{"id":9508,"date":"2025-10-31T12:00:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T11:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/?p=9508"},"modified":"2025-10-29T13:01:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T12:01:07","slug":"soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/","title":{"rendered":"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road"},"content":{"rendered":"
This summer, Inger Lise and I took our \u201cnew\u201d old campervan from Molde to Mandal. There were mountains, cows, laughter, and a top speed that made the campervan question its life choices \u2014 but oh, the freedom of the open road\u2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Soothing Saturday<\/em> \u2014 is my little corner for slowing down and stepping away from my usual genealogy deep dives. Think of it as a gentle exhale at the end of the week \u2014 a space for reflections, small joys, and simple stories written just for the pleasure of it.<\/p>\n<\/div>There\u2019s something wonderfully optimistic about the start of a road trip. The maps (or in my case, the GPS with a questionable sense of humor) are ready, the coffee\u2019s in a thermos, and the old campervan \u2014 our \u201cnew\u201d pride and joy \u2014 hums with possibility.<\/p>\n
Ours isn\u2019t one of those sleek, modern beasts that look like they could drive to the moon and make espresso along the way. No, ours is a veteran of the road -1999 model<\/em>, proudly displaying a few scratches, a faint smell of diesel, and a dashboard that squeaks in F major every time we hit a bump.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s ours. And this summer, it carried us from Molde to Mandal<\/strong>, through the kind of scenery that makes even Norwegians stop and mutter, \u201cWell, that\u2019s not too shabby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Now, I should say: we\u2019re seasoned cabin tourists<\/strong>. We know the rhythm of cabin life \u2014 the familiar roads, the creaky deck, the smell of wood smoke, coffee in the morning, and the constant bad conscience for maintenance that should have been done. But campervan life? That\u2019s a whole different game.<\/p>\n
In a cabin, the walls don\u2019t move, the floor doesn\u2019t rattle, and you never have to calculate whether your refrigerator will drain your battery before breakfast. In a campervan, everything\u2019s mobile \u2014 including your sense of dignity when you realize the toilet situation requires \u201clogistics.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019re still learning the ropes. And sometimes the ropes are tangled.<\/p>\n
\n
The thing about some Norwegian roads is that they\u2019re not just roads<\/em> \u2014 they\u2019re opinions.<\/em> They twist, dip, and narrow down to the width of a confident goat before opening up again to views that make you forget you\u2019re gripping the steering wheel like it owes you money.<\/p>\n
At one point, I swear the GPS sighed and said, \u201cGood luck.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
There\u2019s a special kind of camaraderie among drivers on these routes. You meet another vehicle coming the opposite way, and both of you slow down, lean out your windows, and exchange that Norwegian look that says, \u201cOne of us has to reverse \u2014 and we both know it\u2019s you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
Now, reversing a campervan is a test of faith \u2014 faith in mirrors, in geometry, and in whoever\u2019s standing behind you waving their arms and shouting, \u201cStop! No \u2014 the other way!\u201d I\u2019ve discovered I have three distinct reversing modes: optimism, panic, and resignation. Usually in that order.<\/p>\n
\n
We took turns driving \u2014 Inger Lise handling the tighter village roads with her usual calm precision, and me taking over on the open stretches, pretending I knew what every dashboard light meant. There\u2019s something reassuring about sharing the wheel. When one\u00a0 of us (read me) gets too confident, the other (read Inger Lise) quietly reminds them (read me) that this vehicle has the turning radius of a ferry and the aerodynamics of a brick.<\/p>\n
Somewhere in Valdres<\/strong>, our progress came to a leisurely halt when we found ourselves behind a herd of cows on their morning stroll. They were in no rush \u2014 utterly unimpressed by our mechanical marvel. We crept along at a majestic three kilometers per hour, surrounded by swishing tails and cowbells. Inger Lise laughed and said, \u201cWell, at least they know where they\u2019re going.\u201d I nodded, mostly trying to keep from reaching over to honk \u2014 not out of frustration, but because I had a feeling the cows would win that argument too.<\/p>\n\n
We took a few highways as well, just to give the old jalopy a chance to stretch its legs. At one point, the speedometer proudly climbed to 110 kilometers per hour<\/strong> (legally) \u2014 which, for those who prefer imperial drama, is about 69 miles per hour<\/strong>.\u00a0 The campervan made its opinion on that clear: a deep mechanical rumble that sounded somewhere between defiance and disbelief. Surprisingly, we passed some even older campervans. Everything inside rattled in sympathy \u2014 the cutlery, the cupboards, and possibly my spine. But she did it. For a brief, glorious moment, we were flying.\u00a0 Well, plodding briskly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
