August 23
Today Frieda, Lotte, Eva, Zita, Franzi, Martin, and I decided to travel to Tønsberg, what most believe to be the oldest town in Norway. After sleeping through my alarm and rushing to the station, we finally boarded the bus and started our hour and a half journey. The scenery was very pretty and I noticed that we could be in the middle of a city, pass a lake or fjord, go through a mountain tunnel, and journey through some Norwegian farmland all within the span of about three minutes. We finally made it to Tønsberg and went to check out the tourist information office... but it was closed. Who closes their tourist information shop? In the summer? On a Saturday? Sooo.... we decided to be our own tour guides! We wandered down to the harbor, which was nice, and apparently the viking ship that is on display in Oslo was found/reconstructed/made here which was really cool to see. Unfortunately this was one of the bigger things to see in Tønsberg, and it was currently in Oslo.... where we just came from.... and wasn't scheduled to return until later that evening, after we left. Oh well! :) Guess we will have to see it sometime when we are both back in Oslo!
We ate lunch on the harbor, watching the boats go by, and then it decided to rain. Then it was cold, then hot, then sunny, then more rain, then cold, then sunny, then rainy, then hot again... make up your mind!!! Layers are definitely a good idea when traveling in Norway! And also, carry an umbrella! While it was still raining, we climbed the mountain (? hill? I can't even tell the difference anymore) to see the ruins of the Tønsberg fortress. It was really cool and the view from the top was absolutely breathtaking. When the rain started to clear up we even saw a rainbow from above! The view alone was worth the visit and although I am really glad we went to Tønsberg, I wish I had done more research beforehand because we missed some pretty cool stuff, like the ruins of St. Olav's church and Oseberghaugen (a Viking era burial ground).
After that, we wandered around town for a while and then we eventually made our way back onto the bus where I quickly fell asleep. I am pretty sure that may be the ultimate sign of comfort when traveling. Being able to fall asleep in a foreign country, with perfect strangers, speaking a different language, while riding public transportation.... Either that or I was exhausted. :)
I am really glad we got the chance to explore more of Norway before classes get too involved, and Tønsberg was a really cool town with a lot of history!
August 24
I had a very lazy morning, still recovering from yesterday until..... the LARPers woke me up. That's right. People of all ages dressed up in chain-mail and carrying weapons and shields fighting right outside my window. No judging! Really! Good for you, do what you love! It was pretty entertaining to watch too. Did I see someone get shot in the balls with a bow and arrow? Yes, yes I did. And did I see a grown man throw a tantrum over being "killed"? Yes again. I had some pretty fun distractions when trying to catch up on some reading and notes from last week, but then it started to rain so they went away. :(
Later, Frieda, Lotte, Eva, Zita, Franzi, and Martin came over to make cinnamon buns to take over to Fabian's later in thanks for driving them around in his car and just hang out/catch up.
They turned out amazing and it was a nice relaxing way to spend the afternoon, while still trying to recover from yesterday's adventure.
Today Frieda, Lotte, Eva, Zita, Franzi, Martin, and I decided to travel to Tønsberg, what most believe to be the oldest town in Norway. After sleeping through my alarm and rushing to the station, we finally boarded the bus and started our hour and a half journey. The scenery was very pretty and I noticed that we could be in the middle of a city, pass a lake or fjord, go through a mountain tunnel, and journey through some Norwegian farmland all within the span of about three minutes. We finally made it to Tønsberg and went to check out the tourist information office... but it was closed. Who closes their tourist information shop? In the summer? On a Saturday? Sooo.... we decided to be our own tour guides! We wandered down to the harbor, which was nice, and apparently the viking ship that is on display in Oslo was found/reconstructed/made here which was really cool to see. Unfortunately this was one of the bigger things to see in Tønsberg, and it was currently in Oslo.... where we just came from.... and wasn't scheduled to return until later that evening, after we left. Oh well! :) Guess we will have to see it sometime when we are both back in Oslo!
We ate lunch on the harbor, watching the boats go by, and then it decided to rain. Then it was cold, then hot, then sunny, then more rain, then cold, then sunny, then rainy, then hot again... make up your mind!!! Layers are definitely a good idea when traveling in Norway! And also, carry an umbrella! While it was still raining, we climbed the mountain (? hill? I can't even tell the difference anymore) to see the ruins of the Tønsberg fortress. It was really cool and the view from the top was absolutely breathtaking. When the rain started to clear up we even saw a rainbow from above! The view alone was worth the visit and although I am really glad we went to Tønsberg, I wish I had done more research beforehand because we missed some pretty cool stuff, like the ruins of St. Olav's church and Oseberghaugen (a Viking era burial ground).
After that, we wandered around town for a while and then we eventually made our way back onto the bus where I quickly fell asleep. I am pretty sure that may be the ultimate sign of comfort when traveling. Being able to fall asleep in a foreign country, with perfect strangers, speaking a different language, while riding public transportation.... Either that or I was exhausted. :)
I am really glad we got the chance to explore more of Norway before classes get too involved, and Tønsberg was a really cool town with a lot of history!
August 24
I had a very lazy morning, still recovering from yesterday until..... the LARPers woke me up. That's right. People of all ages dressed up in chain-mail and carrying weapons and shields fighting right outside my window. No judging! Really! Good for you, do what you love! It was pretty entertaining to watch too. Did I see someone get shot in the balls with a bow and arrow? Yes, yes I did. And did I see a grown man throw a tantrum over being "killed"? Yes again. I had some pretty fun distractions when trying to catch up on some reading and notes from last week, but then it started to rain so they went away. :(
Later, Frieda, Lotte, Eva, Zita, Franzi, and Martin came over to make cinnamon buns to take over to Fabian's later in thanks for driving them around in his car and just hang out/catch up.
They turned out amazing and it was a nice relaxing way to spend the afternoon, while still trying to recover from yesterday's adventure.