Our trip to Bergen.

Bergen was amazing. Just look at that picture of Bastian basking in the sunlight. I knew it would be, of course, because no city with that much history could be anything less than amazing, but I wasn't prepared for just how much I wanted to see and do while I was there. I don't have the photos up on facebook yet, but as soon as I've sorted out the good from the bad, I'll upload them and then post a link here.

The weather was traditionally Bergen-esque our first two days in the city, with torrential rainfall and howling winds after we checked into our hostel that gave way to a perpetual drizzle that followed us mostly everywhere on our second day. This, of course, did nothing to discourage Tim, Mike, Bastian and I from venturing outdoors; we wandered through the historic area of Bryggen, where the Hanseatic merchants did business until well into the 1700s when they were absorbed by the Bergan merchants, to the very end of the pier, and let the wind and rain thoroughly chill and soak us, and then retired to Dr. Livingstone, an indoor/outdoor English pub, to watch World Cup Football matches. (This, it turns out, is how we ended most of our evenings, since the US, Germany, and the Netherlands were all playing their first matches while we were in Bergen.)

In Copenhagen we flocked to museums, but in Bergen we spent nearly all of our time wandering around outdoors taking photographs of the most inconsequential things, because it was impossible to take three steps in any given direction without discovering a new and exciting angle to experiment with. Bergen is carved out of the mountains around it, so it is very likely that one street will literally wind up the mountainside a good four meters above the road and houses parallel to it. In a way it felt very Greek, just tucked away next to Bunnefjorden instead of the Aegean. We took Fløibanen up to the top of Fløyen mountain in order to get an amazing panoramic view of the whole city (totally blanketed by gray fog, clouds and rain, of course, but still absolutely worth it), then decided to head back down the mountain by foot. Bastian and I decided that if trolls were to live anywhere in Norway, it would be within the lush woods that somehow manage to thrive while clinging to the rockface of the mountains cradling the city.

The weather cleared up by Sunday just in time for our tour of Bunnefjorden by boat, though the wind kept me wearing my windbreaker and scarf for pretty much the whole tour. I knew logically that Bergen was going to be colder than Oslo, but I wasn't prepared for just how much colder I was near constantly; not to the point where I was uncomfortable, mind you, because temperatures near 10 and 11C (look, I understand Celsius now!) are always preferable for me. I like any opportunity to bundle up in warm clothing and drape myself in scarves. There were so many small communities and cozy farm houses lining the fjord waterway. I know that it must get incredibly lonely living in such relative isolation here, but honestly, with a view of a fjord out my window every morning, it might be worth it for me. Maybe one day I'll be rich enough to own a house here. (Probably not, but a girl can dream.)

There aren't many Things That We Did, specifically, to note down. Sure, we took Fløibanen, went on the boat tour, visited the preserved Bergen Kontor that now serves as the Hanseatic Museum in Bryggen, but most of what we did just involved walking wherever our feet carried us, finding grassy patches of sunshine to lay in for hours at a time just soaking in the summer air, and letting Bergen seep into us.

On my first night in the city, I bumped into a particularly chatty Norwegian woman in Dr. Livingstone--yes! a Norwegian who actually wanted to talk to a complete stranger!--who gave me a saying that I feel, in retrospect, is quite apt for this trip: "Oslo may have the capital, but Bergen has the soul of Norway."

I think she's right.

Norwegian wood, and some other thoughts.

I think Sognsvann is quickly becoming my most favorite corner of Oslo, even on cloudy days with plenty of overcast. With all the snow gone and the temperatures warming up, everything is gradually growing bright green; I spent a ridiculous amount of time just laying in the grass and moss quite a way's off the main path, listening to all the different natural sounds. It isn't that much different from what I'd hear on Monte Sano in Huntsville, actually; birds crying, wind in the trees, distant conversations, etc. And like Huntsville, it doesn't take very long at all to leave the heart of the city and find yourself sequestered away in a small, private corner of the wilderness. (Though I think I was less alone than I suspected at the time; I couldn't get a picture of it, but I think I glimpsed an elk near the dam.)

