September 23 through 30, 2022
We are nearing the end of our stay in Norway which unexpectedly turned out to be the longest stay we've had in a European country so far. Happily, we got to experience 4 wonderful, different, and unique cities in this country (Stavanger, Tromso, Oslo, Bergen) 😊.
We finished out our time in Tromso by going bowling (shorter lanes but same concept; cool decor; pins were all held up by strings; got one of my all-time low scores 😲); checking out a local market/fair (I love local gatherings 💗); and hiking up to the Sherpa Steps in Tromsdalen (we got to see the famous Arctic Cathedral church and walk across the iconic Tromso bridge on our return). The hike nicely coincided with Rosh Hashanah so we counted it as a religious event ("oh my G-d, that's gorgeous!" "Good G-d, this hike is steep!"). As far as I know, there are no synagogues in northern Norway so that had to suffice. I decided I wanted to watch the TBI services live on Facebook but that meant getting up at 4am (which I did 😮). Unfortunately that day was the one day our Airbnb wifi decided to quit working. We couldn't even contact our host without wifi (he was off-site) so we coughed up the $10 to take our phones off wifi and get a hotspot. Even that didn't work great because the Facebook feed used up all of our $10 worth of data (twice!). Eventually our host wrote back and told us what to do to fix it (we never would have thought to find the circuit breaker box or where the router was) and it worked fine (until the TBI server went wonky...) but I saw enough of the service to make me happy. We also got apples and honey to mark the occasion 😋 On our final day, I found a place to get a haircut (expensive but not crazy expensive) and Art finished cleaning up the Airbnb (which is always a good idea, despite the cleaning fee 😉) I gotta keep up my perfect Airbnb guest rating after all 👍. [Also, we felt super lucky to have seen the Northern Lights when we did, because our two other excursions that week wound up getting canceled 😑]
We headed to Oslo the next day on an easy 2-hour flight. We both had big plans for that first evening: Art went in search of a backgammon club and I went in search of a Toastmasters club. The timing was tight and we didn't buy the right Airport to Central Train Station ticket, so I wound up on a later train and missed the club meeting (which was okay since I wasn't 100% sure they were meeting in person). Art made it to backgammon and I somehow found my way to him (many walks in the wrong direction later plus a taxi 😎). We then made our way to our apartment (with a sidetrack to pick up the key from another building 4 blocks away 😒). At least by the time we arrived, we were greeted with a nice place and comfy beds (I adore the European comforters!), including a workspace for Art when he inevitably wakes up super early.
The second day in Oslo, Art gave a talk at the University of Oslo, and I went on a free walking tour (love those too!). I saw the major highlights of the city (Opera House, National Theater, Parliament, etc). Oslo is a very cosmopolitan, diverse, and livable city from what I can tell. In the evening, one of the university professors gave us a tour of the famous Vigeland sculpture garden (100's of interesting vibrant sculptures in one beautiful park) and then we had dinner with his family (his wife from Singapore and his two teenage kids on the spectrum). The Asian meal she made was fantastic; I realized I've missed having someone make me a home-cooked meal 😂). The following two days were a whirlwind tour called "Norway in a Nutshell" which involved traveling from Oslo to Bergen by train, bus, and boat. The train ride, although long, was scenic and beautiful. The boat goes through the fjords which were particularly stunning this time of year 💗 I was even inspired to pull out my "big camera" which still intimidates me because I don't understand all of its features. The reflection photos on the water were my favorites; I'm sure I took a few hundred (thousand?). I still think my iPhone photos come out almost as good, even without the special zoom lenses that I ordered weeks ago and which have yet to arrive in Norway 😞
Fun aside from our Nutshell tour: the wifi on the train never did work (and it was a looong train ride)... when Art asked the conductor about it, he said they had overhauled the system about 5 years ago and it hasn't worked since. Then he told Art to look out the windows instead 😏
The whole city of Bergen is a UNESCO world heritage site (one more to add to the list!) for historical and cultural reasons (well-deserved). In Bergen we met up with one of Art's former students who now lives full-time in Norway and loves it here. I was super impressed with how she picked up her life in the US and figured out how to transplant successfully to Norway, and learn a new language (and not an easy one either), and get acclimated before COVID hit. It was inspiring to hear (and appealing 😉). We also walked around the lovely harbor area and went up the funicular for great city views. And by the way, I think COVID is officially over in Scandinavia; not a mask in sight (except occasionally mine when we're on public transport 😅). I think my mask-wearing is a clear indication that I'm a tourist so it's a tough decision to wear one if I'm trying to blend in.
Tomorrow we leave for Morocco which I expect will be significantly different from Europe. I'll miss the crisp/clean/cool air, the awesome public transportation, the walk-ability of the cities, the general feeling of safety, and the wide variety of pic-n-mix candies I've (strangely) become quite fond of 🍬. We are doing the Morocco tour with Atlas Obscura, focused on the food, culture, and ancient granaries (and I hope we aren't the only non-foodies on the tour 😜). It also includes some time camping in the desert (not sure what that exactly means) so hopefully an authentic and non-touristy experience (but possibly with uncertain wifi 😐). Stay tuned.
L'shana Tovah!
Deena and Art
Vigeland sculpture (one of many)
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