På vei til Norge...

This January, I traveled to visit very good friends in Norway. It felt amazing to be able to cross this goal off of my list; something I have wanted to do since I met these friends about eight years ago.

Norway is a beautiful country and, from what I understand, even better in spring and summer. I was really fortunate to have "moderate" temperatures while I was there. The lowest I experienced was about -15°C (about 5°F) which is very, very cold. However, a week before I got there, the temperature was below zero in Fahrenheit... which is... colder.

The landscapes are breathtaking. I didn't get to see a fjord this time, but the terrain I did see was snow covered and glistening. The picture I give as an example was taken before the sun was really up... so it is a bad example... but I hope you can get the gist.

I enjoyed several typical Norwegian holiday foods... the names of which I can't remember... but everything tasted very good. Even though I visited quite a bit after Christmas, we ate a typical dinner, consisting of mashed and spiced rutabaga and salted lamb ribs. Dinner was followed by aquavit (akvavit), a Norwegian liquor. You may be able to tell that the name comes from Latin, meaning "water of life." Akvavit has a LOT of life. It's very strong but it still tastes good. I personally wouldn't want to drink any more than two shots, but it is worth a try.

School in Norway is a magical, ruleless place. It is really another dimension in comparison with American or even German schools. Firstly, you don't wear shoes. This is because the school I visited is pretty new and they want to keep it clean... so you either buy house shoes just for school, or go with socks. Students call teachers by their first name. Already this establishes a less serious relationship between student and teacher; perhaps even more so than in the US, something almost unheard of in Germany. Norwegians like to run around during their break and have fun. Lessons are really like discussions: students are raised with the belief that their opinion really does matter and they should express it whenever they deem fit. The students are also incapable of waiting in line. My Norwegian friends say this applies to everywhere and to adults, unless it is somewhere like a bank or the supermarket register, where you have no choice. All that being said, the students and teachers alike are very warm and friendly. Norwegians study English from an early age and in general speak better English than the average German. This sounds like a shot to Germany's English-speaking pride, but there is a reason for it. Norway has less than five million citizens. Learning to speak English is much more important when such a small percent of the world speaks your native tongue. Germans have it a little easier within Europe.

I have always wanted to visit the famous Frognerparken sculpture park in Oslo. I finally was there and, despite the cold, sunless weather, it was beautiful. The sculptures are all naked and were all sculpted by the same man, Gustav Vigeland. The park was finished before the Second World War and has been here ever since. The open spaces are filled with grass in the summer and people visiting Oslo, as well as the locals, spend hours here.

I had a wonderful time in Norway. It really was everything I had hoped for. However, I don't think I will be planning another winter trip there anytime soon. The only way it could have been better, is if it had been thawed out... and I plan on making my next trip there a little less frozen.