A Beautiful Free Day in Norway

Thursday, July 26:

Thursday was a busy day. While most of the group went to visit an open prison during the morning and early afternoon, Megan and I asked permission to spend the day doing other activities. We started off visiting the Akershus Castle; it has a lot of history and splendor. It was built around the 1300s but is not used as a museum; rather, it serves as a location for concerts, meetings, and other activities. Each room was gorgeous with countless murals on the walls, fancy plates and tables, and even some dungeons were noted! Of the castles I have seen in Scandinavia, I think I liked this one the best. It was very quaint.

 

    After the castle we revisited the Nobel Peace Prize Center to look at some unique gifts and treasures for my friends. I purchased a friendship bracelet, made in Guatemala, for my best friend and two pins for myself to put on my backpack. The pins are quotes by famous peace leaders and are truly inspiring. I absolutely enjoyed the museum when we visited the other day, so I was glad to be able to return, at least to the gift shop.
    On our way back from the Nobel Peace Prize Center we stopped by some souvenir stores just to have a look and see if there was something interesting. With no luck, we continued on down the street and went to Oslo University to take a look. Because it is holiday and the whole campus is under construction, the trip wasn’t as exciting as we hoped it would be; nevertheless, the interior was exquisite with artwork, stunning chandeliers, and other decorations. I asked for information about a gift shop and looked around, but unfortunately I could not find anything.
    Since we had been walking for some time, I decided to stop by a café with Megan and get a bottle of lemonade and some frozen yogurt topped with mangos. It was very savory to my tastebuds! It may not have been the healthiest lunch, but it certainly satisfied my cravings. I enjoyed sitting at the booth looking out the window and admiring the view as I chatted with Megan.
    A few days ago I had the opportunity of visiting a second hand store with Michael and Jordan. Feeling that I was a little rushed the first time, I decided to stop there again to take a look at the downstairs floor as well. There were so many options and lovely outfits! Unfortunately, some of the articles of clothing I liked were not in my size, so I did not buy anything. Nevertheless, it was nice to window shop and relax a little bit.
    Megan and I went to the post office where she sent a postcard back home, and then we set off to do some more shopping on Karl Johansen street. There were a lot of stores here. I ended up purchasing a white sweater at one store and then three pairs of shoes for under 35 dollars! I could not pass up the chance since I do not normally find my size. I was very excited. Because I try to be frugal, Megan had to convince me a little bit to get them. I ended up caving in, but I am happy I did. They were unique finds that I would not see in America.
    We went back to the hotel, and I decided to pack up all of my items so I could make sure I would be ready to go without problems on Saturday. Fortunately Tori showed me ways to pack strategically, and we got everything placed in my suitcase and backpack. They are even underweight and have two pounds to spare in both packs! I am thrilled that everything worked out.
    Because it was a beautiful evening, Tori and I decided to go visit Huk beach, recommended to us by the Hertzberg family. We took a bus there and walked to the water’s edge. It is not a sandy beach and there are many cliffs and sharp shells Regardless, the view was indescribable. As I took pictures, I knew that none of them would do justice to adequately represent the location. We decided to leave our bags on the cliffs and swim close to the water’s edge so we could still keep an eye on them. Our time swimming was really fun; we got a little chilly at first since the water was cold, but it ended up being nice after a while. There was a little floating deck out in the water that you could climb up to sit on. We met a man named Alvardo from Columbia there. He is an electrical engineer looking for work in Norway. Although he has been submitting his application to many places lately, he does not speak enough Norwegian to where they will hire him. He was explaining to us that he must keep practicing to improve his fluency. During this time we also got to help him work on his English. It was very fun hearing him compare his life in Columbia to the United States and to Norway. There are a lot of cultural differences I did not consider before; one for example is how to spend money. Alvardo explained that in Columbia he was always frugal with his money, but here it is more difficult to save it. During our discussion two college-aged guys from Kentucky joined us on the deck. One is studying at the University of Oslo for the summer and the other was visiting his friend. It is amazing how on my travels I have been able to meet new people from all over the world! 

    It started getting late so we did a few cannonballs off the diving board and then swam back to the shore. (Tori was extremely terrified because she saw a jellyfish in the water!) We returned to the hotel on the bus. I decided to take a shower. Wanting to be sustainable, I tried to take one as quickly as possible to preserve water. When I finished, Tori and I decided to join the Whitworth family for dinner at Peppe’s Pizza. Although the food was expensive, it was very good. Tori and I split a pizza with barbecued chicken, pepperoni, bacon, tomatoes, and cheese. I had a great time just conversing with the Whitworths about our favorite activities in Scandinavia, highlights of the trip, and hear a little about their experiences.

    I went back to the hotel and basically called it a night. I was exhausted from a long day of walking, climbing, and swimming. It was so nice to relax and unwind as I listened to music out my hotel window below. It is disheartening that there is only one more day left in Scandinavia; I have learned so much!