Last Day in Oslo

It is the last day of our time abroad. Our last day in Oslo.

We will certainly miss the lovely apartment which we've been renting for the past week, but we know that our own lovely apartment in Seattle is waiting for us so we aren't too sad. Here are some images that show just how lovely this place is, though.

Morning coffee and a little light reading on our "veranda", overlooking the park

The bizarre little fellow (with a tail) who guards the fireplace in the living room. Samuel loves to rub his head.

The whole of the living room. And the very comfy, long couch that has been a delight in the evenings as we read our way through the hundreds of books that this place holds. (To be honest - Jack has devoured the books. I've finished just one in the past week.)

The "office", which also overlooks the park. Jack has claimed this desk as his own...while I have my own desk in the old maids bedroom off the kitchen. Both are lovely. This apartment is so big that when we are both on our computers we actually have to gchat each other to converse. This model ship is massive - we were told a 1:100 scale. It is the Kronprinzessin Cecilie.

Behind the desk is the dining room.

And my favorite room in the house - the kitchen.

This home is full to the brim of "stuff" - collectibles, art, model ships, books, old architectural decorative features. You'd think it would be a nightmare with a 16 month old boy running around - however, all of the "stuff" is generally out of reach, and the apartment is well lived in and worn a bit around the edges so that we haven't had to worry about Samuel ruining anything.

An excellent example of the "stuff" is this shelf in the kitchen.

A closer look. Yes, that's a real, stuffed (taxidermy) baby shark...with the "beak" of a carpenter (or saw) shark on the wall behind.

And, of course, every collection of dangerous fish wouldn't be complete without a piranha.

This apartment is quite large, which has also been great for Samuel in that he can entertain himself running around...playing with the pillows, climbing on the chairs...oh, and yes - pole dancing.

The rooms not pictured here include the maid's bedroom, Samuel's bedroom and our bedroom with the master bath as well as the bath off the entrance hall. And that doesn't include all the space I feel like we have by being just off of the park. Which is delightful with its four playgrounds (three of which are associated with kindergartens and thus are off limits to us until 5PM or on weekends), its duck pond, its lawns and its rope swing.

This trip has been quite the treat. At times stressful. Frequently an adventure in logistics. And always a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the beauty of family. It isn't often that a new family gets to spend so much devoted time together exploring new countries, cities and parks. I think I speak for both Jack and I when I say that we consider ourselves immensely lucky to have had this experience.

We get on a plane tomorrow at 1PM Oslo time (after rising around 6AM when the little man gets out of bed), which is 4AM in Seattle. We arrive back in our fair city around 9PM Seattle time, which is 6AM Oslo time. So that's a 24 hour day for us. Wish us luck.

Labor Day Weekend in Bergen

This past weekend we traveled to Bergen, which is on the west coast of Norway. The train ride from Oslo took about 8 hours, with quick stops along the way and one longer (45 minutes) stop around half way. The length of the trip hardly mattered as every bit of the scenery along the way was spectacular. And Samuel was a very cooperative little boy (not so much on the way back to Oslo).

Below is just your average view out the window of the train as it sped through the Hardangervidda, which is Northern Europe's biggest high-mountain plateau (from the tourist literature: "it covers an area of 7500 square kilometers and its highest peak is 1933 meters). Note the cabins scattered about. For this stretch of our trip the train track cuts through the national park, away from any roads. However, there are at least three or four train stops along the way and I believe folks can actually take the train to the closest stop and make their way to their cabin by foot, bike or off road vehicle. In Norway, we were told yesterday, it isn't a matter of if someone has a cabin but, rather, where that cabin is located.

Here is the Hardangerjokulen Glacier, which sits at an altitude (I believe) of 1877 meters.

And a picture of our train during our 45 minute stop at Myrdal (nothing more than a train station really).
Again, Samuel was a good traveller - occupied, in turns, by his magic box of very small toys and looking out the window while making the sign for train.

And then we arrived in Bergen - which is just lovely. Here is the street we stayed on in the Nordnes neighborhood, which is essentially car free as the houses are built so closely together and on steep slopes that the alleys providing access are really pedestrian and bike only.

The Nordnes area is also incredibly child friendly as many families live there, and of course we found our local playground just up the hill from us. And what a playground it was -- check out this view! The play equipment was great, too.

On Day 1 in Bergen we visited the primary attraction that the city has to offer - Bryggen. The buildings you see here date from just after one of the five fires (1702) that have laid waste to this section of town over the years. This stretch of town has served as the wharf and center of commerce for Bergen since the early 14th century, when the city rose to prominence as a commercial center of Northern Europe (a spot it kept for centuries).

The buildings are very densely built making them seem almost to be one large building when in fact there are 52 distinct buildings that make up Bryggen today - approximately 25% of its original number. This area of Bergen is named on the Unesco World Heritage List.

