Grimstad

From the harbor in Grimstad we left on another bus ride to Fjæreheia where an amazing cultural evening at the Agder Theatre awaited us. We were fortunate to have Joen, Henrik Ibsen's great grandson read anAft epic poem and Helene Boksle performed traditional Norwegian songs with modern pop arrangements. The drama of the evening was heightened by the backdrop of the old quarry and the incredible energy of the musicians that reverberated off the ancient mountains.

The juxtaposition of the ancient with the modern is one of the elements of my Norwegian adventure that struck me quite often because it's absolutely necessary for these towns to honor their history while engaging the future. Here in Texas we have modern cities and rural towns and I have rarely found places that strike an equitable balance between the two. As we develop the cultural relationship between Austin & Kristiansand, I'm excited to learn how to create and sustain this balance so that we can develop deeper connections between the urban & rural communities here in Texas, thereby strengthening the economic viability of entire areas, which is one of the goals of Envision Central Texas here in Texas.

After the concert, we headed back down the mountain to Grimstad and to an incredible evening under the tent at the harbor which was a testament to the engaging hospitality of the Norwegian people. We were greeted by the same performance artists who had enlived the bus trip, though this time some were on stilts and others were closer to the ground. Upon entering the tent we were each given a small brown bottle labeled APOTEKERLAERLINGENS URTEDRAM which contained a special brew of bitters with herbs from the Grimstad area. This JubileumsBitter was specially created to honor Henrik Ibsen and is 35% Alcohol by volume...perhaps Agder Brenneri is just continuing the artist/alcohol tradition I first noted in Stavanger, lol. The next sight to see was a Hulde in full vibrant green splendor. She apparently had already tempted enough men that night as she was well apart from her temptress identity.

We made our way to an empty table and proceeded to enjoy an awesome evening of great company, delicious food and the warmth that comes from shared experiences. The time flew by and soon it was time to head back to Kristiansand and rest up before the train ride back to Stavanger the next day.

rg