Oslo Outings

These are the most recent purchases for those who haven't seen them on Facebook - full rain bib and rain boots. He's ready for the Seattle winter.

In the past week we've had a couple of excursions beyond the center of Oslo. The first was to the island of Bygdoy, which is a quick 15 minute ferry ride from the waterfront. The ferries are adorable passenger only boats that, in nice weather (which we haven't seen since our first two days in town) could be open boats. We experienced them with the tops up, however...and with rain streaming down the windows. Still lovely on the inside. A very pleasant ride.

The purpose of the trip to Bygdoy was to visit the Polarship Fram Museum, which is a relatively small museum built around this relatively large ship - the polarship Fram, which was designed and built in the late 19th century to withstand the crushing ice of polar waters. Thus, it is very, very, very sturdy. It remains the boat to make it closest to both the North and South Poles.

The two men most associated with this boat, Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen, were interesting and very different characters. Both gained recognition as great explorers...but Nansen recognized that there was a different way he could serve the world and stopped his explorations at an earlier age to devote himself to the League of Nations and his work on post WWI refugees. Amundsen was an explorer through and through it seems, and in the end the work got him. He disappeared on a flight near the North Pole as he was trying to rescue a friend who had also gone missing in a North Pole expedition.

So, the Fram Museum houses the ship but also - in the style of old fashioned museums the world over - a bunch of other (sort of) relevant "stuff" that needed a home. For instance, this stuffed musk ox and those old polar bears. (Sidebar: speaking of musk oxes...apparently Haakon, Jack's arctic host, is the first person to successfully inseminate one using the techniques he mastered back in his sheep farming days.)

As it is so expensive here in Norway, we've taken to enjoying afternoon coffee and cake out, as opposed to dinner and beers. Here we are after our trip to Bygdoy at the Grand Cafe on Karl Johans Gate, the main thoroughfare in central Oslo. Behind Jack, faded in the background, is the Stortinget, which is Norway's parliament building. In front of Jack are our Napoleon and Marzipan cakes. Yum.

Yesterday (Friday), we took advantage of the fact that the city of Oslo is not only a dense population center but also a swath of forest and trails, and we took a bus out of the city center in to the woods. At the end of the line (typically a tram line, but the rails are currently under construction for the 2011 Downhill Skiing World Cup), you can get off the bus and literally start hiking. Which is just what we did.

Two kilometers later we found ourselves in the heart of the Tryvann Vinterpark, which makes for lovely, quiet hiking mid-summer. The snow machines are resting, which gave Jack and Samuel a chance to look at them up close and personal.

These were our views. We are looking north and a bit west from the center of Oslo.

Our picnic spot was lovely. The piece of plastic in Samuel's hand is the wrapping for our reindeer sausage. Super tasty!

Best of all was another afternoon stop for coffee and cake at the Frognersetern Restaurant, back at the end of the bus line. We enjoyed their famous eplekake (apple cake) - although I was full for the rest of the day. The pieces were huge...as you can see.

The restaurant, which has clearly been around for quite some time, was built in the style of an old Viking barn as part of the (to quote Jack) "Viking revival craze of the late 19th century." I thought it made for a nice afternoon stop.

And the view was stunning. This panorama shot doesn't quite do it justice. It was cloudy and rainy, so the weather doesn't help either...but we're looking south at the city center and out over Oslo Fjord. Really stunning.


As the bus pulled up to take us back to our apartment in the city, we snapped this family shot - our only one on this trip thus far I think. It isn't the best. Samuel is trying to get down to a nap. Jack's trying to manage the camera. And I'm worried about what the bus driver will think.

Oslo - We've Arrived

Okay, first things first. Picture of skinny red jeans published. See below. Pretty cute now....and even cuter as he gets taller and they start to look skinnier.

Having a small child in Europe has its challenges and its joys. And children's clothing stores (of which there are oodles!) presents both. I have been seriously challenged not to buy every adorable piece of clothing I see - whether for Samuel, Sabine or other yet unborn children. And I have had great joy when I succumb to the temptation and make a purchase.

Of course, every new purchase I make has to be added to this growing pile of stuff that follows us from country to country. This is us waiting on the doorstep of our apartment in Oslo for the housekeeper to come and let us in. The sleeping baby in the car seat is my favorite piece of luggage. At some point we need to share a picture of the two of us actually conveying all of this luggage.

This has been our home now since Saturday - and will be through the end of next week (when we take a long weekend to travel across Norway to Bergen, before coming back to Oslo for our final week). We essentially have one large room that serves as living room...
dining room...
and kitchen.
Plus, we have a bedroom (with a pack and play provided by the landlord - pretty cool). And of course a bathroom (with a washing machine - no dryer, which is why you see our clean laundry hanging out to dry in the "kitchen").

