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In Which Norway Disappoints Me
August 6, 2006 by Mike
Kirkenes
Firstly, on reading an email from me old mucker Remy, who has the temerity to be half-Swedish. He's noticed that while Swedish women have turned my eye on this trip, the Norwegians... errr... haven't.
It's a fair cop (though talking of which, and in Norway's defence, there actually were two rather charming women police officers directing traffic at the Throw Ourselves In The Frozen Lake Festival at Kirkenes the other day.
But my mind is on much higher things, of course.
Secondly, I was disappointed by the Grenselandets Museet - the Museum of the Frontier. There's much to be said about the way the powers to the south and east -- Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Russia/ Soviet Union -- have impacted on communities up here, on their cultures and lifestyles. Much to be said about the horrible reality of war as it played out here between 1940-45. Much to be said about the environment, the natural world, the weather. Unfortunately the museum says little about any of it.. and what it does say, it says in verse:
Museums should stick to what they do best
And leave rotten poetry to people in vests
(was the standard they reached.)
Thirdly, I saw a trucker driving along who wasn't talking on his mobile phone. Clearly this is unacceptable in a country where speed limits are unbelievably low (25mph on the highway about half a mile before a road junction. Just to be safe) to offset the fact that all drivers are glued to their mobiles.
[Note: this is still an improvement on sunny Sweden, where your correspondent noticed that all the truckers were topless. Note also that (a) they were all men
and
(b) they may have been completely naked but I decided not to investigate further.
(a) and (b) may well be related.]
In other words, a quiet day. Spent the afternoon emailing lots of friends (you?) details of the site, sitting outside with the laptop, sunbathing. Me, that is. Not the laptop.
Periodically a herd of reindeer trotted up the road, not 20 paces from where I was sitting. I didn't find this strange in any way. I've been oop North for, what, a week? Now that is strange.
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By Peter Michael With | August 12, 2006 8:30 AM
Mike,
Enjoying your journal whilst sitting in comfort in sunny Queensland....
We've not spoken directly before so I'll introduce myself as the eldest son of Wilfred Miles With & Mary Mildred Gjedsted (of Danish descent) b 2nd March, 1933. They were divorced in 1940.
I've slowly made contact with the Canadian cousins and now enjoy the mail that flows around the world. I first learnt of the Withs in Norway from an article in the Reader's Digest (around 1967?) about Richard With 'The Last of the Vikings'!
Dick in Newfoundland sent a photo of 'MV Richard With' which has been lost in our recent move to Stanthorpe.
We look forward to updates on your travels. Take care.
Warm regards, Peter.