Three peculiarities greeted me since I last wrote here: they had to do with chickens, rain, and the Norwegian language.
Let's take things in their chronological order. As I was about to turn off the light last night, Ed texted me an update. He had found a dead chicken in the garage. Immediately he called the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, which put him in touch with the district vet. Two dead chickens in one week? We needed to consider the possibility of bird flu. His update: the vet said "impossible. No new cases have been reported in Wisconsin. It must be the heat and dehydration." Well no, we know that it's not the heat. Our hens have seen worse and they know where to go for fresh cool water -- it's in several places and we keep it well stocked. And now here's the further update: Ed writes to tell me that at night, to his shock, he put away five chickens into the coop.
How could that be?? We had six. One died last week. And he had said for sure that the one found in the garage today was dead. Indeed, he swore he buried her. Come on, you mystery lovers! Solve this one! (I will tell you my conclusion at the end of the day.)
Next, the weather: I woke up after a most fitful sleep to this:
A break in the clouds!
It's another "how could that be," given that the chance of rain for today was tabbed at 99%. And again, there is a logical explanation. There will be rain. Today, tomorrow, the next day. Just not this morning!
Behold! I can see the bits and pieces of Norway!
I tell you, the world looks far different when 1. you have slept well and 2. when it's not all hidden behind pelting rain.
And now for my third peculiarity: I go down to breakfast rather late. After 9 (and they only serve it til 10). The vast dining room is pretty full, but it's all self-serve so there are no waits involved. And here's the odd thing: I hear absolutely no English. It's all Norwegian. Or maybe Danish or Swedish -- I have learned that they all have the same word for "thank you," (though weirdly they're spelled differently: "takk" in Norwegian, "tack" in Swedish and "tak" in Danish), so similarities must abound and I would not be able to recognize the differences.
So where did last night's Americans go? Did they all eat early? That doesn't sound like my country men and women. Were they all visitors, maybe for a night out? From a cruise? Or a tour? It's a mystery. The age range is greater today as well. I see many little blond children. And a few solo visitors. Women, my age. Yay Scandinavians: you're not intimidated by solo travel.
And now is the time to take a walk. Because there will not come another such Norwegian opportunity.
(the hotel, from the outside)
(common theme throughout Osøyro -- bronze statues)
(wait, are these pigs having a little fling here?)
I walk mostly along the shore (so quiet! no cars!) all the way to the town center. A half hour promenade.
(I'm thinking they may have regrets in placing two of the destinations up for viewing these days)
(I read that the Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds. The brain to body ratio is large -- same as in apes and humans. And, it's the only non-mammalian species known to pass the mirror test -- the one where you recognize yourself. Here's our smart bird! )
(I so associate Norway with apple trees!)
(along the way)
Osøyro, in the greater Os district, was no great tourist destination in the past and it still isn't that today.
There is, for example, not a single souvenir shop, or even a general store with a few souvenir items thrown in for good measure.) Sure, there is my venerable hotel. And I think there are a couple of other guest houses. But historically, this was a wood carving, and small wooden boat building area.
(Indeed, the hotel shows off one such pair of boats.)
(And downtown, I find another being built to replicate the old craft and style of row boats.)
The somewhat larger version of this is the symbol of the Os region and it appears on the Os coat of arms. [Less noble claims to the area include the building of a Roma house for children nearby: kids were sent here first upon the application of the parents but later, without family consent. And worse still -- this is where the Germans placed one of their concentration camps during the World War II German occupation of Norway. History is not always kind, even in these beautiful and remote corners of our planet.]
In the last decade, Osøyro has put the motor on for transforming itself into a more tourist friendly area, but it still is rather tourist-empty. And for me, that's great. During my entire walk, not only did I not hear any English, but in several places I visited, the vendors did not speak much English. Unusual in these Scandinavian countries, but refreshing, too.
Back at the farmhouse, I had scanned the area on google maps for coffee shops and bakeries -- reliable local places I think give me a good idea of a community. I found two that appear to be well liked locally and I visited both, just to see where I should go for my early afternoon coffee.
I do love the pistachio and cardamon rolls they have in Scandinavian countries. It's a shame that my hotel doesn't have them for breakfast. Or perhaps not a shame! Eating large breakfasts is already very tempting for me. I am such a fan of so many "morning" foods! There were plenty of good ones at the Solstrand already.
(I asked this vendor if she spoke English. Reluctantly she admitted to it, but was quick to point out that she is also good at French. Am I reading into it a bit of distrust toward Americans at the moment? Maybe. 71% of Norwegians think Trump is awful for America and for the world. Those who do like him tend to be young men who align with extreme right wing ideology, which the remaining Norwegians also view as a threat.)
There are two more places I visited -- a small shop that I think may be a thrift store (most of the stuff here is not translated into English and I only use Google translate when I am super perplexed!)...
(I was perplexed here: it means "between fjords and mountains")
(I like the images on these cards in the shop -- they seem to celebrate the female "spirit!"
And secondly -- I poked into the building behind the wooden boat. I thought it might be some cultural center or exhibition hall, and it may be that at other times, but right now they are setting up election booths for voting, which in Norway apparently begins on Monday September 8th. They're getting ready!
From there, I started a hike suggested by a chart on the walking trail. It's not very well marked, but between google and their sketch of it, you can figure it out easily enough what your options are. I did not go very far. Maybe 45 minutes each way.
(at the beginning...)
There were hills and pretty views...
But the clock was moving quickly into the afternoon and I wanted to stop at the cafe before it closed.
Here's where I was met with a complete language barrier. No one admitted to knowing any English. So we did the sign language thing.
(My food association with Norway is their sandwiches with tiny shrimp. This one is in a baguette. They ran out of the open faced ones. Good enough! And of course, that pistachio cardamon roll.)
(popular selections!)
(mother, proud grandmother, and mildly interested friend)
It's 4pm before I am back at the hotel. The rain is holding off still! This is the time to try the pool. First, the outdoor one...
(a selfie? In the pool??)
In the late afternoon, people gather here to... chat.
I linger for a while, because it is really cool to be in a warm pool on a relatively cold day, but obviously I am not in my social mode nor do I speak the language, so I go inside to their big pool and do some boring laps. There was a time when I could go on forever, but these days I'm no longer a fan of going under water and I can tolerate doing the breast stroke back and forth, back and forth, for only for so long.
Finally, I do the sauna. Again, very popular! And very lovely! I tried once to convince Ed to build a sauna hut at the farmette, but his interest in that project was and is pretty much below 0, so I do saunas whenever I'm in a hotel that has one.
And now it is evening: dinner time. Going all fish tonight: salmon to start with and cod for the main. Desserts? A mixture of the uninteresting. At least I skipped the sweet non-alcoholic wine!
(I'm in the middle of a good book!)
I have a late evening, staring out my windows at the rain and eventually simply listening to the roll of small waves along the shore.
Two things for the post's end: first, the chicken mystery has a clear explanation. Our dead chicken from a few days back wasn't dead at all. She was indeed sick and eventually she must have simply stayed hidden in the garage, living out her last days in hiding there. She came out and keeled over the day Ed found her there. So, five remain.
And on a more chipper note -- about the rain: It will continue. All day tomorrow and the next day as well. Because of this I changed things around a little. Turns out I am not good at just sitting in my room enjoying the solitude when there are so many interesting things to see and do nearby. More on what these may be... tomorrow!
with love...