Still, there\u2019s a freedom to it that no highway can match. You take a turn off the main road and suddenly you\u2019re in another world \u2014 a quiet fjord with water so still it looks painted, a field where sheep look unimpressed by your parking skills, or a forest clearing that smells like pine and possibility.<\/p>\n
We stopped wherever we felt like it. Made coffee. Watched the light change. We slept by a beautiful river. No schedules, no traffic, no need to be anywhere in particular. Just the sound of wind, gulls, and occasionally, me dropping something in the kitchenette. We stayed at some campsites too, to be able to hook up to electricity and charge an ever growing array of gadgets.<\/p>\n
\nUvdal stave church<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
When we finally reached Mandal<\/strong>, we parked by the sea and spent a couple of days visiting friends at their cabin \u2014 the kind of place that reminds you what summer smells like, even in early spring. There was laughter, grilled food, and stories that grew a little taller with each retelling. By then we had discovered that cabin life and campervan life aren\u2019t so different \u2014 both are about slowing down, eating simply, and not caring too much if your hair smells faintly of smoke and sea salt.<\/p>\n\nEgersund<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
For the trip home, we took the coastal route<\/strong> \u2014 winding through fishing villages, tiny harbors, and stretches of open sea that seemed to stretch straight into forever. We stopped often, not because we had to, but because we could.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it was for coffee. Sometimes it was for photos. And once, because I\u2019d misjudged a turn and needed to back up. (Nothing was harmed, except my pride.)<\/p>\n
\n
By the time we rolled back into Molde, the campervan had acquired a few new squeaks, and I\u2019d added a few more grey hairs. But as I parked it \u2014 neatly, miraculously, and without incident \u2014 I realized I was already planning the next trip.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a quiet joy in knowing that you can just\u2026 go. That tomorrow, you might follow another narrow road, get lost again, and find something worth seeing simply because you weren\u2019t in a hurry.<\/p>\n
\n
Soothing Saturday Lesson:<\/strong> Sometimes the best journeys aren\u2019t the fastest or smoothest \u2014 they\u2019re the ones that remind you how good it feels to take the long way home.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/div>\n\n
Until next time \u2014 may your coffee be warm, your records be legible, and your heart find a reason to smile. Have a great weekend!<\/em><\/p>\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This summer, Inger Lise and I took our \u201cnew\u201d old campervan from Molde to Mandal. There were mountains, cows, laughter,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[150],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soothing-saturday"],"yoast_head":"\n
Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road - Norwegian Genealogy and then some<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This summer, Inger Lise and I took our \u201cnew\u201d old campervan from Molde to Mandal. There were mountains, cows, laughter,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Norwegian Genealogy and then some\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MartinRoeEidhammer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MartinRoeEidhammer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-31T11:00:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"457\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"685\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Martin Roe Eidhammer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/MEidhammer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MEidhammer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Martin Roe Eidhammer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Martin Roe Eidhammer\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c88ba0bf75121593e21bc58cfda26790\"},\"headline\":\"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-31T11:00:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1198,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c88ba0bf75121593e21bc58cfda26790\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Soothing Saturday\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/\",\"name\":\"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road - Norwegian Genealogy and then some\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-31T11:00:39+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1\",\"width\":457,\"height\":685},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Norwegian Genealogy and then some\",\"description\":\"Norwegian genealogy guidance for English-speaking descendants\u2014sources, methods, and real case work.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c88ba0bf75121593e21bc58cfda26790\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c88ba0bf75121593e21bc58cfda26790\",\"name\":\"Martin Roe Eidhammer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/Intro-to-the-blog.jpg?fit=861%2C589&ssl=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/Intro-to-the-blog.jpg?fit=861%2C589&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/Intro-to-the-blog.jpg?fit=861%2C589&ssl=1\",\"width\":861,\"height\":589,\"caption\":\"Martin Roe Eidhammer\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/Intro-to-the-blog.jpg?fit=861%2C589&ssl=1\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MartinRoeEidhammer\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/martin_roe_eidhammer\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/MEidhammer\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC95EzpOVGkMmJIgiI99ZTtA\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/martinroe.