Turning 21 & A Trip to Bergen

This post is almost a month overdue but... it's official! As of September 22nd, I joined the ranks of the 'real adults' - I am now 21 years old. No more shirking my responsibilities (although I'll still try!).

I celebrated with my friends here and had possibly the best birthday night I have ever had. We played drinking games, ate brownies, laughed a ton, and then went out to a club (LaWo. I think). They even got me a couple of lovely presents which I was absolutely not expecting! I am seriously in love with everyone here and so grateful that I have met them - they are all wonderful and make every day better.

The Royal Palace, Oslo - & Mum!

Then, my parents arrived! They stayed in Oslo for four days (with really lovely weather), and then we headed to Bergen for a few days (with really rainy weather). It was lovely to show them around Oslo to my favourite places, and also to discover some new favourites with them (Louise restaurant & bar, I'm looking at you). I think it's fair to say that on a one day organised coach trip around Oslo (whilst I was in lectures), Mum & Dad probably saw more of Oslo than I have - they were able to give me some suggestions!

Oslo Rådhus

A random lake near Voss 

Anyway, on to Bergen! We opted for the seven hour train journey to get there, and I do think it was worth it (though I was glad to fly back to Oslo). I almost finished an exceedingly lengthy book (about Finland), and of course, there were some lovely sights (including snow-covered mountains!) - plus, apparently, we went through the longest train tunnel in Europe. Exciting?! Unfortunately when we got to Voss, we were told the railway was closed from there to Bergen and we had to get a bus instead. A definite bummer, as I'm pretty sure there would have been some very pretty views between Voss and Bergen - and I also get super carsick if I try to read on buses. Lame.

We stayed in an apartment found via Airbnb which was right in the centre of Bergen, next to the theatre and just up from the Lille fountain - a perfect place to be as it was only a couple of minutes stroll from the main attractions. The first thing we did in Bergen was head up Mount Fløyen on the Fløibanen. I would've liked to hike up, but my mum is on crutches after breaking both her ankles earlier this year, so that wasn't an option. It was a quick 5-minute journey up there and it offered some great views over Bergen - definitely worth it! I had no idea that Bergen was as big as it looked from up there ('second biggest city' doesn't mean much when you're in a country of around 5 million people... and the capital only has 600,000 of them). Although when you're in the centre of it, it really doesn't feel big at all (more like a large town).

Yeehaw cowboy

We also headed to Bryggen - the old wharf of Bergen which has a bunch of beautiful wooden buildings. It's also incredibly touristy and full of souvenir shops all selling the same thing, but that doesn't detract from the charm; it reminded me of towns that you see in Old Western movies, with a feeling that the buildings were all leaning together. Lovely! The fish market is also in that area, although I couldn't quite understand why it was such a huge attraction (unless you actually want to buy some fish). The big black lumps of whale meat were pretty grim to see!

The other main thing we did was take a 3.5 hour cruise to Mostraumen with Rødne Fjord Cruises. Again, the weather was a bit rubbish with a lot of rain and clouds, so the views perhaps weren't as idyllic as they could've/would've been on a sunny day - but it was time well spent nonetheless! The tour operators were very friendly too, and the captain even gave us the special treatment and took us up to the 'control room' (I'm pretty sure that is not the right term for that bit of the catamaran) - I think she appreciated that my Dad, as a former lifeboat helmsman, actually understood all the technical stuff! (I clearly did not.)

I had a really lovely time with my parents, and of course I was sad to see them go as they flew out of Bergen and back to the UK some hours before I did. But I also got to spent that day with a good friend from University who is on exchange there, so that was nice. Even better was the brownie cake we baked - I still dream of it. Although purely based on the amount of rain that falls in each city, I'm glad I chose Oslo for my exchange!

All in all, another great week! I seem to be racking up quite a few memorable ones over here - and that won't be stopping any time soon!

Free Food, Cultural Evening & A Midnight Hike

I am very much 'in like' with Oslo. The big 'L' word is trembling on the edge of my lip... but I'll hold out on it for a few more days at least! I've been here for seven weeks now, and there has never been a boring day - the last few weeks are no exception!!

I only have classes on Tuesday and Wednesday here (I planned that), so my weekend starts at 7pm on Wednesday when my Norwegian class gets out. That evening, my favourite Finns (Käti and Pekka) invited me to a bonfire-BBQ-gathering-thing in Sognsvann, which is the big lake right near Kringsjå. I have to admit that I still haven't actually been up there during the day but I've at least seen it at night (there was an incredible full Moon)! I met American Andrew, we ate marshmallows roasted on the bonfire and I got to try German stickbread (you literally cook it on a stick over the bonfire) which was fab! I think that is the sort of thing I dreamed of doing as a child, and now it's becoming a reality for me - pretty great.