My final exams for my courses are coming up soon, and then my last trip with my friends here at the university. I think I've managed to see lots of new and exciting places this year; Glasgow in Scotland (even if it wasn't planned), Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Copenhagen in Denmark, the lovely Swedish countryside with all its massive wind turbines, idyllic "Gamle" Fredrikstad further south along Oslofjorden--and of course Oslo itself, a city I now feel I know as well as Huntsville, and love just as much. I still have plenty to see before I go home to Huntsville: a possible trip with my Norwegian classmates to Göteberg in Sweden next week, Bergen with Mike and Tim at the start of June, London with family, Winchester and Canterbury with Von, Norfolk with Alistair, a return to Cambridge for a day if I can swing it, and possibly a visit to my aunt and cousin in France. There's so much more to do, and though I'm sad I wasn't able to visit Helsinki or Stockholm, I know I'll find a way to visit both cities in the future.

I need to start thinking about what I am going to do with myself when I get back to Huntsville. I suppose the logical thing would be to start looking for a job, since by that point I will have my degree and be a university graduate (how scary is that?!). Do I want to move out and find my own place or continue living at home with my dad? What sort of job do I want? Do I want to start thinking about graduate school or delay those plans for a while? All these questions are swimming around in my head, and I can't really answer any of them until I am back stateside. The open-endedness of all my options is terrifying and exciting at the same time. I can, in fact, do whatever I want.

A Deutschlander decides a bit of Norsking is on the agenda!

Tomorrow, I get one of these!

A Jen! Assuming all goes swimmingly at the airport, of course. Iceland, no more vomiting up ash and volcano, at least not until Monday evening, svp.

I've got a general idea of what we'll get up to during her visit. Friday night, we will introduce her to Uglebo, the student pub lurking beneath Sophus Bugge on Blindern campus, and then afterwards scoot along to mine and Tim's favorite haunt these days, Waldemar's. Saturday morning we'll head up to the end of Holmenkolbanen (line 1) via both T-bane and bus so that we can get some gorgeous shots of the fjord in spring time, and also spend an insane amount of kroner on the reindeer steak that I still have yet to eat in this country. I figure we can make good use of the rest of the afternoon by visiting the Munch museum, then perhaps taking the ferry across to Bygdøy so she can explore Kon-Tiki and the Norwegian folk museum. Maybe the Viking ship museum, too. Sunday will probably be a little more chill after walking our feet off on Saturday, and then on Monday, alas, I will have to ship her back to Germay. ): Sad day, sad day.

It has come to the point in my trip where I need to look at planning out the rest of my travels instead of just saying, "Oh, I'll do that later." It's a little bittersweet for me to realize that I'll need to start planning out when I will be flying to London, and from there back home to Huntsville, but I've done a lot of traveling over the last four months and should probably cut myself some slack in that regard. And who's to say my traveling will necessarily come to an end once I'm in America again? After all, there are still quite a few Canadian provinces I haven't seen, and I still haven't gone to Mexico.

Ahh, the possibilities!

Fredrikstad!

"Gamle Fredrikstad" ("Old Fredrikstad") is the charming, historical section of present day Fredrikstad, which is located about an hour and a half of Oslo by bus or train. Originally we were supposed to take the train down, but NSB canceled our train for some reason; still, they helpfully put us on a bus for no charge, and we were able to take the train back at the end of the day. And this, dear readers, is where we spent essentially the entirety of Friday--and it was beautiful.

The decision to make this trip was more or less impromptu; Thursday night found Tim and I trying to sort out what to do with our Friday morning and afternoon assuming the weather cooperated, and we eventually decided on this small town. I got the general impression, after we arrived, that this was the sort of place where everyone knew everyone else, their business, and their cousins' businesses, so I expect we stood out a bit as tourists. The gorgeous sunshine and relatively gentle cool breeze had everyone outdoors enjoying themselves, us included. We took tea (and coffee) at the adorable (and expensive) café across the street from this one, before popping over to the bakery for the best baguette I've eaten in my entire life.

The whole day was a series of "bests" to be honest. The best weather, the best baguette, the best rosé wine, etc. For a day excursion, I don't think we could possibly have done better if we tried, because so many different factors lined up to make the day fulfilling and relaxing in all regards. I even enjoyed "Gamlebyen"'s small museum and its exhibit on travel, which actually provided a pretty cool interactive element. On a flat map of the world was printed one question: "Hvor er det beste stedet du har vaert? Merk av på kartet." To translate, roughly, "Where are the best places that you've been? Mark them on the map." To my astonishment, someone had actually marked the area around Tuscaloosa in Alabama already--so I did my bit and planted a shiny green pin in Huntsville. :) It seemed only right, after all.

