Well, the weather forecasters were pretty accurate. The weather has certainly changed. This is the most cloud cover we have seen in a long time and we even have some light occasional rain. So, today we have a light breakfast inside the house (I think our first meal in the house itself), and then we need to head off. We have an appointment to meet the other's at Tante Berit's by 10 AM. We take our car and drive there and we are pretty much on time.
Once there, we barely have time to take our jackets off and we are ready to head off again. The plan is to take a tram to the south eastern part of Oslo to go and visit the cemetery where Lars' grandparents are buried. So, we run out to the main road to catch the tram - number 19, which seems to run like clockwork. We then have a long ride on the tram all the way to the second to last station at Sæter. Along the way, we practically get a city tour!!!
Once at Sæter, we have a five minuet walk to the nearby church and it's large cemetery. But first, along the way, we stop at a florist to pick up a few flowers. One at the church itself, our first stop is at the cemetery office. We are there to check on how long things are paid up fro and to make sure that all the details on file are correct. We also want to double check the plot number and other information. It is a very well run and efficient place. She was very helpful and had all the information at the touch of a mouse and a few keystrokes!!!
Then off to find the grave. After making a brief stop at the grave of a son of a friend of Lars' mother, we find the grave where Lars' grandparents, or his mother's parents are laid to rest. It has a very simple grave marker, a stone selected from the mountains near Koppang with the family name engraved on it.
The cemetery is well taken care of by the authorities and they have, as per the instructions, planted flowers on a regular basis. The great-grandchildren they have never met help to place the flowers on the grave. Some time is then spent paying our respects and telling some funny, sad and moving stories about their lives. They lived through turbulent times.
After taking a number of family pictures, we make our way out to the cemetery and back to the tram. We have only a short wait until the next tram comes and takes us back to Tante Berit's place. On our way back to her place we stop at the supermarket, where we pick up a few things for lunch. Once we have finished our meal, it is time for us to head out. We need to go and pick up Jorgen and head down to his boat, where we will also meet everyone else.
We make the drive back to Kolsås, pick up Jorgen (including life jackets and gear for all) and head down to the boat. Along the way, we stop at the supermarket for some supplies. We meet everyone else at the boat and soon we have all the people and supplies loaded aboard. We are now getting to be experienced hands at this, so we soon have helped Jorgen let go the lines and make our way out into the fjord.
We then spend the next four hours sailing around the Oslo Fjord in the Lysthuset. It is a great afternoon. The weather has improved and the clouds have broken up, the rain stopped and the sun is occasionally peaking through. The fjord is empty - there are no other pleasure craft out on the water. Other than the occasional ferry, we have it to ourselves.
We help with hoisting the sails and soon the wind is carrying us along. We break out some of the snacks and brew some tea and coffee. Everyone takes a turn at the helm, including the children. They have a ball on the boat, running here and there. They help out with raising and dropping the sails and pulling the lines. We even raise the spinnaker to help us along in the light breeze. And the sea is calm.
About two-thirds of the way into the cruise, we stop at the same island we have before. Not for long, but just to give some people a chance to run out and check out the island. We do not even tie up the boat. Then from here we slowly make our way back to the pier, where we tie up the boat for the night. What a great afternoon. This is where we say our goodbyes to everyone, as we will be leaving in the morning. We then head back with Jorgen to his place, stopping along the way to pick up some take-away food for dinner.
We then spend the rest of the evening back at Jorgen's place enjoying the food and just sitting back and relaxing and enjoying a sampling of single malts and good conversation. But soon we must retire for the night as we still need to pack and get ready for our departure tomorrow morning. We will begin our long journey home.