Oslo

Andrea, Fiona, Kamilla

Well technically not Oslo - I’ve been staying with Andrea’s wonderful family who live on the other side of the fjord in a beautiful house with a beautiful view of the fjord and the air smells so wonderful.

First off: summer weather. Finally was able to break out the sandals for sandal-appropriate weather. It’s nice. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t wear socks between May and September. But living in Canada and travelling/studying in Northern Europe won’t allow that. And maybe sunny weather makes every city look nicer, but I was really digging Oslo.

Andrea, Fiona, and I had some lovely walks around the city, Andrea pointing out all the important spots - very nice. There are a lot of nice parks and streets with trees lining the sidewalks; I always like it when nature and city collide. Oslo has some beautiful splashes of green in the concrete jungle. My friend Kamilla, who I met up with for a walk says that Trondheim is prettier, but that’ll have to wait for another trip.

Other cool thing - Syttende Mai (17th of May). That’s the big national day in Norway, which is what I experienced for my first impression of Oslo. I’ve never been in another country for their national holiday, so it was cool to be in one where they put up a nice celebration - children parading with their schools, the royal family constantly waving, people packing the streets... it was really cool to see. And then at the end, Andrea and I found ourselves at her cousin’s place having a lovely dinner while dancing and laughing with her cousins, sister, brother-in-law, and their friends.

Andrea has such an awesome family. Her parents are so nice, her sister is really cool, and her brother-in-law is such a hoot. It’s always so nice, so special, when I get to spend times like these with people’s loving families. My first dinner at her house when I arrived, her dad proudly showing me his office, her mom sharing delicious cookies with us and always asking about how our day was, talking about film with her sister and brother-in-law, everything. It’s so... warming. Frankly, I don’t want to leave. But Amsterdam will also be awesome. So I guess, on to that.

And besides... I’ll see Andrea and Fiona again. Next year. And several times after that. I know it.