I must have a soft spot in my heart for small towns the world over, because whenever I travel it is always these smaller towns or communities that most leave an impression on me. Actually, I suppose that isn't a fair statement to make. I don't think any European city has gotten to me quite the same way Oslo has, since I've called it home for the past three months, and Oslo is definitely not a small town. But Fredrikstad possesses an incredible amount of personality and individuality that extends even to the small cemetery we found time to visit. (I've got a thing for grave photography, I guess. Maybe I'm too morbid for my own good.) I think I spend more time wandering around cemeteries than most people my age, save for perhaps my dear friend Joseph, and even though I always love my jaunts through Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, even the oldest headstones there don't have the same personal touch as the stones I wandered past. (Also, I didn't know this before I looked him up online, but Ragnar "Joker" Pedersen was actually a fairly well known Norwegian cartoonist who lived and worked in Fredrikstad, and even has his own Wikipedia article. På norsk, selvfølgelig. ;D)

Overall, one of the most delightful discoveries while planning this trip was how comparatively affordable it was--aside from one cringe-worthy moment where we discovered that a glass of Borg costed us a whopping 63 kroner. ..I'm glad I went for the rosé wine instead. Anyway, given how close the cities within the fjord are to Oslo, I expect we'll be heading off on more weekend trips like this in the future. Next time, perhaps Halden?

Oh yeah, and one more highlight:

The Google Earth car drove past us! Who knows, you might see me featured in Fredrikstad if you ever need to find your way along Kirkengaten, someday.

Hadet. <3

Some thoughts before sleep.

Today was, for all intents and purposes, very slow. I spent my morning reading for both my Old Norse class and my historical conservation class, embarked on yet another laundry and dinner adventure to Blindern campus with Tim, and ended the evening at the Kringsjå pub for the pub quiz with Tim, Mike and Ray for company. It was a slow day, really, and I only bothered taking the T-bane at all with Tim because we wanted to get dinner at the caf rather than enduring yet another collection of ham sandwiches. Tomorrow once we've had dinner, we'll go exploring for those ingredients previously stated in my last entry.

I'm continually marveling at how much this relocation to another part of the world has brought me out of my shell and woken up parts of my personality that I was not even aware I possessed. Apparently I am not just a socially uncomfortable introvert content to stay in my room all day while other people go out having a good time, and even though today all I did was join Tim at both Blindern and the pub for dinner and then for the pub quiz, those very simple actions present such a striking departure from my normal mode of behavior.

I'm happy here in a way I was never happy back in Huntsville, and that isn't said as a slight to my home town or anyone who I love dearly back home. I feel like the life I'm sliding into here is one that better reflects where I need to be in terms of my mental well-being and my attitude towards socialization; I don't look for reasons to avoid going out here, because every morning when I wake up and realize where I am, I'm filled with this sense of giddy delight. I'm in Norway, I'm a student in Europe, my closest friends here are, in fact, Europeans, and even after going on three weeks, I am already so attached to this new phase in my life that I just don't want to let it end. I want the next few months here to go on for as long as possible; I want to find a way to stay in Europe once I've graduated, even in England with family if I can manage it; I want to stay close to these marvelous friends I've made in this country--Tim, Elif, Richard, Bastian, even my token American buddies Mike and Ray--I'm so attached and fond of all these people. I love them, even after only knowing them for three weeks.

When I think back on the unhappiness I felt during my first two or three nights here in this country, I can hardly even remember those feelings now, because I am so content. I could do this for years to come, and even though I know I would miss Huntsville, I am more than happy just to relive my memories of it right now.

I don't want to go back. I'm ready for whatever else this new adventure has in store for me.

Let's end the day with some Floyd:

In case you hadn't guessed...

...Oslo is cold.

That's the view outside my bedroom window here at Kringsjå studentby. Straight up that path will take you to the Kringsjå T-bane stop, which is how I find my way into the city itself every day. My housing area is actually on the outskirts of the city, second to the end of the line, and the very last stop puts you in the middle of some very beautiful wilderness, or so I've been told. Once spring time rolls around, I plan to whip out my camera and go exploring, but the cold temperatures limit what I'm able to do during the day, and once the sun goes down, well... Let's just say -12F is not a comfortable temperature to endure while waiting on the train to arrive.

