Old Town - Toensberg, Norway

Good morning,

Toensberg, Norway, is the oldest town in Norway and the place where Vikings of old built their ships and launched their campaigns into other parts of the world.  The oldest record of Toensberg is in 871. 

In the image above, the old part of the town is to the left of the tunnel built for modern traffic.

Norwegians don't stop skiing when the weather turns warm.  These ski "skates" allow skiers to train year round.

These old streets where Vikings of Old roamed are now populated by modern day Vikings.

We strolled down these neat, narrow streets...

 ...wishing we could see the people who had walked here before us.

 What a lovely place!

Enjoy,
Lois

Soft Ice - A Norwegian Treat at Roar i Bua, Honnørbrygga

Good morning,

This little seafood shop and restaurant at the end of the historical dock in Toensberg, Norway, is an important stop for us. 

Not only do they sell fresh seafood and deli items, they sell the ice cream that is a reason for a flight to Norway.

Yes, we have soft ice cram in the USA, but it is not the same.  The Norwegian version is much more rich, creamy, and certainly higher in calories.  But they are worth it!

The little fisherman Roar dolls that decorate the shop/restaurant are wearing hand knit sweaters!

What a darling little fisherman!

We returned later in the week for some shrimp and more soft ice cream.

Enjoy,
Lois

Flowers and Penguins - Toensberg, Norway

Good morning,

Penguins in Toensberg, Norway? 

Toensberg is the oldest town in Norway and the starting point for many Vikings as they left to explore the world.  There are many statues celebrating the places they visited, including the Antarctic. 

We walked the historic dockside in Toensberg in June.

The flowers were gorgeous!

Enjoy,
Lois

Happy Birthday USA!

Independence Day
United States of America

We are proud to fly this flag every day at our home.

Diesel Ship Kysten - Toensberg, Norway

Good morning,

The Diesel Ship Kysten is tied up at the historic dockside in Toensberg, Norway, My Honey's first home town.

We have a history with this beautiful old ship, too.  There used to be tours and we have taken them numerous times.  In 2000, we had our daughter, Catherine with us and I have pictures of that trip here:

http://www.evensens.us/kysten/kysten.html

Keep in mind that we were using much older digital cameras back then, but it is fun to see the tour, the food offered during the trip, and the inside of the ship.  Catherine is wearing the white jacket, My Honey is wearing a medium blue shirt, and I'm wearing a dark blue shirt.  Long before I started blogging in 2009 here on Blogspot, I posted images to my own web site for family and friends.  Our family stretched across two continents so the Internet was a great way for us to stay connected.

And, there is more:  My husband worked on Kysten briefly many years ago when he was home on vacation from working at sea and attending Maritime Marine Engineering school. While working at sea he saved his money to attend school while home on vacation to become a Maritime Marine Engineer, licensed to be Chief Engineer on any size or type ship on any ocean.  Yes, I am proud of him.

There are wonderful memories connected to this old ship.

All of the information is in Norwegian.

I did find a Wikipedia site, but it is in Norwegian, also.

 Sadly, the Kysten is no longer providing tours. 

 This sweet old lady needs repairs and not enough money has been raised through donations to do that.

 There's that handsome man again, who finds his way into so many of my images.  :)

 One last shot of D/S Kysten.

Enjoy,
Lois

Saga Oseberg - Toensberg, Norway

Good morning,

Tied up at the historic dock in Toensberg Norway was the replica Viking ship, Saga Oseberg.

This beautiful ship was built by modern day Vikings using the same methods as was the original.

A few days ago I showed you the building site further down Fjord beside of our hotel.  Additional ships are being built there now.

Volunteers are doing the work and the public can watch as the work progresses.

What beautiful wood carving! 

More to come on the building and sailing of Viking ships....

Enjoy,
Lois

Strolling the Dockside - Toensberg, Norway

Good morning,

We had fabulous weather the entire week we were in Norway. 

Today's images are of the restaurants and other buildings at the old historic dockside overlooking Vestfjord in Toensberg, Norway.

We ate at most of these establishments at least once during the week. 

There are more pictures of each place and the food offered to come.

This is the office for the guest harbor.  You can arrive by boat for dinner or for a longer stay.

 This is another hotel on the dockside that is much smaller and older than where we were staying.

I hope you're enjoying our trip with us.  :)  My favorite souvenirs are the memories and images we bring back.

All the best,
Lois