I was really looking forward to attending the 10th European Deafblind Holiday in August 2007. I was sitting in the London Tube (Underground) train travelling north towards Stansted Airport. I had to change at Tottenham Hale and it was only 10 pm whereas my flight was leaving at 6.35 the next morning. Why was I so early? Well, there were problems on the Tube and elsewhere and I couldn't afford to miss a connection. There was no way of arriving by public transport at Stansted during the night. I was lucky to attend the Holiday as I had delayed booking and I had been too late. However, at the last moment there were cancellations and now I was on my way to Kristiansand, right at the southern end of Norway.
Because of the short notice I could not fly direct to Kristiansand and so I booked a ticket to Oslo, or rather what Ryanair call Oslo (Torp). Torp turned out to be a well-run little airport on the edge of Sandefjord, 120 km SW of Oslo. Thanks to help from the Foreningen Norges Døvblinde (FNDB), Norwegian Association of the Deafblind, I knew that I had to catch a bus from the Fokserød petrol station outside Sandefjord to travel the 215 km to Kristiansand.
I am often not sure when a plane actually touches down because I can't see much out of the window. I could feel the aeroplane loosing height and then realised we were actually speeding along the runway. I didn't have a lot of time to pick up my bus connection but help was at hand. The very amiable flight attendant (air hostess to oldies like me) asked me to wait to be the last off the craft. I am always requested to be either the first or the last passenger off an aeroplane and have always received every courtesy and assistance on every, yes every, occasion. At the steps I was met by a cheerful Norwegian employee of the airport and she whisked me through Immigration and Customs. "Baggage Reclaim" is often a problem for me as I find it difficult to recognise my luggage and so this time I employed a cunning new stratagem. All my belongings were in a small backpack which I was allowed to take into the cabin. This encouraged me not to take any unnecessary items and meant that I was very quickly outside the terminal building. How to find the petrol station? The airport worker, still with me, had no idea. I don't know how it happened but I found myself in a private car driven by a woman with a holiday home in the area and she dropped me at the petrol station. I daresay I'm not the only person with sensory problems who doesn't know how he gets to places half the time! Before long the bus came and I was able to use my UK blind registration card to get a half-priced ticket so I only paid 150 NOK for the whole journey to Kristiansand. A NOK is a Norwegian crown: you didn't know that, did you!
At Kristiansand Bus Station I was met by Stefan who was a great help to me. I had never met Stefan in the flesh before but I had made contact with him by telephone and email after being "introduced" by the Kristiansand Blind Society. Stefan is a Swede who has lived in Kristiansand for many years and was introduced to the "blind world" as a result of an attack on him in September 2001 which left him with severe sight problems. This was the deal: Stefan would show me around the City for a couple of days before the Holiday began and I would assist him with his English. Well, it worked out very well. I was very glad of Stefan because there were nearly no hotel rooms in Kristiansand as an international beach volleyball tournament was taking place there.
Stefan and I had an enjoyable two days together and on the Saturday night we joined Geir Jensen, President of FNDB, and his team for a drink and introductions. The next morning, Arlett (one of Geir's right-hand women) picked me up at my motel and drove me to Agder Folkehøyskole/Konferansesenter (Agder Folk High School) which is near the attractive resort of Søgne 16 km west of Kristiansand. Slowly, slowly on the Sunday and Monday participants arrived from all over Europe. I spent a lot of time in the minibus driven by Asgeir, a convivial pastor who had taught deaf children, driving from the school to Kristiansand Airport. Asgeir was of great help to me as was Margido, Geir's cousin, who happens to reside in Kristiansand.
This was my fourth European Deafblind Holiday and I always enjoy them. It is my practice to arrive a couple of days before everyone else and to leave a day or two after them. This enables me to find out a bit about an area of a European country that I had never seen before. I don't have a communicator/guide and this means that I am freer than most people but obviously has its limitations.
