For the past several years, since owning a boat, I have set time aside during the summer to go cruising for a few weeks. This summer will be a little different… Early on, I was planning to cruise to Desolation Sound, but figured it was a good time for a different adventure – what I anticipate will be an amazing journey.
This journey began long ago. Actually a very long time ago. My Great Grandfather, Carl Monrad came to America from Norway in 1907, eventually settling in Concrete, Washington. My family knew very little about his life or family in Norway, as he- like many immigrants simply didn’t talk much about the life he left behind. So I grew up knowing that I had roots in Norway, but all my connections were through black and white photos and some old books written in a strange foreign tongue.
A few years ago, I began doing some genealogy work which I have written about HERE. In the course of uncovering more information, I connected with several relatives living in Norway. We’ve exchanged e-mails, spoken on the phone, and over Skype and some real friendships have developed. Friends and family have told me how much I need to visit Norway and meet these people personally, and I always said, “Yeah, I need to do that some day…”. Finally, I decided that this summer would be that some day, so on February 26 – my 39th birthday, I purchased a round trip ticket for a trip to Norway.
In a couple weeks, on July 21, I will leave on my trip. I’ll be flying Iceland Air from Seattle to Reykjavik, Iceland where I will spend a few days before continuing on to Oslo, Norway. For now I have a pretty loose itinerary, with invitations to visit family in various parts of the country and a list places I’d like to see. I’m planning to visit Oslo, Trondheim, and Bergen, and wherever else might peak my interest along the way. I’ve got four weeks, and I plan to pack a lot in to them, taking lots of pictures and making lots of memories.
I’ve never taken a trip like this, so I am looking forward to an exciting new experience. I’ll do my best to post a travel log here on my website, www.mvblackbird.com, so interested family and friends can follow the journey.
Fantastic Steve, have a great trip and take time to absorb all that culture along the way!