Leaving England was very hard, of course, since I'd spent so much time trying to just get down to Leatherhead, only to turn around and leave it again. But Uncle Peter got me to the airport in good time, I had no trouble getting through security, and much to my delight once I was in the proper area, I found this:

Pret-A-Manger was my absolute favorite little shop to eat at while I was studying in Cambridge in 2005, and when I saw it in Heathrow Airport I was so relieved. So I snagged my very last meal in the UK, which consisted of my favorite of the Pret drinks and a very nice chicken club sandwich. I maintain that I've yet to eat a sandwich anywhere else in the world that tastes quite that good.

The British Airways flight to Oslo was ridiculously easy and smooth, and I happily emailed the airline once I had internet in my room here in Kringsjå in order to thank them for such impeccable customer service. Seeing the Scandinavian peninsula from the air as we began our descent was pretty magical, I'll have to admit; we'd just been flying over all these dense, snowy clouds, and I was absently examining them when my eyes caught on something much different. I remember thinking, "Wow, there it is," but even then it didn't sink in that I was actually going to Norway until the plane touched down on the runway. The airport itself was very easy to navigate, immigration wasn't a problem--but much to my dismay, while struggling with my bags to catch the Flytoget (the express train from the airport) to Oslo itself, I dropped my favorite plaid hat on the platform! ): So somewhere, someone hopefully found that hat and is giving it a good home. Honestly, I'm gutted to lose it, but I've at least got the blue toque that my dad bought for me in Huntsville. It keeps my ears from freezing off, at least, though I may need to get a better one soon.

Despite being met by the ESN student group at Oslo S. (that's the central train station in Oslo), I... actually didn't have much assistance from anyone as I struggled to settle in for two days. Up until yesterday, my dorm room had all the common amenities of a modern day prison cell, my roommate was laconic and a little unpleasant, and I couldn't actually get the heat to turn on. I felt awful and home sick and generally frustrated on all accounts, but in retrospect I think I can attribute most of that to the bitter cold and the darkness. The sun doesn't come up here properly until around 9 or 10am, and it goes down very quickly at about 3:30-4:00pm, which leaves me marooned in darkness and unbearable cold for most of the day. However, unpleasant as that is, it does just require some adjusting (and giving myself permission to get rid of the necessary tears, because holding them in doesn't help)--and the past two days have actually been much better than my initial arrival, because I've started making friends.

In my hall I am, apparently, the only girl! At first I thought that the housing people had stuck me in a male dormitory, but there are girls living elsewhere in the building, possibly with my same situation--that they're rooming with a guy. This isn't really an issue, since I have in fact lived with men before, but I was sort of hoping I'd be able to meet this guy and introduce myself. Didn't happen until last night; his name is David, and he's from Cameroon, which seems to be par for the course with most of the boys on my floor. (I shouldn't say 'boys'; all the men from Cameroon are older, and appear to be studying at the same theological college).

The one who really befriended me was Augustine, who helped me struggle with my internet connection problems for hours and hours my first night here, then graciously invited me to his church the next day. Getting to the church itself was quite an ordeal, because the theological college is on the other side of the greater city; I'm not sure it qualifies as a part of Oslo at all. I saw a good bit of the surrounding suburbs though, which mostly consisted of people shoveling snow off of their cars and driveways, and some kids jumping into massive snow drifts; very cute. The church service itself wasn't exactly my cup of tea, possibly because I really have become a stuffy, boring Anglican in recent months, but I really enjoyed spending time with Augustine's church community. They invited me to sit down to dinner with them in the reception area, where I got to eat food from both Cameroon and Nigeria. It had very rich, strong flavors, mostly maize and ground yams with spices I'm not sure how to describe, but I really enjoyed it.

So that was my Sunday adventure. Yesterday, I took the T-bane into town, to Blindern campus, in order to track down my Oslo information packet at the international student reception area. I got that sorted out well enough and now have both a registration card and a student ID card (both of which I can use to purchase monthly travel cards for the T-bane, bus, tram, and even the ferry)--but what really made my day was finally meeting up with one of the other USAC kids I befriended over Facebook, Josh, and a new friend named Vincent who's studying here from Dublin, Ireland. It was really rather good luck that Vincent and I bumped into each other, because not only was he also staying at Kringsjå studentby, but he is in fact in my building! Granted, he's on the 6th floor, but all the same, we ended up spending the evening trying to gather supplies together; we bought some necessities at the Kiwi grocery store (that's what it's called, kid you not), and then, after the obligatory cup of tea in his kitchen, took the T-bane into Oslo to track down the Oslo City mall. I got my space heater at last, and we both managed to get decent pillows and duvets since the university doesn't provide us with much of anything, as I said.

