Make Time: !!! OSLO !!!

After this weekend I can safely say that Oslo is the number one city that I would live in outside of the US. I knew it would happen like this - where I go visit and it just feels right. I meet the right people at the right times, and the timeline seems to be both too limited yet forever (at the same time). When I left yesterday (Monday), I felt like there was so much more to do there.

The train to the airport from Barcelona is simple, so I quickly got there early for my flight. It's about a three hour flight, of which I slept about 2 hours and 40 minutes. As we're coming down the topography looks very similar to Seattle. It's no wonder a lot of Norwegians immigrated to Seattle. The plan stops and I walk down the stairway and onto the tarmac - lush green forests surround the air field (RYG). My friend in Oslo, Reka, told me the train would take me directly into town, but the airport I chose was much further outside of Oslo than the standard airport, so he said he'd pick me up. As I'm walking on the tarmac the girl I was sitting next to on the plane asked me if I was here visiting or I was from here, so I told her I was just here for fun and she said she was as well. She was meeting friends who were coming in from Sweden for the party tomorrow (Saturday), and when I told her I had a ride she asked if there was room. She said she was happy to give some money. Random, but whatever. I see Reka as I'm coming out of the customs and it's as if we never left one another in Rio. Great times. He is more than happy to drop off our new friend at her hostel in the city center, which isn't too far from his apartment. The ride back is about 40 minutes, and the countryside is beautiful. Again - very similar to Seattle. We drop the random off at her hostel and then we drive to Reka's apartment, which is in a more industrial part of town, but also one which is changing drastically right now. The city is putting a ton of money into developing the lands around his apartment with parks and museums. VERY good for his investment. We get into the apartment and his girlfriend Cathrine is there with their little dog Kupa. The apartment is FANTASTIC. I included pics below. Very high ceilings - three rooms - and a big open kitchen and living room. They have turned the third bedroom into a media room, complete with stadium seating and a projector. LOVE IT. Cathrine has made tacos for dinner, which is apparently a big (and recent) tradition in Oslo. Everyone loves their tacos! We talk and catch up and it's great to see Reka again. I hear more about his adventures after I left him in Rio, and I tell him more about my travels. After dinner we take the dog for a walk near the park behind their house, and although it's about 11pm it's still faintly light out. The park has a TON of installation art. At night there is this one exhibition that has a bunch of TV screens talking to passers bye. Here's a video of it. Another one is a lamppost that keeps flickering with a voice that talks to you as you pass bye. Others include people hanging from trees and a face carved out of rock that appears to watch you as you walk bye. Very inspiring. Apparently the biggest donor to the park is a guy who made his money in the beer business in Oslo. We hang out on a few overlooks and check out the entire city. Very beautiful. Tons of construction and growth here. After a good walk we head back home and pass out about 1am.

Wake up on Saturday, which is Oslo National Independence Day, around 5am and it's bright outside. I hear techno blaring from the upstairs neighbors, as well as from big busses going bye the apt. This is a BIG day here, and even bigger this year because it's their 200th anniversary. I sit in bed from about 5am until 8am when everyone else gets up - unable to sleep. Too excited for the big day!! Everyone is up around 8am and making breakfast, and I take a quick shower and check on my suit coat, which has been hanging in the shower. I bought a very cheap suit coat (tan) and pants (white) at a second hand store in Gracia, Barcelona. They cost me a total of $25, but they looked nice. Anyway, I spilled some liquid on the suit coat on the way home from the airport - when I broke a bottle of strawberry daiquiri that I had gotten for breakfast. Classic. We cleaned it a bit on Friday night and then hung it in the bathroom, and when I got up on Saturday the coat was ruined. Of course. So Reka takes me to his closet and shows me the MOST AMAZING orange suit coat. The coat is Moods of Norway brand, which is a huge one in Norway. Very cool. Anyway, the suit coat fits like a glove and I am BACK!! About 20 people show up for breakfast, and they all have the most beautiful and classic outfits. I have pictures below - hope you enjoy. Everyone wears the outfit from their hometown, so it's cool to see the varying styles. We all head out to go downtown to see some of the parade around 1pm. Apparently Norway decided that their independence day parade would only include children because they didn't want to use military, and because they wanted to focus on the future, so it's fun to see all the kids in their dressed up outfits. I meet Reka's brother, sister-in-law, and his nephew - incredibly sweet people. We walk to a few VERY crowded bars and restaurants in the center of town, which we skip. During this time my friend Michael has landed in Oslo, arriving from London - where he had business this past week. I'm very close with Michael from our days in SF, and he still lives there. I love hanging out with Michael because he's completely crazy, similar to me :) I tell him to come meet us at a location in the downtown area, but then we keep moving around so it takes longer to meet up than we hoped. When we do it's phenomenal. Laughs, drinks, stories, and plenty of dancing. Pics below. We hang at a bar for a while and then we go to a friend of Reka's who is having a BBQ. It ends up being just two couples at their house, but we cook it up, tell more funny stories for everyone to enjoy, and then we all head back to Reka and Cathrine's place. At this point it was about 7 of us, but we lose some people and then it's just Reka, Cathrine, Michael, me, and a friend of Cathrine's - Therese. Therese is an architect and she's started her own company in Oslo. She used to live in NYC so she speaks perfect English. She is both mine and Michael's favorite person we have met. She's easy to hang with and she's funny and cool. A great addition to our crew. At this point its about midnight and we've been drinking since 9am, so we are all a bit tired. Therese decides to head home and surprisingly the rest of us decide to rally and we walk a few blocks to this bar called Pigalle. They have an old school bar and a DJ who's blaring old school funk and blues, and it could not be better. We setup on the side of the dance floor and we DANCE OUR ASSES OFF. There are a few video links below. At about 3:30am we head home and end up passing out around 4am. A long day but an absolutely perfect one. Completely content and happy.

