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Sunday, July 2, 2017

TRIP TO NORWAY ON June 8, 2017 we began our 8 day tour of Norway. We began with a 10 hour flight on Delta Air Lines to Paris. After a 2 hour layover we flew into Oslo, Norway. I ask for a wheelchair at the airport so it was easy traveling between stations after a 5 dollar tip. Travel by wheelchair is the only way to go. We spent the first nite at the Oslo Radison Hotel. The next day we made a tour of the city. Visited the 19th Century Royal Palace with famous painting on all the walls. We then walked thru the Vigeland Sculpture Park with over 200 sculptures, most of then naked men women or children. The guide said that clothing changes but the body doesn't. The next day we traveled by bus to the city of Lillehammer where the winter Olympics were held years ago. The bus drove to the top of the ski lift where we got on the lift and rode to the bottom of the ski jump. It was a beautiful sight and I took a picture of Ione on simulated skis. After leaving Lillehammer we drove thru a valley where our Olsen ancestors had a farm. It is all beautiful green country and I'll bet the Olsen's were really depressed when they saw dry old Utah.

We next drove to the village of  Lom where we visited an old Stave church. It is one of the best preserved Stave churches in Norway and was built in about the year of 1150. They still use the church but said they have  a small attendance.

We next drove over a high mountain pass of Sognefjellet called the Roof of Norway where we made snowballs from the drifted snow.
We spent the next nite in Sognal .

The next day we took a cruise on the still waters of Sognefjord which is the longest and deepest of all the Norwegian               fjords. We sailed down the fjord between the high mountains with waterfalls all along the way. Where ever there was a piece of level
land there were small houses built with access only by water.

After the cruise we boarded the famous Flam railway which took up out of the fjord. We ascended 3000 feet within 12 miles with beautiful scenery all the way .We continued on by railway to Bergin. This is Norway's second largest city and a large seaport. 
There were fish markets all along the main street bit we found that twenty five american dollars was not enough to buy a bowl of fish soup. Fishing and oil from the North sea provide most of the income for Norway.It is a socialist country with everything free to the citizens but they pay a very high tax on everything.

We traveled all the next day back to Oslo passed lakes, waterfall and colorful farmland. They put up their hay in large white plastic bags with a round baler..All the flat ground is cropped with hay, barley or oats.

We stayed in a very nice hotel in Oslo which was right next to a large ski jump.Since we had to catch the plane to Amsterdam at 4am the hotel made us a box lunch. I continued to eat out of that lunch for the next 12 hours and think it gave me food poisoning. At least I was sick when we arrived at the Salt Lake airport. 

When I arrived home I felt bad and had Paul give me a blessing. The next day I felt worse so Dr Lance Barker sent me to the Brigham hospital for a cat scan. They found that my bladder was full and other problems. I made an appointment to see Dr Larsen right away but first used a self cath to relieve the pressure. Dr Larsen scoped me and found that my old bladder cancer had not come back but my prostate had grown larger. He installed a permanent catheter  which he said I would need for the rest of my life. At the start of our Norway trip I had a little prostate problem but didn't want to cancel this trip. , .