The diary of David, a just-turned-30 Brit living in Norway
Back in October I took the Oslo to Bergen railway with my friends Chris and Graham. This weekend I repeated the trip with Nicola and Simarjeet, dear friends from my Oxjam Brum days. They were staying with me for a week so to mix it up a bit we chose to check out Bergen, partly for the railway trip and partly for the musical heritage of the city. I also wanted to give the place a second chance, as I wasn't too fond of it first time around. I … [Read more...]
If I'm honest, the idea of visiting an open-air museum during a Norwegian winter didn't fill me with joy. It came recommended by many though and with nothing else on the agenda, it seemed wise to at least give it a shot. Following our visit to the Norwegian Olympic Museum, Gerry and I made our way through the white and cold of Lillehammer to Maihaugen, not really sure what to expect. It had been sold to me as a collection of old Norwegian … [Read more...]
I knew complaining about no snow in Oslo and visiting the arctic circle would work. Over the last few weeks (and last night in particular) we've had a sprinkling of the white stuff. Winter, and Christmas, is finally here... … [Read more...]
Part I of my series about the arctic city of Tromsø Ah the weekend. After a hectic few weeks at work, I chose to get away and continue my travels around this fine Kingdom of Norway. With several visits to Trondheim and a trip on the Oslo to Bergen railway already in the bank, I chose to head north. But not just north. Further north than I’ve ever been before, 69 degrees north and 350 km inside the arctic circle, to the city of … [Read more...]
This weekend there was still no snow in Oslo, so I decided to take advantage and go for a walk with my camera. Without making any real plans I took the T-Bane up to Nydalen and ended up walking the 4.5km home along the river. Akerselva flows through Oslo for about 8km and forms the dividing line between west and east. Much of the river is surrounded by parkland (Akerselva miljøpark) and in the summer it's a beautiful walk. And likewise in … [Read more...]
Back in August I wrote about preparing for my first Scandinavian winter. Little did I know that come the 3rd of December, I would be sat in my Oslo apartment with the radiators off, gazing out of the window still waiting for the first snowfall. November 2011 has gone down in the records book as Norway's warmest ever, or at least since records began 111 years ago. This despite Hurricane Berit battering much of the country last week, doing … [Read more...]
Since arriving in Norway in May I've been stunned at how nice the weather has been. Yes there's been some rainy days, but overall it's been an impressive summer, with many days touching 30C and the warm weather lasting long into the evenings. But now August is drawing to a close, things are changing. It's starting to get dark at 8.30, not 11.30. Cool crisp mornings are replacing bright sunny ones. I'm seeing ski jackets and warm sweaters in shop … [Read more...]
He writes here about his new life in Norway: his observations and experiences, the language and culture, the people and places. [Read More …]
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