Post by Grubb. May 17th is Constitution Day in Norway. It goes back to 1814. After being defeated in the Napoleonic wars, there was a student movement in Norway protesting being in part of a union with Sweden. This grew into a tradition of celebrating Norway’s independence, although that wasn’t finally achieved until 1905. 19th century romantic movements…
Day: May 17, 2023
We were trapped
Post by Ella. By a parade of epic proportions. In celebration of Constitution Day. Sort of like July 4 for us Americans but the history is a little more muddled. The Constitution signed in 1814 establish Norway as an independent kingdom but shared a monarch with Sweden. It wasn’t until 1905 that Norway became completely…
Our route, Wednesday May 17
Today is Constitution Day and the place was mobbed. We headed up the street and ran straight into the parade, which went on forever. Then we hoofed it up to the Telthusbakken and Damstredet historical areas, stopping in at Ibsen’s and Munch’s graves.
The ultimate rafting trip
Post by Grubb. When I was a kid I remember my dad had a copy of “The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By raft across the South Seas.” He also had copies of “Omoo” and “Typee”, but they didn’t interest me because they didn’t have the dramatic photographs that Thor Heyerdahl put in his book describing his raft trip…
The Manifesto gets wet
Post by Grubb. Yesterday, in the morning, it was umbrellas in the rain. Nothing lashing, just a steady patter. We googled our way through busy inner city streets in search of the Intercultural Museum. At one point, as we were cutting through a plaza next to a tiny amusement park (carousel and kiddy rides), I noticed this woman…
The underside and the far side
Post by Ella. We did ramble well off the tourist-beaten path as we made our way to the Intercultural Museum yesterday, a rainy day. But a soft, mellow rain. Rain jackets would suffice but I borrowed the apartment’s umbrella and Grubb, of course, had brought his own. We’re walking along, the streets start getting narrower,…
Practical matters: where’s da wine?
Post by Ella. Yesterday we decided to have our dinner at home. At the end of the day, we stopped at a large Co-op market for supplies. I haven’t been drinking much this trip and Grubb gave it up a few years ago but I was in the mood for some wine. Norway isn’t known…