Arriving in Hareid and the amazing Norwegian Fjords

Late in the day as our legs had just begun to lose feeling, we finally arrived in Moa (far western Norway) and we were greeted by our host, Kristen and her two sons, Lars and Emil. The family had some grocery shopping to do, and so began our assimilation into their family. This particular shopping mall is said to be the largest in all of Norway. After a 45 minute ferry ride to Hareid, we finally arrived to Kristen’s home where we were met by her Sri Lankan partner, Kennedy and her other two children. Kristen later told us that most Norwegians “don’t bother to marry anymore”. The bustle of Kristen’s household made us feel instantly comfortable. The children (Ida Pria, Emil, Lars, Ula, and Mari Reesa) range from age 4 to 19, and all are unique in personality, welcoming with a wonderful sense of comical teasing.
To our grand food fortune, Kennedy is a tremendous cook! We were treated to first-class handmade Sicilian style pizza, spicy curry chicken with eggplant and dahl, and bacalou stew (dried cod and veggies). Kristen treated us to her authentic Norwegian dish of reindeer, commenting on how distressful the reindeer purchase had been for 4 year old Mari. Mari wonders whether Santa will have reindeer next year.
This picture is Mary and Lars on the ferry to Hareid.