Norway 2016

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Join Brad and Susan Imsdahl as they take a trip to Norway, August 3rd through August 19th, 2016. After an unscheduled layover in Reykjavik, they travel to Koblenz to visit with Lothar and Monika Propson and to meet their family. Then they fly to Copenhagen for a seven day cruise up the west coast of Norway, with stops along the way in Stavanger, Bergen, Ålesund, and Geiranger. After the cruise, they meet up with Dale and Linda Maanum and take a ferry boat to Oslo. Then they drive to Jevnaker in search of the farm where Linda’s ancestors came from. Then they drive to Lillehammer which was the site for the 1994 Winter Olympics. The trip concludes with a guided tour by Einar Odden and Bodil Hungnes to Imsdalen to see the valley where Brad’s great grandparents lived before immigrating to America.


Norway 2016 Intro
Norway 2016 - Video 1 of 21
This video is the introduction to our 2016 trip to Norway. We started with a cruise to the west coast of Norway, visiting the ports of Stavanger, Bergen, Alesund, and Geiranger. After the cruise, we took a ferry to Oslo, rented a car, and drove to Lillehammer. From there, we went to Imsdalen, a remote valley in east central Norway where my Great Grandparents Peder and Marit Imsdahl lived before immigrating to America.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Gold was written by Colyn Cameron and performed by Brad Imsdahl


Reykjavik
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We had planned to fly to Frankfurt Germany, but our plans were changed when the airline caused us to miss our connecting flight in Reykjavik Iceland. They put us up in a hotel for the day as the next flight to Frankfurt did not leave until the following morning. This video contains the highlights of our unscheduled layover in Iceland.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Evushkia performed by Mark Stillman


Koblenz 2016
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Before going on our cruise up the west coast of Norway, we fly to Koblenz Germany to have a visit with our German family, Lothar, Monika, and Töönchen, their daughter Vanessa and her boyfriend Christoph.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Holiday Road written by Lindsey Buckingham
Performed by Brad Imsdahl


Copenhagen
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After a visit with Monika and Lothar and family in Koblenz, we drive back to Frankfurt to catch a 12:30 flight to Copenhagen. We stayed at the Copenhagen Admiral Hotel, a converted 18th century warehouse right on the harbor. The hotel was within walking distance of the Nyhavn canal with brightly colored 17th and 18th century townhouses, bars, cafes, and restaurants. The canal was lined with many historical wooden ships. The street on both sides of the canal was for pedestrians only.
The canal boat ride took us to see the Little Mermaid, the Christianshavn neighborhood, as well as other historical sites and buildings.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Metsakukkia performed by Mark Stillman


Serenade of the Seas
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This video describes the Serenade of the Seas, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship we sailed on up the West Coast of Norway in August of 2016.
A film by Brad Imsdahl


Dinner at Sea
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A tradition for cruise ships is to be seated at the same table for dinner each evening during the cruise. For this trip, we are seated with a family of 4 from Pittsburgh. It was interesting meeting new friends and learning about their travels.
A film by Brad Imsdahl


Stavanger and the Lysefjord
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Stavanger is the 4th largest city in Norway with a population of around 320,000 in the entire metropolitan area. The city was first established as a military and economic center around the 9th and 10th centuries. Officially, the city is considered to have been founded in 1125 when the Stavanger Cathedral was completed. This was our first chance to get off the ship and walk around town. This was my very first time setting foot in Norway, the home of my Norwegian ancestors.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
The Expectation
A Traditional Russian Folk Song
Performed by Mark Stillman
In the Hall of the Mountain King
From the Peer Gynt Suite I Opus 46
Written by Edvard Grieg
Performed by Brad Imsdahl


Rough Seas
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On the way to Bergen, our cruise ship experienced rough seas with 75 mile per hour winds and 30 foot waves.
A film by Brad Imsdahl


Bergen
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After a rough night out at sea in high winds and huge waves, we make it to the port of Bergen, the second largest city in Norway. Bergen was the home of Norway’s most famous composer, Edvard Grieg.
Highlights include a trip on the funicular railway up the mountain of Floyen for spectacular views of the city. We also walked by the Hanseatic League timber houses where German merchants traded with Norwegian fisherman.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Anitra’s Dance
From the Peer Gynt Suite I Opus 46
Written by Edvard Grieg
Performed by Brad Imsdahl


Ålesund
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Today we visit the Norwegian port of Alesund, which was the scene of a fire in the night of January 23, 1904. The fire burned down almost the entire town. More than 10,000 people were left without shelter in the cold of winter. Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany had often vacationed in Alesund. He sent four German warships with relief supplies and materials to build temporary shelters for the homeless. The town was rebuilt with stone, brick, and mortar in the Art Nouveau architectural style, which is what gives the town its characteristic to this day.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Morning Mood
From the Peer Gynt Suite I Opus 46
Written by Edvard Grieg
Performed by Brad Imsdahl


Geiranger
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Today we visit Geiranger, a small tourist town at the head of the Geirangerfjord. It is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, and has been named the best travel destination in Scandinavia by Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide book publisher in the world. The Geirangerfjord area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town receives 140 to 180 cruise ships each year during the four month tourist season, accommodating some 300,000 cruise ship passengers.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Star of the County Down performed by Mark Stillman


RIB Ride on the Geirangerfjord
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At 9AM, Sue and I went on the RIB Riding on the Geirangerfjord excursion. An RIB is a rigid hulled inflatable speed boat that looks like a rubber raft, only with powerful outboard motors on the back. They gave us insulated wet suits to keep us warm and dry.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Norwegian Wood
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Performed by Brad Imsdahl