Oslo is a very walkable city and we've had MANY walks since we arrived. Each exploring a different direction. On our first morning, we went east - almost to Grunnerloka (an Oslo neighborhood likened to Greenwich Village) - and came upon some lovely, lovely streets. This is Damstredet, which was once a shanty town at the outskirts of Central Oslo. Most of the buildings here date from the 18th century.

In contrast, just on from Damstredet, are rows and rows of these lovely 19th and early 20th century (I'm assuming) apartment buildings. These can be found throughout the city. Jack and I think they are surprising here in Norway. They look Viennese not Northern European. I love the colors that they've chosen, which does seem fitting with a country that must survive a long cold, gray winter.

The other thing that surprised me on our first walk around Oslo were the hills. After three weeks in the flat lands of Kent and Holland, I was shocked to be back in a city with very steep hills.

On another of our walks in to the center of Oslo, we discovered the police's horses - which delighted Samuel of course.

And the Akershus Castle & Fortress, built at the end of the 13th century to guard Oslo's harbor. We certainly have more exploring to do here, but on our afternoon walk we did manage to climb to the top of the wall...

...and check out the view (south) of Oslo Fjord (which isn't actually a fjord, more a harbor).

Yet another afternoon expedition took us to the famous Vigeland Park, which houses the life work of Norway's famous sculptor Gustav Vigeland - perhaps best known for Angry Boy, which we'll definitely get a shot of on a return trip. On this short visit we simply smelled the roses and admired only about half of the sculpture to be seen.

We are definitely moving at a slower pace here in Oslo as there is less purpose behind our time here. Jack has to stay in Scandinavia for a full three months as dictated by his funding, and thus this extra three and a half weeks tacked on to the end of our trip. Certainly there is work that we both have to do...but there are also our walks to take, a city to explore and family time to simply enjoy. The adjustment to this slower pace has been a bit harder for me, I think, than for Jack and Samuel. But I'll get there.

Fab6 Report 1

Last week in Amsterdam, I had the privilege to attend the Fab6 conference. For those not in the know, the FabLab network (the raison d'etre for my entire summer of study and travel) is a network of digital fabrication labs which started as a project of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms. It now comprises nearly 50 labs all over the world, including FabLab Norway in Lyngen, where I started my adventure this summer.

The FabLab project has, over the last several years, transitioned from an outreach project of MIT to a (mostly) self-organized consortium of labs, who use a similar toolset to address diverse problems. One of the big pieces of news released during opening day was that US Congressman Bill Foster of Illlinois (self-described as "1/3 of the Congressional Strategic Reserve of Scientists) has introduced HR 6003, the National Fab Lab Network Bill, to establish the framework for a network of labs in the US. He likens the establishment of the network to the Carnegie Library system, which brought knowledge to the public in printed form. Recognizing our contemporary conception of information as imbedded in physical organization and coded onto silicon chips, the FabLab network will give communities throughout the US access to the tools of innovation and knowledge creation. So that's pretty exciting.

The Fab6 conference is organized by the Netherlands FabLab network, and is based in the Waag building in Nieumarkt square in Amsterdam (although sessions will be held in other labs throughout NL). The Waag is an amazing building, built in 1448 as one of the main gates in the city walls. It has since served many other purposes, but is primarily known as the former Guild house and also the weigh house for the markets at Nieumarkt. The main sessions at Fab6 are being held in the anatomical theater, the site of this painting by Rembrandt.

Across the street is a cheese shop, complete with awesome delivery bike.

Laser cutters and computers are not particularly beautiful, but this nice little lathe in the Amsterdam lab certainly is. They 2 guys in the background are discussing the Mantis, which is a small mill being developed at MIT to replace the (relatively) expensive Roland Modelas currently used by the FabLabs. One of the main topics of conversation, and a primary route for MIT to continue to support the project, is the development of a low cost suite of tools and software which could be build and customized by existing labs, reducing the startup cost for new labs.

On Tuesday, I attended sessions in Amersfoort, at a new lab started by members ofSpullenmannen, a group of visual and theater artists who make art using industrial/technological detritus. They used this KUKA robot (which they got for free from a defunct car factory) to make this totally cool video (it's the one on the lower left), and are working on a dance piece with the KUKA as protagonist.

Their lab is in an old food coloring factory, and is overflowing with treasures waiting to be reused, including a costume department (I feel that every FabLab should include a costume department, but that could by my BFA talking).

The Spullenmannen (Dutch for StuffMen) were also hosting the mobile FabLab truck, which was very adorable. It's been traveling all over DE and NL this summer, encouraging people to make their own tshirts at music feltivals and the like.

The van is outfitted with a Chinese laser (referred to constantly as THECHINALASER), which was purchased for only 3K euros (that's cheap!). The focus of the day's sessions was founding a lab for free or for cheap, including the challenges that come with owning a CHINALASER. I'm fairly certain that every single part except the enclosure and the laser itself can be ordered from McMaster-Carr, which actually kind of recommends it (unless you can get excellent service from your name brand laser dealer and don't have to worry about repairs). The other sessions covered reusing plastic and other materials for use in the laser cutter, and concluded with the drafting of a Recycling Manifesto for the FabLab organization, as well as the creation of a work group to organize an online resource for plastics identification and health information.