Super duper excited for free food

On Friday, I headed to the Matstreif food festival with the beautiful Finns, super-sporty German Julia, Australians Angus & Lipi, American Andrew, Mountain Goat Gavin and a couple of new faces too. It's no secret that Oslo is a fairly expensive place to live, so filling up on all the freebies at the food festival was excellent! There was a massive variety of meats (I have now tried elk and reindeer), tons of fish (they really like their raw salmon over here), a LOT of cheese (my favourite thing!) and potatoes, soup, yoghurt, carrots... everything, really.

Outside the Nobel Peace Centre

Friday evening was the annual Cultural Night in Oslo - basically, a ton of places open their doors to the public for a few hours, for free. We decided to go to the Freia chocolate factory to stock up on cheap(er) chocolate bars (I highly recommend 70% with mint... mmm!), stopped by the Town Hall to gaze at the pretty art (you could also wait to go up to the top of the buidling which is known to have a good view of Oslo, but that queue was about 1.5 hours so we decided against it) and finally took a whirlwind tour of the Nobel Peace Centre - I definitely want to go back there and explore it more fully as there were so many things to read.

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, we had heard that the Northern Lights were meant to be visible in Oslo so we decided to hike up Vettakollen at midnight! I use the word 'hike' loosely as I can now appreciate that that was an absolute walk in the park compared to Kjerag. It took us about an hour from the entrance of Sognsvann to the top of the hill and it was huge fun - the whole crew from earlier on was there, plus Imke (another beautiful German girl), Tajda (Slovenian super-fit chick who killed me in the gym that time) and Tajda's flatmate. Of course, when we got to the top it was cloudy and there were no Northern Lights to be seen (the whole day had been clear blue skies - typical) but the nighttime view of Oslo was amazing, the Moon looked super spooky, and the company was great, so I couldn't really have asked for more. We stayed until 3am and I was back in my flat at 4am. I would do it again in a heartbeat... and maybe take a sleeping bag next time!

Midnight snacks for the midnight hike 

Glorious weather at Aker Brygge (I was overdressed) 

Saturday was pretty relaxed by comparison - a bunch of us forayed into the chaotic food festival once more where I tried my favourite sample; a cracker, camembert cheese and sweet chilli sauce. Delicious! Then I purchased a really yummy (& expensive) combo of mango sorbet and raspberry ice cream, before we all collapsed on a grassy area in Aker Brygge, enjoyed the sunshine (perfectly clear skies again - typical) and dreamt up the lives of the rich people on their huge yachts.

All in all, a lovely weekend. There is always something to do and somewhere to go in Oslo, it amazes me - you'd never know it was such a tiny city!

Week Two in Oslo: The Land of Tall, Blonde, Leggy People

My second week in Oslo has been and gone! Time is flying by - on Tuesday, I finally start lectures, which I am actually quite excited about as it's the first time since being at university that I will have been able to choose my modules. This law degree will start to seem more like "my" law degree!

Here's a recap of the week:

MONDAY.

In the morning I headed to Grønland to buy fruits and vegetables... The best decision ever. I got a TON of fresh stuff for only £15 - I honestly think it might be even cheaper than in the UK! I made a huge delicious ratatouille which lasted me 5 days, and paired that with mystery mincemeat (Norwegian labels, you know?) which I'm pretty sure was beef. I also sorted out some boring but important documents which ensure that I will get my Erasmus Grant - free money, and part of the reason I chose Norway as my year abroad destination.

In the afternoon I explored Vigeland Sculpture Park with a few friends from my buddy group - Marta from Spain, Angèle from France, and Lipi from Australia. Gustav Vigeland is the artist who designed all the sculptures, and I read somewhere that they are meant to tell the story of 'the human experience' (debatable) - which results in some pretty funny sculptures, and some great picture opportunities.

TUESDAY.

We had an orientation meeting about the law school - it covered basic but handy things like where to find your timetable, how to use the library, etc. Plus we got free tea, coffee and cakes!

Afterwards, I headed to IKEA with Marta and Tajda (from Slovenia) for the second time since arriving in Oslo. Weirdly, they do not provide curtains in the student rooms here - something I do not understand at all. I can now attest to the fact that curtains are rather expensive, too! I bought some £9 specials which are a lovely orange but don't block out the light all that well... but I also don't get blinded when I wake up in the morning, and I have been able to retire the eyemask (for now), so they're good enough!