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/martin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road - Norwegian Genealogy and then some","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road","og_description":"This summer, Inger Lise and I took our \u201cnew\u201d old campervan from Molde to Mandal. There were mountains, cows, laughter,","og_url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/","og_site_name":"Norwegian Genealogy and then some","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MartinRoeEidhammer","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MartinRoeEidhammer","article_published_time":"2025-10-31T11:00:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":457,"height":685,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/MEidhammer","twitter_site":"@MEidhammer","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/"},"author":{"name":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c88ba0bf75121593e21bc58cfda26790"},"headline":"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road","datePublished":"2025-10-31T11:00:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/"},"wordCount":1198,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c88ba0bf75121593e21bc58cfda26790"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1","articleSection":["Soothing Saturday"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/","url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/","name":"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road - Norwegian Genealogy and then some","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1","datePublished":"2025-10-31T11:00:39+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1","width":457,"height":685},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-long-and-winding-road\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Soothing Saturday: The Long and Winding Road"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/","name":"Norwegian Genealogy and then some","description":"Norwegian genealogy guidance for English-speaking descendants\u2014sources, methods, and real case work.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c88ba0bf75121593e21bc58cfda26790"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c88ba0bf75121593e21bc58cfda26790","name":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Intro-to-the-blog.jpg?fit=861%2C589&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Intro-to-the-blog.jpg?fit=861%2C589&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Intro-to-the-blog.jpg?fit=861%2C589&ssl=1","width":861,"height":589,"caption":"Martin Roe Eidhammer"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Intro-to-the-blog.jpg?fit=861%2C589&ssl=1"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MartinRoeEidhammer","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/martin_roe_eidhammer\/","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/MEidhammer","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC95EzpOVGkMmJIgiI99ZTtA"],"url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/author\/martin\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Campervan-on-Valdresflya-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p79KEH-2tm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9475,"url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-great-christmas-movie-takeover\/","url_meta":{"origin":9508,"position":0},"title":"Soothing Saturday: The Great Christmas Movie Takeover","author":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","date":"November 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"You know that feeling when the rain is hammering the windows, the wind\u2019s howling like a pack of wolves that missed their dinner, and you think, \u201cPerfect day to stay in and relax\u201d? Yeah, that was me this morning. Mug of coffee in hand, slippers on, ready to spend a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Soothing Saturday"","block_context":{"text":"Soothing Saturday","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/category\/life-in-general\/soothing-saturday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Soothing-Saturday-Christmas-movie-kopi.jpg?fit=685%2C457&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Soothing-Saturday-Christmas-movie-kopi.jpg?fit=685%2C457&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Soothing-Saturday-Christmas-movie-kopi.jpg?fit=685%2C457&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10112,"url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-the-day-the-fish-turned-to-jelly\/","url_meta":{"origin":9508,"position":1},"title":"Soothing Saturday: The Day the Fish Turned to Jelly","author":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","date":"December 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u2074Every time I think about lutefisk, I don\u2019t picture a cosy Christmas table with candlelight and rosy cheeks. I\u2019m right back in a childhood kitchen, eyes watering, wondering if someone had boiled a fish and a cleaning product in the same pot. And yet, I\u2019m Norwegian. I love tradition. