Modern nostalgia

June days are perfect for gathering people for almost anything. My trip to the city today to get my hair cut, had me getting off the bus one stop sooner than planned because I saw all this color on our "festival square" - Festplassen. It turned out to be a huge collection of Corvettes, handled with much care and love. I noticed models from 1966 - and 2007. In Norway, old American cars (mainly cars from my childhood) are a huge hobby, but are seen only in the summer, when they no longer salt the roads. In fact, seeing a classic Buick on the road is a sure sign of spring.

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Over on Fisketorget - the fish market - an old tradition had been reinstated: Torgdag (Market Day). People came in on the old-style boats they used 100 or so years ago, and some dressed in period clothes. In the old days, country folk would row into the city to sell their wares, mainly fresh fish and produce. They rowed because going by boat was actually easier than walking those same miles, and also because that was the only way to cross the fjord. On a day like this, some other items besides the regular were also sold, like rhubarb jam on one boat, and hand-painted slabs of slate and fruit bowls at a booth. The market area was crowded, but the worst crowd turned out to be the long line, four deep, in front of the ice cream parlor. In the heat we were having, that line was understandable. Me, I had brought up a bottle of water with a bit of lemon in it from home to keep me company.