Queen Sonja and King Harald on anniversary trip

SkipbladnerDS Skipbladner, the White -Wwan. Av Andrez1 - Private, CC BY-SA 4.0

Queen Sonja and King Harald on anniversary trip

King Harald and Queen Sonja started their anniversary trip on Hamar on Sunday, and the journey continued with Skibladner to Tingnes, Kapp, Gjøvik and Lillehammer.

 

The Royal Couple arrived at the cathedral church in Hamar on Sunday morning, to attend the medieval festival and to visit Hamar Dome. People dressed as both jugglers and knights were to be seen along the route, as well as women wearing old reconstructed wedding dresses.

In the dome which was completed around the year 1200, the royal couple could listen to both history and Gregorian chansons from their guide, Kristin Skjønsberg.

Skibladner

Then the horse and carriage went to Skibladnerbrygga, where Skibladner waited to bring the king pair to Tingnes, Kapp, Gjøvik and Lillehammer. The anniversary trip, which is part of the 80th anniversary of the Royal Couple, lasts until Wednesday.

Monday, the King and Queen will be present at an evening concert at Kvamsfjellet in Nord Fron. The following day the Royal Couple will hold a garden party with a total of 600 invited guests at Maihaugen in Lillehammer. The Royal Couple then round up their anniversary trip on Wednesday with visits to Nord-Odal and Kongsvinger.

About DS “Skipbladner” (Wikipedia)

DS Skipbladner, the White Swan. Av Andrez1 – Private, CC BY-SA 4.0, Photo: Private

DS “Skibladner” (Old Norse: Skíðblaðnir) is the only paddle steamer in Norway and oldest such ship in regular operation, built in 1854-1856 by the Motala shipyard in Sweden. It is also the world’s oldest operating paddle steamer in scheduled service traffic. The ship runs a regular service on Mjøsa, starting from Gjøvik, its home port, to the towns of Hamar, Moelv and Lillehammer.

It also arrives at Kapp ved Kapp Milk factory, Totenvika at Panengen and Eidsvoll. Many of the tours in the summer season, both for charters and open events, are ‘happy jazz tours’ with music performed by the orchestra Gosen Gla’jazz.

“Skibladner” is in winter storage at Gjøvik, where it has got its own glass docks. DS “Skibladner” is usually referred to as Mjøsa’s white swan.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today