In exactly one month from now, I’ll be on my way to Oslo! I keep feeling like there’s way too little time left to get everything done, but I know it will all come together in the end. Especially when I think of all that I’ve already done…
Like learn Norwegian. My university offered a Norwegian for beginners course last semester, and although it was a little strange at first learning a new language with German as the base language, it wasn’t as bad as I expected. First off, Norwegian grammar is much easier than German grammar — I was ecstatic to discover that you barely have to conjugate verbs, and that accusative and dative cases are nowhere near as common as in German. Plus, there are so many funny similarities between Norwegian, German and English that it wasn’t terribly hard to remember vocabulary. My listening comprehension and verbal skills still aren’t so great, but I’m hoping it’ll be enough to get me through two months.
And find a place to live. I’ll be sharing an apartment with a woman my age and her small son on the edge of the city with lovely views and access to beautiful running trails.
And scope out fitness possibilities. I’ll be training for the Hamburg Half Marathon while I’m in Norway, so finding places to work out is pretty high on my priority list. In addition to the running trails, I’ve found a big gym and a yoga studio offering practices in English not too far from my workplace. Score!
And read a lot of blogs about Norway. Like From There to Here, The Girl Behind the Red Door, and Finding (You In) Neverland. Although I’m only staying for two months, it’s nice to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be an expat in Norway.
And make a long list of places I want to visit. Like the Munch Museum, the Nobel Peace Center, the Ibsen Museum, the Viking Ship Museum, the Oslo Opera House, and the Holmenkollen Ski Jump and Museum — and that’s only in Oslo! I’m still working on the rest of my Norwegian travel wishes…
Although my to-do list is still long — including finding someone to sublet my room in Bremen, and lots of organizing and preparation for my PhD project that I’ll be working on while I’m there — I’m really looking forward to a change of scenery. I hope it will get my intellectual juices flowing, inspire my photography, and feed my craving for new cultures. I can’t wait!
Do you have a change of scenery planned for this winter? How do you stay inspired?
I think you will love Oslo..I spent midsummer’s weekend there a few years back (after a work meeting) even though the weather would have led you to believe it was the middle of winter – it poured almost the whole time I was there. But it did give me a chance to visit lots of museums. In 2 days I saw the Nobel Hall, the Nobel Peace Museum, the Viking Ship Museum, the Fram Museum (here in Dundee we have Captain Scott’s ship the Discovery so seeing Amundsen’s ship was important), Thor Heyerdhal’s KonTiki and the Folk Museum where they have beauitful buildings from all over Norway….but hopefully you will see some of these in their natural settings – such as a Stave Church.
My parents went to Oslo and Oslo Fjord on their honeymoon in 1964 and had been to Bergen and the Hardangerfjord before.
Wow, I’m impressed with how much you were able to see in only 2 days! I’ll also take a look at some of those you mentioned, thanks!
Thank you for including my blog in your list of reads prior to arriving here in Oslo. I agree with Di – I think you will love it here. There is so much that can be done in two months, especially winter months, and I wish you best of luck on your journey. Velkommen til Oslo….kos deg masse!
Tusen takk! I’m really looking forward to it!
I’m excited for you to go to Norway. I visited nearly five years ago and enjoyed the scenery. As a cross-country skiier, I especially liked the Holmenkollen museum. It would be awesome to do some trail running in Norway. I’m sure the two months will go by quickly!
The photos I’ve seen so far of Norway have been amazing, and I hope I can also spend a bit of time with my camera trying to capture it all. And I can’t wait to get some running in too!
Wow! I had no idea you were going to Oslo! What an exciting thing. I hope it’s a really good change of scenery for you and that you can do everything you have planned to accomplish there! Mmm my favorite thing about going to new places is experiencing new foods. You’ll have to let us know what kind of Norwegian specialties you try in Oslo.
Thank you! I haven’t necessarily heard the best things about the food in Norway, but I’m prepared to be proven wrong. :) In any case, I’ll definitely keep you posted!
Thanks for the blog shoutout. I hope you love Oslo! And remember to hit me up for a coffee date or something once you arrive. :-)
You’re most welcome! I’ll definitely drop you a note once I’m in Oslo — looking forward to it. :)