Me: Oh look at that cool swan public art installation.
Also Me: Oh wait. Nope, not a swan. Nevermind.
Oslo is getting cooler by the second. These Norwegians have really created their own hyper-cozy, strikingly beautiful, and super-fun city here way up at 60 degrees latitude, which is the equivalent of the BC-Yukon border. We've been trying to see all of it and walked 16 kms yesterday in the drizzle, warding off the dark and cold with museums, cozy cafes, shopping, and a cool light show.
Not a bagel cake, as one member of our group may have suggested.
Here in Oslo, the Norwegians have thought of everything, including a dog parking crate known as a Hundehus (hound house!) where you can leave your doggie in comfort and safety outside while you sign over your firstborn in exchange for dinner at the restaurant inside. Such a great idea! (sorry Jacob.) I looked around for one for kids or other family members but they're not a thing quite yet.
Oslo is full of these sorts of small wonders around the next corner, including this installation at a small square by Korea-American artist Do Ho Suh who created 50000 tiny bronze people from 400 unique figures repeated in various sizes, as one does. The piece, with its varying representation of age, gender, and nationality, is meant to reflect a unified grassroots movement. Or maybe, as I like to think, it's more about the plight of the small people, always having to ask fo help reaching things, never being able to see at concerts etc...
I could only ever hope to have this sort of imagination and inclination.
Up next was a visit to the Nobel Peace Center. I'm not a huge fan of panel museums where everyone blindly trudges from one panel exhibit to the next, trying to find something that catches their interest, failing, yawning, and then shuffling to the next. Even though the subject matter - Nobel Peace Prize winners of the past 100 years - was fascinating, this museum was not much different. I fear something may also have been lost in translation...
For example:
 |
"I would rather not that father thinks me unproductive, or that he finds himself in money quandaries when it is so sorely needed". Uh. Right. I am no further ahead in my understanding of who Alfred Nobel was after reading this, other than he was clearly a fan of the cravat, and had some issues with his dad.
Still, the sacrifices made by (most of) those who have won the Peace Prize are huge and should not be understated.
After a reviving lunch on the go which included a healthy offering of the travel staple chocolate, we did some shopping en route to an Oslo World Music Festival event. Having tried in vain to see Pussy Riot in concert recently in Victoria, we were surprised/excited to see they were playing here. Too bad we saw that the night after they had played, but not to worry, a gathering of three bands with a discussion moderated by a well-known (to Norwegians) music producer was happening at a small bar downtown, and one the bands was Pussy Riot.
Despite the lashing of chocolate I had already consumed, I was in desperate need of caffeine so we stopped at one of the bazillion super cozy cafes. Unfortunately, my nemesis Jet Lag was also there. I had already had a run-in with him earlier in the day. Like a lot earlier.
Me (snoring):
Jet Lag: Hey vake up. It's 4:45am. Vat yew are doing sleeping right now?
Me: What? Well I didn't get to sleep until 1am so I thought I would sleep until at least 9am.
Jet Lag (shaking my shoulder): Oh hahaha. Yes very funny. No, you vill get up now.
Me: Go away
Jet Lag (shines bright light in my eyes): Get up now.
Me: Ugh. FINE.
* several hours later*
Me: Oh hey, Jet Lag, I'm just going to go back to...
Jet Lag: No you must stay avake
Me: See? Look, I'm practically asleep, Got my eyes closed, eye pillow, ear plugs.
My Brain: What do you want to talk about?
Me: What? Not you too. We're going to sleep now.
Jet Lag (plays Metallica in my ears):
Me: FINE I'LL GET UP. UGH I hate you guys.
Jet Lag: I vill see you later.
*several hours later*
Me (in the cozy cafe): Is that...? I just thought I saw Jet Lag over there.
Zoe: Are you still tired?
Me: Damn it is him. Quick, block me.
Jet Lag: I thought that vas you. You vill go to sleep now.
Me (puts head down on arms on table and passes out):
Jet Lag: I vill see you later.
Me (ten minutes later): I think I fell asleep there...
Zoe:
Me: Ok let's get going.
*A couple of hours later at small cozy bar*
Me: I really love this band.
Everyone else (nodding in agreement):
Me: Oh no...I think that's Jet Lag over there. Shit.
