It is a lazy Saturday in Norway and the sun is shining. Each morning I thank God for the health and ability to travel and experience a new life style. Our day starts slowly. I have some muesli and coffee and catch up on some reading.

Eventually we leave the house. We are in no rush. I think our weekly transport card gives us privileges on the local ferry to the nearby islands. We decide to give it a try. The first ferry we come to is the wrong dock. Thankfully I ask before we board or we would have ended up far, far away with a ticket that is insufficient for long distances. Instead, we are directed to a dock farther down the pier.

It is kind of fun to board a boat with no real idea of where you are going or what you will find. We get off at the first stop. Might as well, it is an island that looks inviting. I was expecting to find a community and instead we find a large island park. We walk trails along the fjord, enjoying the sunshine and forest. It seems a lot of locals have the same ideas.

Unexpectedly, we stumble onto the ruins of a 2nd century monastery. The ancient walls give us clues as to how the monks lived. There are a few old signs in Norwegian but I can only make out every fourth word. Perhaps I will look up more later, but for now we just enjoy the sunshine. The temperature is still cool, but after being in the arctic, it feels like a heat wave.

We ride the ferry circuit, sitting on the outside deck to take photos and admire the forest cabins and small boats of the locals who use the islands as a weekend escape. It is a lovely day in a lovely place. But I am hungry and increasingly impatient to get back to the mainland.

Once at the docks, I spot some food trucks. There are lots of fun options, but my guy loves fried chicken. So chicken it is. We split a large basket of chicken and fries. We decide to sit down to eat outside in the large plaza across from the city hall. The plaza is adorned by more Vigelund statues (naked people). It is also inhabited by many gulls who want our lunch. One persistent black and white demon sits and stares at my basket of fries. He chases all the other gulls away while crying “miiiiine”. The joke is on him. I don’t share food with wildlife.

Akershus Castle is only a short walk away inside the fortress. It is large and beautiful in its ramshackle way. The ticket clerk offers us senior tickets. Sometimes it pays to get a little older. In fact, most visitors in the castle appear to be retirees. The young ones are all out hiking the islands. They were arriving as we were leaving.

Some Norwegian kings are buried in the mausoleum here, just beneath the chapel and beyond the dungeons. The interior of the crypt is simple marble. The chapel is understated elegance, with carved wood altar, pulpit, and royal box. The muted colors and natural elements give a natural dignity to the spaces.

Further into the castle, the rooms are turned out in medieval finery. Ornate leather chairs and priceless tapestries fill large halls. The Danish kings once ruled Norway and decorated the rooms in splendor. But I find the the story of Queen Margaret the most compelling. She was left a widow, became regent, and ended up uniting Norway, Denmark, and Sweden in the Scandic league. Her legacy lives on in the rooms that she inhabited so long ago. They are rugged and unassuming, as she must have been.

I giggle as we move throughout the castle. No matter where I turn to take a photo, there is one lone old man. It is not always the same man. Just a man, usually standing aimlessly in front of the central point in the room. Often he is looking at his phone. Oddly he usually looks like Bernie Sanders. I wait patiently for the man to move, but if he is entrenched and also oblivious, it is impossible. So I have lots of photos from Norway featuring men who look oddly like Bernie Sanders.

In the final room, a beautiful stained glass masterpiece dominates a wall. The colors are radiant in an otherwise dark room. Sketches on the opposite end of the room show the construction and planning of the glass work. I am surprised to see the artist is Vigeland. So far all of the many pieces we have seen have been bronze statues of naked people. This is different and wonderful. Because it is a different Vigeland. Emmanuel not Gustav.

It is a full day. A beautiful day. Sun and sea. Castles and parks. Ferries and fortress. This is the day the Lord has made and I am rejoicing and glad in it.