggsopp (or spine mushrooms – hydnum repandum) and chantarelles.  Friday evening I went alone and picked another bag full.  I know they are edible: I woke up Saturday morning!  I’m hooked: Saturday afternoon I picked another bagful.  I put two containers of cooked mushrooms in the freezer.

I bought boots.  Now I’m almost ready for winter.  The past few days have been so beautiful.  My weather forecast apps on my iphone said rain.  How wrong, thank God.  On Sunday afternoon I picked another bag of mushrooms.

Sunrise on 26 Sept is at 7:02 am, sunset at 6:57 pm.  Total daylight is 11 hours, 54 minutes.  We are entering the dark period (shudder).

On Monday (27 Sept, week 39) I went out on yet another mushroom search.  I picked a plastic bag full.  I think I’m set for awhile.  On Monday evening I had a small dinner party with Katrin and Elizabeth.  I can’t have a large party, given the size of the apartment, plus I only have 3 chairs for the kitchen table.

The weather has been so beautiful this week.  But I notice that the days are rapidly getting shorter.  At 4 pm the sun is so low on the horizon that it feels more like November.  I checked out full-spectrum lights at the local appliance store.  They were sold out but will get more next week.

The weather predictions are excellent for the next few days.  While southern Norway is mired in rain we are blessed with cloudless days.  It would be great to see the northern lights on a clear night.  So far I haven’t seen them here.  According to the news report it has been 20 years since Nordland has had such a pleasant September.

Next Sunday (10 October) I'm playing an organ recital in Sandnessjøen Church.  I visited the local newspaper and asked if they would publish an article about the concert.  It will come out on Wednesday,  6 October in Helgelands Blad.  For this concert I'm going to set up a screen in the front of the church so the audience can see me.

I had this weekend off.  On Saturday I took the boat/bus to Brønnøysund for a couple days, to meet a friend of a friend, and to see the organ in Brønnøysund Church.  Many say it’s the best organ in Nordland.  Brønnøysund is only about 40 miles south of Sandnessjøen, but it takes 3 hours to get there by bus: there are 2 ferry crossings.  The weather was gorgeous on Saturday.  Sunday I took a long walk around Brønnøysund.  I thought that Sandnessjøen is a sleepy town.  Brønnøysund is hibernating.  I got some good pictures of Torghatten, the mountain with a hole through it.  I wish I had brought my bike – I could have had a nice ride out to Torghatten.  Well, next time.  Monday morning I took the bus/ferry back to Sandnessjøen.

Beginning of fall

Week 36: Monday morning I had my appointment with the doctor.  It was very short – about 30 minutes.  He asked some questions, took my blood pressure and authorized a few blood tests.  It’s not the complete physical you would get in the U.S.  The point of this was to get into the system.  Now that I’m registered it should be fairly easy to get medical help should I need it.

On Friday I flew to Oslo for the weekend.  I saw my friend Harry on Friday evening and Saturday and Marilyn on Sunday.  Then I took the train a short distance north to stay with my relatives Turid and Gunnar for the evening.  I even helped mow their lawn on Monday.  (I also got a couple inquiries from others to help them mow their lawns!)  Late Monday afternoon/evening I flew back to Sandnessjøen.

Week 37: The big news this week is the plane accident at the airport.  Early Wednesday morning (6 am) a commercial propeller plane was landing when a sudden wind gust blew down just as the plane was landing, causing the right-side landing gear to collapse.   The weather was clear but windy.  Fortunately there were no injuries among the 3 passengers and 4 crew members.  The airport was closed all day on Wednesday.  It was very strange to drive by and see the plane in the middle of the runway, tipped on its side with one wing touching the ground.  By Thursday morning it had been moved and normal departure/arrival operations resumed.  (If you want to see a picture of it go to my Facebook page and click on “Links”, then click on the picture.  The text is in Norwegian, from the local newspaper.)

Wednesday evening I saw a theatrical production of “On Overgrown Paths”, Humsun’s explanation/apologia of his pro-Nazi activities during WWII.  I was good theatre, especially with a small orchestra playing modern music, but it is difficult to make a successful production from a documentary.

It’s hard to believe that the weather has been so good for the past few weeks.  Rain in predicted for Sunday.  So far no frost.

