Viking Magazine - June 2014 - 11

Got Milk?
" A
May 21-June 4, Bergen, Norway
Bergen International Festival
This international music and cultural
festival features more than 30
thrilling music, theater and dance
performances. +47 55 21 06 30, fi b.no
June 16, Los Angeles
Bernhoft at The Troubador
Norway's retro-soul singer Jarle
Bernhoft performs at The Troubador
on the American leg of his tour.
310-276-1158, troubadour.com
June 21, Trosmø, Norway
Midnight Sun Marathon
At the world's northern-most
marathon, runners set out in the
middle of the night under the Midnight
Sun. +47 77 67 33 63, msm.no
BY JEFF M. SAUVE
summer vacation in Norway could best be spent on foot, with no further
encumbrance than a knapsack and a stout stick, " wrote Elean McGhie in 1901.
Tramping in its verdant valleys or alongside the fantastic fjords has long inspired tourists
to write travelogues. Titles like " Unprotected Females in Norway " (1857) by Emily Lowe
and " Three in Norway, by Two of Them " (1882) by J.A. Lees and W.J. Clutterbuck provide
not only richly detailed observations, but also a cultural context of Norway's people
and places.
McGhie's travelogue, " Two Girls Afoot in Norway, " was published in six weekly
installments by the Massachusetts newspaper, " Springfi eld Daily Republication. " She and
an unnamed companion roamed the countryside from Stavanger to Bergen in blue serge
suits, blue and white fl annel shirt-waists and white hats. The duo shared one black bag
between them with a half-pound of tea tied to its handle.
After a strenuous hike near Botnen, they happened upon a thatched-roof farmhouse.
In preparation they memorized from their phrase book, " Have you got any milk? " and
proceeded to knock on the door. An elderly man answered and listened to the travelers'
stumbling request. He " slapped his leg and roared out, come in. " Laughing, the two
accepted the farmer's invitation.
The interior, according to McGhie, included " a large iron stove on one side, faced by a
rack holding the plates and crockery, and in the corner stood the usual pine bed. Under
the window was a spinning-wheel . . . [a girl named] Marguerite spinning at it, singing a
soft Norse ditty to the rhythm of the wheel. "
She welcomed the Americans hospitably by serving fl atbrød, butter, cake and a " huge
bowl of creamy milk. " The conversation and the milk quickly dwindled as they learned
their Norwegian host only knew two words of English: " come in. " Evidently McGhie and
her companion were not the fi rst summer tourists to stop by the man's home.
Jeff M. Sauve serves as an archivist for the Norwegian-American
Historical Association in Northfi eld, Minn.
Through June 13, Bloomington, Minn.
1814 The Incredible Year,
200th Anniversary of Norway's
Constitution, 2014
Acquired through the Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
sponsored locally by the Royal
Norwegian Honorary Consulate General,
Sons of Norway and the Bloomington
Convention and Visitors Bureau, this
open admission exhibit celebrates
Norway's historic bicentennial.
tinyurl.com/mrvg7wr
Inquiries about reserving the exhibit for
display should be directed to Britt De
Lange Ardakani at brdl@mfa.no
sonsofnorway.com VIKING JUNE 2014 11
PHOTO COURTESY OF NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOC., NORTHFIELD, MINN.

http://www.troubadour.com http://www.msm.no http://www.tinyurl.com/mrvg7wr http://www.sonsofnorway.com

Viking Magazine - June 2014

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