Here I am -- back in Oslo! It's so weird to be back -- but in a good way. When I stepped off the airport train into Oslo Central Station, I was surprised at how excited I was to feel the brisk cool air, and see such far away familiar sites -- even the ramp up off of the platform made me smile. And hearing Norwegian all around again. It is such a happy-sounding language, light, bouncy, songlike.
I'm hoping to be a bit more Oslo-savvy this time around. I never really internalized the map of Oslo last time I was here. I knew how to get to places from my dorm, but I had a really hard time seeing the relations between each place. I think perhaps because I have difficulty when the city isn't set up in a grid. But really, it's kind of like how I first saw Omaha, before I started driving myself. We would take Highway 50 to Oakview, I-29 to the Old Market, Highway 75 to Bellevue, so it was very hard to imagine how they all fit together. Sorry, that was just a sidenote, I don't really have anything else to say about it :p
Luckily, it is nigh impossible to actually get lost in Oslo. Sure, I will lose my way for a while, but it's always there waiting for me to stumble back onto it. Whenever I am unsure of my way, I follow two simple rules:
1) Always go downhill
2) When you run into a tram line, follow it
Since the city center is on the sea, downhill is a pretty good bet for running into it; and its a bit like Rome -- all tram lines lead to the train station. So whenever I was off running and got a little turned around in a residential area, I would follow these rules and come across something familiar by and by. That's how I got from my new dorm to the city center today (though, admittedly, I knew the general direction pretty well already).
It was a good day. Slept a lot, took the free bus to IKEA to pick up some odds and ends (finally got me some towels, Audie, and it sure was sweet to be able to take my shower, and dry off from it, too!). My room is still a mess, so I think I'll try to tackle that tonight; get everything sorted out and put away. And I met some of my kitchen mates today, and they all seem quite nice. All's well.
I'm hoping to be a bit more Oslo-savvy this time around. I never really internalized the map of Oslo last time I was here. I knew how to get to places from my dorm, but I had a really hard time seeing the relations between each place. I think perhaps because I have difficulty when the city isn't set up in a grid. But really, it's kind of like how I first saw Omaha, before I started driving myself. We would take Highway 50 to Oakview, I-29 to the Old Market, Highway 75 to Bellevue, so it was very hard to imagine how they all fit together. Sorry, that was just a sidenote, I don't really have anything else to say about it :p
Luckily, it is nigh impossible to actually get lost in Oslo. Sure, I will lose my way for a while, but it's always there waiting for me to stumble back onto it. Whenever I am unsure of my way, I follow two simple rules:
1) Always go downhill
2) When you run into a tram line, follow it
Since the city center is on the sea, downhill is a pretty good bet for running into it; and its a bit like Rome -- all tram lines lead to the train station. So whenever I was off running and got a little turned around in a residential area, I would follow these rules and come across something familiar by and by. That's how I got from my new dorm to the city center today (though, admittedly, I knew the general direction pretty well already).
It was a good day. Slept a lot, took the free bus to IKEA to pick up some odds and ends (finally got me some towels, Audie, and it sure was sweet to be able to take my shower, and dry off from it, too!). My room is still a mess, so I think I'll try to tackle that tonight; get everything sorted out and put away. And I met some of my kitchen mates today, and they all seem quite nice. All's well.
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