Dalsnibba Mountain
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After getting back from the speedboat ride on the Geirangerfjord, we took the Dalsnibba Mountain Bus Tour, which was a bus ride that took us up narrow switch back roads to the peak of Dlasnibba Mountain, with stops along the way to get pictures of the view.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Sakkijarven Polka performed by Mark Stillman


The Fjords of Norway
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The west coast of Norway is full of fjords, and this was the only one that our cruise ship actually sailed into. This was by far our favorite day of the cruise and most scenic.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Silence of the Woods
From Lyric Pieces Book 10, Opus 71, No. 4
Written by Edvard Grieg
Performed by Brad Imsdahl


Cruise Back to Copenhagen
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There are no ports of call on our last day of the cruise, which gives us a chance to sleep in and take a vacation from our vacation.
A film by Brad Imsdahl


On a Slow Boat to Oslo
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After leaving the cruise ship in Copenhagen, we boarded the DFDS Seaways ferry boat, Crown Seaways, for a 17 hour cruise from Copenhagen to Oslo. The ferry boat turns our 7 day cruise into 8 days, as we sail up the Oslo fjord in the morning prior to docking in Oslo at 9:45AM.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
In the Hall of the Mountain King – Techno Pop Version
Written by Edvard Grieg
Performed by Brad Imsdahl


Oslo
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Today we visit Oslo, the largest city and capital of Norway. After checking into the hotel, we walked to the train station to catch a bus that took us to see the Viking Ship Museum. The museum houses archaeological finds and three Viking ships, including the completely whole Oseberg ship that was discovered in a large burial mound near Tonsberg Norway. The burial mound dates back to the year 834.
We also visited the Kon-Tiki Museum a short distance away from the Viking Ship Museum. The Kon-Tiki Museum features the balsa wood raft built by Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer who led the Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Tuamotu Islands. The expedition was designed to demonstrate that ancient people from South America could have made long sea voyages to Polynesia.
A film by Brad Imsdahl


Jevnaker
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On the way to Lillehammer, we stopped to see the Hadeland Glassworks factor located in Jevnaker, which was just west of the Oslo International Airport. We also learned that this was the home town of Linda’s Great Grandfather before he immigrated to America. We went to the community center in town a short distance from the glass factory, and they found the church where family members were buried. A lady doing work at the cemetery recognized the family name and took us to the farm where we believe Linda’s Great Grandfather lived prior to immigrating.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Johann på Snippen (John the workman)
Performed by Mark Stillman


Lillehammer
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For the next four days, we stay in Lillehammer, the town that hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics. The ski jumping hill was the venue of the opening and closing ceremonies, and is located just up the hill from our hotel. We drove up to see it during one of our days in Lillehammer.
The town is also close to Imsdalen, the valley where my great grandparents once lived. A friend of the family who lives close by had us over for dinner one evening, and then took us to see Imsdalen.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Waltz in A Minor
From Lyric Pieces, Opus 12, No. 2
Written by Edvard Grieg
Performed by Brad Imsdahl
Hälsa Dom Dar Hemma (Greet the Folks Back Home)
A Traditional Immigrant Folk Song
Performed by Mark Stillman


Imsdalen – A Story about Norwegian Immigration to Minnesota
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My great grandparents, Peder and Marit Imsdahl came from Imsdalen, a remote valley located north of Lillehammer in Oppland County Norway. In the 1880s, they immigrated to a small farming community in west central Minnesota.
Back in the early 1970s, my Uncle Bob and Aunt Annabel were friends with a family who had a foreign exchange student from Norway that went to New London High school in Minnesota. The exchange student’s name is Einar Odden, and his wife's name is Bodil. Today they live north of Lillehammer, not far from Imsdalen. Einar is a journalist for the Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen, a Norwegian newspaper published in Lillehammer. He knows a lot about the history of Imsdalen and the families that once lived there. I got in touch with Einar before going on this trip, and he agreed to take us on a guided tour of Imsdalen.
Between the mid-1800s and the early 1900s, nearly 25 million Europeans immigrated to America. About 800,000 immigrants came from Norway, representing about one third of that country’s population at the time. This video explores the reasons why so many Norwegians immigrated to Minnesota, and why my great grandparents changed their name to Imsdahl after immigrating.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
King Porter Stomp
Written by Jelly Roll Morton and performed by Brad Imsdahl
Solveig’s Song
From Six Song Transcriptions, Opus 52, No. 4
Written by Edvard Grieg and performed by Brad Imsdahl


For Always
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As we flew home from our Norway 2016 vacation, I had a chance to think about the trip, the places we visited, and the friends that shared the experience with us. I think that for always and forever, there will be a special place in my heart for this land called Norway.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
For Always
Written by John Williams and Cynthia Weil
Performed by Courtney Mack on Vocals and Brad Imsdahl on Keyboards
In the Hall of the Mountain King
From the Peer Gynt Suite I Opus 46
Written by Edvard Grieg and performed by Brad Imsdahl


In the Hall of the Mountain King
Bonus video from our Norway 2016 vacation
This video from our Norway 2016 vacation contains two hours of GoPro video cruising out the Geirangerfjord, sped up to three minutes.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
In the Hall of the Mountain King
From the Peer Gynt Suite I Opus 46
Written by Edvard Grieg and performed by Brad Imsdahl


Norway 2016 Slide Show
Norway 2016 Bonus Video
This bonus video contains the still photos that we took on our Norway 2016 vacation.
A film by Brad Imsdahl

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