Saturday Stroll in Norway

Saturday appeared as a bright blue day, just right for a “stroll” (read hike) along the community paths. These paths lead into the wooded areas for hiking in the spring, summer and fall and for cross country skiing in the winter. When we saw Erik bringing out the walking sticks from the hall cupboard, Kaelen and I knew we were going to be tested for stamina! According to my Activity App, we walked a total of 4.5 miles. Our destination was a 17^th century farm which had also been the home of the first prime minister of Norway after Danish rule. The farmhouse is a stately manse with a view of a lake; the grounds are a lovely swath of green, with small wooden playhouses for children and picnic benches.

It is so good to see a community that enjoys being outside and that creates spaces that welcome all ages and stages to participate. Plenty of active “seniors” were along the hiking trails. Families with children stopped along the route to swim, pick wildflowers, read and have lunch. When you are waking along you also feel a part of this community. When we arrived at the farm, we each had an ice cream; Rex had some water to drink. (It felt good to just sit and recall the challenging bits of the trail we had just hiked!)

When Erik asked, “You know, we could take a bus from here that will take us to the flat,” I was happy to hear Kaelen be the first to exclaim, “That sounds like a great idea!”  So we were  able to take a route back home that passed through some of the Oslo neighborhoods outside the Holmenkollen area.

Once back at the flat, Vivi and Erik began preparations for dinner. Their son,  Aksel, was coming as well as their daughter, Vibecca, with her two sons, Victor 17 and Nikolai 10. It will be the first meeting Kaelen will have with Norwegian cousins.

And what a wonderful dinner party! Erik brought out an American flag and hoisted it above the terrace to signify that Americans were visiting the flat. We ate outside on the terrace. Erik grilled a variety of sausages and meats; we had salad, potatoes (Kaelen's favorite turned out to be Victor's favorite too) and bread. Kaelen and Nikolai immediately found common interests. Nickolai was eager to practice his excellent English. After dinner, Victor accompanied them up to the school playing fields to play soccer and table tennis. They were able to stay outside until after 10 o’clock in the long daylight of June 22. 

By the end of the evening, Nikolai had told his mother that Kaelen should come back in December so she could ski. He should find out the dates of his December school holidays.

When I heard he was thinking about these plans, I was thinking of the day’s activities and how being outside can bring people of all backgrounds and stages together as family, as friends, as community. 

Perhaps we will have to start checking for flights for December...