Changes in Latitudes

Oooo my turn, my turn to be a "Constitutional Scholar!" Let me just say that living in Norway and paying relatively high taxes on nearly everything has made me feel so safe over here. Firstly, crime is very low -- awesome. Second, my doctor bills next to nothing when I was out with pneumonia. In hospitals here, you don't get turned down treatment for not having insurance; the worst cases are treated first, no matter who you are. This summer, when I make over (+/-) 40,000 kr, 36% of my income over that amount will go to the government...and it doesn't bother me at all. Equality.

[Gokstad ship] Rigmor and Tron took Marius and I to the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo (Adults 60kr, Students 35kr). We learned a bit about the Viking age, and how proud the Norwegians are of their ships. These ships were excavated from the late 1800s - 1904, and they were all from around 850-900AD. People of high rank were buried in the ships with their valuables, servants and horses (or cows). One of the ships contained a man in his 60s, his horse, a game board, a suit of chain mail, a sled, and pieces of a broken ski! [Unfortunately, Blogger doesn't let me rotate the photos even though they were already saved rotated before uploading..technical difficulties] [Amazing detail preserved!!] [Viking shoes - looks a bit like what is "in fashion" today] [Photo from an excavation in the late 1800s]

From Friday to Monday I joined Marius and his colleagues (and their wives/significants) to St. Petersburg (Russia). We had a tour guide the whole weekend who was a cute, little Russian woman in her early 70's. She had never been to Norway, nor had any connections to Norway, but she learned the language to give tours. FRIDAY : I was a little anxious to see how it would be as an American going through customs, but surprisingly it didn't take any longer for me to get through than the Norwegians. We stayed at the Park Inn in central St. Petersburg, near the central station, and very close to the main shopping street. Evidence of the communist history was on countless buildings and there were several monuments dedicated to WWII. [Liquid nitrogen introducing our cranberry sorbet at Palkin] We got changed into dress clothes before a 4-course meal at Restaurant Palkin - specializing in outrageous prices for a plate of raspberries and sturgeon caviar (which I did NOT have)...a ...

Our friends Sunny and Øystein are visiting Norway, and spared a day to visit us! We had a nice BBQ in our garden and played cards. Also "all systems are go" for the trip with Marius' work (REN) to St. Petersburg, Russia for 3 days later this month. This should be interesting.... [grilling some kebabs - can't wait til we get the new fence!] [mowing the lawn]

There is an archipelago west of Bergen where Marius and I drove to today to explore. We went to one of the islands that is called Turøy, and the biggest main island near there is called Sotra. We packed out our lunch picnic style and walked around the island for a couple of hours before settling on a space by the water to sunbathe. The water was WAY too cold for me to get in - a bit colder than Lake Superior. (There are more pictures posted on my facebook page) It was a nice way to enjoy the great weather, and we finished up the day with a barbecue in the park across the street with Knut.

Summer arrived this week in Bergen and I have finished my exams just in time to enjoy it! I have taken a hike up Ulriken everyday this week!

Happy 17th of May! Today is Norway's Constitution Day! We started it off with breakfast with a couple friends (in normal Norwegian style of course - bread, brown cheese, meats and more cheese), followed by a rainy walk to the city for the parade.  The crowds were pretty intense, but not above what I expected for a parade. Some similarities to the American style parade, but still fairly different. They have the politicians (only those in office) walking in the front followed by an old fire truck or two and then the school bands come along with the boy and girl scouts, and at the end of that is the children's parade where every child in Bergen gets to walk with their school. For dinner, Marius and I had pan-seared cod with potatoes, broccoli and carrots - pretty traditional Norwegian food. And dessert was sour cream porridge - which was topped with raisins, a little butter and sugar, and cinnamon. What a nice first 17th of May in Norway! [The children's parade c...