Friday, June 28, 2013

Random Oslo and five random thoughts…


The Angry Baby in Vigeland Park is very popular and has been rubbed shiny in many spots.  No wonder he's angry.

Random boat on the Oslo Fjord

Lighthouse in the Oslo Fjord

Oslo sun and sky

1)  Life is Fantastic!  We got home from our trip to Norway around 8pm last night.  Today I feel like I’ve been hit by a semi-truck.  Such is the nature of jet lag.  I think one more night of sleep and I will be right as rain.  It was a wonderful trip and Norway didn’t disappoint for fabulous scenery and lively, friendly people.  All our travel arrangements were just right.  The sign I posted above is on the train station in Oslo.  When you leave the station if you happen to glance back, that is what you see.  I think that might say it all about Norway and Norwegians.

2)  Oslo is a city of about 620,000 with a total urban population of around 950,000.  It’s situated on the Oslo Fjord and is a modern city in every way with nicely preserved old buildings peppering the downtown.  We found that Oslo has a terrific public transportation system and we took full advantage of it.  We had no problem finding our way around even though we are Americans with no knowledge of the Norwegian language.  English is widely spoken and used in the museums, on most menus and in other signage. 

3)  One thing that you might want to beware of if you decide to go there for a visit:  Everything is very expensive.  I think as long as you know that ahead of time, you can prepare for it.  Of course, the prices fund the socialist way of life the Norwegians enjoy.  And it must work for the Norwegians.  According to CNN Travel, Norway is the happiest country in the world with a life expectancy at birth of 81.1 years and an average income of $47,557 USD per person.  The USA is listed as the fourth happiest, by the way.

4)  Over the two weeks we were there, we only experienced two days of rain.  The weather was pretty much a delight.  Cool and breezy.  I could go for a summer like that every year.

5)  Today (or maybe tomorrow) I am going to get some photos together to start my 365 project on Flickr.  I decided to start on my 60th birthday and document my 61st year.  I know there will be days when I just don’t want to lift my camera, but I am hoping that this project will help me grow as a photographer.  On my birthday, which was the 25th of June, I found that I was fairly overwhelmed with the feeling of how quickly time has passed.  Maybe the occasional tedium of having to come up with yet another photo will help slow time down.



LINKING TO A RURAL JOURNAL'S 

RANDOM FIVE FRIDAY

18 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

well, happy belated birthday! and welcome back home and to blogland! glad you had an awesome trip! norway is certainly a beautiful place to 'visit' in blogland, so i can only imagine it in person. :)

Mary said...

I'm glad you had such a marvelous trip! :). And i love these Random Oslo photos! Happy belated Birthday to you!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

i luv the lighthouse. clouds r amazing... can't 2 c more pics. rest up. ( ;

Pamela Gordon said...

Welcome back Barbara and a belated Happy 60th Birthday to you! What a way to celebrate with a trip to Norway. It looks and sounds interesting. Blessings for the year ahead! Pamela

Debbie said...

life is fantastic!!

gorgeous lighthouse...WoW!!!

Debbie said...

i forgot to say happy birthday!!

Nicki said...

Glad to see you back and that you had a good trip. Happy (belated) Birthday. I get that feeling that life is flying by much too fast and what I wouldn't give to be able to turn the clock back even if just a little. I look forward to seeing more shots from your trip.

Unknown said...

Glad you had such a great time ! The angry baby statue is hilarious and yr comment about the rubbing as well...I am curious as to the origin of this statue...I heard on the news that parts of the US are having awful heat waves...hope you don't...we are cool here again after several more temperate days

Anonymous said...

Hi Barbara, I too am learning. I like your photos.. Happy Belated Birthday! (:

Rohrerbot said...

Happy belated birthday. Love all your photos.

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

Welcome back and happy belated birthday! Your photos are beautiful and showcase a place that I now want to visit! Hope you get some rest.

MEcoy said...

well let me first greet you a happy birthday barbarra!
as for the shotit was always great i kind alike that angry kid statue

Nancy said...

Now, I have to think, how many countries have I visited through your blog Barb? Every one has been so interesting. Thank you.

Happy belated birthday too. A 365 Flickr journey sounds great. I hope you post your photos on your blog. xo

A Colorful World said...

Such a interesting post! Your photography is wonderful!

Chatty Crone said...

Say now how do you get to travel so much? sandie

Kerri Farley said...

Glad you are back safe and sound! and Happy Birthday to you!! Sounds like a Wonderful trip ..... your images are wonderful!!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Belated birthday wishes, Barbara. Am reading back posts first so I can follow along on the posts about your trip to Norway which seems to have been wonderful.

Stratoz said...

Love that boat! I was thinking about a 365 to celebrate my 51st year.