Three Viking ships commemorating Leif Ericson's voyage to the New World a millennium ago landed in Washington with a Norse horn blast loud enough to shiver Christopher Columbus' timbers.
The 78-foot flagship Gaia, an authentic replica of the wooden, single-sail Viking longboat, docked at a Georgetown wharf Wednesday, ending a 5,300-mile voyage that began May 17 in Bergen, Norway.The Gaia and two Viking escort vessels that joined the voyage in Nova Scotia sailed up the Potomac River to cheers from a dockside crowd that included Queen Sonja of Norway and President Vigdis Finnbogadottir of Iceland.
A few hours after the landing, President Bush made an impromptu visit to the ships with his two grandchildren, Sam and Ellie LeBlond. He climbed aboard the Gaia and chatted with the crew about the vessel's layout and sailing ability.
Earlier, during a meeting with the Norwegian queen and the Icelandic president at the White House, Bush said the Vikings were "the first Europeans to set eyes on North America," and he praised Ericson for "his bold and adventurous spirit."
Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale, a Minnesotan of Norwegian stock, called it "an alien Viking invasion of the nation's capital" timed to coincide with Leif Ericson Day.