Tour of Norway (Gamvik)

various Norwegian web-sites | May 4, 2005 | self

[franksolich]

Gamvik is about the middle of the circle on the map below; several hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, and on the globe, a couple of hundred miles north of the northernmost part of Alaska.

Gamvik has circa 1,600 people, or a little less than 1 per square mile.

Gamvik is not the northern-most town on continental Norway; there are a couple of villages a mile or two north, but I cannot find information on them.



Gamvik from the ocean:



Next to furniture-making, the main business in Gamvik is catering to tourists interested in military history; apparently the German "Atlantikwall" ended up here, stretching all the way from France W-A-Y down south. The sites appear very well-preserved; not restored or anything--plenty of old German junk laying around--but just preserved in its natural ruin. I found many photographs of the "Atlantikwall" around Gamvik on, not surprisingly, a web-site in.....Polish; great photographs and all that, but too many of them to post.







Some houses in Gamvik:



Either a furniture-factory or a fishery, in Gamvik (my Norwegian-English dictionary did not have the word):



Gamvik, another view:



Some mountain dominating Gamvik:



Lighthouse in Gamvik:



Snow in Gamvik:

[franksolich]

By popular demand, another photographic "tour" of the unknown-to-tourists places in Norway.

[franksolich]

Ping for the Norway ping list.



You know, I am surprised by the rarity of people in Norway. Norway is one of the largest countries in Europe, in area, but in population, Norway with 4.8 million people, has fewer people than many of the capital cities of Europe.

I checked the latest (2004) census statistics from Norway, and learned that Oslo, the capital of our gallant allies in the war against terror, has but 520,000 people--not even the size of Omaha.

The second-largest city, Bergen (naturally), has 238,000, and the third-largest city, Trondheim, 155,000.

And then the numbers drop precipitously from there.

The charming city of Alesund, the first feature (and with oh so many errors) of the "Tour of Norway" series, with 40,000 people, actually rates as a "major city" in Norway.

Nothing wrong with any of that, this shortage of people; it just goes to show that being Norwegian is a rare gift, and so if one is Norwegian, he should be proud of his distinctiveness.

[Grut]

Either a furniture-factory or a fishery, in Gamvik

Fishery, I think; that A-frame on the other side of the main building looks like a cod-drying rack.

You may have discovered the home of the lutefisk!

Incidentally, thanks for running these features, they're really interesting.

[franksolich]

Thank you, sir.

I'm trying to find some of the hidden delights of Norway--not your usual tourist spots--but I'm still working on improving the "tours."

As with the now-famous Norway ping list, which started off lamely and awkwardly, but then improved much as time went on, I hope the same fate for the "Tour of Norway" feature--and I do have quite a collection now; enough for at least 50-75 "tours."

[mollynme]

Either a furniture-factory or a fishery, in Gamvik (my Norwegian-English dictionary did not have the word):

What was the word? I can ask my Norsk relatives.

[franksolich]

Too late; I deleted the source after I posted this.

But I assume, and quite reasonably so, that Grut, who knows such things, is right.

Tomorrow: the enthralling city of Harsted.

[Marysecretary]

Got any pictures of Hvaler?

[franksolich]

Your request shall be honored, madam, after this weekend.

All such requests gladly received.

Ping for the Norway ping list.



By the way, per my promise on the "tour" of Alesand (that first pathetic attempt, with all these errors--but I will make it up to the wonderful city of Alesund later)--

I have sent a check to Free Republic, in the names of Grut and Tamerlane, for having pointed out the errors in that first botched "tour"--they both should receive an acknowledgement for their contribution to Free Republic, from Free Republic, in a couple of weeks.

Grut was the one who first informed me--alas AFTER the photographs had been posted--that there is a difference between Alesund and Ny-Alesund, and of course he was absolutely correct. (I had disregarded the "Ny-" as being some sort of inconsequential prefix, everything being in Norwegian).

And then Tamerlane was the first to notice one photograph was of Bergen, not of Alesund. This one took some investigation, because the original web-site (in Norwegian) said it was of Alesund.

But then I looked at Bergen and Alesund again, and decided the Norwegian who had put up the web-site about Alesund had erred; it was in fact a photograph of Bergen, not Alesund.

And so that "offer" continues; any time through my own stupid negligence, I misidentify a photograph from Norway, the first person who spots the error, gets a contribution sent to Free Republic by me, in the name of that person.

This serves three purposes: (a) enriching the coffers of Free Republic so as to enable all of us, and more of us, to engage in illuminating discussion, (b) forcing myself to be more careful about "sources," and (c) "redeeming" myself for having made such stupid errors.

I was busy today, and will be busy tonight and tomorrow, and so will not post anything from Norway this weekend, other than a "tour" or two (probably on Saturday and Sunday).

[GoLightly]

any time through my own stupid negligence, I misidentify a photograph from Norway, the first person who spots the error, gets a contribution sent to Free Republic by me, in the name of that person

Not that I wanna see you pay for any of the hard work you've put in for us, cuz I just love the tours you're doing for us....

Among the pictures in your 2nd tour (Can't remember the name of the city), there was a picture of a church alter. It was the 2nd or 3rd last picture in the group. Next to the alter was an American flag. Now maybe it's possible that a Norwegian church would have that flag there, but seeing it there did make me wonder....

[franksolich]

That was a mistake, that AFTER I posted it, I was hoping no one would notice.

The source of that photograph was from a Norwegian web-site, but after I too noticed the American flag (AFTER I had posted it), I checked the web-site again.

The web-site was in Norwegian, but it had 3 or 4 photographs (out of 100+) of a Lutheran church in.....Minnesota. This particular photograph, unhappily, being one of them.

There is a Hemnes, Norway, and apparently, a Hemnes, Minnesota.

This check's in the mail next week, Free Republic.....in the name of the perceptive GoLightly.

[GoLightly]

I would have never have mentioned it, cept you gave me some incentive. LOL

[Grut]

This serves three purposes: (a) enriching the coffers of Free Republic so as to enable all of us, and more of us, to engage in illuminating discussion, (b) forcing myself to be more careful about "sources," and (c) "redeeming" myself for having made such stupid errors.

Frank, don't beat yourself to death for fiddly little mistakes when you're doing such a good job overall!

The great character defect of us squareheads is a near-terminal earnestness. What a Thing it is, to have a Lutheran conscience! Beer, in quantity, is the answer.

[franksolich]

<<not beating self to death, and besides it goes to a good cause.