Anyway, in about two hours we'll be meeting up to take the T-bane to Blindern campus again in order to attend student orientation. Hopefully my next post will come in short order so that it isn't so text-heavy and instead has more pictures!

Hadet bra~

An update from Leatherhead!

Finally, I've made it to my uncle's house!

It's quite late right now and I'm very tired, so I won't regale you all with the awful details of how I got here; suffice to say, US Airways finally just stuck us all on coaches and we drove south through the British Isles until we got to Gatwick about two hours ago. Now I'm happily tucked away in the room I've got to myself here, with a cup of tea and just enough energy to post some photographs before I turn in.

I have to say, I made some wonderful friends while I was stuck in Scotland. Pictured to the left are three awesome folks who also got stranded with me in Glasgow; Angie, her lovely hubby Mike, and Kohi, a Toronto native studying abroad for a semester in South England. We became sort of a quartet over the course of the past two days, keeping each other company and making sure we all stayed relatively chipper and upbeat despite the circumstances. I took this picture this morning at the Glynhill Hotel right before we boarded the coaches that took us to Glasgow Airport... where, obviously, we did not make out connecting flight to Gatwick.

Here's one of us all together, but I look pretty goofy. And my scarf doesn't match!

We got on the road to London at around 1:00pm, and I took a few snapshots of the countryside out the coach window:

These are a bit small, so I might post bigger resolution images tomorrow. Unfortunately I was facing the wrong way in the coach and so couldn't get any shots of the mountains, but they reminded me a lot of the way the Appalachian foothills cradle the Tennessee Valley back home.

We stopped at a few very nice service stations, and while browsing for munchies, Kohi and I stumbled across the weirdest food dish I've encountered thus far:

Very weird.

And on that note, I'm going to finish off my cup of tea and crawl into bed. Good night!

Hello from sunny... Glasgow?

Yep.

If I look exhausted and bedraggled, it's because I am. However, despite the noticeably displeased expression on my face, my day has actually ended comparatively well given how lousy it was up until... well, I'd say an hour ago. I'm posting this update from my hotel room, by the way. Free wi-fi!

Monday night, January 4th, I was essentially up all night long unpacking and repacking my belongings, in an effort to make sure that I didn't forget anything important. Thus far, it appears that I haven't, which is apparently a testament to my wonderful packing skills!

To save you enduring the gory details of how I ended up in Glasgow, Scotland (technically Renfrew), instead of in Leatherhead, England with my family as planned, I've just got one word for you: snow. Snow, and lots of it. Here's an excerpt from the Telegraph:

"The South, including London and the Home Counties, was expected to bear the brunt of the snowfall overnight and early on Tuesday, with emergency services saying that they were already struggling to cope with the increasingly bitter conditions . . . Scores of rail services and flights were cancelled as temperatures struggled to get above freezing. On Monday night, temperatures dropped to as low as -14C (7F) in some areas — the worst since 1995."

In other words, the airports all closed down, and the only place that could accept us was Glasgow, Scotland. We ended up spending nearly three hours on the runway, waiting inside the plane because the airline wanted to "wait and see" if Gatwick would start accepting flights again. I was frustrated that they couldn't let us at least deplane long enough to stretch our legs, especially because we actually had several sick children onboard the aircraft (which resulted in paramedics coming aboard to make sure there wasn't some kind of epidemic breaking out on the plane--quite the adventure). But apparently due to security concerns, if you deplane, you've got to go through customs... which I eventually did. The bright side? I have a shiny Scottish stamp in my passport now! I do love collecting passport stamps.

