Full steam ahead...

I wanted to share more photos with you of my long-weekend trip to Norway! This gentleman just looked so darling and sea-worthy! He is a sailor on a whale catcher's ship, the "H/B Southern Actor," with a steam engine (3 cylinder) which was built in the 1950's and is still running, but used for tourism now. Steam engines were preferred by Norwegians because the quieter engine did not scare away the whales, as a diesel engine might.

The retired sailors on the boat told us that the whale catcher ships used to be attached to a much larger "factory ship." The factory ship would have up to 15 boats surrounding it, bringing in whales to be processed. It could bring back the processed flubber and oil, etc. from a total of up to 300 whales! These boats would travel in the fall from Norway ALL the way --for 30 days-- down to the South Pole, and then stay and hunt for up to 6 months.

Norway and the wedding were exciting enough, but an added aspect for me was that it was my 25th country to visit. Ok, let's get technical-- I have not traveled extensively in all these places. But why not also include a lunch-time visit into tiny Luxembourg a few years ago, with my friend Jen? And I counted Scotland and England as 1 together (under the UK) but the island of Nevis a separate entity, although all 3 are actually part of 1 country, the United Kingdom. Therefore they're not, by definition, a "country"; (for details on what defines a country, click on this).
On the same harbor in Sandefjord (see map above), where we visited the whale catcher boat, a huge ferry from the Color Line company rounded the bend. Cars later poured out of its hull. Apparently, since the prices in Norway as SO high (highest in Europe!), some people go on shopping trips to Sweden, buying groceries and loading up their vehicles. Then they drive back over the land border, because these customs officers are more lenient (auf Deutsch, nachsichtig).

I was fascinated by this old dial (do you know what it's officially called?) in the boiler and engine room. It was down in the hull, and since we were not in America (where everyone is afraid that you might sue if you slipped!), or in Germany (where one would have more rules), we were allowed to freely wander and take in the atmosphere. Cool!

The engine room was hot (from fire in the boilers!), and the floor was totally oily and smelled. I asked how this dial worked: 1) the captain gives the orders from above; 2) the crew responds, and adjusts the steam accordingly to slow or go "full" steam --ahead or astern (auf Deutsch, achteraus), and then 3) responds back with the dial, to show that the command has been registered. Isn't that a great spiritual lesson? We must be aware of and register the signals that God gives us from above, choose to adjust our course (or speed) in life, and then in prayer tell Him how we feel about these new directions, keeping in constant communication!