September 4
Today was a lazy day for the most part. It is really nice not having any classes on Thursday! The only really productive thing I did was some laundry for my mom and I for when we get back from Tromsø on Sunday. Lotte got back from her field trip today and we got to see some of her awesome glacier pictures from her trip. Jealous! That night, our Sogn Buddy Group met at our student housing pub (Amatøren) for trivia night! I was on a team with Frieda, Lotte, and a girl and guy from Norway. We did.... okay. I can't really remember, but I think we got 8th and 10th on each round? Not bad for out of twenty or so! After trivia, we all kind of just split up and headed home because we all had early classes the next day.
September 5
After my Genetics lecture in the morning, I headed home to pack for Tromsø!!!! :D It is a town in northern Norway and it was on my bucket list to visit there before I leave. Lotte was also headed to the airport to visit her family for her parents' anniversary, so we went to the airport together. Frieda dropped us off at the train station and with just a backpack, I was off! Lotte had an international flight, so we said goodbye and split up once we reached the airport. It was a quick flight up to Tromsø and I even got a little bit of reading done for my Political Utopias class. After I landed, I still had an hour or so to wait until my family landed, so I just wandered around for a bit in the tiny airport. When they got there, we took the bus to the hotel and got settled in. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant and I got to hear all about their last few days of traveling and about Bergen, another place on my bucket list to visit! I can't believe I am in the Arctic Circle! It doesn't even seem real... and just fair warning, if my Mom ever tells you "Ehh... you don't need a jacket!" Bring one anyways. It is colder than you think up here in Tromsø. Although, I guess the ARCTIC circle should have given it away...
September 6
We woke up IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE and had a really nice breakfast at the hotel before setting off to explore! We went to the tourist info center and bought buss tickets so that we could get around Tromsø. We started by going to the Arctic Cathedral, and after seeing that it was closed, decided to head up to the cable cars. We crammed as many people that could fit into the tiny cable car and then made our way to the top of one of the mountains surrounding Tromsø. The view from the top was amazing and although it was a little cloudy, we could still see a lot. My photography and selfie skills (or lack of) made my mom and I miss the next cable car back down, but luckily someone came back up and picked up a few of us that wouldn't fit into the previous car. That was very nice of them, otherwise we would have had to wait another half an hour. After finally reaching the bottom of the mountain, we hopped back on the bus and it took us to Mack's Brewery, the northern-most brewery in the world! We sat down and had a beer and tried some reindeer meat, and then wandered over to another restaurant where I had fish cakes for dinner. I don;t think my family realizes yet how different the shop schedules are, here in Norway. The close really early on the weekends and VERY few are open at all on Sundays, so when we wanted to go souvenir shopping after dinner, everything was already closed for the weekend. :( Oh well! We just headed back to the room and watched a Norwegian reality competition show where people were competing to meet their Norwegian ancestors. It was kinda interesting, but had wayyy too much unnecessary crying for my tastes.
We have been very lucky with the weather here during our trip. No rain, but it has been very cloudy. Because of this and because we were staying in downtown Tromsø (if you can even call it a downtown) we were not able to see the Northern Lights. I was really disappointed because it was one of my major things I wanted to cross off my bucket list, but I a may have more opportunities to come back up to Tromsø. I just don;t know if I want to spend the time and money coming back, just to see the Northern Lights, when I could be exploring new places that I haven't been yet. There is also a student tour that goes there as well as Northern Sweden and has opportunities for dog sledding and meeting the Sami people that sounded really cool, but my Genetics final would be the day after we get back from this seven day trip, so I don't know if I should risk not being able to study as much and being under-prepared? Decisions... decisions...
September 7
My family and I had an easy morning of packing, eating a nice breakfast at the hotel, and then heading back to the airport as our weekend trip in Tromsø came to a close. The trip back went very smoothly and I even made friends with a Norwegian man on the plane!? He had the window and I had the middle, between him and my Mom, and as we were taking off I offered gum to my family and then to him because I know it helps with my ears when flying. About halfway through the flight, he turned to me and started speaking Norwegian. After explaining that I do not understand much Norwegian (In Norwegian, I might add!) he then told me that no one had ever offered to share gum with him on a plane with him before and that I was a really nice person. :) He then proceeded to ask me what I was doing in Norway and even shared where he was from and made a few jokes. He said I might even have a job back in the states, using my new Norwegian knowledge, and could lead tours for Norwegians or give helicopters tours with his friend in New York. (!?) It was a nice conversation with a stranger and if you know anything about how shy and introverted most Norwegians are, it was a big surprise to me that he initiated conversation and talked to me at all. Just goes to show what a little kindness and gum sharing can do! :)
Once we landed, I went with my family to check them into their hotel in downtown Oslo and then we had dinner at one of the restaurants next to the hotel. As soon as we were done eating, I brought my Mom and Aunt Molly back with me to pick up their suitcases from by dorm. After lugging them all the way back downtown, we hung out for a little bit, and then I decided to head back home and get some rest. It has been a long weekend, but I loved being able to travel to Tromsø and going with my family was really special. I am so excited to have them here and there is never a dull moment with them around. I have a feeling Oslo is going to be so quiet once they leave. :(
Today was a lazy day for the most part. It is really nice not having any classes on Thursday! The only really productive thing I did was some laundry for my mom and I for when we get back from Tromsø on Sunday. Lotte got back from her field trip today and we got to see some of her awesome glacier pictures from her trip. Jealous! That night, our Sogn Buddy Group met at our student housing pub (Amatøren) for trivia night! I was on a team with Frieda, Lotte, and a girl and guy from Norway. We did.... okay. I can't really remember, but I think we got 8th and 10th on each round? Not bad for out of twenty or so! After trivia, we all kind of just split up and headed home because we all had early classes the next day.
