EspeVÆR, Norway

Winter 1997/1998.  Our little house on Espevær.  Bijou is tied to the dock right next to the house.  Our flat was on the second floor, Bie Kroner Cafe was on the first floor and was run by our landlords Malfrid and Odd.  Wonderful people.  That's Lori hanging out our window on the second floor.  The kelly-green house behind ours was owned by a British couple Mark and Marit.  We saw them frequently throughout the winter.  Above Bijou was alone at the dock because summer was over.  Below, the same dock in the summer. So glad we were not in Espev​ær then!!

Winter 1997/1998.  We completely emptied Bijou and stored some in the second floor flat and everything else in the red building. That was Odd's workshop and he said everything would be safe there and so it was.  We were then able to thoroughly clean Bijou's interior, which needed it after eight years on the road.  

Winter 1997/1998.  Remember, a while ago, we broke our tiller.  Odd had the tools and the wood in his workshop to fashion a replacement.  It wasn't sculpted and pretty, but it served us well once we took off again in the spring.

Winter 1997/1998.  This picture was taken from our flat.  Odd's red-building workshop is on the left.  His quay was very substantial and so many boats of varying sizes would stop for a night or a day. We were always entertained.  Of course, in the summer 15 to 20 boats 3 or 4 deep, would tie up.  Fortunately, we were gone by then. Espevær is invaded by boats and holiday-makers at that time. Great for business, not so great for those who are looking for a nice quiet place to be.  The Bie Kroner Cafe is always busy then.

Christmas 1997.  Celebrating with Marit and Mark, the Brit couple of the kelly-green house.  We had a wonderful time.  How lucky are we!

We used Bijou's Christmas tree to decorate our flat. To check on her, all we needed to do was look out that window. We couldn't believe or luck. We were warm, comfortable and Bijou was safe. It also was so incredibly affordable!

Thanksgiving in our flat. We were able to get everything we usually have for the "big" meal.

Winter 1997/1998.  Our flat had everything we needed, including access to a phone in the cafe downstairs for sending and receiving emails (no internet yet!!), a good stove and refrigerator, washing machine, and a TV!  We got British, American, and Australian programs, plus Norwegian programs with English subtitles. We were stoked, and many times commented on how lucky we had been to stumble onto this island.   

Carl is measuring our allotted daily cocktail. Since alcohol was so expensive, Carl tallied the amount we brought from England and figured out how much we could drink each day!! We made it last until we got to Europe!!

Lori is in the "spare" bedroom. We set it up as our "office." We had our laptop, printer and our files. It was such a luxury to have so much space. We loved it.