Cousins' Reunion

Rosaleen and Sig's week in Norway
The Waterfront and Bryggen in Bergen
We flew to Bergen on June 1st and were met at the airport by Sig's aunt Karen's husband Erik . The weather was beautiful. In the evening we went for a meal with Sig's cousin Erik. On Friday we had heavy rain all day. In the evening we set off for Rugsund in Nordfjord with Erik on his boat.

Our view of Bergen as we set sail	A dramatic sky above the fjord on the way north
Saturday Because of the weather conditions we stopped over night at Floro and continued north on Saturday morning. We arrived at about 10a.m. Some of the party were staying in the Old Bakehouse, the building on the left in the picture below, some had rented a property, one group were in a camper van and we were in Erik's boat moored at the guest pier.

The family began to gather in the Village Hall, the building on the right of the picture at about 11 o'clock


We all boarded a coach and went to visit the place where Sigvald's father, grandparents and cousin are buried. On the journey, Ottar Starheim, Nelly Lofnes' husband, gave a commentary with history and information about the area. We put a flower on each of the graves. We then went to visit the house at Kjerpeset where the grandmother grew up. That was the memorial part of the weekend over.
Sigvald Lofnes Senior's gravestone	Andreas and Anna's gravestone
Alf's son, Steinar, who died aged 16, gravestone	Aunts Karen and Anny in the church at Kalvag.
Grandmother's house
We then went on to have a lovely lunch at Knutholmen, Kalvag.

We met up again at 7pm in the Village Hall for a lovely meal and lots of conversation, memories and old photographs to look at.
Sigvald with Nelly and her husband Ottar Starheim	Mikal Gjellan, Anny son, thanking the committee, Ann Olsbo, Reidar Gotteberg and Idar Lofnes, who organised the wonderful reunion
Anne-Lise, Alf's daughter at the top of this table and his youngest son Stale on the left of the table.	Mikal, his wife and mother, Anny
Reidar making sure everyone is well catered for.
Sunday
Erik and Dennis Hjort on the pier with Ann and her daughter Andreas in the background.	Camilla, Elin's daughter on Erik's boat on a trip to Leirgulen
Sandra, Ann's daughter
Erik took us by boat to Leirgulen and we were able to spend some time with Alf and his wife who still live in Andreas and Anna's house where Sigvald's father grew up. We left from Leirgulen to return to bergen with Anita, Anny's daughter and her son Hans Christian travelling with us. Alf and his wife Karen in 1999
The Lofnes house at Leirgulen	The boathouse at the family's home at Leirgulen
Erik giving Hans Christian, Anita's son, an opportunity to stear the boat on the journey back to Bergen	The sun shone on the journey back.
Sigvald chatting to Anita
We stopped over night about 30 miles from Bergen and Anita and Hans Christian rented a chalet in a little port.
Monday
We finished the journey to Bergen arriving about 12.30. We visited Karen and Erik in their beautiful home overlooking the river and bridge at Bergen then went to the flat we had rented in a historic part of the city.
The area where our rented flat was.
Tuesday
We took the wonderful Royal Fjord Tour, a round trip from Bergen by catamaran along Sogn Fjord, the world's longest and deepest fjord, to Flam at the head of the fjord. From there we took the Flam Railway through the beautiful flam Valley to Myrdal where we caught the Oslo- Bergen train.
Our view of Bergen as we sailed away	Our view of a glacier
Seals along the way

At Flam waiting for the train	By the Kjosfossen Waterfall. We were allowed off the train to take pictures.
Wednesday
We met up with Uncle Erik who came with us to the Aquarium, then to the top of Mount Floyen by funicular railway and lastly gave us an insite into the history of the Bryggen which is now a World Hertitage site. In the evening cousin Erik picked us up in his Morgan and we went out to dinner. So the week ended with us being chaffeured at speed through Bergen in an attention grabbing open top car. A suitable ending to a memorable week

Rosaleen and Sig's week in Norway

Our view of Bergen as we set sail

A dramatic sky above the fjord on the way north

Saturday

Sigvald Lofnes Senior's gravestone

Andreas and Anna's gravestone

Alf's son, Steinar, who died aged 16, gravestone

Aunts Karen and Anny in the church at Kalvag.

Grandmother's house

Sigvald with Nelly and her husband Ottar Starheim

Mikal Gjellan, Anny son, thanking the committee, Ann Olsbo, Reidar Gotteberg and Idar Lofnes, who organised the wonderful reunion

Anne-Lise, Alf's daughter at the top of this table and his youngest son Stale on the left of the table.

Mikal, his wife and mother, Anny

Reidar making sure everyone is well catered for.

Sunday

Erik and Dennis Hjort on the pier with Ann and her daughter Andreas in the background.

Camilla, Elin's daughter on Erik's boat on a trip to Leirgulen

Sandra, Ann's daughter

Alf and his wife Karen in 1999

The Lofnes house at Leirgulen

The boathouse at the family's home at Leirgulen

Erik giving Hans Christian, Anita's son, an opportunity to stear the boat on the journey back to Bergen

The sun shone on the journey back.

Sigvald chatting to Anita

Monday

The area where our rented flat was.

Tuesday

Our view of Bergen as we sailed away

Our view of a glacier

Seals along the way

At Flam waiting for the train

By the Kjosfossen Waterfall. We were allowed off the train to take pictures.

Wednesday

Mikal Gjellan, Anny son, thanking the committee,
Ann Olsbo, Reidar Gotteberg and Idar Lofnes,
who organised the wonderful reunion

Anne-Lise, Alf's daughter at the top of this table and
his youngest son Stale on the left of the table.

Erik giving Hans Christian, Anita's son, an opportunity
to stear the boat on the journey back to Bergen

By the Kjosfossen Waterfall.
We were allowed off the train to take pictures.