September 5
After my Genetics lecture in the morning, I headed home to pack for Tromsø!!!! :D It is a town in northern Norway and it was on my bucket list to visit there before I leave. Lotte was also headed to the airport to visit her family for her parents' anniversary, so we went to the airport together. Frieda dropped us off at the train station and with just a backpack, I was off! Lotte had an international flight, so we said goodbye and split up once we reached the airport. It was a quick flight up to Tromsø and I even got a little bit of reading done for my Political Utopias class. After I landed, I still had an hour or so to wait until my family landed, so I just wandered around for a bit in the tiny airport. When they got there, we took the bus to the hotel and got settled in. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant and I got to hear all about their last few days of traveling and about Bergen, another place on my bucket list to visit! I can't believe I am in the Arctic Circle! It doesn't even seem real... and just fair warning, if my Mom ever tells you "Ehh... you don't need a jacket!" Bring one anyways. It is colder than you think up here in Tromsø. Although, I guess the ARCTIC circle should have given it away...
September 6
We woke up IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE and had a really nice breakfast at the hotel before setting off to explore! We went to the tourist info center and bought buss tickets so that we could get around Tromsø. We started by going to the Arctic Cathedral, and after seeing that it was closed, decided to head up to the cable cars. We crammed as many people that could fit into the tiny cable car and then made our way to the top of one of the mountains surrounding Tromsø. The view from the top was amazing and although it was a little cloudy, we could still see a lot. My photography and selfie skills (or lack of) made my mom and I miss the next cable car back down, but luckily someone came back up and picked up a few of us that wouldn't fit into the previous car. That was very nice of them, otherwise we would have had to wait another half an hour. After finally reaching the bottom of the mountain, we hopped back on the bus and it took us to Mack's Brewery, the northern-most brewery in the world! We sat down and had a beer and tried some reindeer meat, and then wandered over to another restaurant where I had fish cakes for dinner. I don;t think my family realizes yet how different the shop schedules are, here in Norway. The close really early on the weekends and VERY few are open at all on Sundays, so when we wanted to go souvenir shopping after dinner, everything was already closed for the weekend. :( Oh well! We just headed back to the room and watched a Norwegian reality competition show where people were competing to meet their Norwegian ancestors. It was kinda interesting, but had wayyy too much unnecessary crying for my tastes.
We have been very lucky with the weather here during our trip. No rain, but it has been very cloudy. Because of this and because we were staying in downtown Tromsø (if you can even call it a downtown) we were not able to see the Northern Lights. I was really disappointed because it was one of my major things I wanted to cross off my bucket list, but I a may have more opportunities to come back up to Tromsø. I just don;t know if I want to spend the time and money coming back, just to see the Northern Lights, when I could be exploring new places that I haven't been yet. There is also a student tour that goes there as well as Northern Sweden and has opportunities for dog sledding and meeting the Sami people that sounded really cool, but my Genetics final would be the day after we get back from this seven day trip, so I don't know if I should risk not being able to study as much and being under-prepared? Decisions... decisions...
September 7
My family and I had an easy morning of packing, eating a nice breakfast at the hotel, and then heading back to the airport as our weekend trip in Tromsø came to a close. The trip back went very smoothly and I even made friends with a Norwegian man on the plane!? He had the window and I had the middle, between him and my Mom, and as we were taking off I offered gum to my family and then to him because I know it helps with my ears when flying. About halfway through the flight, he turned to me and started speaking Norwegian. After explaining that I do not understand much Norwegian (In Norwegian, I might add!) he then told me that no one had ever offered to share gum with him on a plane with him before and that I was a really nice person. :) He then proceeded to ask me what I was doing in Norway and even shared where he was from and made a few jokes. He said I might even have a job back in the states, using my new Norwegian knowledge, and could lead tours for Norwegians or give helicopters tours with his friend in New York. (!?) It was a nice conversation with a stranger and if you know anything about how shy and introverted most Norwegians are, it was a big surprise to me that he initiated conversation and talked to me at all. Just goes to show what a little kindness and gum sharing can do! :)
Once we landed, I went with my family to check them into their hotel in downtown Oslo and then we had dinner at one of the restaurants next to the hotel. As soon as we were done eating, I brought my Mom and Aunt Molly back with me to pick up their suitcases from by dorm. After lugging them all the way back downtown, we hung out for a little bit, and then I decided to head back home and get some rest. It has been a long weekend, but I loved being able to travel to Tromsø and going with my family was really special. I am so excited to have them here and there is never a dull moment with them around. I have a feeling Oslo is going to be so quiet once they leave. :(