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Nordland train to Trondheim
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Bunad – Traditional Norwegian dress
As I wandered the streets of Bodø one day, I passed one family after another dressed in bunad. The dresses, elaborately embroidered with floral patterns, were lovely. In the north people from coastal areas wear blue, and those from inland farms and towns wear green.
Bonad, being expensive, are worn on special occasions, like these confirmations. Many Norwegians have festdrakt, a less elaborate but similar outfit, for less formal occasions.
These families were all downtown for a child’s confirmation. The youths, around 13 years old, each held a long stemmed rose.
On 17 May in Oslo I was happy to see many more styles of bunad. Here are a few.
Hand made bunad
WWII Liberation Day in Bodø
Perhaps Bodø isn’t a slave to the Internet. Luckily for us. Saturday afternoon we took a stroll around the neighborhood and discovered that although the Nordlandsmuseet’s website said they’d be closed, they were open and would stay open late.
I had wanted to see this small museum which hosts exhibits on life in the area from the Vikings in 900 AD to the Sami people to World War II. And shows life in the sea with a dry aquarium in the basement.
Our visit was on a date (May 9) of no importance to us Americans, but it turned out to be an important day for Bodø. May 9 was the day in 1945 that the Russian prison camp here was freed, and May 8 was when the Russians entered from the north and liberated Bodø itself.
1000 Russian soldiers died in the World War II labor camp which the Germans built in Bodø. During the war Germans sent captured Russians to Bodø from all over Europe. Their slave labor built the Bodø airport where our plane landed on Friday. Russian slave labor was used for an even more horrific job: building railroad tracks through the mountains from Fauske to Mo i Rana. Like all German labor camps they starved and overworked their prisoners. Now that I’ve felt the icy Bodø winds, I’m guessing the Germans also also weren’t concerned about providing adequate warmth for the Russians.
In honor of Bodø’s liberation day, May 8, 1945, the Nordlandsmuseet in Bodø had a special exhibit about the city’s experiences in World War II. It was grim.
Bodø began the war when the Germans firebombed their city on May 27, 1940. Most of the city burned to the ground with nothing but the shells of several stone buildings left standing. The museum has photos and dioramas illustrating the destruction. Soon after, the Germans invaded with an occupation force — riding bicycles. No tanks. No trucks. They invaded on bikes!
The Germans occupied the city and built a large military fort on the water front. Hitler was mistakenly convinced that Norway would be strategically important in that the Russians and maybe other Allies would attempt to infiltrate German occupied land through Norway. He also believed that Norwegians supported his goals. He was wrong on both stands. But, because of his errors he dedicated half a million German soldiers to dozens of defensive bases he built around the perimeter of Norway.
The Norwegian military still has a base in Bodø:
http://nyti.ms/1FhV9Oy
Not being able to read the exhibit signs, I learned these stories from the museum docent who kept popping into the exhibition rooms to talk to us in between selling tickets at the front desk and from a Norwegian woman, Ronda (spelling is likely incorrect), who was visiting the museum.
After seeing the photos of arrested Norwegian spies, Bodø’s destruction in the 1940 firebombing, and the German occupying force bicycling into town, my mom and I separated to explore on our own. We planned to meet up at the film (with English subtitles) showing in half an hour on the second floor.
As I wandered through the museum, Ronda and I kept running into each other, and she would share interesting facts from the placards which I could only guess about.
The small museum has exhibits showing fishing nets from long ago, local birds like puffins, a 1.2 kilo silver cloak pin from about 900 AD, and a traditional Sami house which looks like a domed igloo made of poles covered in peat or sod. The Sami house had a small opening that looked like a cat door next to the door for people. I’m guessing they didn’t have house cats or small dogs in the arctic, so the little door is still a mystery.
When it was a couple minutes before the film was to begin I headed for the second floor, but found the theater was near the end of a long twisting hallway. When I found the theater a large red light seemed to be saying “don’t enter – film in progress”. I don’t really know what the words said, but it seemed I shouldn’t enter. I figured my mom would enjoy the film and I’d hang around and see her when the door opened.
A half hour later I had spent more time than I wanted repeatedly cycling through the windows with displays of handmade wooden toys from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, porcelain dolls from the 18th century, optician equipment, and medical tools. Finally, the Green light came on and I knew the film was over. No one came out so I went in to see whether my mother needed any assistance. The room was EMPTY!
Where could my mother have gone? As I rushed methodically through the 2 1/2 story building with its winding paths through display spaces, I became increasingly concerned about where my mother had gone. She’s pretty independent. Would she take a stroll to explore outside? On the main floor I checked to see that her Walker was still parked in a corner — good! She didn’t go outside without me. It was a slow climb for her to reach the tall second floor, but I had looked through all the exhibits up there, so I checked the basement too. Not there! I returned to the second floor and peeked into the Russian celebration. They were showing a film (no subtitles) in which an elderly gentleman told stories about what he witnessed going on in the Russian labor camp next to his home. And there across the crowded room was my mom attentively watching the film in Norwegian.
The room was so packed even the narrow aisles were inaccessible so I caught her attention to let her know where I was, and I stood in the back next to Ronda. A Russian woman behind me was serving Russian food, and she offered me a plate. I stood enjoying the delicious food, watching the film of the man speaking in Norwegian. Mom later told me that she went in to see the film as we had planned, but didn’t realize this was a different one than we’d been told about.
The Russian food was what Russians ate in Bodø before and after the war: polenta with raisins, a dish made from a root vegetable and meat, corn bread, and a ground beef pastry. The food was delicious! I tried to learn what the root vegetable dish was made of, but the communication barrier was impenetrable. It reminded me of cooked barley but with a soft smokey flavor. The dish was delicious. When no one could think of the vegetable’s name in English, a woman said that the dish is what they often fill blinis with. When I return to Seattle, I will look for a similar recipe.
