Sunday in Norway

Sunday in Norway is "tur" day. It's the day when everyone goes for a walk. Whole families get bundled up (especially on an ass cold day like today) and go walking. It can last anywhere from half an hour to 6 hours, but everyone does it. It's tradition. And in Norway, you just don't balk at tradition.

Even us. We went walking today, Rich and I. I have been such a slug lately, and I think I have finally snapped out of it and am getting my butt moving again. We had a nice long walk, all bundled up in our puffy coats (mine is basically a sleeping bag with arms and a faux fur lined hood) and sneakers with wool socks. We only slipped on the ice a few times.

Yesterday we walked, too. We took my aunt and uncle into Oslo for a bit of sightseeing. They, being lifelong Londoners, were just amazed at how clean and tidy Oslo is. How sunny it is (well, yesterday it was, but not always, obviously). How cold it is. (Yep.) How nice the people are (and yes, they WERE nice yesterday, I even had an old lady say "excuse me" to me, which was a first!) and how many trees are around. We went up to Holmenkollen and to Vigeland Park and to Aker Brygge ( the harbor area), and the castle. Up Karl Johansgate and to the Oslo Domkirke. And all around. Had kaffe and kuchen at a nice little cafe, in a very old (one of precious few) building in downtown Oslo. It was nice. Sometimes it helps to see where you live from someone else's perspective. They kept smelling the air, and they took a bottle of Oslo tap water home with them. Yeah, the water here is THAT good.

However, they were just as disturbed, maybe even more so than me, about the prices for food. Just for grins I took them to a grocery store and the pretty much laughed their way thru the joint. It was hilarious, watching their faces as they did the math from kroner into pounds for the cost of cheese, meat, bread, vegetables, etc. They had brought us a huge quantity of food with them from the UK, and I think when they saw what it was worth to us, they understood how grateful we are to them. Tine kept joking that she felt guilty for eating whenever I made a meal. Plus they brought us wine and Cointreau (my fave liqueur that I run out of more than anything, it's great for margaritas and cosmos and such) and chocolates and cookies and cheese and cheese and cheese.......we can eat for weeks on what they brought! Tine told me later that even though it is so beautiful here, she would get angry every time she had to go somewhere or buy something, so I was glad to see it's not just me who feels that.

They were very easy houseguests. They just wanted to look out the window at the views and go for walks. That's easy enough to accomodate. But I also had fun cooking for an audience of hungry folks and enjoyed watching everyone eat and enjoy my food. I was especially happy with a Moroccan Chicken with olives and lemon dish that I made. I'll do that one again for sure!