Start to Norway

8/14/12
I got in early in the day so for the rest of the afternoon Joachim and Mira who both picked me up at the airport took me on a driving, sightseeing tour across Oslo and the surrounding areas.  We saw the famous ski jump in holmenkollen and  houses that had grass on the roofs! Joe said it was avery Norwegian, I think it should become very American too.  We also drove around bygdøy which is a part of the island that has museums like the Kon-Tiki Museum which is just like it sounds with totem poles and tiki faces. We went into the city of Oslo and saw the castle where the king lives, and when we got too close to the front doors, the guards started waving us away even though I was told they were supposed to be like the ones in London who can't show emotion. We walked down Karl Johans gate which is the main street in Oslo, and later took a drive to aker brygge, a nice little harbour nearby, where we saw a casual naked man amid picnickers and other sightseers. This was odd since I had wrapped my sweatshirt around and it had gotten really chilly, but nakedness seems to be accepted in Norway; I will not be participating in this aspect of their culture. We had also walked through rådhusplassen which is the City Hall Square, one of the other nice things about Norway where the city seems to be designed for the people and offers things that can be appreciated.

8/15/12

We woke up and went to the Frognerparken (park) with Mira and Cosmo saw the bronze statues lining the bridge including the famous little hot headed boy. There were more statues of human figures surrounding the fountain in the center of the park and on top of the garden stairs we walked up. The tallest was many intertwined forms that rose into a spire formation, something I have noticed about all of Norway, the artwork. There are so many fountains and attention to detail it really makes a difference. For lunch we had a simple meal on the dock near Joe's house with Mira and I got to meet Hannah (Joe and Hannah have a similar relationship that me and Isaiah do). I tried skol bread for the first time which is a staple Norwegian food. It tasted kind of like a danish but with an odd tang to it similar to tea or a chai spice. We had salmon for dinner and it was all so simple which I think is how all meals are here but it was delicious!

8/16/12

Today we went to Joe's family's summer house and it is one of the most beautiful places. It is light and open with huge windows that lets the natural light in all day and has no need for other lights. There is an amazing view of the Oslo Fjord with a rock patio that blends into the natural surroundings. Cosmo came with us and he is much happier here as well. After eating a light lunch, Joe and I took out kayaks and paddled around an island which took about an hour. Tonight we are making some Norwegian shrimp sandwich that is odd to me but loved here. It is a cold sandwich which is how they normally eat shrimp and thought it was crazy when I said we usually grill or pan sear them...we shall see how it goes! (Update, the sandwich was good! I ended up taking off much of the mayo and the shrimp didnt have much of a taste, more for substance it seemed like, but it was a success!)