Today, June 24th, 2015, Greta was scheduled for a doctor visit, so we planned to poke around Bergen and Hardanger Fjord. Eilert wanted to bring us into town in the morning and teach us about the parking places, so we went with him to sentrum where the main city parking ramp is tied to the bus station, just like we have in downtown Minneapolis. We parked and walked to the wharf. Eilert showed us the hotel where Aunt Lani and Uncle Dick stayed several years back when they came. Then we toured the fish market and several of the restored buildings that have been there at the Bryggen (Pier) since time immemorial. The Bryggen is commanded by a sturdy fortress with this church. Notice all the arrow slits for defense.

Even the cobblestone walkways show artistry and care.

Eilert is clearly at home on the pier, having spent his life as a sea captain/master and working in the maritime support industry.

This picture is from Eilert’s alcove where he keeps his memorabilia from decades of work on the high seas. The middle photo shows him as a newly minted ship’s master. The lower photo display shows some of his ancestors, many of whom were also wed to the sea.

After touring downtown, Eilert took a bus home and we headed inland to the Hardanger Fjord. The roads are smaller than the roads in the US, but navigating is easy, especially with Google maps on my phone. We found our way to Hardanger Fjord easily, stopping only at a couple places along the way to take pictures. The water color in this picture clearly shows the affect of the glacial silt that fills the fjords from streams of melt-off from the high mountain snows.

IN the evening we stopped at Eilert and Greta’s house and spoke at length about our shared relatives. We took some pictures of the pictures of people and we will communicate back and forth over the next few weeks to make sure we understand who is who. When we look at the faces in the pictures, including those in Eilert’s shrine shown above, we feel a deep interest in learning their identities and their stories. While we were there, Anne Margarete came to visit and we learned about her training as a pilot and her experiences in the US and elsewhere. She is of our generation and we both felt great to meet abd begin to know our counterparts in the family on this side of the Atlantic ocean.