TRAVEL WITH ROCKING CHAIR ANNIE: ROCKING IN SKIEN -NORWAY-MY WAY

When the phone rang last night at 11:30, I was wide awake. I couldn't get the visions of the wedding and reception out of my mind.
"Annie, you slipped off!! Surely you know that Asta and I will take you by car to Skien tomorrow morning!! You don't have to catch that old train!!" When Eve has "spoken" that is it!! And I admit I was delighted she called. It would be wonderful to have a few more days with SISTERS.
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This morning we hit the road!! Asta was having more fun driving on the road to Skien. You'd think we needed a food supply to last for years!! Eve had brought much of the reception food and punch for us to have along the way. We talked endlessly about who said what and who wore what at the wedding. "Bethuna's mother looked nice." ---an example. We couldn't quite let go of yesterday.

This is Hwy E 18; but there was not a lot of traffic. But it was hilly country, so we didn't make great time.

Skien is home to 85,000
people. Historically it was Norway's main shipping port for timber. It was founded before l,000 AD. This town isn't just wrapped up in history. There are lots of fun things going on. Elton John performed at Skagerak Arena in 2009. Next to that arena is Stevneplassen with car shows, concerts, flea markets and an annual trade fair with entertainment and a small amusement park. Only several weeks ago Nicklas and Bethuna had driven over for Alan Jackson concert.

But we were here to visit the Telemark museum, which includes the Henrik Ibsen's home where he lived during his boyhood and other historical homes. It is 3 miles from Skien. The house is furnished with objects actually used by the Ibsen family from 1835 to l843. The dark attic was the inspiration for THE WILD DUCK. Two paintings are by Ibsen, who at first wanted to be an artist. But his wife talked him into writing plays. She said that she gave the world a great dramatic talent but spared it a mediocre artist!! Dudn't that beat all??!

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/skien/A32457.html#ixzz1fCGXRmRe

It had stopped raining, so we parked the car. It was only a short walk from the center of town. It was Henry who had reminded us that Ibsen would walk from his home to the Grand Cafe in the Grand Hotel (where we stayed) every day for lunch with his friends. When we were in Oslo we surely passed the Ibsen home where he lived the last eleven years of his life. We had gone to the National Theater and the Royal Palace, which were close by. Now we are so sorry we missed it. But we would visit his boyhood home.

This proved to be a sad story. The first fifteen years of his life in Skien was a "class journey from prosperity to poverty.'Until the summer of 1834 they had been one of the most prosperous families in Skien. But in one year it all changed. The authorities shut down the distilled spirits boiler. Then the family was completely thrown into poverty. Ibsen lived 27 years in Italy and Germany. During his most productive years, he rarely visited Norway. This struck me as sad, and I almost wished we hadn't come. I had been so uplifted when I visited Grieg's home. But I was disappointed with Ibsen's home. Obviously there were happier times for him when he lived the last 11 years of his life in Oslo.

We read on the walls there:

Ibsen’s Skien
During the time when Ibsen lived in Skien the town was one of the largest in Norway. Skien was, due to an extensive shipping and timber trade, a town with close ties to Europe. Cultural impulses, ideas and artefacts from the continent and England were rapidly transmitted to the merchant citizenry of Skien.
The years at Venstøp
Henrik Ibsen lived at Venstøp from the age of 7 until he was 15 years old, together with his three brothers, sister Hedvig and parents
Farewell to Skien
In November 1843 Henrik Ibsen travelled with the boat named "Lykkens prøve" to Grimstad where he worked as an apothecary’s apprentice up until 1850. For the rest of his life he had little contact with the family. In a letter to Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson dated 09 December 1867 he wrote: "You know that I for all of my life have retreated from my own parents, from my entire family, because I could not remain in a relationship of compromised understanding?" We walked around the grounds of other lovely old homes which are part of the museum. But in ONLY ONE HOME had lived a boy who would become Norway's leading playwright. Brand, Peer Gynt, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, The Wild Duck and many other great plays would be written long after he left this childhood home.. Wha-da-I know? But I am thinking this childhood grief and disappointment played a part in his great writing.
Eve, Asta and I were hungry. We went back to the car and continued eating from the wedding reception food. The lemon crusted chicken was especially good cold. We had an auto-picnic. We wanted to kick off our shoes and talk about Ibsen some more.
I got us some rooms in one of the best hotels in Skien. I had unlimited monopoly money, so I was looking for the best for the SISTERS and me to spend out last time together.
We had dinner at SI SENIOR RESTAURANT. You might laugh at our eating Mexican food for my last dinner in Norway. Nevertheless, it was delicious.
Our three rooms were similar to this one.
Tomorrow we would arise early to see some of the landscape where the famous HEROES OF TELEMARK ("heavy water") sabotage story took place. We had all three seen the movies. But as we read more, we realized that the building there now is (obviously) not the one that was blown up. We decided on driving to the general area and see the spectactular scenery there but not go all the way to present day plant/museum.
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Our last morning together came. Although we still had lots of food from the cake table still in the car, we wanted bacon and eggs and plenty of coffee. Happily, we found a great cafe right in the hotel.
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We headed for Rjukan. Here is a picture of Gaustatoppen mountain.The scenery was spectacular. The town is long and narrow.

Heavy water was a by product from making fertilizer in this plant. The Germans wanted it to use in developing the atom bomb.

One or many waterfalls in the area. Of course we had seen similar scenery on our Bergen Rail ride. But it seemed different by car.

I decided not to return to Skien; I could catch the bus in Rjukan to the Oslo airport.

Sisters would drive on back to Stavanger through Skien.

We pretended we would see each other soon. No tears; they waited until I got on the bus before they drove away. We waved and threw kisses. SISTERS, I'll never forget you, ever!!

Rjukan Ekspressen, Norway - Photo: Bjørn Iversen

I got a seat by a window. It was starting to rain again. I looked out the window as the raindrops hit the glass. The many things that happened during my time in Norway seem to flood over me. I closed my eyes. I was so tired. The trip was catching up with this old lady. I fell asleep.

When I awoke, I was in my own bed in Memphis. My son was frying eggs and my husband was making coffee. Our refrigerator was making funny little sounds like it does when making ice.

"Ya'll...whatever you're fixing in there, I want some too!"