As you all know, The Scream was painted by Edvard Munch. There is a hill in Oslo where you will be able to find the view that inspired Munch to paint the Scream.

So, I went to the hill to see the view! I took the tram to Ekeberparken and got off at an overlook that had an amazing view of the Oslo fjord and the city looking down from the right. But this was not the site of The Scream inspiration.

I took the tram back down the hill to the Oslo hospital stop and took the bus from there up to the legitimate spot! I of course have been relying on Google Maps for the past three months in Oslo (they work WONDERFULLY) and therefore was using it to find the exact location. I walked up the hill from the bus stop and saw a beautiful view of the surrounding land before. I had found the spot!

Of course, I was looking for a big sign or statue declaring the spot to be Munch’s spot, but didn’t see anything identifying the area so I kept walking on until I arrived at Ekeberg park. Looking on the map at the entrance to the park, I could see a location marked the “Scream overlook”. So, naturally I thought that that was where I was supposed to go. IT WAS NOT.

Thus, commenced an accidental hike through the park (more forrest than park). I went up and down this baby mountain twice searching for the Munch lookout! There was ice every where and I fell twice! In the three months that I have been in Norway I had not fallen once, and in the course of 10 minutes, 8 feet from each other, I fell on the icy pathway one foot away form the “Scream overlook”. I had found a sturdy stick along the indentured hike, and luckily that stick broke my first fall, so my knees and hands weren’t hurt too badly, but my second fall was 100% taken by my rump! Ouch!

I quickly (as quickly as you can on ice with trainers on) made my way out of the park and went back to the hill side that I had originally passed on the way to the park. On closer inspection of the railing, I was able to see a copy of The Scream carved into the stone declaring the area the official location! I guess fate was just telling me to get my exercise in for the day (insert eye rolling here).

Overall, the day was a fun outing, if a little harried at times (the sun was setting and I didn’t want to be stuck in a forrest, during winter, at night, with low battery!). Another Oslo exploration was a success!

Today, I went on a walking tour of Oslo street art hosted by ESN Oslo (erasmus student network).

This was a fun tour! I was able to see a side of Oslo that I hadn’t seen before what with such expression through art. It was wonderful to see the thoughts, ideas, and works of individuals from the past and the present expressed through street art. I was able to grasp the feeling that the artists were experiencing whilst creating these pieces and could see their stamp of approval or disapproval of the times from which they existed in. Peace. Resistance. Whimsy. Rational. On and on the list goes.

We were also able to stop by the Sunday Market at Blå, where I was able to see SwanDick, inhale the wonderful aroma of waffles (a crowd favorite in Norway), and listen to great improv music.

Today, since the sun was smiling upon us with nary a cloud on the horizon (ok there actually were a few, but that’s besides the point), I decided to just hop on a ferry and see where it would take me. Obviously I knew the general area of where I was going, so I didn’t have to worry about leaving the country or anything like that, but it was still thrilling to not know my exact destination on the journey.

I took the B10 ferry from Aker Brygge and enjoyed a cruise on the fjord where I was able to see the shoreline (coastline? other land of Oslo?) and the beautiful watery scenery. The ferry itself was very cool and something I will probably ride around all the time on if it were summer. I took the ferry all the way to its end destination of Nesoddtangen, which is just across the water, crossing the Oslo Akershus border.

I remained on the ferry for the duration of the ride to and from Nesoddtangen, only because it was my first time on the ferry and I didn’t know when the next ferry would be back to take me back to Aker Brygge. So, I opted to be safe and just observe from the large windows and deck of the ferry.

On the boat ride I was able to see the quaint little islands of Lindoya and Hovedoya, where upon people actually live and survive. Personally, I don’t think I would be able to live anywhere where I didn’t have guaranteed access to a grocery store. The islanders are dependent on the ferry system and/or their own boats to get to the mainland where they can shop for groceries and other necessities.

This was a fun little outing on my own, which I will do again in the future, but will spend more time on the islands themselves, by taking the other ferry lines which actually stop at each of the islands.

Skål!

“Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally, with his work being translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside his native country” -Wikipedia

I went to an art exhibition at the Astrup Fearnley Museum on Aker Brygge. Wonderful location for a museum, right on the fjord in a wealthy neighborhood.

This exhibition was showcasing the work of Murakami, aptly named “Murakami”.

“In the last twenty years, Murakami has been extremely visible on the international art scene, but he has also taken an active role in Japan, redefining the position of the artist through his involvement in different arenas of society. The exhibition Murakami by Murakami features not only his artworks, but also aspects of his activities as a collector, gallerist, cultural entrepreneur and activist.

