Sunday, November 28, 2010

Egill started out in Punta Arenas. He got a job working on the ferries crossing the channel--seasonal work, when the tourists come down to hike and more science expeditions are leaving for their bases on Antarctica. He visited the other towns in the area. It was happening--he was doing it!

By the New Year, he started to plan his next move. Winter was coming to the southern hemisphere. Egill remembered trips his family took up to Finnmark. When the Vernal Equinox arrived, Egill Lundgren was on a plane to Alta, Norway. There, at least, he'd know the language--or one of them.

Again, he traveled, picked up odd jobs, and tried not to seem too strange. In high summer, he could look like a tourist. He traveled to Nordkapp, Hammerfest, and Kirkenes.

He traveled back and forth for a few years, spending more than he was able to make. His third or fourth year, he met Stian Halvorsen, worked with him in his shop. Stian had a brother who troubled through the dark winters. The brother had a friend, and the friend had a wife. They came to Stian's and asked to join Egill when he left for the south. That's how it started.

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