The day started off early for Nic, Ethan, and I. I'm not sure why but we all woke up around 5AM and had trouble getting back to sleep with the amount of light outside. Gwyneth awoke at a more reasonable 8:00AM. We had meet Christian and Siri downtown at 9:30AM for the "Children's Parade" related to Norway's Constitution Day. The whole day in fact had activities that started at 6:00AM and went into the evening. There were 3 parades - more like processions - one for school children, one for various groups and clubs, and the last one for graduating seniors from high school. We were advised by Siri and Christian to skip the high school one as the students tended to be drunk and would cause a commotion more than anything else.
We were on our way to the bus at 9AM and on the way Nic and I started to notice lots of people dressed up. I tried to dismiss it, but Nic insisted - even people in the cars were dressed up. Men mostly in suits and women in Norwegian costumes. We knew that there would be many people in the parade and so we thought they were participants. Once we got on the bus and downtown we realized that were were wrong - and severely undressed! (Nic and I both had jeans on and the kids had on some casual clothes). Everyone (and I mean almost everyone) was either dressed up or in a tradition Norwegian costume. Christian and Siri had forget ton to tell us the dress code. And I never thought in a million years that I would feel under dressed at a parade! So we got to look like the American Tourists that we were. I must admit it was something special to see the amount of National Pride that was exhibited. Here is a video from the parade of some school children singing.
We found ourselves a spot along the parade route near the center of town and met up with Siri. It turned out the Christian had too much to do before his trip to Oslo later in the day. The parade started at 10AM and was over by 11:15AM or so. This parade consisted of all of the local school children who walked together with their classmates. Some schools had bands that marched along with the group as well. Earlier in the week Christian (who doesn't seem to be shy of the phone) made a call to the British International School to ask if Gwyneth could march in the parade with the student. Thankfully, they thought it wasn't appropriate since it was a long walk and she wouldn't know anyone, but they did invite us back to the school after the parade for some of their activities. I wasn't so sure that I wanted Gwyneth walking through the streets of Trondheim by herself.
Nic and I found it interesting that the only street vendors seemed to be foreigners either selling balloons or crazy looking candy. No where could you buy a Norwegian flag or other National Pride items. I guess you had to have to act together before the day! We knew that Siri was going to bring flags for the kids so we were ready. Given Ethan's early rising time he quickly fell asleep once the parade started. Nic as able to find some bleachers to sit on and watch the parade from there. Gwyneth, Siri and I stood next to the action.
I learned a little more about the students with the white lab coats and overalls. They are high school students (not college students) and this is the outfit that they where close to graduation. We had been noticing that little kids would come up to them and the high school students would give them a business card. We learned from Siri that each student has their own set of cards with their picture, their school, and maybe a slogan. The younger kids then go around asking for the cards and treat them as a collectors item of sorts. Oh, and the different color overalls signify their course of study.
After the parade we walked up to the cathedral for a service of sorts that included some beautiful choral music and organ playing as well as singing of national songs. We stopped on the way for a photo with Gwyneth and Siri. Siri is wearing her costume which was made by her mother! It is hard to see but she is also wearing a couple of brooches that have been passed down through the family. We learned that the different looking costumes signify which part of Norway you come from. The cathedral service was really beautiful to listen too. Luckily they provided the words to the songs and so Gwyneth and I got to try some Norwegian singing. The service itself was close to an hour long and Ethan was having trouble sitting still so we had to placate him with the snacks and candy. Sorry for eating in church! (We were not treated to his air orchestra perfomance this time). After the cathedral we headed for the nearby Art Museum Cafe. Siri treated us adults to some coffee and the kids to some yummy chocolate cake. Siri and Christian really have been gracious hosts during this trip and so very friendly to us - we greatly appreciate it.
After the cafe, we had a brief stop by the British school, but by then the activities had ended. The kids got to play on the playground however so not all was lost. We parted ways with Siri (who had to get Christian to the airport) and we hopped the bus home. Both Nic and I napped a little in the afternoon given our early start and the kids played a bit outside with the neighbor kids. Then we had to pack up a little bit. Tomorrow we go on our Norwegian road trip for 3 days. Christian will be out of town and he encouraged us to take a little driving tour. So we are off to see the Geiranger Fjord and then the coastal town of Aelusand (Siri's home town). We are looking forward to it, but a little nervous about the driving!
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