Norway

After the Luther students went on break, we decided we would tour parts of Europe.  The first country we visited on our four-week break was Norway.  We wanted to visit Norway because my great-great grandparents came from Norway.

Norway and parts of Sweden were the original homeland of the people known as Vikings, who in the Middle Ages raided and settled in several other parts of Europe, and are also believed to have sailed to North America.  In early modern times Norway was ruled first by Denmark and then by Sweden, but it achieved independence in 1905.  During World War II, the country was occupied by the Germans.  Since the end of the war, it has achieved great wealth, mainly thanks to oil reserves discovered in the North Sea in the 1960s. 

Thanks to its oil wealth Norway is one of the richest countries in the world, with a per capita gross (per person) national income of 87,070 US dollars in 2008.  Norway is the fifth largest exporter of oil and the third largest exporter of gas.  It also has major fishing, forestry, hydro-electric and mineral industries.

I found the following two facts about Norway interesting because it shows how independent in thinking and action they are:  In 1913, Norway was one of the first countries anywhere to grant voting rights to women.  Its voters have refused on two occasions, in 1972 and 1994, to join the EU.

The first city we went too was Oslo, the capital of Norway. Oslo is the largest city in Norway with over 600,000 people and covers 454 square kilometers, 242 of which are forests.  Oslo has been the capital since 1814, when Norway gained its independence from Denmark. The city is one of Europe's fastest-growing capitals, with annual population increases exceeding 2 per cent in recent years. 

Two of my favorite things we went to see in Oslo were the Holmenkollen Ski Jump and the Vigeland Garden.

The newly renovated Holmenkollen Ski Jump officially opened in March 2010 and is the “world’s most modern ski jump”.  It’s also one of the first designer ski jumps ever to be built.  The start house is some 60 meters above the ground and the structure is made of 100 tons of steel and is the only steel ski jump in the world.

Holmenkollen Ski Jump

This just makes me sick looking at it.  It’s so straight down!

Vigeland Sculpture Park is the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist, with more than 200 sculptures.  It is the most popular tourist attraction in Norway, with between 1 and 2 million visitors each year.  All of the sculptures in the park were made by Gustav Vigeland.

The focus point of this park is the monolith which stands in the middle of the park. It was started in 1929 and completed in 1943.  The monolith represents all of humanity.  It is 60 feet high and has 121 human figures carved into one piece of stone.  It shows the cycle of life.

The monolith

This is my favorite sculpture!

We spent the second part of our trip visiting some of our relatives in Norway!  Norway is where the Ranum family comes from.  In 1855, my great-great-great grandfather, Jul Ranum, was born on a farm outside of Fagernes Norway.  Fagernes is in the Valdres region, which is north of Olso.  There are still many Ranums that live in this area.  We were lucky to be able to spend a few days visiting and meeting a number of them.

This is Arild and Astrid in front of their cabin.

This is my Dad and Arild eating rakfisk...fermented fish with lefse.  My dad did not have another.

This is me and my mom skiing.  I had never skied before but I really liked it!

This is Arild and me sledding on some very interesting sleds that actually have a steering wheel and brakes!

We also got to meet another cousin, Anne.

 Me and my dad along with Arild, Harald, and Olav Ranum.

 My cousins Kari, Hedvig, Ingvild, and Havard Ranum.

This is Jorn and Havard working on a puzzle.

Sherwood Forest

Anyone who has heard of Robin Hood would most likely have heard of Sherwood Forest.  Sherwood Forest is a royal forest in Nottinghamshire and famous because of its association with Robin Hood.  It once was a royal hunting forest but eventually all of it was sold off to farmers.  Sherwood Forest today is 1,050 acres and in the thirteenth century, what most people call the time of Robin Hood, it was about 100,000 acres.

One of the main roads between London and York was called the Great North Way.  This road ran straight through Sherwood Forest and travellers were often at the mercy of robbers living outside of the law.  

Sherwood’s ancient oak woodland is as rare and as threatened as a rainforest.  Between 1609 and 1790, 80% of the Sherwood oaks were cut down for shipbuilding and housing.  Today the 450 acre country park is the largest remnant of the original forest.  It receives well over 600,000 visitors each year.

Sherwood Forest is home to the Major Oak.  According to the stories, the Major Oak was Robin Hood’s hideout.  The oak tree is about 1,000 years old.  Since the Victorian era, its massive limbs have been partially supported by an elaborate system of scaffolding.  In February 1998, a local company took cutting from the Major Oak and began cultivating clone of the famous tree with the intention of sending saplings to be planted in major cities around the world.

 The Major Oak