Saturday I took the bus to Mosjøen to see “Little Shop of Horrors”.  Many new friends in Sandnessjøen were playing in the orchestra, and singing in the chorus.  It was performed last weekend in Sandnessjøen but I was in Oslo then.  The performance was first-rate.   The bus ride was relaxing and beautiful.  It really is beginning to look like fall.

For the first time my church choir sang for the 11 am service in Sandnessjøen.  Everything went well.  The anthem was “Sammen for Guds ansikt” – Gathered in God’s presence by Egil Hovland.  According to those in the congregation they understood everything.  In Norway dialects are encouraged, resulting in a great variation of vowel pronunciation.  (Something I call vowel trouble).  In a chorus everyone must have the same pronunciation.  Anyway, there were no complaints.

Sunrise today (19 Sept) is at 6:40 am, sunset at 7:24 pm.  The autumnal equinox is on Wednesday.  Being this far north the actual equinox is on Saturday, the 25^th.

Semesterstart

Week 34: The weather is still great – sunny, not particularly warm, but not cold either.  Although one morning I could have used a pair of light gloves. 

Monday I went to the health center to make an appointment to see a doctor for an annual physical.  There’s nothing wrong, I just thought it would take a couple of months to set up an appointment.  The receptionist said, you will have to wait a little while, but we can make an appointment in 2 weeks.  That myth about waiting forever has vanished.   I’ll report about the doctor appointment later.

Confirmation classes began this week.  As one of the exercises the kids play a type of blindman’s bluff.  A blindfolded student is led around the church by another student who can see.  They explore all over the church, including the organ gallery, pulpit, and altar.  I think the purpose is to make the kids familiar with the church, so it isn’t thought of as an unfriendly, foreign place.

A type of county fair is here for the weekend.  It’s called “Horva Festival”.  There are horse shows, cattle shows, machinery on display, stands selling food, stands for advertisement (camping, hunting, sports).  The emphasis is on the environment, ecology and organic products.  On Saturday the Helgeland Chamber Choir sang a 45-minute concert in the Viking Longhouse.  The acoustics were surprisingly good.  Saturday afternoon I went to a theater production of “Growth of the Soil” by Knut Hamsun.  Hamsun won the Nobel prize in literature for this book in 1920.  Unfortunately his reputation is permanently stained because of his pro-Nazi activities during World War II.  The production was wonderful with just two actors.  The venue was in a hayloft, about 2 miles from town.  On Sunday they crowned Miss Northern Norway, and she is a cow.  Her name is Beata.  She made it on national TV.

Sunrise on August 29 is at 5:33 am, sunset at 8:45 pm.

Tuesday’s weather reminded me of the tropics: not that it was warm, but it poured rain for 15 minutes, then the sun came out.  It alternated rain and sun all day.  As the week progressed it got sunnier.

Tuesday evening I had my first choir rehearsal.  There were 8 who came.  The choir has a different function than church choirs in the U.S.  Mostly they lead in the singing of hymns and liturgical songs.  The volunteer choirs here don’t sing every Sunday, usually every 3^rd Sunday and on high holidays (Christmas and Easter).  So we’ll see how the fall progresses.  One faux pas: I didn’t know I was supposed to make coffee for the break.  I’ll have a pot brewing next week.

No funerals this week.  Rigmor is the name of the lady who runs the local mortuary.  I hadn’t heard that name before, but it’s a name that’s been around for a few centuries.  I thought it very funny that the mortician’s name is so close to rigor mortis.  Rigmor is the only one in Sandnessjøen who owns a Hummer, so a little ridicule is not inappropriate.  She must be charging too much for funerals if she can afford a Hummer, to say nothing about buying gasoline for it.   Gas is about $7.50/gallon.

Sunday I had two services: one at 11:15 on the island of Mindland, near Tjøtta, and an evening service in Sandnessjøen.  Mindland doesn’t have a piano or organ so I have to haul the electric piano to Tjøtta, get on the ferry, then drive the 5 km to the meeting house.  At least I have no time constraints, except for catching the ferries.

During the drive to Tjøtta I saw some leaves beginning to change color.  Fall really has begun.

Sunrise for 5 September is 6 am.  Sunset is at 8:15 pm.  We are nearing the equinox.

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.