One of my favorite pieces of Spullen was this totally dope poster of a cutaway view of a Dutch lathe. I think this might be replacing the cutaway Sturmey-Archer as my desktop image.

More on the second half of the conference later.

Final Days in Holland

I'm posting now from Amsterdam, just in time for us to pack up and move again as we head to Oslo in the morning. Evidence of our time in Amsterdam follows - starting with this astounding illustration of both the age of these lovely canals and homes (this house is probably dating from the mid-1600s or early 1700s) and the unstable footing on which they are built. Note the lean on this place. This is not uncommon around town. Some homes actually lean both out towards the canals (intentional, so when they use the cranes, which they all have on their roofs to haul goods up to the top stories, they don't hit the facade) and to the side (not at all intentional).

But before I show you any more of Amsterdam, let me tell you what we did this past week. Jack was very busy as he was attending his FabLab (www.fab6.nl) conference from Sunday night on. I'm sure he'll share more about that at a later date. Samuel and I, however, were quite relaxed. We tried to keep a regular nap schedule - even if that meant napping on the train (and yes, that is a Starbucks americano - nothing like the taste of home!).

Primarily, we just did what Samuel wanted to do -- played in the parks, chasing dogs and pointing at bicycles and buses (both of which Utrecht has LOTS of). Just a quick note to establish setting for our two week stay in Utrecht - this shot is taken on an actual "walk" from the Hesselink's house - so you know it can't be very far from their front door. Lovely, eh?

We found a delightful playground a quick bike ride from the house (in Wilhemina Park), which we frequented.
And when Jack was home from the conference, he and Samuel tried to read the Dutch paper together...apparently with great success.
We were treated to Henriette's delicious meals. Samuel, in particular, loved her cooking. Here he is feasting on a dessert prepared just for him - all the yogurt and berries a little boy could want (and smear all over his face).
We did have a couple of outings, which were not recorded as Jack had the camera. A nice bike ride and visit with the butterflies at the Botanical Garden; an afternoon spent strolling around Amersfoort (which is about 25 km northeast of Utrecht); and several shopping excursions in the center of Utrecht (Samuel needed shoes...and skinny red jeans, apparently - which we have yet to capture digitally..we're working on it).

On Thursday we migrated to Amsterdam to allow Jack two nights in the city to more fully engage in the conference. Canals and houseboats below.

Adorable wee bakfiets for the kids. I guess they can bike their dolls around? I don't know that I'd want to see one small child cycling another small child around in one of these things.

And evidence of our tasty meals - below was Thursday night when we dined on mussels and frites (and about five different mayonnaise sauces). Behind is the Waag building (dating from the 15th century I think, where Jack's conference was being held). He'll elaborate I'm sure.

Here is what was left of our dinner tonight after we enjoyed grilled fish, bibb lettuce salad, rose and a local beer.
Samuel loved his dinner - spaghetti and beets - but was a bit daunted by the crazy high chair provided us by the restaurant. It weighed a ton and clearly wasn't designed by someone who has kids.
One more food shot, just because it is super cool - this was a member of the catering staff at the Thursday night reception for Jack's conference. He was shucking oysters on the spot for you. He had all his buckets attached via a belt, a chain mail glove and his knife in a holster. Why have I never seen a caterer provide this service before?
Anyway, we're staying at the Lloyd Hotel - highly recommended for anyone who visits - which is an old prison right on the water east of the central station. And lucky for us also right smack dab in the middle of the huge Tall Ships festival being held here this weekend. While this shot was not taken from our hotel room window it could have been. I'm not sure of the exact history of the boat, but it is now serving as a pirate ship for the kids whose parents are crazy enough to wait in a long, long line and take them across the water for some pirate fun. Arrrrr....

This is Norway's contribution to the Tall Ship celebration. Certainly one of the largest boats parked along the pier...and one of the loveliest. And of course, Haakon (Jack's host up in the Arctic in Norway), who I have now met at the conference, told me this morning that he is good friends with the Captain so last night after dinner at a nearby restaurant he and his wife had champagne on the deck. How nice for him!
This is a good example of one of the hundreds of boats (of all sizes) that are making their way around the harbor (in a very orderly fashion) to view the Tall Ships. This boat design is also very common throughout the Netherlands - they are essentially flat bottomed boats built like a barge, but meant for sailing when the time is right.
Of course, with any big festival comes the program of arts and entertainment. As we are oh so lucky, our hotel room is not only overlooking the water and the boats, but also the stage for the local bands. The image below gives you a visual representation of the quality of the music we are enjoying from about noon to 10PM. :) It is made up for by the awesome display of fireworks I've enjoyed out the window at 10:15 each night. Tonight's was apparently the largest fireworks display ever seen in Holland! Now...on to Oslo.