WEDNESDAY.

On Wednesday morning I woke up at the crack of dawn (i.e. 7am) to be the first in line to get my student card at 9am. It was worth it - I only had to wait about 2 minutes instead of over an hour. I also bought a 3 month gym membership - £60-something with access to 5 gyms, classes, a swimming pool, climbing walls, and no joining fee... a pretty good deal! The gyms are super nice here, too. I also bought a compendium of articles I needed for one of my modules (extortionately priced at £54). Then... I went to IKEA... AGAIN. I'd forgotten the stupid hooks for the curtains.

In the afternoon, friends and I headed to Gressholmen, an island in the fjord. The weather was lovely, and after an unintended detour through the trees and down a steep hill (I was leading - sorry, girls!) we found a nice area to eat our lunch and even have a little swim. Yes, I swam in the fjord, and it was not as cold as I imagined it would be! I do use the word 'swim' a little loosely though, as the area we were in was ridiculously shallow, and apart from a little bit of breaststroke mostly we were just crouching in the mud. Shortly after we dried off, it started to pour it down, and we narrowly managed to avoid getting drenched by taking shelter in the outside area of a cafe (which was closed. The owner saw us. That was awkward). I was wearing flipflops - highly inappropriate footwear alert.

That evening, a bunch of the girls from our buddy group all went over to Angèle's flat, where her flatmates joined in as well for a 'bring your country's dish' evening. I made apple crumble (thanks for the recipe Mum!) and we also had pancake from Finland, crêpes from France, sushi from Japan and tortilla from Spain (plus some other snacky bits). It was a really lovely evening with great people and I am thoroughly looking forward to the next one!

THURSDAY.

I headed to the gym with Marta, Angèle and Sara (also from France). I seriously intend to make the most of this three month membership. I was pretty knackered after Wednesday, though, so after the gym I mainly just lazed about.

In the evening we all headed to Chateau Neuf for an event called "How to be a Norwegian student" which was basically a really tiny version of a society fair with just a few stands and some information about how to contact the other student societies. BUT we got free pizza! Totally made it worth it.

FRIDAY.

Headed to the gym again, this time for a Zumba class - and let me tell you, Norwegians do not mess around. There were no slow songs in this Zumba class where you could catch your breath. We were essentially jumping for an entire hour - and also doing squats and lunges, because that's how you do Zumba in Norway!

The more Norwegians I see, the more I feel like a heffalump - they are all so beautiful, and blonde, and ridiculously fit! And even if they're not tall (although most of them are), they ALL have legs that go on for days. I would like to suggest that it's all in the genes but I know they have a much more active culture over here than we do in England, and it totally shows. If I could be one tenth as fit as these Norwegians by the end of my year abroad, that would be a success!

In the afternoon, Marta, Tajda, Lipi and I headed to the city center to do some shopping, and we also checked out the Opera House. It's quite a striking building; designed to look like an iceberg, it actually melts (sinks? falls?) into the sea! Warning: it can also cause you to go partially blind when the sun is out and you have forgotten your sunglasses.

SATURDAY.

Saturday morning I awoke to several messages from my parents asking me to skype them because they had good news. And... my sister got engaged to her boyfriend, on her birthday!! Super exciting! I also skyped my eldest brother, who is the proud father to the most beautiful 3 (and a bit) month old baby girl I've ever seen. It's always a treat to talk to him, and to see my niece's adorable smiley face!

In the afternoon I headed to the gym with a friend from my buddy group who is basically fitness chick #1. I haven't done such a good workout in a long time - thank you, Tajda! I'm writing this on Sunday and every single time I move it hurts. I have discovered muscles that I didn't even know existed!

SUNDAY.

Today I headed to a free walking tour of Oslo's street art with Marta. It was really interesting - I'm not really an arty person at all, I normally prefer history museums and the like, and I probably wouldn't have even noticed quite a few of the pieces of art if it weren't for the tour. The tour guide was a little eccentric and walked around barefoot for the entire 3 hours - his little tidbits about Oslo and the art scene certainly made it a great tour! I highly recommend it as a way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

As the tour ended in Grünerløkka I grabbed a delicious red chicken curry from a food stall at the market there. Yum! Afterwards we headed to the gym again (4 days in a row! Am I as fit as a Norwegian yet?).

NEXT WEEK...