The School is set in very attractive surroundings near a large lake and the sleeping accommodation was excellent with everyone having his/her own room. The main building housed the dining room and meeting rooms. I have to say that the food was excellent and plentiful. A feature of the evening dinners was a free beer or a glass of wine. The "barmaid" was the lovely Inger, daughter of Bjørn Davidsen who is Editor of the FNDB's newspaper. The wine was utterly delicious and I can taste it now. Inger also supplied a beer from Arendal where she and Bjørn live. There is a pleasant open area just off the main building where we sat in the evenings on benches at sturdy tables. Participants would come and go and this was a good opportunity to meet others and exchange experiences.
There were 90 participants ("victims" and comm/guides) from 11 countries. As always, there was a large contingent from Belgium and they really do make a big contribution to these Holidays as does the new group of Hungarians. We had a programme of trips out starting with dinner at the Høllen Brygge fish restaurant that first Sunday evening. We had catfish which sounds repulsive but was actually excellent. I also made a pig of myself, egged on by Arlett, with several desserts. We sat on a verandah in the sunshine and all was well with the world.
Other trips included a boat trip to Ny Hellesund and a fishing adventure around the Søgne skerries which was enjoyed by all except the 34 fish we caught. They were mainly mackerel which the Norwegians like to eat young and which they call "pir". Perhaps the day I enjoyed the most was when we visited the Søgne Old Church and Vicarage. We also paid a visit to Søgne College, formerly the Vest-Agder Agricultural College which houses a museum of farm implements and vehicles. This was all very interesting as was our entry into a cave in a nearby mountain. Inside the cave was a German mini submarine left over from World War II. You might think I am making this up but I was stone-cold sober and there really is a submarine in that cave black not yellow.
We were so lucky with the weather during our week as it was sunny and warm despite the summer being generally such a dreary one in Scandinavia and northern Europe.
Of course, we also had activities at the School. One was a very interesting explanation of the work of the FNDB by Bjørn. They certainly do a lot for the db people of Norway. On the Saturday night we had the traditional dance and the music was provided by a very talented local accordionist. For me, the light level was rather low compared to previous Holidays but part of this might be due to my declining sight. I think it is important to try and get as much illumination as possible for the dances/parties on these Holidays as a surprisingly large number of db people like to dance. I have to say that the facilities to help people with no or limited hearing were first class. There were plenty of sign language interpreters and induction loop provisions. I could follow everything and am grateful for that.
On the second Sunday came the time that I dread. The participants ebbed away to their various countries starting very early in the morning and mostly going by minibus to the Airport. Luckily for me the main Norwegian FNDB contingent didn't leave till late afternoon and so I was not lonely and spent a convivial time with the Norwegians including Lisbet, Geir's long-standing right-hand woman. I was alone on the Sunday night but struggled through with a radio linked to me. How I love radio: it's the backbone of my life! I must express my thanks to the staff at the School and all those who made our holiday so memorable.
The next morning Stefan came out to me from the City and we spent some enjoyable hours walking around the lake which is carpeted with a blanket of water lilies. I had not been allowed to go around the lake before as I had had no guide. I could understand this as the track was rather uneven with many tree roots and hillocks. Norwegian hygiene laws are strict and no-one wanted a dead Englishman polluting their waters. Funnily enough, talking of water, the tap water in Kristiansand was not very good and this is surprising in a country full of mountains. Everyone agrees with me. Perhaps they are too hygienic and sterilise their water too much. Stefan and I spent the whole day together and he was kind enough to put me at 03.30 am on the bus going back to Sandefjord.
The bus arrived there well after dawn. I think everyone with RP, such as myself, knows how wonderful daylight is. I had to get from the petrol station to the Airport and I was apprehensive as Norwegian taxis cost the Earth. Luckily there were other people on the bus going to the Airport and so we were able to split the cost. Norway has a reputation for being an expensive country but I didn't find it too bad except for the taxis.
And so I flew back to Stansted with the normal feeling of sadness in my stomach but a head and heart full of nice memories of old friends rediscovered and new ones made. Next year we will be in Hungary: why don't you join us?
You might wonder why I have called this article "... and here's another door". This is because Norwegian buildings have so many doors and thresholds due to the harsh winters and increasingly stringent fire precautions. It can take ages for a blind person to find his/her way into a Norwegian building.
I took many photographs which you can see on the web. For an invitation to view them email me.
Colin Bennett, Hove, UK
colinbbennett@palmeira.org.uk
(2007-11-27)