After Bryggen, we made our way to the other "must do" in Bergen - the Torget Fish Market - where we lunched on this plate of fish. Starting at 6:00 with the scoop of macaroni salad, moving clockwise, we have shrimp, king crab claw, pickled salmon (SO GOOD), smoked salmon (lox), smoked whale, king crab leg, with a piece of smoked salmon (dry) in the middle. And yes, I did say whale. Norway is one of only three countries (Japan and Iceland are the others) that allows whaling. Whaling for minke whales was resumed in 1993 after the 1986 international moratorium on whaling put a temporary hold on the practice. The government tightly controls the harvest and, again, only on the minke whale which they say has a very healthy population. Got to say - wasn't a big fan of the whale. Jack says that whale that hasn't been smoked is much tastier.

Day 2 in Bergen took us up the Floibanen funicular (which, according to Jack, isn't a funicular at all but instead a counter balance). Just like in Oslo, you can take this train out of the city center and start hiking right away. Its amazing up there. Here is the view down on to Bergen and the fjord.

It turned out that we chose national "Get Out Day" (Kom Deg Ut Dagen) to make our trip to Floibanen. This is the day that the Norwegian Trekking Association (Den Norske Turistforening) plans activities around the country to encourage Norwegians to bring their families out to the wilderness. It was fantastic. On the short hike we did from the top of the counter balance, we found this little lake that was a hive of activity - kids exploring, families learning together. Totally awesome. Below was the "try a kayak for the first time" station. I didn't see one waiver signed. Can you believe that? Certainly wouldn't happen like this in the States.

And here was the "check out the sun spots on this killer telescope" station. Also recorded (but not shared here) were the "have some pancakes made on a grill over an open fire" station and the "water bottle rocket" station. We'll have to come back when Samuel is a bit older.

From the busy lake, we hiked a short way in to the woods to a lean-to structure for lunch...where Samuel conquered the rocky terrain.

From there we hiked down the steep hill back in to town - and as we descended we passed fit, blond Norwegian after fit, blond Norwegian hiking up the path - just out for a Sunday stroll. All and all, a very nice stay in Bergen. Here are a few random shots to show that we were having fun.

Norway is full of trolls and Samuel gave this guy's nose a honk.

Apple cake and cherry pie with coffee. Better apple cake, in my opinion, than that enjoyed at the top of the mountain outside Oslo.

A totem pole given to the city of Bergen by the city of Seattle back in the 1980s. There is actually a plaque in Ballard, in Seattle, that names Bergen as a sister city to Seattle.

And yet another family photo - almost worse than the last we shared. It was VERY sunny. And clearly, Samuel and I couldn't quite handle it.

So, it was one day to get to Bergen, two days in Bergen and then a day to get back to Oslo...only we chose the adventurous way to get home. We took a train, and then a bus, and then a boat and then another train and finally one last train. It was "Norway in a Nutshell" and it was pretty great (until we were on the last train and we really, really, really wanted Samuel to fall asleep and he just wasn't having any of it).

First leg was just the train from Bergen to Voss (yes, where the fancy water comes from). But we'd covered that ground before on our way over on Friday.

The second leg was a bus ride (full sized bus mind you) from Voss down a very steep valley to Gudvangen, a small village of around 120 at the head of the Naeroyfjord. In particular there is a 1.5 km stretch of road (the Stalheimskleiva) that is both spectacular and terrifying. It reaches a 20% grade at one point...and we were headed down. The pitch does offer some nice views, however. Here is the shot out the bus looking down the valley.

And here is one of the 13 hair pin turns on that 1.5 km stretch of road. Again - a FULL SIZED BUS.

And finally, on the valley floor.
The third leg of the journey was from Gudvangen to Flam on this boat...

...along this fjord. Yeah - pretty sweet!

I believe this is the village of Bakka, which is home (today) to about 10 people (according to the literature, most of them are involved in goat farming).

The fourth leg of the journey was to ride the Flam Railway from Flam (2 meters above sea level) to Myrdal (866 meters above sea level), where we caught the final train back to Oslo (the fifth and final leg of our journey). The Flam Railway is said to be the steepest normal gauge railway line in Northern Europe (1 in 18 on average). The 20 kilometer train ride took us about an hour and offered some stunning views...

...which I enjoyed in peace and quiet. :)

Now we're back in Oslo with less than a week before we head home. We've relocated within the city to a deluxe apartment (wanted to go out with a bang) just off St. Hanshaugen Park. We'll share more at a later date.

The Past Week in Oslo

To start, I want to apologize for the quality of these photos. 1) We're posting today from my computer (not a fancy Apple with all the PhotoShop bells and whistles that we've become accustomed to). 2) Samuel got a hold of the camera at some point in the past week and put a nice smudge on the lens which shows up clearly in many of these shots. It has been cleared away now.