Will be a little different! I have my classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, and from Thursday I am heading to Copenhagen for a long weekend to see my sister and her fiancé(!). I'm super excited! Pictures have been sparse this week so I'll be sure to try and whip out my camera more often too.

First Week In Oslo

Well, I'm here in Oslo! It has been just over a week now, and I've had a lovely time so far.

I should probably preface this blog post by saying that the day before I left for Oslo, my dog died, which really, really sucked, and meant that literally the last thing I wanted to do was to leave for a new country, that I'd never visited, all on my lonesome. But my parents have been super supportive and wonderful, and that has definitely made this all a bit easier. I will never forget my dear doggy and I think about him every day, but horrible things happen and life still goes on. I'm extremely grateful that I got to spend almost 14 years with him and that I took selfies with him and cuddled him a lot on his last day. He was a blessing.

Anyway, here in Oslo I'm living in Kringsjå with a lovely view out on to the forest, and a bathroom that I share with one other person (who doesn't seem to ever be here... so really, it's just me). The kitchen and bathroom were pretty gross when I arrived so I spent a good three hours cleaning the bathroom, and also complained about the state of the kitchen - the staff cleaned it on Friday so thankfully I can now use the oven without worrying about food poisoning (or worse)! 

I thought I would do a recap of all the activities from the welcome week, organised by ELSA (European Law Students Association) Oslo. They did a wonderful job!

MONDAY

Met my buddy group and attended the traditional Welcome Ceremony, which was insane and wonderful - there were a TON of students, I think a mix of International and Norwegian, and we did a procession into the main square at Universitetsplassen - I ended up right at the front with a great view!

Afterwards, our buddy group sat around chatting and then we headed to Peppes Pizza, which really was not pizza as I know it - it was more like pie, as the toppings included meatballs and mincemeat! Not something I would necessarily choose to eat in the future but it was ok.

TUESDAY

Visited the Supreme Court! We were given a tour by a law clerk. It was very interesting, and remarkably similar to England, really. It was also good to learn a little about the Norwegian constitution - I will get more information about that when lectures start at the end of August, but I'm pretty ignorant about it at the moment.

WEDNESDAY

My buddy group was lucky enough to get tickets to go on a boat trip around the Oslo fjord with other Norwegian law students. It was super fun! The boat was like a proper sailing boat, although ran on a motor (see here), and there was even live music. We also ate prawns (or shrimp? I'm not really sure) - I am now proficient(ish) in beheading/descaling them or whatever! A tad gross but apparently it is a very Norwegian experience, so I am now a teensy bit more Norwegian than before. Luckily the weather was wonderful and it only rained for about a minute. I couldn't get enough of the views, the pictures don't do them justice!

THURSDAY

Some of our Norwegian buddies took us on a walking tour of Oslo. We met up at Universitetsplassen, headed down to Grønland, and round to Grünerløkka. Grønland is known for being the immigrant's area of Oslo, and the best place to buy cheap fruit and vegetables. I'll definitely be heading back there as there were also a couple of restaurants/cafes that were recommended and looked pretty cool. Grünerløkka is more of a 'hip' neighbourhood, where things are a bit pricier but rather nice. There was actually a random concert going on when we got there too which was fun to see.

After the walk we went to the Underwater Pub in Oslo, where every Tuesday and Thursday they have opera singers performing, for free! The singers were amazing (opera is so impressive!) and the pub was super cosey, with pipes and various diving equipment lining the walls, and I made friends with the English bartender who even gave me a discount on a beer (a HUGE perk in Oslo). It was probably my favourite thing from the week and I look forward to listening to more opera there in the future!

FRIDAY

All the buddy groups headed to Hovedøya, an island in the Oslo fjord, where we BBQed an excessive amount of sausages, played games, met some Norwegian law students and some brave souls even swam in the fjord (not me). A pretty chill day in all but the activities were super amusing too, including shotput with statute books, charades, beer relay, bin bag jumping race and more. My team lost by 1 point! So naturally I bought chocolate to commisserate later.

  

SATURDAY

Yesterday was the final party at Chateau Neuf, which is the student bar here. It was super expensive entry - £15! - which I find kind of crazy for a student venue, but I probably won't be going back there very often! I had a great night out with my buddy group and danced until 3am, a pretty perfect ending to a great week.

So there you have it! My first week here has flown by and been really great. My lectures don't start until the 26th August so I will be spending next week exploring Oslo some more whilst I have free time. I'll hopefully post about that next Sunday.