by Paula (Giangreco) Cullison

Before our trip, I sent out an email (with my Letter of Introduction) to several SERVAS members in each of the cities on our itinerary. As luck would have it, quite a number responded that they would enjoy meeting us. Our trip to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, and then to Iceland was AWESOME. The highlight of our trip was meeting SERVAS members. There, Gunvor Bjerre invited us for coffee and dessert at her lovely modern apartment. After giving us the royal tour of her Christianshaven neighborhood, Gunvor gifted us with a book of folk tales from Greenland which she’d compiled and published. 

Photo above - Dinner at the lovely home of Ingrid Pedersen and Bjarne Kjaer (Copenhagen - Frederiksberg district) Here also with Gunvor Bjerre (standing left) who gave us a most interesting walking tour of Christianshaven and invited us for dessert & coffee. Daniele (seated right) was visiting from Paris

SERVAS members Ingrid Pedersen and Bjarne Kjaer invited us to an awesome dinner in their art filled lovely home in charming Frederiksberg, an independent section of Copenhagen – while they were hosting Daniele from Paris. We were also invited to the summer SERVAS gathering in the communal courtyard of Gunna Starck´s apartment complex. A dozen members attended; one had met Bob Luitweiler, who was an exchange student from Bellingham, Washington, studying in Copenhagen, when he envisioned this international nonprofit in 1949.  As we are pleased to tell others - SERVAS is now in over 100 countries. While in Copenhagen, we also enjoyed Tivoli Gardens, Glypoteck Art Museum, Amalienborg Palace, and Nyhavn. 

Photo Above: In Copenhagen for the SERVAS gathering in the courtyard of Gunna Starck's home.

The weather in Stockholm was like Copenhagen’s (mid-70s F). SERVAS members Jorgen and Asa Persson invited us for lunch which they served in the communal courtyard of their historic condo complex in the Sodermalm section of Stockholm. Greta Garbo grew  up there! This once poor working-class area is now gentrified and filled with cafes, restaurants, shops, public art, small parks, and galleries. We also enjoyed the Fotografiska Museum, Nobel Prize Museum, VASA Museum, the changing of the Palace Guard, Waldemarsudde Villa of Prince Eugene, and the Ice Bar. 

Photo above: In Stockholm at the lovely home and courtyard of Jorgen and Asa Persson in the Sodermalm section

Another SERVAS member, Margareta Soderberg, met us at City Hall and walked with us along the water of Lake Mälaren which meets the Baltic Sea. A retired teacher, Margareta now teaches Swedish to immigrants. We enjoyed coffee and pastry at Mälarpaviljongen, a popular outdoor cafe. Before meeting Margareta, we took a tour of the beautiful City Hall where the Nobel dinner is held. The mosaics and art works are stunning. The setting by the water is ideal for photographs. Saturday in Stockholm is the day for civil weddings which last about 4 minutes each. Seventy couples are married then. That equates to 6 hours of hearing ‘I Do’ – Ja (Yes). One could easily spend a Saturday enjoying the parade of happily married couples.

Photo above: author with Margareta Soderberg for a leisurely afternoon  at a cafe along Lake Mälaren in Stockholm, Sweden

In Oslo, we enjoyed visiting the Kon Tiki Museum and the Vigeland Sculpture Park, Munch Museum, the Opera House and the Bibliotek. During our visit, Lisa Kara Froyland and Fredrik Felberg, two SERVAS members, were to be married at a country church in the small town of Jevnaker, located an hour north of Oslo. They invited us to the church ceremony.

Photo above: Lisa and Fredrik's wedding in Jevnaker, Norway

We took the train from Oslo to Roa where we had a nice conversation with the Station Master whose family had emigrated from Albania. He summoned a taxi for us, as Jevnaker is another 20 minutes away. Being invited to a wedding was a special treat. The aura of this historic church was magnified when the organist played Pachelbel’s Canon, and the attendees sang “Morning Has Broken” in Norwegian. 

I was honored when the groom asked me to take the group family photo after the ceremony. I stood on a bench. The minister, Lena Ros Matthiasdottir, who officiated at the lovely wedding ceremony, drove us to the bus stop in Hønefoss where we caught the bus back to Oslo. Along the way she gave us a brief history of her family’s roots which dated to the Vikings. What a wonderful day!

On the evening we arrived in Bergen we were invited to the home of SERVAS members Arne and Monika Natling for dinner. It was pouring. We took the local bus. Arne met us at the stop and walked us to their lovely home which is set on a hill with 360* views. They were also hosting Michele, a SERVAS member from Australia. We had a most enjoyable time. Monika prepared a traditional fish soup which was superb. Arne is a doctor specializing in geriatrics and Monika is a speech therapist. They both love music. Monika played the piano during our visit.

Photo above: Dinner at the home of Arne and Monika Nakling in Bergen, Norway with Michele (seated right) visiting from Australia

A shout out goes to SERVAS member Kristofer Jonatansson, who gave me good advice about Iceland, even though he would not be in Reykjavik during our visit. Iceland is Mother Nature’s wonderland with its waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, volcanic rock formations, sheep and horses.