We need to finish writing about some of our experiences in Kongsberg. Marit said that she wanted to take us to the silver mines but she didn't want to go in. We were concerned that it would be a long wait for her but she really wanted to take us and we were glad to spend more time with her. She came and picked us up at the Hostel about 11am. Marit had treated us to early dinner for 2 nights so we decided that it should be our treat this time. We had packed our lunched the day before but Marit and Gine bought us dinner so we hadn't used them. So we wanted to use them and packed one for Marit and thought it would be fun to treat her. At the hostel you can make a lunch for about 45 NOK. Every hostel or hotel offered these wonderful breakfasts and at first we couldn't believe that there were meats and cheeses, cucumbers and tomatoes, kaviar, fish dishes and some stuff we didn't recognize at every breakfast. We finally realized that they were also setting out lunch stuff too if someone wanted to make and pay for it. But you wouldn't believe that people eat so much cheese and fish for breakfast too. They need to cater to everyone. I know that if a Norwegian came here to the USA and it said continental breakfast and all they got was a donut and orange juice, coffee or tea. They would be very disappointed. Sorry to break from the story but we looked forward to breakfast every morning because we were really only having 2 meals a day. We went to their little grocery store to by some food and we would see prices like 3800 NOK for a candy bar and 7200 for a banana, 12900 for a bag of chips. We surly thought we were going to starve to death that first few days. We didn't think our money was going to last us for a week let alone 2 weeks. We felt like we were living the joke that Darrell tells so well. How much is your bread? THAT HIGH! Oh Wow, well we have to have some bread! How much is that Banana? THAT HIGH! We..ll we have to have something to eat. OK we will buy one. The store clerks says "Thanks for not making fun of my hunch back". We say "Hunch back!, I thought it was your bum! Everything else was so HIGH!
But we did so good that we were running around the airport looking for something that would be 40 NOK or less just to get rid of the change. The bank won't exchange change back. We are so funny.
Back to the Silver Mine. We know from the census that our relatives worked in the silver mines or connected to the workings of the mine. The story is two children were playing on the hill tending a cow and it went to sharpening its horn in the dirt and it stirred up something shiny. They picked up the shiny rocks and took it to their farmer father. He knew it was silver and wanted to keep it quiet so he could be rich. But the Danish King Christian IV heard about it and then sent his soldiers to claim it. Then the mines were dug into the top of the mountain straight down. The mine we visited was called the Kings mine and is the biggest and deepest. We rode this enclosed mini train car into the mine. They give you ear plugs to wear and the little cars only hold 6 people, knees interlocking with your across neighbor. We stopped and got out in this hugh big area that was used to store valueables during the war. They put painting, museum pieces etc and they told us that the 3 large glass chandaliers that were in the Kongsberg church were even stored in there. Amazing. Halvor(guide) told us that the miners would wake with the church bells ringing about 3or4am and then walk up the mountain to the mines. It would take 1-2 hrs for them to walk up the hills and then home again 1-2 hours but it was a long time before they built places for the men to live closer during the work week. It was recorded that after the bells would ring that the hills would start swarming with men walking from every direction up the mountain. That would be quite a site. In the winter the men would walk up the hills and ski back home. We call it cross country skiing for the fun, it was just a way of life and a necessity for them.