US Airways was supposed to reserve us all rooms at the Holiday Inn, but after spending an additional four hours with over 100 other people crammed into the reception area, we discovered that US Airways had in fact only reserved 50 rooms. 50 rooms, knowing that well over 100 people were going to the Holiday Inn in search of a place to spend the night. Ridiculous! Fortunately, one of the other passengers called up the airline representative and pitched such a fit that we ended up getting much nicer digs at this lovely little hotel, the Glynhill Hotel, located in Renfrew. (I think Renfrew is to Glasgow what Madison is to Huntsville.) The building itself is very old and has lots of personality, with all kinds of twisting, winding hallways and a very friendly (and good looking) porter who carried my bag all the way to my room for me. So for tonight, I'm enjoying the free wi-fi, the BBC, and trying to unwind a bit.

Tomorrow, yet another flight leaves for Gatwick at 9am, though I'm apprehensive about my chances of actually getting to Gatwick. With the weather not letting up at all, it's possible that I'll need to investigate flying from Glasgow to Oslo, instead of to Oslo through Heathrow. This would bother me for a number of reasons, primarily because the whole point of my arriving in the UK before going on to Norway was to spend time with family. But, this is the hand I've been dealt, so to speak, so I'm going to deal with it to the best of my abilities.

Time to relax, watch a bit of TV, and possibly make an early night of it. I'm exhausted!

edit: My lovely friend Von phoned me at my hotel to keep me company!

Vonnie is my silly British friend, and I took this photo of her last year during her visit to Huntsville in May. I was hoping that I'd be able to pop down to Winchester while in the UK, but that's not going to happen this time around.

Much as this whole travel experience has exhausted me so far, I'm glad that I've got such a strong network of friends and family to keep me grounded. I've been in fairly constant contact with my father, my uncle, my mother, and several of my friends both here in the UK and back home in the states. It's nice that these friendships don't stagnate just because there's a bit of distance between us.

We're nearly there!

It's packing time! And boy, am I doing a lot of it.

I've sorted out the essentials: warm clothes (which will NOT be warm enough, I'll have to buy warmer stuff when I get there), snow appropriate boots, some bed linens and a pillow (since that isn't provided by the university housing), hats, scarves, my faithful gloves, plenty of warm, fluffy pajamas. The non-essentials (at least, not essential to my survival) have all been taken care of, too: the macbook, complete with adapters for any country I might find myself in, a Europe-compatible cell phone that I didn't ask for but my father thought would be necessary anyway, my sketch and drawing notebooks, my inking pens and my pencils. I'm still going through which few books I plan to take with me, and this is proving to be the hardest part of the process. There is so much I want to take with me, but so much of it would just be superfluous and provide extra clutter. Oh yes--the camera. Food tends to be something I don't pack to take with me, but I think taking some of my preferred teas along with me might stave off the inevitable homesickness that is bound to creep up on me when I'm least expecting it. So I'm including two of my favorite (and most sturdy) mugs, an equally sturdy teapot, and the chai I bought at India Festival this summer.

My carry-on luggage will consist of: the macbook, the sketchbook and pencils/pens, Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman, the blackberry, the passport, the wallet with necessary picture I.D., dollars, pounds and kroner. I thought about packing my DS Lite but have since decided that it might be better to just scrap bringing it altogether. I rarely if ever play it here, so what makes me think I'm going to play it in Norway, especially when I'll have a foreign country to explore? Then again, I did buy that frigging thing to use it, grumble grumble grumble whatever I don't need more video games. *grump*

Still left to do: contact my bank to remind them that I'll be in England for most of this week, then Norway by the weekend. I expect I won't ask them to recognize any other Scandinavian or mainland European countries just yet, since I don't know when/if I'll be in Sweden or Denmark. That entirely depends on how comfortable I feel traveling, and how soon.

Additionally, some of you know I am a (somewhat irregular) patron of the Church of the Nativity, Episcopal here in Huntsville. I'm relieved to say that I've found myself a new Anglican/Episcopal home for the duration of my stay in Oslo in St. Edmund's Anglican Church. I really like the sound of this place, not only because services are conducted in English, but also because the youth organization seems geared towards addressing the needs of international students. I think getting involved in St. Edmund's will be a good way for me to established a non-school community for myself while I'm in Oslo--and going to church always makes me feel better, so! :)

I've said most of my goodbyes to friends and family alike; Mum, her fiancee and I went to see Sherlock Holmes tonight and then dropped by Barnes & Noble afterwards for coffee/tea. I visited my grandmother, who has been in hospital since October, and was relieved to see that she is not only doing much better, but is going to be moved to a physical therapy center in Madison come Tuesday after she receives dialysis. So, the long and the short of it is, the new year is getting off to a grand start, and I feel confident about my departure.

