The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-03-16
FROM NORWAY.
Notes Of Travel by awaiian.

''But what possessed you to go to
Norway" L am sometimes asked,
"that is scarcely the orthodox tour
for beginner in Europe" Just for
that very reason perhaps; that L
might go somewhere where every
one else didn't go. But, not to be
without more sensible reasons, G.
friend of mine who had travelled ex-
tensively assured me that for natural
beauty and grandeur Norway was
uneuualed in Europe. And lastly,
perhaps the most conclusive argu-
ment was. few exceedingly hot
New England June days. The gla-
ciers and ice-felds and blue fiords of
Norway lured my imagination with
an irresistible attraction. Norway
must be cool! l would go there!
1t was already growing late IN the
season for the midnight sun when L
reached Uhristiania from Hamburg,
by way of Copenhagen, so that L
could do little more in passing than
look at the very interesting old VI
king ships exhumed from royal
grave, where they had been buried
nine or ten centuries ago to await the
resurrection Of their adventurous
masters. They do not correspond
very closely with our modern concep-
tions of ships, being rather gigantic
row-boats SO or 60 feet long and very
close prototype Of the modern Nor
wegian fishing boat, of which, Of
course, they are the linial ancestor.
In one respect, at least, that Of beds,
the modern ship has retrogaded. In
stead of the narrow and confined
berth, the Viking ship had roomy and
comfortable looking four posters.
From Christiania [ went by rail to
Trondhjem, on the west coast, jour
ney Of about eighteen hours up the
beautiful Valley Of the Glommen and
across the Doverfeld mountains to
the sea on the other side. Railways
are rather a luxury in Norway
and fancy a very expensive one, as
the country is almost all mountains,
and the difficulties of construction
are as great as with US in Hawaii,
while the returns are scarcely more
in proportion. Fortunately they may
be readily dispensed with, as the
country, which consists mainly of sea
coast, anyway, is literally scanned
with fiords and long, narrow lakes, SO
that one is always within easy reach
of water communication. What rail-
roads there are, are owned and oper
ated by the state, and seem to exist
rather as a public convenience or
necessity than as lucrative invest
ment. The fares are cheap, about
two and half cents a mile; the SER
vice good and reasonably expeditions,
especially considering the small
amount of traffic and the difficulties
of engineering that are encountered.
The uniform civility, patience and
humility of the Norwegian official,
who has the air and appearance of a
thorough gentleman, are very strik
ing and refreshing to one who has
just come from America, where the
mental official has the pride of q
prince and the manners of rough.
But perhaps the most remarkable
thing about the Scandinavian rail
way is the restaurant. At one end of
the table is a pile of plates, cups,
saucers and the necessary nipple
ments Of service, and at the other
end correspondingly bountiful
supply of food necessary for four
or five course dinner. The traveller
is expected to help himself to bis
hearts content; no one waits on him
or pays any attention to him. Having
furnished himself to his taste, he
looks about for place where he can
eat it in comfort, and lodges about
among the eager crowd, perhaps with
a plate of hot soup in his hand, to
the peril of himself and all about
him, until at length he finds little
table and a seat, which, however, he
is very apt to lose again when he
goes to renew his supply at the cen
trail depot. l must say, however, that
the meal is an excellent one, the
viands are good, abundant and we'll
cooked, and the charge very mode
rate furthermore, there is plenty of
time given to eat in.
On this journey I passed through
a good deal of the timber country of
Norway, and must say that l was
rather disappointed with the charac-
ter of the timber saw. From child
hood up 1 had read in poetry and
prose of the stately pines Of Norway
tall and straight, masts for huge line
of battle ships, ETC., until | really
expected to see something fine in the
way of timber. AS matter of fact,
however, I don't think I saw single
tree of over II inches in diameter,
and neither then, nor at any time
afterwards, did I see any sawed lum-
Der that looked as though it had
come out of a large tree.
Trondhjem is a city about the size
of Honolulu, one of the oldest IN
Norway; was formerly the capital.
and is yet the third city in the king
dom, and the center OF all the north
ern trade. It lies within about three
degrees of the Polar circle, in about
the same latitude as Southern Ice.
land, Greenland and Bafinland, and
yet is no colder than Boston OF
Chicago, if indeed as cold-certainly
not subject to the same extremes OF
cold as those cities. The mean Janu
airy temperature is 80 deg. Fair
Unlike most of the older European