September 2
Today I woke up EXTRA early and went running and then met up with my mom and took her downtown to get train tickets that they will need in a couple of days. We had some time to kill and so I showed her the Opera House and we took some pictures from the roof of the harbor and downtown. After getting through my Genetics class, I went back to their hotel and got to meet my family, Kjell, and his wife,Lill, for lunch. Kjell is my fourth cousin? They live just a little bit from where I am staying in Oslo and it was really cool to get to meet some of my Norwegian family! Kjell is an awesome jazz musician with a lot of musical history. He has played jazz in many bands while traveling the world and even played for the King of Norway, as well as the Prince and Princess's wedding!? I am in awe... He even has a Wikipedia page and a Facebook fan page! :D (Links below)
We had lunch together at the hotel and then we all drove an hour and a half away to look at where my great-great grandma used to live before she came over to America. It was really cool to see the town where she grew up and trace some of our family ancestry and roots. After that, we headed over to Sweden! We were already over halfway there, so we figured why not? I was really nervous about crossing the border because I am not supposed to leave the country until I register with the police in Oslo, but my appointment isn't for another month... we risked it anyways and I was surprised at how relaxed the borders were. There wasn't even a sign that said "Welcome to Sweden"or anything! No Sweden stamp in my passport. :( We went to a little shopping center just over the border to look around. We all heard that everyone in Norway goes over to Sweden to buy stuff because it is SOOO much cheaper, but I thought that the prices were about the same, maybe even more expensive. We weren't really looking to buy anything anyways, more just the novelty of knowing that we have been to Sweden. But we did have dinner at a Swedish McDonalds! I don't think I have eaten at a McDonalds in about two years, but it was pretty good. Although they did look at our passports, we had no problem coming back over into Norway. My family dropped me off at home and I got to show them my room and introduce everyone to Frieda and have them try my Norwegian brown cheese. Everyone seemed to like it! It has been really fun having my family here and travelling with them, although my diet and healthy eating have been suffering. :P I can't wait to explore with them more and head up to Tromsø in a couple of days!
September 3
I met my family at their hotel for breakfast in the morning. I even got to try Norwegian waffles with jam. They were reaaaallllyyy good! I even heard that it is common for each family to have their own waffle pattern for the skillet when they make them because it is such a big traditional food in Norway. After we all ate, we headed up to Holmenkollen to see the museum and ski jump. It is at the top of this huge hill and you can see it from almost anywhere in Oslo. The museum was pretty neat and they had different displays and artifacts about the history of skiing in Norway. There was even a nine-month-old baby that could ski! Impressive! We could ride the elevator to the top of the ski jump and look out over Oslo. The view was AMAZING and we were lucky that there was really good weather and it was sunny. We were really high up and you could see everything. I could not imagine going off of that ski jump... how do you even train for that?! "Ok... jump off! If you make it down to the bottom alive you are on the team!" (? Sounds about right...)
After taking a bunch of pictures, we left and tried to find someplace with coffee and apple cake, but the first place we tried ended up being someone's house, and the second was SUPER expensive.... We did see the Eternal Peace Flame though, which was really cool.
I still had my Psychology class, so they dropped me off on their way to see more museums and I just ate lunch and read at this really pretty water feature/bleacher section of campus. After nodding off through my psych lecture, I went swimming and in the sauna at the gym and then headed home. I eventually wandered back over to the hotel where we had some snacks and wine and then my Mom and Grandpa drove me back with some of their bigger pieces of luggage for me to store that they aren't taking with them. They leave bright and early tomorrow for their Norway in a Nutshell tour over to Bergen, and then I will meet them Friday up in Tromsø. Can't wait! :D
Today I woke up EXTRA early and went running and then met up with my mom and took her downtown to get train tickets that they will need in a couple of days. We had some time to kill and so I showed her the Opera House and we took some pictures from the roof of the harbor and downtown. After getting through my Genetics class, I went back to their hotel and got to meet my family, Kjell, and his wife,Lill, for lunch. Kjell is my fourth cousin? They live just a little bit from where I am staying in Oslo and it was really cool to get to meet some of my Norwegian family! Kjell is an awesome jazz musician with a lot of musical history. He has played jazz in many bands while traveling the world and even played for the King of Norway, as well as the Prince and Princess's wedding!? I am in awe... He even has a Wikipedia page and a Facebook fan page! :D (Links below)
We had lunch together at the hotel and then we all drove an hour and a half away to look at where my great-great grandma used to live before she came over to America. It was really cool to see the town where she grew up and trace some of our family ancestry and roots. After that, we headed over to Sweden! We were already over halfway there, so we figured why not? I was really nervous about crossing the border because I am not supposed to leave the country until I register with the police in Oslo, but my appointment isn't for another month... we risked it anyways and I was surprised at how relaxed the borders were. There wasn't even a sign that said "Welcome to Sweden"or anything! No Sweden stamp in my passport. :( We went to a little shopping center just over the border to look around. We all heard that everyone in Norway goes over to Sweden to buy stuff because it is SOOO much cheaper, but I thought that the prices were about the same, maybe even more expensive. We weren't really looking to buy anything anyways, more just the novelty of knowing that we have been to Sweden. But we did have dinner at a Swedish McDonalds! I don't think I have eaten at a McDonalds in about two years, but it was pretty good. Although they did look at our passports, we had no problem coming back over into Norway. My family dropped me off at home and I got to show them my room and introduce everyone to Frieda and have them try my Norwegian brown cheese. Everyone seemed to like it! It has been really fun having my family here and travelling with them, although my diet and healthy eating have been suffering. :P I can't wait to explore with them more and head up to Tromsø in a couple of days!
September 3
I met my family at their hotel for breakfast in the morning. I even got to try Norwegian waffles with jam. They were reaaaallllyyy good! I even heard that it is common for each family to have their own waffle pattern for the skillet when they make them because it is such a big traditional food in Norway. After we all ate, we headed up to Holmenkollen to see the museum and ski jump. It is at the top of this huge hill and you can see it from almost anywhere in Oslo. The museum was pretty neat and they had different displays and artifacts about the history of skiing in Norway. There was even a nine-month-old baby that could ski! Impressive! We could ride the elevator to the top of the ski jump and look out over Oslo. The view was AMAZING and we were lucky that there was really good weather and it was sunny. We were really high up and you could see everything. I could not imagine going off of that ski jump... how do you even train for that?! "Ok... jump off! If you make it down to the bottom alive you are on the team!" (? Sounds about right...)
After taking a bunch of pictures, we left and tried to find someplace with coffee and apple cake, but the first place we tried ended up being someone's house, and the second was SUPER expensive.... We did see the Eternal Peace Flame though, which was really cool.
I still had my Psychology class, so they dropped me off on their way to see more museums and I just ate lunch and read at this really pretty water feature/bleacher section of campus. After nodding off through my psych lecture, I went swimming and in the sauna at the gym and then headed home. I eventually wandered back over to the hotel where we had some snacks and wine and then my Mom and Grandpa drove me back with some of their bigger pieces of luggage for me to store that they aren't taking with them. They leave bright and early tomorrow for their Norway in a Nutshell tour over to Bergen, and then I will meet them Friday up in Tromsø. Can't wait! :D