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.