The exhibition explores the phenomenon that is Takashi Murakami from a number of different angles. Firstly, it presents the visual artist through a selection from two of his outstanding bodies of work: those from the late 1990s related to the character Mr DOB and the concept of ‘Superflat’, which placed him within the legacy of Pop art but with an exceptionally original artistic language, and works from recent years in which Murakami has developed an intelligent personal dialogue with Japanese historical paintings. A selection of video works is also presented, and once a week the museum will screen his feature film Jellyfish Eyes  (2013). Secondly, Astrup Fearnley Museet presents an insight into Murakami’s impressive art collection through an ‘exhibition within the exhibition’ featuring antique Japanese ceramics and painted scrolls, curated by Murakami himself. Finally, the artist has also curated a display of works by several of the contemporary Japanese artists he exhibits in his Kaikai Kiki Gallery, which he founded in 2008″ -Astrup Fearnley Museet

This exhibition was a slice of Japan and my childhood; kicking it back to going to the library to read the latest manga and catching up on the hottest anime whilst eating ramen, but alas those days are over for me, but apparently not for Murakami. This was an interesting gallery and recommend it to every audience except children.

Oslo has some of the most beautiful landscapes that I have ever seen.

One such gracious scenery can be found at Sognsvann Lake, located north of the city, you can take the number 5 Sognsvann metro all the way to the end, from there it is a 2 minute walk to the lake.

Of course, it is winter time, therefore everything was a winter wonderland and the lake was completely frozen! I was able to walk on it (only slightly fearing for my life) and even witnessed folks playing around on the ice!

There were naturists and regular people (here they are one and the same) about enjoying the crisp chilly air. People come to the lake during the winter to play hockey on the ice, ice fishing, hiking, walking, bonfires (possibly on the ice, no? well I think that would be a fun idea) and cross country skiing.

So I took a jaunt about the lake, and on the lake, discovered there were free toilets (you have to pay for toilets in the city), and literally had a zen sesh just absorbing nature, which is incredibly peaceful and energizing as well as balancing.

12/10 highly recommended.

Gøteborg, known as Gothenburg  in English, is a Swedish town/city situated on the west coast of Sweden. The town is split in half, north and south, by a canal feeding inland from the North Sea.

My little and I visited this industrial-esque town from the 4th of February to the 6th of February. A weekend in Sweden, what a jettsetter lifestyle!

Jokes aside, this was a lovely visit. Our train left Oslo Central Station at 7AM. Seeing as all public transport was shut off for the night and wouldn’t start up until 6:30 in the morning, we opted to take a Taxi that just happened upon us by pure luck. With shoddy internet service, not a soul in sight, and a train to catch, Tom and I were a bit harried when we realized that the metro wasn’t operational at 6 in the morning! Fortune smiled upon us that morning and a Taxi appeared before, it was as if the Taxi driver just knew there were desperate souls wandering about in search of a ride to the city center. Luckily. we made it to the station 20 minutes before departure and were able to comfortably board the train considerably less stressed.

The journey south was 3 hours and 40 minutes with us arriving in Gothenburg at 10:40AM. Our check in at the Backpackers Gøteborg Hostel was not until 1400 so we just wandered around a bit.

Our first foray into the city was the Trädsgårdsföreningen, which was a 19th century park with a rose garden, woodland, sculptures, and a greenhouse with exotic palms/plants.

By this time we were able to get to our hostel and check in, promptly after which we went in search of sustenance as we were both starving.

Following the consumption of good handcrafted pizza (wink-wink), we went out for exploration. Our brief walk up the street found us at the foot of a steep climb to the Natural History Museum. Luck found us again because everyone under the age of 26 were allowed free entry to the museum! Score! This museum contained a large collection of preserved animals, insects and reptiles, as well as a geology exhibit.

After visiting the museum, we played at a nearby park for a bit, awesome play/exercise equipment. We also happened upon an observatory/tower/stronghold of some sort before heading back to the city center where I discovered a shop that sold milk tea, whereupon I was seen feasting my heart out on my beloved boba. Shortly after, we boarded a tram to get back to our hostel for some shut-eye, but alas ended up on the wrong tram and ended up in a sketchy area across the river/tributary-thing, from which we promptly got off the tram and boarded one that was heading back to the city center. From there, we finally got on the right train to get back to our hostel.

That night we played many games of cribbage, and even befriended a Spaniard at the hostel.

