Hikings With Vikings

Maybe hiking isn't quite the right word, but it rhymed, so it will have to do. I suppose rambling across the countryside is a more accurate way to put it, but that doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Don't think for a second that I'm complaining about the lack of mountains or anything of the sort though. A three hour walk through frosty and snow-covered Norwegian woods (get it?) and fields was a great way to spend the morning. I came to the unexpected realization that the countryside surrounding Oslo looks exactly like northern Vermont. And I mean exactly.

A picturesque frozen stream.

Even the ice here seems cooler than our indigenous variety.

Sun in the pines.

A rare moment of sunshine.

A very Vermont-y looking river.

On the way back to our hostel, for the combined purpose of doing something productive and warming up we made a side trip to the Edvard Munch Museum. The museum owns almost all of his works, as he left all the ones which had not been sold at the time of his death to the city of Oslo. I quite like his painting style, so I found this particularly enjoyable. 

The Scream. Brings back fond memories of 5th Grade art.

Great color on this one, the name of which escapes me.

The Airedale. I love it.

Another one that I really like which I've forgotten the name of.

Vikings & Sculptures & Ski Jumps, Oh My

On day two in Oslo we decided to hit all the free  and/or cheap tourist attractions in the area. Therefore we went to the Holmenkollen ski jump, which sadly was under construction, so we couldn't even get close to it. But even so it's an amazing structure more than capable of being admired from afar.

Thar she blows.

At the Viking Ship Museum we got our student discounts, making it essentially free. But even if it cost me $50 I would have gone. As a self-proclaimed Viking nerd, I found this museum absolutely amazing. The ships were extremely impressive, and quite enormous, and the artifacts recovered from the three ships housed in the museum were gorgeous.

The Oseberg ship. It is a believed that a Viking Queen and her slave girl were buried in it.

The Gokstad ship, burial site of a chieftain.

A wagon found in the burial site at Oseberg.

No one is really sure what this guy is for, but scientists think it might have been mounted on a pole and carried at religious ceremonies.

A decorated bedpost. Where can I get a bed like this?

 Finally we went to the Vigeland Sculpture park. This is a section of the much larger Frogner Park in western Oslo. Sculptor Gustav Vigeland was commissioned by the city to create the artwork for this area. I'll just say the sculptures were very interesting and thought provoking.

Run away.

Angry Baby.

Apparently this man does not like children.

Partner yoga.

Relaxing.

The final sculpture.

Thanksgiving in Oslo

Let me just say, Norway is beautiful. The entire country looks like a ski resort, regardless of geography. Rolling hills? Flat plains? Doesn't matter, it still looks like an idyllic alpine resort. I suppose the fact that there's a light blanket of snow over everything doesn't hurt. Sadly I haven't had a chance to get a good picture of the countryside yet, but rest assured- I will.


As my travel companion Sonny and I were both desperately tired, we had a fairly short day of exploring the city. It's a great place and probably one of my favorite cities. Our first stop was, not surprisingly as we're both architecture students, the Oslo Opera House. This is an absolutely breathtaking building. It emerges gracefully from the fjord resembling an enormous iceberg, and the surrounding walkway draws you up all the way on to the roof, which is almost completely accessible to the public.

The roof. Different isn't it?

I don't believe it's possible for the sky in Scandinavia to be anything but unbelievable.

Basically, this is a gorgeous building.

The interior of the building does not disappoint either. And it certainly has a lot to live up to. In fact, it resembles nothing quite so much as a studio project dreamed up by a very imaginative student which has been inserted into the landscape.

The ramp leading into one of the main stages.

Artsily looking up one of the columns.

This stuff lined the hallway to the coat room. Details like this are why I love Scandinavian design. Attention to detail.

And since we were completely beat after our 8:30 flight, we decided to wander around the city a bit more and then call it a day. We then proceeded to make the most pathetic excuse for a Thanksgiving dinner that the world has ever know: pork chops, mashed potatoes and broccoli. Super-duper traditional...

But it's alright, because we got to see this sunset.

Yule Preparations: The Beginning

I thought Christmas decorations went up early in the U.S. of A. but let me tell you, Europe has about two weeks lead on us. Beginning last week lights, garlands and trees were going up around town. At this point Copenhagen is a veritable Christmas Wonderland; all it needs is snow. 