Anyway, the past week has been full of small excursions and a lovely visit from Sarah Marshall, a fellow student of Jack's from the UW College of Built Environments, who is also a Valle Scholar enjoying her Scandinavian cultural exchange in Copenhagen.

As usual, Samuel led the way much of the time. He's even getting the tram schedules memorized as you can see here. But it seems to be the buses that he's fixated on. Whenever we see one (which is frequently) he points very specifically and says "bu. bu. bu."



One of the walks in Oslo that we have enjoyed a number of times is along the Aker River, which flows right through the center of the city. Many cities have rivers flowing through them...but the difference here seems to be that the Aker remains quite un-tamed. It is very exposed and alive. It hasn't been straightened. It hasn't been covered up with concrete. It still runs strongly, as illustrated by this waterfall along our walking route. And it has a park alongside it for much of its path.

Another marvel of Oslo is the neighborhood of Aker Brygge, which was developed in the 1980s and 1990s from industrial waterfront. It is now a planned labyrinth of high rise (well, as high as Oslo gets - maybe 10 floors) apartment buildings with shopping malls at the ground level. It is oddly pleasant though as it has a boardwalk along the water and a vibrant cafe life. And, of course, because Norwegians are weird, T.G.I. Friday's is one of the most popular restaurants along the strip. We had to indulge last weekend. More frequently, however, we have enjoyed a stroll on the boardwalk and ice cream from the Movenpick stand (ice cream from Switzerland!).

In Olso there are hundreds of pre-schools and kindergartens throughout the parks. Each of them has a small playground. And when we first arrived and were strolling around the city, we were thrilled to have so many options for places where Samuel could play. We didn't yet realize that they are off limits to those kids not enrolled in the school. That became clear when we were told we couldn't play in one particular spot because the school was in session (but with just 2 kids...very odd). So, it was very exciting to find a BIG playground in the Grunerlokka neighborhood that is open to all. We also met a half American / half Norwegian couple with a little girl just a few months older than Samuel and had a nice chat.

When Sarah arrived on Monday we made a bee-line for the Opera, which is apparently quite an ARCHITECTURAL marvel. I have to admit. It's pretty cool. And you'd absolutely NEVER see such a building in the United States given the completely open access to the very steeply sloping roof that is riddled with changing textures, angles and levels. A complete safety hazard...but a delightful spot for a luncheon picnic.

Again, Samuel leading the way.

On Tuesday we ventured outside the city to Hamar, which is an hour and a half north of the city by train. It is situated at the end of an extremely long lake (Lake Mjosa), and was one of the sites for the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. The reason for our trip was to visit the Hedmark Museum, which is really just a regional museum showcasing the ruins of a cathedral and its compound. However, it is worth the trip because of the modern structures that have been built around the ruins to preserve them and show them off. Norway's most famous architect, Sverre Fehn, designed most of the structures that protect the ruins of the cathedral compound (and they are VERY cool). But what really stands out at the Hedmark Museum is the glass enclosure (designed by Lund & Slotto) built to embrace the cathedral itself. This is not a fantastic photograph so I strongly recommend clicking here to see a better view.

One of the highlights of the day's excursion was the 1.5 kilometer walk back to the center of Hamar from the museum. It was along the lake front and the sun actually came out. The hills on the other side of the lake looked like the Shire...and we got to see this lovely model of a Viking ship.

And climb on this bronze deer.

On Wednesday afternoon, before Sarah departed, we went back to Vigeland Park to enjoy some more sculpture. Samuel, dressed by his mother, stood out in his clashing patterns amongst the other tourists.

I found that by actually venturing beyond the bridge of bronzes, towards the area around the obelisk, which features exclusively stone sculpture, I better appreciated Vigeland's work. This is a slightly smudgy view from near the obelisk looking back at the length of the park and the extent of work that Vigeland installed in this park.

And now - to talk about the best loaf of bread ever. Our apartment in Oslo was about two blocks from the Apent Bakeri, which we'd enjoyed previously. But during Sarah's visit I was inspired to order a loaf of muesli bread, which turns out to be the most delicious thing ever. It contains those things that one would expect given its name - pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, whole grains, etc. But it also contains (as you can see below) moist apricots and apples and orange peel - all of which create such wonderful parties in your mouth. This bread can hold up as is - not even toasted. Or with cheese and definitely with butter. I'm on a mission to translate the recipe.

We're in Bergen now (on the west coast of Norway). We took the train over this morning, which was stunning. A route and a city (from what I've seen thus far) that I will recommend to everyone. We'll share more once we're back in Oslo next week. Happy Labor Day Weekend!