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Mike Morris
John Hobday
Margit Karkela
Lynn Keillor
Alanna Simone Tyler
THE TRIP
April 22-23 - Days 1-2
April 24 - Day 3
April 25 - Day 4
April 26 - Day 5
April 27 - Day 6
April 28 - Day 7
April 29 - Day 8
April 30 - Day 9
May 1 - Day 10
May 2 - Day 11
May 3 - Day 12
May 4 - Day 13
May 5 - Day 14
May 6 - Day 15
May 7 - Day 16
May 8 - Day 17
May 9 - Day 18
May 10 - Day 19
May 11 - Day 20
May 12 - Day 21
May 13 - Day 22
May 14 - Day 23
May 15 - Day 24
May 16 - Day 25
May 17 - Day 26
May 18 - Day 27
May 19 - Day 28
May 20 - Day 29
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May 18
Oslo
By Lynn Keillor
 After
"Syttende Mai" comes "Attende Mai" which means a day
of rest for most people. I can't say that we strayed too much from tradition.
We, along with some of our hosts, were invited for the proverbial three-hour
tour aboard a beautiful sailing vessel called Eileen II. Erling, a Rotarian
from the Oslo club, owns the boat and uses it for charter trips. Recently,
it was chartered by German chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder. Our group brought
the dignity he bestowed on the ship down a few levels, but I have to admit,
we had plenty of fun. (Photo right:Eileen II is a 92 foot Auxiliary
Cruising Gaff Rigged Ketch own by Oslo Rotary Club incoming president
Erling Storm, here preparing for a cruise from the Aker Brygge (pier in
downtown Oslo). Photo below left: Oslo Rådhuset (City Hall) seen from
the harbor.)
We motored out into the Oslo Fjord, past little islands dotted with cabins.
Erling told a bit about the history of the ship, too. It was built in
Glasgow, Scotland in 1934, and changed owners several times until he bought
it in the early 1990s. It's 92 feet long and has a mast height of 27 meters.
The interior is finished in beautiful mahogany, but I'll admit that we
spent 99 percent of our time on the deck since the weather was so lovely.
We anchored in a bay, and were served a delicious lunch by the ship's
cook, Katrina. She listed "mom's kitchen" as her culinary training
grounds.
 For
the trip back to Oslo, the skipper Jens let some of us help draw up two
of the sails. And then, on the way home, Mike planted himself behind the
wheel. He was just a parrot, a yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum away
from turning us around to the high and salty sea. Actually, he did a fine
and smooth navigation job, as myself and John (self-appointed as the two-most-likely-to-get-seasick)
didn't get queasy at all. (Photo right: Mike managed to steer the yacht
around several islands while under sail, a great adventure. Photo below
left: Akershus Slott is the historical fort and previous Royal residence
overlooking the harbor. King Haakon, Queen Maud, and King Olav V are all
buried here.)
 This
evening, myself, Alanna, Margit and John met up with Morton and Marit,
two GSE veterans from the 2002 exchange with South Africa, and two of
my girlfriends, Synnøve and Nina. We had a good time yucking it up at
a local nightspot.
If you need to feel sorry for the Norwegians in one area, consider this:
mixed drinks cost between 10 to 15 dollars. A half-pint of Heineken was
about 8 dollars. The price does include tax, though - a hefty 24 percent.
(Photo right: Mike took a early morning hike to hills overlooking Oslo
with hosts Kristin Ridderold and husband Andreas Mourud.)
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