About a month before our arrival, we were fortunate to have gone on a week long scouting trip to look for housing. We looked at several apartments, some too big and others too small, but none that were just right. However, we did learn that in Norway, verbal agreements are binding. Just fyi should you ever wheel and deal with a Norwegian.
So after many tearful goodbyes, a fantastic flight operated by Lufthansa, and a thorough pat down by a German security woman, we arrived on October 26th at Tjuvholmen Allé. Try telling your taxi driver that address (shu-hole-men ah-lay)! This is where we will temporarily stay until we find that just right place.
It’s in the area of Oslo called Aker Brygge - a former shipyard now filled with shopping, restaurants, and residential/office buildings. Many of the old shipyard warehouses have been restored. “Bold new architecture blends with the old...” says our guide book. If I had a talent for photography, I could get great shots of structures, angles, yada yada. Instead, I take pictures like this:
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| I wasn't able to find an explanation as to what this is. It's near a contemporary art museum so I can only assume it's art... |
The following pictures are of the Aker Brygge area, obviously taken by Matt.
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| This is facing away from our 'street'. |
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| Our building is the patch of red you see on the left. I say 'street' because it's mainly for pedestrians. |
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| I like to point out my boats of choice when we walk by the water. |
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| An example of colors my eye would have never caught! Just dino heads... |
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Our first full day greeted us with blue skies and sunshine, so we took advantage with a 4 hour jog around the city.
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| Leaves of fall in Frognerparken. Love. |
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| the most beautiful yellow I've ever seen |
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| We made our way over to a peninsula on the western side of Oslo called Bygdøy. |
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| First ice sighting! |
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| The first time to use our 365 day public transport pass as legit locals. (It would be paid off within a few months of putting gas in our cars at home. Gotta love that!) |
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| We ended a wonderful first day with dinner at Trattoria Populare at the bottom of Grunerløkka thanks to a recommendation from a great friend that we wish still lived in Oslo. Thank you, Sindre! |
We quickly found a second home very near to our wireless-lacking-temporary home, Wayne’s Coffee with free wifi. Seriously, I’m worried the girls behind the counter might think I’m stalking them because I’m there every.single.day. And some think Starbucks is expensive...
Other than not having instant (free) access to the online world, we’ve only faced a few small obstacles. Our temporary apartment is tiny. Quite nice and clean, even to my OCD standards. Just small. Which means the kitchen, while equipped well enough, is a challenge to cook in. The extent of my taking on this challenge is frozen pizza, bacon & eggs, and other frozen meals. We quickly got tired of eating out in the most expensive part of the worlds most expensive city!
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| My first shopping trip! I stuck to the basics as I had to use my phone to translate everything. Thank you Google translate! ... The bottled water was a one time thing! It took just a day or two to adjust to drinking straight from the tap. Love that too! |
Second obstacle - the weather. Apparently, below freezing temps and ice on the ground does not indicate winter has arrived. Yeah, for real. This is only a problem because most of my beloved winter accessories are in the air freight, which arrived just one week after us. How wonderful this would be if we weren’t living in a shoe box at the moment. It's being stored.
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Problem: I constantly have to tug on my hat because they slowly squeeze off my big head!
Solution: New winter accessories! |
So while we’re not completely settled yet, we’re making the best of what’s around. Turns out it’s not where, but who you’re with that really matters.
ps. Major props to Matt for conquering the two-in-one washer/dryer with buttons in Norwegian!
