Saturday,
July 19
Bam, I am
awake at 12:01, wide awake and fidgeting.
This is a big day. Bigger then I
know. Nathan and Cailyn are readying to
board Icelandair in Seattle connecting through Iceland. Ben and Penny are readying to board their
Delta flight in Atlanta with connections through Copenhagen. Kari and Eric are in Stockholm and will board
the direct train to Oslo. All are
scheduled to arrive within 2 hours of each other. Will it happen? All the planning and only hours to
fruition. I continue to fidget and to
avoid from disturbing Barb, I get up and go downstairs.
I sit down
in the lobby, its doors wide open to the warm night air. It is electric outside. The sidewalk and park in front of the hotel
are full of young people, partying on this Friday night. I put down my writing and walk out into the
night. Bars and restaurants are busy,
theaters emptying their patrons into the street. Laughter, music, smiles, fun. At one venue there is a long queue. I approach a young man and ask over the loud
volume of the music, “Excuse me. Why are you standing in this line? Are there popular artists here that are
performing?” He looked at me in a
puzzled way and asked, “Where are you from?”
“America,” I respond. “Where?” he asked.
“Seattle.” “I am from the UDub,”
he responded. He and a bunch of Pacific
Northwest college students, including 2 from PLU, were spending the month of
July studying in Oslo. The PLU students
were probably in their hotel rooms studying.
Sure.
I walked
around a bit more then went back to the room and fell asleep.
Barb and I
walked over to the Resistance Museum midmorning. There are excellent displays documenting the
Norwegian Resistance to the Nazi occupation 1941-1945. The resistance is given much credit for the
sabotaging of Nazi efforts to fortify the northern coast against possible
Allied invasion and for sabotaging the efforts to build a heavy water plant
which could have led to the development of a hydrogen bomb.
We were back
in the room by lunch and soon Ben and Penny arrived. After warm greetings, they decided to go for
a walk, to keep their jet lag at bay.
Also, since we leave early tomorrow morning, this will be their only
exposure to Oslo. We waited at the hotel
to welcome Nathan and Cailyn who arrived around 1 ½ hour later. As they checked in, Kari and Eric
arrived. Whew! As mom used to say, “All the chicks are in
the nest.” Now the real fun begins.
B and P
arrived back from their walk and soon we were on a ferry heading for the Viking
Museum. It was a delightful, warm day
and the short voyage and walk was filled with sharing, laughter, and hugs. The Viking Museum was the same as it was in
1973, the huge building housing 3 Viking (circa 1000) ships that had been
retrieved from burial mounds with many relics and artifacts from the Viking
Era.
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| Cailyn took this picture on the ferry to the Museum |
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| We are all here. Ready to embark on a journey. Fun |
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| Cailyn examining a Viking ship |
We boarded
the ferry back to the harbor, walked about then sat down at the same restaurant
that Barb and I had eaten the first day.
Stories flowed as drinks then eats were ordered. Then the announcement, followed by silence,
then the roar. Ben shared that they
probably won’t be out for Christmas this year.
Silence. “Why, is everything OK?” “Well,” he pauses, “We have a
situation.” Pause “Are you all right?” Then Penny smiles, no--lights up, and
announces, “I am 8 weeks pregnant.” In
the crowded open air restaurant on the wharf of Oslo, a roar erupts which may
have been heard in Bergen. Wonderful
news. Another Aune grandchild on the
way, due in February.
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| Restaurant on the Harbor |
I pinch
myself. This is a dream come true. It is sunny and warm. I am sitting at the harbor in Oslo. Barb, the kids, and their spouses are sitting
with me. Penny announces that she is
expecting in February. For the first
time on this trip, the tears of gratitude flow.
We slowly
make our way back to the hotel and all is well.
I have my best night of sleep in 5 days.
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