Jet Lag (waving):
Me:
Jet Lag: I know you like this band but you vill go to sleep now
Me (Crashes for 10 minutes):
Me: Fuck off, Jet Lag, I want to listen to Pussy Riot now.
Jet Lag: I vill see you...
Me: NO YOU VILL NOT.
We were hoping they might play a few songs (Pussy Riot, not Jet Lag) but that didn't happen, but it didn't matter as it was still very cool to hear them speak about their work as activists and musicians. They also appeared to be in disguise as Norwegians as I don't think I've seen them with blond hair before. I hope I'm not blowing their cover...
The thing about Jet Lag is that it makes it essentially impossible to know, with any degree of certainty, what time or day it is at any given point. After the Pussy Riot talk, I was sure it was close to midnight. Also contributing to this confusion is the fact that it gets dark here at 4pm. So if you're wondering "is she taking all her pictures after dark?" then yes, you're right, I pretty much am.
Anyway, it turned out to be 6pm, and so that was fun. We wandered to a part of Oslo known as Groneland, which I thought was the ballroom at Ikea, but it is actually an ethnically diverse part of town that should probably be called Little Pakistan or Little India, or possibly even Little Indian sub-Continent, but that doesn't have such a good ring to it. At any rate, the curry was delish, and cheap, and we were feeling good after. So good that we popped into a bar to listen to a little bit of Norwegian almost-Death Metal. Kent tells me it's only true Norwegian Death Metal if the band members have just burned down a church and are spilling blood on the stage, but I think this is fairly close:
Norway: all soft and cozy and reserved on the outside, with their wool sweaters and wholesome muesli, only to periodically let loose and freak out with some yelling, or possibly some shooting, like they did earlier this year when five people where shot outside a gay bar. Yep. Or when one of the worst mass murders in history happened in 2011 in Norway when a neo-Nazi murdered 77 people in two consecutive events in Oslo and at a summer camp for young members of the ruling Labour Party. So there's that side of Norway too.
Fortunately, there is also a concerted effort here to remind people of the atrocities committed by the occupying Nazi party during WW2. Known as Stumbling Stones, these small brass squares have been set in the sidewalk in front of the residence of Norwegian Jews who were taken by the Nazis to concentration camps to die there. They are all over the city, and indeed all over Europe now, and I always stop to read them.
Looks like Arne was only 18 when he was deported, and only 19 when he died.
We finished the night with a stroll along the Akerbrygge harbour walkway where a light show was in action. I like a good light show, and this one was pretty good. It was especially beautiful to see the moon and Jupiter shining bright in the sky - my favourite kind of light show.
The image on the right was projected on mist sprayed up from the harbour. Zoe declared it 'slightly ugly' which was fine, except that the man who installed it was standing 6 inches in front of her and took the opportunity to turn around and explain all the work that had gone into the production,. He was very nice about it, and Zoe's boyfriend, Dryden, saved the day by being extremely interested and asking some good questions so that was helpful.
The image on the right was projected on mist sprayed up from the harbour. Zoe declared it 'slightly ugly' which was fine, except that the man who installed it was standing 6 inches in front of her and took the opportunity to turn around and explain all the work that had gone into the production,. He was very nice about it, and Zoe's boyfriend, Dryden, saved the day by being extremely interested and asking some good questions so that was helpful.
*4:45 am*
Me (snoring):
Jet Lag (shaking my shoulder): VAKE UP NOW!
Me: What the ACTUAL FUCK Jet Lag. I was ASLEEP.
Jet Lag: Ya, I know but it's time to vake up now.
Me: Don't you have somewhere else to be?
Jet Lag (holding smelling salts under my nose):
Me: FINE. UGH. I'll read my book for a while.
*90 minutes later*
Jet Lag: You must stay avake now, and FOREVER. AHAHHHAHHHA (laughs maniacally.)
Me: Ok I've had enough. I am warning you, I WILL fight you.
Jet Lag: You vill not win! AHHHAHAH
Me: Come at me, Jet Lag, I dare you to watch me. I'm falling asleep now.
Jet Lag: stay avake...
Me (pulls covers over head): can't hear you.
Jet Lag: You Vill... (voice gets quiet)
Me:
Jet Lag:
I woke up at 11:30 am, and Jet Lag has not been seen since.
See you bright and early tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment