Dear parents and siblings,

As you know we were to board March 29th. We boarded at 5 in the evening to reach Kristiansand in the morning. We had calm and nice weather all the time. I felt well Friday evening and night and into the day Saturday. Then I started throwing up and got worse and worse so I had to lie down. Lying down I was not so ill, but I felt very tired.
Sunday I also spent in bed. A sermon was held on board. I was lying so close I could hear some of it, too. Sometimes they also danced, usually in the evening. Nearly all the men were well, but almost all the women were sick. Anne Bratthovde was worst of all, but Ole Bratthovde was quite all right. Kristian and Karen Haugen were well too. I'm lucky to have Matthias. I don't fancy anything. And if there is anything I want, I would get it, because he was well all the time. I must add: no one was seriously ill.
We arrived in Hull on Sunday evening. The whole town was lit with all the lights and lamps on. I was up looking at it. They stopped the ship a ways from the shore and we spent the night on board. In the morning they docked. Then we came to a place for bread and coffee. The coffee is so bad that I can barely drink it even now I'm well. Then we boarded the train and travelled from Hull to Liverpool. We travelled 5 hours non-stop. We really saw a lot as we crossed a large part of England to get to Liverpool. The parts we traveled through were mainly flat. The fields are green and we saw cows, sheep and horses outside. Many seemed to be finished with their work in the fields. They did not seem to have large fields here, but it was well worked and beautiful. I did not see much woods. It was mainly deciduous trees I saw. Dividing the fields was thick brushwood, cut off on top when they were high enough, so they were even as a picket fence. All buildings I have seen here in England, both in the towns and in the countryside are built of stone.
Here in Liverpool, we are in a place for emigrants. There are emigrants from several companies, so there are a lot of us. Our food here is paid for. We eat three times a day. In the morning we get coffee and bread. The coffee is sweet, some say it is made of malt. I don't know, but there is no real coffee in it, that much I do know. The bread is baked with wheat. It is very dry and we get some margarine on it. The evening meal is the same. But dinner is better. Then we have meat soup, bacon and potatoes, or meat and potatoes.
The ones traveling with Cunard Line will be here until April 6th. Then we will sail with the ship "Servia".
Only married couples share the room Matthias and I are in. They are the Haugens, Bratthovde, two couples from Romsdalen and a man, his wife and two children from somewhere by Randsfjord. The girls have a separate room, as do the boys. Sina Restad is with the girls, as she is not accompanied by her husband.
The second day we were here, Tuesday evening, we were in a beautiful church here, called the Scandinavian Seaman's Home. A Swedish vicar spoke. He was a good preacher. It is strange when we come into the large hall to eat: the English, German, Danish and Western Norwegian languages and dialects hum in your ears like in a beehive. When we go into the streets here there is such traffic with driving and people. Even worse than in Kristiania. The horses here are big and fat and have very thick feet. I have also seen some really small horses here. I have also seen donkeys. The people here in town know there are many emigrants. Basket women come every day with their goods. It is apples, oranges, nuts and suchlike they want to sell. Musicians have also turned up and they are all dirty and ragged people. I have never seen as many dirty and ragged children and people as in these last few days. I have to end now as we are having dinner soon. I am writing this letter badly because I am sitting in such confusion right now. I also often wonder how you are at home now, but I cannot find out for many weeks yet, unless you write before you receive mine from America. We hope to continue our journey prosperously. And then you could, if you wish, send me word, but then you must not write Mattias Kankerud, but Mattias Anderson. Kristian knows the rest of the address. Then I must end with a greeting to all of you at home from Mattias and myself. He will not write now, as I am writing. I also send greetings home from the others from Gausdal. Send greetings to all my friends in Gausdal who ask about us, but first and foremost greetings to mother and father from me

yours sincerely, Randi

Live well.