Goodbye Norway, Hellooo Spain!

Hellloooooo blog readers!
I am writing to you as I fly from Oslo, Norway to Malaga, Spain. THIS IS CRAZY! Spain is the first stop on my European backpacking adventure and I am excited to see a new place and a different culture! But FIRST I need to tell you about my last week in Norway. My exams started at the beginning of May and lasted until May 13th. I’ve mentioned before that they are worth 100% of my course grade so…it is very stressful. However, it was easier to study for these exams because the weather wasn’t so nice. Even in May, it was still raining. Go figure. One day, however I did make it outside to do some hiking. I went hiking with four girls that I had never met before, but one of them was the sister of a good friend of mine from the U.S. She was studying abroad in Sweden, and was visiting Bergen with friends, so I decided I would be their hiking guide for the day. I led them up a paved road.


But the view was still great and it was so wonderful getting to know these girls from all over the country. I have really appreciated the chance to get to know “strangers” while I have been in Europe. Since my usual social circle is back in Canada, I have jumped at the chance to meet new people. I have become close with very distant relatives, met friends of a friend of a friend etc. and even stayed with people that I only had known for a few days. (But it was not sketchy, I promise). I suppose it is easier to bond with people when every person is seeking out companionship and connection. I hope I am able to have the same attitude towards “new people” when I return home. I am sure that traveling will also encourage this outlook, so that’s good. Speaking of traveling…let’s talk about it.
On Wednesday, my first traveling partner joined me in Bergen, Norway: Mr. Zach Sharon. Leaving behind the mountains and cheap prices of Butte, Montana, he flew for two days covering thousands of miles to FINALLY reach the much more expensive, mountainous city of Bergen, Norway. Though jet lag affected him for a little while, he quickly became a local. Well…not quite. Most Norwegians don’t walk around in basketball shorts and running shoes with a giant camera hanging around their neck. This is the version of Zach that I see most often…

It wasn’t long before Zach and I went on our first hike. We were planning on hiking Ulriken, but ended up at the top of some random mountain where there was graffiti, a low ropes initiative (aka the spiderweb), and a GREAT view!

Though we took a few falls on the way down (I have the bruises to prove it), it was a fun afternoon. Most of my days were busy with studying, and Zach would go take photos. Of everything. I thought my mother was crazy about pictures, but Zach takes it to a whole new level…but it is fantastic because then I don’t have to do it.
On Friday, I wrote my last exam and had the farewell dinner for all the exchange students. It was so much fun to see everyone dressed up, and I ate VERY well that night. Steak…potatoes…roasted vegetables…you get the idea. I am going to miss my friends from the exchange program so much! Especially my dear, Simone. We had a lot of laughs that night. Of course, I caught some of them on film.



On Saturday, Zach and I walked to the city center (parts of it we were greeted with pouring rain…), met up with my friend Mathilde and her boyfriend Kenneth and packed up my entire room! It is crazy fitting my entire life for the next 2 ½ months into one backpack. Not only is it crazy, but also heavy. Then…it was off to Oslo!
We were greeted at the train station by Ingeborg (Mom’s cousin) and her husband Odd. They drove us around town showing us the sights, and then let us roam around for awhile in the new part of Oslo, an area that I hadn’t seen before. We had dinner that night at their daughter’s (Hanne Sophia) house. It was a delicious, traditional Norwegian meal complete with smoked salmon, salted lamb, ham, bread, cheese, salad and of course, coffee. It was Zach’s first taste of Norway and judging by how much he ate…he liked it.
The next day was the day I had been looking forward to for a long time-Norway’s National Day! It was such a sight to see and it was a great way to end my time in Norway! Odd drove us downtown, and the streets were filled with people dressed in traditional Norwegian clothes waving flags, blowing horns, and carrying balloons!
We saw part of the parade, and then went to the castle to see the King and Queen.



Zach and I waved to them, and they waved back so…it was pretty awesome. In all the chaos, we lost Odd but eventually met up with him and Hanne Sophia for lunch. Zach got some fantastic pictures, but unfortunately the format of them does not work with my blog. I got a GREAT picture of the cutest family EVER, though. It was sort of hard to see their faces, but...you get the picture.
It was such a beautiful day so we went t Vigeland’s Parken. This was the place I went to in February with all the statues and it was so nice to see it in the Spring without all the snow!


Our last meal in Oslo was at Ingeborg and Odd’s other daughter’s house, Maria. We had shrimp for dinner, and it was a bit of a new experience. The shrimp were in this giant bowl, and we were instructed to rip the heads off, then the tail, and then the hard shell surrounding the middle. Everyone else could do it in 3 seconds flat, but Zach and I took about 30 seconds per shrimp. I got better towards the end, but it was still difficult to get rid of all the eggs that were attached to fish. I am making this sound really gross, but it was actually delicious. After peeling the shrimp, you eat it with bread, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Again, Zach and I both ate a lot. Maria and Lars were so much fun to talk to. They had both studied abroad so they spoke very good English. After 5 hours, we headed home and packed for today. We had a wonderful breakfast this morning (that I think will keep us full for the next few days :) and now we are headed to Malaga, Spain! Like I said earlier, I am excited for a new culture, but I know I will miss Norway and Scandinavia in general. It was such a great adventure studying abroad, now it’s time for a new one-backpacking style!! I will keep you posted on this diva’s adventures!!
Bye for now!
A
P.S Sorry that I couldn't upload that many pictures, but my computer is not being cooperative right now!