This festivity also seems to serve a practical purpose. Rather than dreading four o'clock and the accompanying pitch darkness, we look forward to it, excited to see the city all lit up. Forget Seasonal Affective Disorder- try Seasonal Festive Disorder. Also, the overwhelming Christmas-iness of everything has had the added bonus of getting me in the mood for gift hunting and as a result I've started my Christmas shopping record settingly early. Great success!

"Yule In Nyhavn"

Merry Christmas to all!

Tivoli

Realizing that it would be entirely unforgivable to spend four months in Copenhagen without going to Tivoli, I finally overcame my stinginess and made the trip there this weekend with Jenn. It was quite novel to feel like a tourist in Copenhagen again, as I've now reached the point where being here seems just as normal to me as being at school in Vermont. 


While the rides may not have been all that spectacular by our jaded American standards, Tivoli more than makes up for the deficiency by oozing atmosphere at every opportunity. This effect was amplified by the fact that it was all decked out for Christmas. Very simply, it was magical looking.

Quite attractive.

I don't think anything in the world excites me quite as much as Christmas.

Pure joyfulness.

Atmospheric, no?

And we got to see some ice sculptures.

A magical land of hope and wonder.

Charette

Charette is a French word, which roughly translated means 'a project far too involved and complex to be done in the time allotted'. Yesterday we had one of these, and were given 20 hours to create a movie about relating to the architecture of Copenhagen. However, as the artsy and creative people we are, my group naturally finished well within the time limit, and in fact even had time to sleep. Unheard of.

Actually, I'm pretty happy about this project. It gave me the chance to wander around the city at night with a camera, something I'm not really in the habit of doing, so it therefore netted me some great pictures.

Sunset over Orested.

Dusk at the Palaces.

The Opera House.

And of course, you now get to see the finished product. Clearly Makenzie, Drew and I are artistic geniuses. The quality was a lot better before I uploaded this, but you get the idea.

Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf is a cool city. The old neighborhood, or Altstatte is beautiful, full of narrow winding streets and picturesque churches. The waterfront along the Rhein is similarly attractive and lined with restaurants and bars.

Complete with epic views of the Fernsehturm.

The area along the harbor is particularly interesting, as it is undergoing a massive facelift. This seems to be a theme in European cities, turning what were previously ugly and industrialized areas into fashionable and desirable neighborhoods.

No to mention, colorful neighborhoods.

With a pinch of Frank Gehry thrown in for good measure.

And some zesty figures climbing the side of a building.

Karneval in Köln

First of all, apologies for the almost complete lack of pictures. It was raining, and rain and cameras don't get along. That being said, despite the rain, a glorious time was had by all. After an essentially non-existent Halloween in Berlin, this more than made up for it. Picture Halloween in America, but instead of children dressing up, it was adults, college-aged and older, who had taken off work and were reveling in the streets. Instead of frightening costumes, they were amusing ones, and instead of creepy sound effects there was techno and oompa band music. Basically it was an exceptional day.

Hey there Köln.

Check these people out. Fun times.

I met an extremely jocular oompa band on the train back to Leverkusen. And talked to them auf Deutsch. Good, good times.

Hiking the Matthorn: Day 12

That's the Matthorn, not the Matterhorn, so don't get too excited. But still, this was a pretty substantial hike in and of itself. Standing 2041 m high, the hike up is just over 1600 m or a mile of vertical ascent. the most amazing thing about the hike, besides the unbelievable panoramic views of course, was experiencing some very different weather... situations.

It went from hot and sunny at the base...

... To freezing, windy and snow-covered at the summit.

Luckily by the time I hit the snowfields, I picked up the trail of a seasoned local, which was good because otherwise the track would have been completely indiscernible. There's nothing like a good, strenuous, 6 hour hike through the snow to bring one's spirits up; I call this just what the doctor ordered. 

That just soothes the soul, doesn't it?

Being serenaded by cowbells, Alpenhorns, and my own cacophonous and very random singing was just an added bonus. But I think the highlight had to be seeing a chamois frolicking across my path.

An exceptional specimen.

I also made some other friends, thanks to my orange.

Look at them thar Tächis.

All in all, an amazing day. I highly recommend it to anyone who can walk, and is amenable to slogging through mud and making at least 100 switchbacks. (I counted 86 on the way down, not including the top quarter, during which time I was too busy trying not to die and calling myself an idiot for climbing up there without crampons.)

Just one more unbelievable vista. It was like being on top of the world.

And just look at how happy I am to be nearing the top.