Summary of Two Weeks Travel in Norway
Aug. 19th, 2016 06:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vintagewitch Wow, it's been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. I am very, very happy to be home and relaxing. Toward the end of the trip I was starting to just feel tired. I still went out and explored the different cities I was in, but I started to take a more leisurely pace at the end.
After six weeks in my class in Oslo, I took off for a couple weeks of just traveling around the country. In the last two weeks I have been to Stockholm, Bodo (above the arctic circle in Norway), Trondheim, Bergen, and one last night in Oslo. I'll just do a quick synopsis of the travels in each place:
Stockholm:
*Went to the Moderna Museet, the world's leading Modern Art Museum. Had a very spiritual experience. Broke down crying at several points.
*Wandered around the old city, Gamla Stan
*Went out to a viewing point to get a panorama of the city
*Went to the Vasa Museum, a museum that is based on the restoration of a shipwreck from 1628 that sank in the harbor. Because of the unique conditions of the harbor, it was preserved extremely well.
*Visited the Stockholm city hall, which is beautiful.
Bodo:
This was a mix-up, to be honest. There was a problem with my ticket to Tromso (looooong story that still makes me anxious), so when I got to the aiport there wasn't a place for me on the plane. Commence a good four hours of sobbing in the airport and trying to figure out where I could still go and have housing. So: I went to Bodo, which is the launch-point for the Lofoten islands, known for their arctic beauty and hiking. It takes 7 hours by ferry to get to Lofoten, and it's hard to get around without renting a car. So I just stayed in Bodo.
*Went to a fancy swimming pool/spa. Did a good 10 laps, then went upstairs to the saunas. They had 8 different kinds of sauna.
*Job interview via Skype! Won't give many details, but it went really well.
*Hiked up to the top of a mountain to overlook Bodo. It was a good 5 km to the top, and a gorgeous view.
*Lounged.
*Took a boat out to a different island, and hiked around in a surreal landscape.
Trondheim:
*Stayed with my roommate's friend, Mari and her husband Niko.
*Saw the Nidaros Cathedral, but wasn't able to go in due to weddings.
*Walked around the old city, saw the Trondheim wooden bridge.
*Went for a hike on the outskirts of town.
*Enjoyed the outdoor folk museum.
*Went on a beer crawl suggested by my hosts.
Bergen:
This place was SO TOURISTY. I just had to embrace the touristy stuff and went to a ton of museums.
*Walked around Bryggen, which is the old part of town. Bergen was a town known for the fishing trade, and while very few of the original medieval buildings are still around, the architectural tradition was maintained.
*Went to Hakonshallen and the Rosenkrantz tower, which are part of the city fort.
*Went to the Maritime Museum, and learned about the old time fishing industry.
*Went up the Floibanen Funicular to see a view of the city.
*Didn't buy anything at the fish market. I was so disturbed that they were selling whale, that I refused to buy anything from a stand that sold whale. Which was all the stands.
*Honestly? Spent a lot of time shopping for presents. And also bought myself a Norwegian sweater.
Today, I'm just lounging around. I've started my annual fall re-watch of Gilmore Girls (don't judge me for my feel-good show of choice), and am doing a bit of reading in between. It's glorious to be back with my cat. I was so lucky to get to go on this trip this summer. I am so happy to be back home, with a summer full of great memories.
After six weeks in my class in Oslo, I took off for a couple weeks of just traveling around the country. In the last two weeks I have been to Stockholm, Bodo (above the arctic circle in Norway), Trondheim, Bergen, and one last night in Oslo. I'll just do a quick synopsis of the travels in each place:
Stockholm:
*Went to the Moderna Museet, the world's leading Modern Art Museum. Had a very spiritual experience. Broke down crying at several points.
*Wandered around the old city, Gamla Stan
*Went out to a viewing point to get a panorama of the city
*Went to the Vasa Museum, a museum that is based on the restoration of a shipwreck from 1628 that sank in the harbor. Because of the unique conditions of the harbor, it was preserved extremely well.
*Visited the Stockholm city hall, which is beautiful.
Bodo:
This was a mix-up, to be honest. There was a problem with my ticket to Tromso (looooong story that still makes me anxious), so when I got to the aiport there wasn't a place for me on the plane. Commence a good four hours of sobbing in the airport and trying to figure out where I could still go and have housing. So: I went to Bodo, which is the launch-point for the Lofoten islands, known for their arctic beauty and hiking. It takes 7 hours by ferry to get to Lofoten, and it's hard to get around without renting a car. So I just stayed in Bodo.
*Went to a fancy swimming pool/spa. Did a good 10 laps, then went upstairs to the saunas. They had 8 different kinds of sauna.
*Job interview via Skype! Won't give many details, but it went really well.
*Hiked up to the top of a mountain to overlook Bodo. It was a good 5 km to the top, and a gorgeous view.
*Lounged.
*Took a boat out to a different island, and hiked around in a surreal landscape.
Trondheim:
*Stayed with my roommate's friend, Mari and her husband Niko.
*Saw the Nidaros Cathedral, but wasn't able to go in due to weddings.
*Walked around the old city, saw the Trondheim wooden bridge.
*Went for a hike on the outskirts of town.
*Enjoyed the outdoor folk museum.
*Went on a beer crawl suggested by my hosts.
Bergen:
This place was SO TOURISTY. I just had to embrace the touristy stuff and went to a ton of museums.
*Walked around Bryggen, which is the old part of town. Bergen was a town known for the fishing trade, and while very few of the original medieval buildings are still around, the architectural tradition was maintained.
*Went to Hakonshallen and the Rosenkrantz tower, which are part of the city fort.
*Went to the Maritime Museum, and learned about the old time fishing industry.
*Went up the Floibanen Funicular to see a view of the city.
*Didn't buy anything at the fish market. I was so disturbed that they were selling whale, that I refused to buy anything from a stand that sold whale. Which was all the stands.
*Honestly? Spent a lot of time shopping for presents. And also bought myself a Norwegian sweater.
Today, I'm just lounging around. I've started my annual fall re-watch of Gilmore Girls (don't judge me for my feel-good show of choice), and am doing a bit of reading in between. It's glorious to be back with my cat. I was so lucky to get to go on this trip this summer. I am so happy to be back home, with a summer full of great memories.
