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Hangin’ Out In Moss

July 28, 2014May 28, 2016 By Denise

Every few days, the nature of our trip changes completely. First we were bicycling and island hopping in the Swedish archipelago, then we were on a leisurely, pastoral canal cruise. That was followed by a very different cruise along Norway’s wild and rugged coast. After that, a stay at a summer cottage on a remote island in the Arctic.

And next, we had several days’ stay at the home of Eirik and Gry in the small city of Moss, near Oslo (plus a weekend in Fredrikstad—more on that in a future posting). Moss has a population of about 30,000, which makes it one-third the size of Boulder. Just as Boulder is a short drive from the major metropolitan area of Denver, so Moss is within commuting distance of Oslo, Norway’s biggest city. However, the town center of Moss is condensed into a smaller area. The downtown buildings are bigger and more urban in character.

Many of the historic old buildings have been preserved and repurposed. Eirik and Gry own a beautiful, third-floor loft apartment in a gracious, old building that used to house “The Elephant Apothecary” on what used to be the market square. Now that their two children are grown and have moved out (although not very far; they both still live within a couple of blocks of their parents), there were two spare bedrooms, which were happily occupied by Peggy and us.

Outside Eirik and Gry's loft. Note the elephant, from the building's original incarnation as "The Elephant Apothecary."
Outside Eirik and Gry’s loft. Note the elephant, from the building’s original incarnation as “The Elephant Apothecary.”

The apartment was close to everything and everyone (no more than two to two thousand meters, right Gry?). There was a constant stream of visitors, parties, jams, outings, and so on. We made a quick, overnight trip to Oslo to visit Kåre, Inger-Lise, Malou, and their new baby, Bo. “The Girls” (Gry, Peggy, Anni, and Denise) indulged in a day at the nearby Son Spa, followed by an evening with delicious pizza at Erling and Anni’s new house. We also spent an entire weekend in nearby Fredrikstad, at the Månefestival, (see next blog entry). And, of course, we took advantage of the warm weather to earn a few more bragging rights by going for a swim in the Norwegian Sea.

Bo is 7 weeks old.
Bo is 7 weeks old.

Malou likes to wrestle.
Malou likes to wrestle.

Peggy and Denise help Eirikur with the lyrics for Magic Pie's forthcoming album.
Peggy and Denise help Eirikur with the lyrics for Magic Pie’s forthcoming album.

Erling at the BBQ party at Eirik and Gry's.
Erling at the BBQ party at Eirik and Gry’s.

Kim and Lene.
Kim and Lene.

Jamming with some Magic Pie musicians :-)
Jamming with some Magic Pie musicians 🙂

Post by Magic Pie.

LP, Anni, and Erling enjoying Erling's home-made pizza.
LP, Anni, and Erling enjoying Erling’s home-made pizza.

The pink blankets kept us warm.
The pink blankets kept us warm.

The last evening in Norway: hanging out in the park.
The last evening in Norway: hanging out in the park.

Our friends took great care of us. Everyone was welcoming and friendly and made us feel right at home. Thank you so much, everybody!

This entry was posted in Vacation 2014: Europe
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Festival—Norwegian Style  

5 thoughts on “Hangin’ Out In Moss”

  • Kåre Garnes August 15, 2014 at 12:41 am Reply

    Hey!
    Love the photos! Wish we ha a bit more energy (I can see I look tired – or is that my normal look?!)

    Anyway. Happy trails!

    • Karel August 15, 2014 at 10:46 am Reply

      Oh, we were so happy to be there – thanks for having us. Wrt the photos, some of them are from Pegs, she certainly deserves credit too! Hugs from Vienna!

  • Dale August 15, 2014 at 7:59 am Reply

    Thanks for the marvelous story and pictures!!! I almost feel like I was there… WAIT! I WAS! 🙂 So cool to see that street in Moss and recall it. Thanks for giving us an account of your time there. Warms my heart!

  • Rosa Gaona August 27, 2014 at 7:16 pm Reply

    I almost forgot this isn’t Facebook and I tried to “like the photos – ha, ha! Nice pics! Continued blessings and safe travels to you and Karel!

  • Gry CHristel Cindahl September 8, 2014 at 1:26 pm Reply

    I`m so pleased that we ALL agreed that anything under and up to two thousend meeters are totaly axeptable to walk….right? Jepp! Thought so! 🙂 🙂 🙂

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