I don't intend to update this journal any more while I'm here in the states. The next time you'll hear from me will be from South England as I kill some time with my relatives. As of January 9th, however, my adventure really begins.

A list of foods I must try while in Norway.

I like to consider myself the type of "foodie" that chef Anthony Bourdain would be able to tolerate for at least a few minutes; I love to eat, I love trying new things, and I always want to find the local places that are a little off-beat and off the normal tourist-y loop when it comes to lunch time. Mind you, I don't think I'll be trying chicken anus anytime soon. Bourdain is a better man than I.*

But I have compiled a meager list of things I would like to try while abroad in Norway--some obvious stuff, and then some less obvious stuff:

Norwegian smoked salmon. As a maritime country, the majority of traditional Norwegian cuisine involves fish. I have a sneaking suspicion I may end up comparing Norwegian smoked salmon to Alaskan smoked salmon. We'll see which one is tastier.

Gravlaks, or "dug salmon." This is apparently a salt-and-sugar cured dish seasoned with dill and lemon.

Reinsdyrsteik, or "reindeer steak." Apparently the meat is very rich, so it is often served with juniper berry or lingon berry sauces. On that note, I'm also keen on trying...

Cloudberry jam! I had some of this while I was visiting a dear friend in British Columbia, and when we looked it up on Wikipedia we discovered that it is grown and distributed in the Nordic countries even moreso than in Canada. (It tends to crop up in Newfoundland in Canada, unless I'm mistaken.) Tastes very nice on toast, and apparently is also used to make...

Lakkalikööri, a Finnish liqueur derived from the cloudberry fruit. You can drink it either on its own or in coffee, which seems rather like Baileys or Amaretto to me. At any rate, I'm determined to try this, too.

There are some other dishes I'm really interested in trying: torsk, which is poached cod, often served just with potatoes; lapskaus, a meat stew that can have everything in it except fresh pork for some reason; fårikål, Norwegian mutton stew; Norwegian coffee, which supposedly has its own very distinct flavor and texture; and, of course, mjød, perhaps better known on this side of the pond as mead. :)

This website providing the names and addresses of good restaurants in Oslo will, I'm sure, become my best friend, even if I will like as all be too broke to enjoy all of these things too often. But I am determined!

* yes, I am well aware that I am not a man at all. shh.

Norway in T minus 29 days...

Hello!

For my last semester as an undergraduate student enrolled at UAHuntsville, I've been accepted to study abroad at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Oslo in Norway. According to the university website, it was established in 1811, before Norway gained its independence from Denmark, which I think is pretty cool. :D Over the past few weeks, I've been doing my best to get all of my affairs in order before departure; this included filling out a Declaration of Acceptance on the university website, applying for housing (the rental contract for which has now arrived in the mail--I'll be living in the Kringsjå student village!), applying for the visa, etc. It's turned out to be quite the exhausting process, especially while juggling a lot of responsibilities here at home, but I'm going to take a page out of my dear friend Jennifer's book, who is being an awesome Fulbright Scholar in Celle, Germany as we speak. This journal is intended to be a travel blog, not a personal diary, and so my personal whinging will stay out of it.

So, my travel itinerary at the moment: I'll leave Huntsville International Airport on January 5th for London, where I will spend a few days with my father's family in and around Wimbledon. Having family scattered across the globe is pretty nice, I'll go ahead and admit it; last year while Jennifer and I were in Germany for a university course, I was able to meet up with my paternal grandmother's family in former East Germany. It didn't seem to matter that I spoke no German and they spoke no English, because when you're family, somehow these things just sort themselves out. :) Anyway, I won't be going to Germany, at least not immediately, on this trip. On the 9th, I'll fly out of London and straight to Oslo, where the SiO people are supposedly going to meet me to help me get to my student village in the city.

I've been looking at some photographs of Oslo online while preparing for my trip, and it looks so strikingly modern in comparison to other European cities. Here are some photos nicked off Google:


This is actually an image of the University of Oslo itself. :) I'll be there soon!


Photograph of a longboat in the ship museum. I'll be all over that. :B


Norwegian flags!

I'm sure I'll post a few more entries while I'm here in Huntsville as I prepare to leave. Go ahead and bookmark this if you want to keep up with my adventuring.