The next day, Sunday, we went to the Gothenburg Southern Archipelago by catching the ferry. This was a brisk type of day, most likely because the wind coming in from the ocean was a bit cold, seeing as the inland air was nicer. But the ferry was phenomenal, one of the ferries having a cafe on board!

We got off on the island of Donsö, walked around for a bit, did some boulder climbing, crossed the bridge onto Styrsö, caught the ferry to ride down to Vrångö, and rode back to the mainland, all within 3 hours! A fun excursion it was!

Once back on the large land mass, we went to Skansen Kronan, which is a hillside fortress and conference center with a panoramic view of the city. This fortress was located on a very, very steep hill, and thoroughly gave my leg muscles a workout. What joy! (insert sarcastic voice and eye-roll) Also, public restrooms were free! (unlike in Oslo, ugh)

We then did some more city exploration, much of which had a very industrial, grimy, colorless, and Scandinavian atmosphere. I imagine the emotionless feel of the city can be attributed to it being a sort of port-city, where shipments are bound to be a regular occurrence and efforts to vitalize the cityscape was not a priority. But what do I know, with my less than 48 hours of experience in Sweden.

We visited the very nice Taco Bar for dinner, where I had nachos and Tom had a burrito, ironically enough. That night we played more games of cribbage and befriended an American who was studying in Madrid, Spain, but was visiting Sweden for an indeterminate amount of time.

Monday morning saw us saying our goodbyes to Gothenburg and boarding our train back to Oslo!

I most definitely enjoyed my time in Sweden and would love to visit Stockholm at some point!

My cousin Sarah resides in the UK and had business in Bergen, Norway (7 hour train ride away), so she contacted me and arranged to meet up with me in Oslo to show her and her husband, Josh, around town. I haven’t seen her in close to 15 years! Ow!

The three of us had a wonderful weekend in Oslo, the weather was coldly pleasant and the sights were tremendous. The first day we went around to many museums and did the touristy thing. We visited the Viking Ship Museum, the Fram Polar Ship Museum (which had a fun interactive “Viking age” simulator where you were able to experience what it was like to be on a Viking ship, in the bitter cold, and underground in the ice caves), walked around the Bygdøy Peninsula and had a delicious lunch (of course I had to get pho, the soup is simply ambrosia to me) in this gem of a Vietnamese restaurant tucked away in an out-of-the-way area. Continuing our endless travels, on the wonderfully efficient public transportation system provided by the Norwegian government, we then visited the Munch Museum (actually not that titillating) and the National Gallery of Norway (National Art Museum) where I took a screaming picture with The Scream by Edvard Munch, which, by the way, everyone pronounces as “moo-unk’ not “muh-unch”.  Saw a few cool Picasso paintings, Dahl landscapes of Norway wilderness and a beautiful Sohlberg painting of mountainous Norge. We then took a small walk on Aker Brygge, saw the Oslo City Hall (Rådhuset), visited the Nobel Peace Center and had sushi for dinner!

The second day was short, considering my cousin’s flight was leaving at 1500, and she had to be at the airport around 13:30, so we kept it short and just took a gander up to the National Opera and Ballet as well as Akershus Fortress.

It was a good weekend! Sore gluteus maximus, medius and minimus for sure, but great nonetheless ❤

Made sweet potato coconut lentil curry over a bed of rice, garnished with cilantro!

Currently snowed in with tremendous lab work. Lab is difficult, but having a garrulous Norwegian lab partner makes the 5 hour lab a fun experience!

I hear that there is a lot of snow back home, which I’m slightly miffed about because I really wanted to experience a Norwegian winter, but there is almost no snow here in Oslo! Qué interesante y terrible para mi! (Sorry, my second choice for studying abroad was Costa Rica, so I could put to use my 6 years of Spanish language courses teehee). Since I happen to be in Norway instead of Costa Rica, I’m missing speaking Spanish in my day to day life. Here in Oslo, I am riding the fast learning curve to the Norwegian language. Skål! (Cheers!)

From the title you can garner that I attended the Woman’s March in Oslo. This was a protest/demonstration that was well planned, peaceful, and extremely meaningful to me.

As a woman, a Muslim, and a minority, my existence is literally everything that my newly elected president is against and/or strongly opposed to. How could any citizen feel safe within their country borders with a leader that wants to take away their rights and ban them from the country? I am a US citizen, I was born in the States, have lived my whole life in the States, and am on the path to becoming a physician in the States. Is my presence so detestable? I think not. I just hope that change will come, and not change engineered by the Trump administration, but rather change fashioned by the people to fit the needs of the people.

That is all. For now.