After the film I got a plate of food for my mom and we listened to everyone sing Russian songs accompanied by an accordion and guitar.
As we sat enjoying the celebration a brave Russian woman came over and boldly asked with a smile on her face why the Americans were there. Spies? We said we were tourists, and we all laughed together. Before we left one of the Russian organizers gave me a ribbon like all the Russians were wearing to commemorate the liberation. Their website is www.9may.ru.
Meeting people, hearing their stories, looking through a new window into the world — what could be better than this?
A lucky day!
Thank you, Dave, for the mother’s day wish. Nancy just gave me a card; I completely didn’t remember this was a special day.
Yesterday was a lucky day. We started out for a short walk, heading toward a tall church spire, which turned out to be a memorial monument to commemorate May 8, the WWII day when the Russians arrived to liberate this town. Bodø, Norway had been used by the invading Germans as a prison camp where 1,000 people had died. So this week end was a time to remember the Russians who freed Norway.
There was a museum across the street from the church that usually closed on Saturdays, but was open with a special exhibit of pictures of that liberation. We climbed the stairs to see a 25 min movie about the town of Bodo.
While Nancy stopped to take pictures of some displays, I looked for a place to sit in a room, which was filling up fast. I saved a chair for Nancy, but she never came. Turns out I had missed the movie about Bodø and had crashed a Russian-Norwegian Society meeting! When Nancy finally found me, I had watched a long movie-lecture in Russian about the liberation of Bodø. They were serving food, so we ate. Finally a nice lady came over to say her friends wondered why the Americans came to the party. She volunteered to find out! Then there was accordian and guitar music for a sing-along–Russian folk tunes. Very beautiful. We stayed for that too, of course. Everybody was very cordial, and we had a very lucky day.
Love from Bodø, Arlene
PS Bodø is pronounced Booduh
Sent from my iPad
Thanks to Ingrid we made it to Bodø
Anything but an early morning flight is always a problem for me. Having several hours in the morning before leaving the house gives my head ample time to rethink every minute packing decision. Will I need another long sleeved shirt? Did I bring the passwords I might need? Are the boarding passes still on my phone?
Sensibly, I left the house and took my favorite walk to Boeing Creek Park where I found the thimble berry bushes in bloom. The Pacific Northwest forest is serenity itself.
Arriving home not long before we were to leave, I saw Frances next door who is remodeling her parents’ and childhood home to sell. She showed me around to see all the beautiful upgrades: tile, hardwood floors, appliances, wiring, plumbing, and new walls downstairs adding a bathroom and bedroom. It will be like a new house. I miss having Frances’ parents next door, but I look forward to seeing a new family enjoying the house and large yard.
Finally we stuffed the suitcases in the car and Bruce drove my mom and I to the airport. We flew Lufthansa to Frankfurt and then to Oslo where we collected our luggage and checked in for our Norwegian Air Shuttle to Bodø. At every airport someone with wheeled transportation helped us make our connections. In Oslo, Ingrid was remarkable.
I planned 1.5 hours in Oslo to check in and make our flight to Bodø. It turned out to not be enough time — except we had Ingrid helping us. We didn’t know that mom’s Walker would come in at a different carrousel (either #5 or #10) than the suitcases. I watched #5 while Ingrid kept checking #10 until it arrived. Then she raced us up to the front of the line to check into Norwegian Air Shuttle, and then she got us quickly through security and to the gate as the plane was already boarding. Without Ingrid we wouldn’t have made that plane.
While we waited for luggage and walked through the airport, Ingrid told us a little about herself. Her grandparents emigrated from Romania to eastern Germany and she was raised in East Berlin. The Berlin Wall came down when she was 13. She remembers the excitement and celebratory atmosphere in Berlin at that time. As East Berliners explored the western half of their city, they were struck by the remarkable disparity between East and West Berlin.
After the wall and the East German government collapsed, her family acquired the government records on her father. They were dismayed to learn that for many years Ingrid’s best childhood friend had been spying on her father and reporting on his activities to the East German government. Every morning the boy’s mother sat in the kitchen of Ingrid’s home and had coffee with ingrid’s mother. The people who Ingrid’s family felt were close friends betrayed their trust. I asked Ingrid whether her family ever asked the b
oy about his actions afterwards, and she said they didn’t. It felt creepy to discover they had been spied on and the extreme betrayal made them want to eliminate the boy’s family from their lives.
As a young adult, Ingrid moved to Norway after visiting years ago. She loves the outdoor activities and beautiful scenery in this country.
Finally, after traveling for 17 hours (Seattle to Frankfurt to Oslo to Bodø) yesterday, I felt relieved to be settling into this lovely hotel, the Clarion Collection Hotel Grand Bodø. I had been awake for 24 hours at that time so I quickly unpacked and fell asleep. This morning, I’ve had my strong Norwegian coffee and delicious healthy breakfast featuring whole grain bread and fresh fruit. Now it’s time to explore Bodø.
Twilight in Bodø
As the plane flew into Bodø yesterday, the snow on the nearby mountains shone in the bright light of the afternoon overcast sky. The bare webbing of mountain ridges contrasted against the snow cover. Bodø is lovely.
Although we are in the arctic circle, the land around Bodø is green and free from ice and snow, except for the bands of mountains. Even here in downtown Bodø, I hear birds chirping — and a crow. Is there anywhere on this earth that doesn’t have crows?!
Curious to see the springtime night sky in the arctic circle, I looked outside at midnight and again at 2 am to find the sky above was a lovely twilight blue. In my travellor’s sleep deprived state, I’m not entirely sure the sky was in twilight or perhaps it was a phenomenom of city light reflected off the low cloud cover. Perhaps tonight I will be awake enough to tell.
