Norway in Full Bloom

My beautiful cousin Gro Lene with her hunk of a husband

According to a friend who lives there, it was a COLD 17th of May celebration this year in Oslo. They had to turn up the heat!  It sure looks beautiful, though.

The above photo is my cousin Gro Lene in her Norwegian folk costume, or bunad.  Isn't she lovely? She tells me her costume is from Telemark where her mother's family is from.  Beautiful!

(Remember the World War II movie, "The Heroes of Telemark"?  Yes, that Telemark.)

Her husband is also wearing a folk costume.  I think he's quite handsome in it!  Well, he's a nice looking man however you dress him.  I love my cousin.  I feel sad we haven't seen each other for umpteen years.

They were expecting guests after the parade:

Gro's table set for 17th of May festivities

I love that the table looks like it was done for a magazine photo shoot.  Amazing, isn't it?  This is how my mother used to do her tables as well.  This is how I was raised.

That made me think of my friends and our pending Memorial Day celebration.  As I looked at this table, I thought of our usual paper plates and plastic cups, forks and knives.

I think we Americans may have lost something in translation!  What do you think?