Sunday we all get up around 10am and surprisingly we motivate quickly and head to grab some pizza in a very cool/trendy neighborhood. A few friends of Reka join us - one who is a guy named Christopher, who was previously a carpenter but is now giving photography a shot. It's nice to talk to him about changing careers and following your passion. He has a showing at a very cool space in the city on Sunday, so we finish pizza and head over to check it out. Very cool stuff. There are about 11 other photographers showing in this warehouse space, and we soak it all in and then head out to hang in a few different parks in the city. We meet up with Cathrine's sister Julie at one point - in a very cool park. Julie is younger than Cathrine and just as sweet...I fall in love with her immediately - such a beautiful woman. We hear a funny story from one of Julie's friend about her crew drinking at a bar on Saturday, and how some drunk guy peed in a bunch of wine glasses and then the stupid bartenders handed them out not knowing, so people in her crew drank it. Classic. Gross. Random. After this we head back to Reka's apartment to grab a game called Kubb, which you play with pieces of wood. I've played this once before at a lake house in Minnesota, but it's fun to to see that Reka has it. We play in teams, and me and Reka win. After Kubb we head to a Thai dinner which was AMAZING. On the way we walk past a small little pond in the middle of this city park, and Michael asks Reka if anyone ever swims in this. He says no way - very dirty and just not something people do. So of course, Michael then bets Reka that if he swims in the water then Reka will pay for his dinner. Yep - Michael jumps in, to everyone's surprise (except mine, of course). When it comes to doing stupid things, Michael will do just about anything. It was hilarious. Some pics below. We hit up dinner and then head home to watch a Norwegian movie in Reka's movie room. So cool. I forgot the name of the movie but it was GREAT, and one of Reka's friends, who I met on Saturday, is actually in the movie. Good stuff. After the movie we pass out, and on Monday everyone goes to work while Michael and I go to check out the Oslo Opera House, which is an amazing modern building right on the water. Some good pics below. We head to the airport via bus on Monday and close out a most amazing and perfect weekend in Oslo.

As I said before, I really never thought I would like it was much as I did, but wow it has stuck inside me. I'm very seriously considering going back to Oslo to see if I can live. But first, I'm still feeling the need to see more of Europe for now…and it's even better now to have Michael with me.

Dancing Videos:
Reka, Cathrine, Michael, and me dancing to Soul Man at Pigalle
Michael dancing like a maniac

See ya, Barcelona!

Cool sun-spot on the way down to Oslo...

My buddy Reka and his girlfriend Cathrine's apartment - amazing place!

Taco dinner on Friday when I arrived. Was GREAT!

They have a great media room for movies

We went for a walk in the park near their apartment on Friday night. Was full of installation art - absolutely inspiring.

Reka lent me a belt, as well as a suit coat - LOVE this brand.

200 Year Oslo Independence Day Anniversary!!!

Only kids in the parade. No military or adults. It's a cool way to highlight the hope of next generations.

Our mascot for the day :)

Great dress on this girl - it stay out like a 1950's skirt in the US. So great.

Drinking in an Irish bar after the parade. Michael finally arrives!!!

An amazing trio

BBQ at another of their friends' house - such a great lull in the day.

Sunday Funday - ENGAGE!!!

A view back towards Reka and Catherine's apt

LOVE this picture and the sign.

Christopher - the photographer. A great addition to the crew.

Christopher at his exhibition on Sunday. Great work.

We were obsessed with the dog's silhouette and the zebra behind it...

I was taking a pic of this sign and this random girl grabbed my banana and posed. COMEDY.

Native Oslo music….

TUCKED SOCKS

One of my fav pics

Couple good pics walking back to Reka and Catherine's apt...

Small electric cars - love them.

Park time with a game called Kube :)

Classy

My top hat on a random guy in Oslo!!!

Bananas stop wars

We kept laughing at Catherine because this was the SECOND older woman wearing the EXACT same dress as her :) Too great.

Michael and Christopher bet me and Reka in Kube for dinner, and they lost. Michael then bet Reka that if he jumped into this random park lake that Reka would pay for his dinner. NEVER bet Michael to do something stupid. YOU WILL ALWAYS LOSE.