the rest of oslo

It was clearly my fault that it rained Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Oslo. I mean, it started raining in Tromso shortly after I arrived....and it never really stopped. The rain obviously followed me to Oslo, keeping constant tabs on me until the morning I left. Hmmmm, I'm starting to worry about myself. Payback for a lovely summer, I guess.

Despite the rain, I had an enjoyable time in the capital. I was walking down Karl Johans one day and I could've sworn I heard someone shout my name. It was Anne and Ingvild Myklebust - good friends from Alta who were in town visiting their older brother and sister. We only had a few minutes to chat, but I assured them that I would stop by when I was in Alta for Christmas.

I met Eli Marie's boyfriend, Kristian, who is a very friendly guy. The two of them and Hans Olav and I went to a tapas restaurant on Friday night. I am not quite sure I get the tapas concept, but it tasted good and the place was "koselig." One of the best parts about being in Oslo was walking around and having Hans Olav tell me where we were and what the various neighborhoods were known for. He was a good guide to the city...and an even better guide through the reptile park. The reptile park is in downtown Oslo and it is Hans' favorite "museum." There were tiny gekkos, big iguanas, enormous snakes, and a big, loud parrot. You could fit this reptile park into a shoe box, and the temperature inside must have been around 95 degrees, but it was an excellent "museum" to visit. (Who cares about Munch or Norwegian history when you can hang out with some lizards?)

Thomas (co-worker from Skogfjorden) and I made dinner at his apartment one night. This gave us ample oppportunity to catch up on all the Skog-gossip. There wasn't much, so we ended up watching a movie and talking about the Timberwolves. He had also brought me copies of The Onion and the Mpls. Star Trib. from his recent trip back to MN. Good stuff :) AND Easy Mac! How could I forget the Easy Mac?!

I also met my friend and former Skog-leder Peder for a cup of hot chocolate. It was really nice to catch up with him and hear how life in Oslo is after one year at Luther Sem. in St. Paul. He's studying to be a pastor, which I think is extremely interesting to hear about...esp. in Norway. He said I'd have to stay with him and his brother, Ottar - who has also worked at the Skog, next time I was in town.

So, now I am back in the Arctic after a short vacation in the South. It is pretty cold here, but the sun is miraculously shining today...kind of. I'm gonna put on some good "walking out" music and go get some lunch.

Snak(k)es!