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Soothing Saturday"","block_context":{"text":"Soothing Saturday","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/category\/life-in-general\/soothing-saturday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Martin-Lutefisk.jpg?fit=457%2C685&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9674,"url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-a-gentle-prelude-to-december\/","url_meta":{"origin":9508,"position":2},"title":"Soothing Saturday \u2013 A Gentle Prelude to December","author":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","date":"November 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Tomorrow is the early Christmas concert for our little community band, and already the house carries that familiar hum \u2014 instrument cases leaning by the door, sheet music tucked in folders, and the quiet, steady promise of tradition. It happens every year, this gathering of neighbours and friends, yet it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Soothing Saturday"","block_context":{"text":"Soothing Saturday","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/category\/life-in-general\/soothing-saturday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Soothing-Saturday.jpg?fit=685%2C457&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Soothing-Saturday.jpg?fit=685%2C457&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Soothing-Saturday.jpg?fit=685%2C457&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9465,"url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-finding-my-roots-and-my-core\/","url_meta":{"origin":9508,"position":3},"title":"Soothing Saturday: Finding My Roots\u2026 and My Core","author":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","date":"November 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Ah, Saturday \u2014 that glorious day when my alarm clock gets ignored, my coffee tastes like peace, and I can pretend I have my life together for at least the first two hours. Ah, Saturday \u2014 that beautiful pause button in the week when the alarm clock gets to sleep\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Soothing Saturday"","block_context":{"text":"Soothing Saturday","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/category\/life-in-general\/soothing-saturday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Soothing-Saturday-4-kopi.jpg?fit=457%2C457&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10815,"url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-when-the-light-comes-back-and\/","url_meta":{"origin":9508,"position":4},"title":"Soothing Saturday: When the Light Comes Back (And We All Pretend We\u2019re Fine)","author":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","date":"January 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"If you live in Norway, winter teaches you a very specific kind of patience. Not the heroic, mountain-trek patience. More the everyday kind where you put on your jacket, look out the window, and think, \u201cAh. Darkness again. How original.\u201d And yet\u2014every year\u2014something small happens that lifts the whole country\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Soothing Saturday"","block_context":{"text":"Soothing Saturday","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/category\/life-in-general\/soothing-saturday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/When-the-light-comes-back.jpg?fit=685%2C457&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/When-the-light-comes-back.jpg?fit=685%2C457&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/When-the-light-comes-back.jpg?fit=685%2C457&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11185,"url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/soothing-saturday-clarinets-repairs-and-other-trials-of-country-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":9508,"position":5},"title":"Soothing Saturday: Clarinets, Repairs, and Other Trials of Country Life","author":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","date":"April 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Most people probably think I spend all my time with the dead. And to be fair, there is some truth in that. Genealogy does tend to keep one in close company with departed farmers, missing great-grandfathers, parish clerks with dreadful handwriting, and the occasional ancestor who seems determined to leave\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Soothing Saturday"","block_context":{"text":"Soothing Saturday","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/category\/life-in-general\/soothing-saturday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/clarinet-repair.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/clarinet-repair.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/clarinet-repair.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9508"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9552,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9508\/revisions\/9552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cows-in-the-road-kopi.jpg?resize=387%2C258&ssl=1\")
Somewhere in Valdres<\/strong>, our progress came to a leisurely halt when we found ourselves behind a herd of cows on their morning stroll.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cabin.webp?resize=541%2C175&ssl=1\")
We stopped wherever we felt like it. Made coffee. Watched the light change. We slept by a beautiful river.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/587A0345-kopi-2-kopi-redusert.jpg?resize=452%2C311&ssl=1\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/587A0588-kopi-2-redusert.jpg?resize=259%2C358&ssl=1\")