Slekta mi! Day 3

*originally written 7/1*

Another good breakfast at the hotel. They served us eggs (scrambled and hard boiled), bread of many and various kinds, vegetables, meats, cheeses, cereals, yoghurt, fruits, jams and preserves, and more. There was something for everyone (and even a tea that I liked!). This morning they even had diced, fried potatoes, sausages, and tomatoes and beans! It was almost overwhelming, that much variety.

Some relatives left on the 11am ferry back to Bergen, so we said good-bye before leaving for the final reunion activities. It was so great to meet all these warm, friendly people - and to know that I'm related to every single one of them? Wow! What an amazing feeling.

Once again we packed everyone up and car-pooled over to the Bremnes church for a short service led by cousin Helge (Inta Tove's husband). The church is the same one that Ivar and Anna helped build after they moved to Bømlo; in fact, the chandelier in the chancel, hanging just in front of the altar, was given by Ivar and Anna! Another wow moment. It's so incredible that we got to be in the church where my great-great-great-grandparents attended, as well as where my great-great-grandparents were all baptized and grew up. Cousin Gerhard Knutson also read two Bible verses and said a few words. My favorite part of the morning however was singing hymns in Norwegian; there's just something about singing in a language you don't know that's pretty cool. I genuinely enjoyed it. (Plus, the pews were much more comfortable this time!)

The church at Bremnes.

Cousin Gerhard, with his Norway tie.

After one more family picture, we headed over to another cemetery - this time the one where Ivar and Anna are buried! It feels like a cliche to say it, but, again, it was amazing to be there. Not many people get an experience like this, getting to go back to the country your family originally came from and see the communities they helped shape. After a short ceremony, where we placed fresh flowers at Anna and Ivar's grave, we were allowed to walk through the cemetery until it was time to go. Now, being me, I enjoy walking through old cemeteries; I find them peaceful and full of history. I like looking at the tombstones and seeing the names and dates and this was no exception. What I didn't know was that my name is quite the traditional Norwegian name (my parents swear they didn't know just how many "Anna"s were in the family tree when they named me and I'm inclined to believe them). I walked through three quarters of this tiny little cemetery and found 17 different Anna's. A little strange, since I can walk through cemeteries in the U.S. and not see a single Anna anywhere.

Ivar and Anna's tombstone.

Once we left the cemetery, we traveled to Gilje bedehus (a prayer house and community center) for a lunch of rømmegrøt, hot dogs (for those picky eaters among us - surprisingly, Dad didn't have one!), and the bløtekake that we hadn't eaten last night. Rømmegrøt was an interesting experience. It was nice and sweet with sugar and cinnamon on it, but it was so incredibly thick and heavy! I felt full after one small bowl (Peter however ate 3 helpings and I'm not sure how).

Rømmegrøt

Once most people had finished eating, cousin Steve (Gerhard's son) got up and led a short program. He began by thanking Aina, Asta, and Inta Tove again (who did a really fantastic job putting this whole reunion together... takk for alt!) and then brought Linda up to talk about how we could make a family social network of sorts using her reunion blog (great idea, Linda!).

Post-program, Olaf took a few of us on a walk in the area around the bedehus to see the house that Ivar and Anna lived in on Bømlo. The house is still in use today, owned as a summer house by a woman from the mainland. The walk there and back was lovely - what a beautiful sunny day!

Then it was time for good-byes at the bedehus. Cue a surprise for the Hegland Family! Cousins Kjerstin, Ove, Kennet, and Silje insisted that instead of taking the boat from Bømlo to Bergen, we drive back with them. What a family we have. The drive to Bergen was filled with conversation, beautiful views, and some quality time with cousins.

On the car ferry!

Back in Bergen we hunted down some dinner (finally going for more Norwegian Italian at Leone de Mare), unpacked our weekend bags, and collapsed in exhaustion. What a busy, fun-filled weekend.

A short note to all the relatives that have begun reading this blog at Linda's suggestion: thank you! For those of you I met this past weekend, it was a pleasure getting to know you. Linda, a special thanks to you for promoting me on your blog! For those whom I have not yet met in person, I'm glad I could let you live vicariously through my posts and I hope to meet you someday! Now, a shameless plug: as my "About Me" section says, I'm going everywhere this summer. The whole purpose of this blog was to chronicle my travels and adventures this summer and fall (when I study abroad in Italy), so please keep reading and commenting! Comments from my extensive family (and friends) make my day and I love to hear from you. I'm excited to share my upcoming semester abroad with you all and hope you keep coming back to hear more. 

Now on to more about Norway!