Evening star., 1932-02-14
BY PAULINE FREDERICK.

"And I have loved thee, Ocean {.
For was, as it were, a child Of thee :"
Thus sang the poet Byron. And well
might just such lines be woven into the
national expression Of the great Morse
land called Norway; for in the lure OF
the restless sea may be found one rea-
son for its being.
So declared Nine. Ragna Bachke,
cultivated and talented hostess OF the
Norwegian legation. recently.
Norway has always depended on the
sea for large part of her existence" ;"
she pointed out From the time OF
the early Viking explorers to the pres
ent day. Norway has been great sea-
faring nation Besides this. the people
have engaged in commerce and fish,
ing"
And this is not to be wondered at
Something over 10000 miles of shore
line, if the fiords and large islands are
counted, bind this great Scandinavian
country inevitably to the sea, drawing
the land and water together into an in
separable means of livelihood for the
sturdy Norwegians.
Our northern coast Is washed by
the Arctic Ocean," she continued, "and
into it Norwegian sealers 60 as far as
they can each year. The long western
coast fronts the Atlantic and the North
Sea, which are the greatest highways
Norway has to other parts of the world.
The Skaggerak, connecting the North
Sea with the Cattegat, separates Nor
way from Jutland."
The only boundary therefore, that is
not formed by some body of water is
the eastern, where Sweden and Finland
fuse with Norway into Europes great
northern peninsula.
x x
"I was born in the southern part of
Norway" Nine. Bachke said. Then she
preceded to tell of some Of the Won
ders with which nature has endowed
her country.
A great part of this winter nation"
according to her picturesque descrip-
tion, Is noted for sturdy mountains
from which there emanate . freshness
and fragrance Of spruce and pine. Over
steep cliffs and through narrow gorges,
waterfalls tumble in riotous cascades,
revealing veritable beauty born OF
murmuring sound
For about 400 miles Norway reaches
into the Arctic zone" Nine. Bachke
pointed out. 80 you see we may claim
the phenomenon of the midnight sun as
well as that of Winter darkness. But
this is only in the extreme north. Nor
way, in most places, offers great oppor-
tunities for the lover of Winter sports.
Skiing is one of the most popular out
door attractions. It Is the means of
drawing great crowds OF tourists from
the so-called warmer countries"
Does this mean that Norway has no
warm weather at all?" she was asked.
Her reply was in the negative. "Al-
though my country cannot be said to
have a climate as warm as that Of
Washington In the Summer time"-and
there was a twinkle of merriment in
her eyes at being able to draw such a
compartson-"we do have some months
that are warm. The peak Of this
weather is reached in July. But Win
ter. after all, Is the most wonderful time
OF all the year in Norway"
And this interesting wife of Norways
envoy went on to describe the reign of
the snow king in her land which makes
fairyland of the mountains and water
falls and playland of the ski tracks.
4
The sea has peculiar appeal for
Mime. Bachke. She was close to it and
its ways throughout her early life, for
her father was a ship owner, outstand-
ing in his chosen field Of industry.
My father is 50 years DID," Nine.
Bachke said proudly. LIT is one Of the
hopes of my life that he may be able to
come here to visit us soon."
One could not help uttering the same
wish, too,- that this rugged descendant
of the hardy Norsemen may have Just