owlgiveahoot

The pathway opened up to an amazing view of Oslo!

The artwork in the park was interesting to say the least. AKA children who see them may start asking awkward questions. But, one piece in particular served to house and feed birds!

Sculpture in Ekeberg Park for the birds!

We then took one last jaunt through the city, since we weren’t coming back the next day (heading out west to Flåm – pronounced “flow-m”).

We ended our day at a pub called “The Scotsman.” We had some amazing black bean burgers, and Michael ordered a beer called Frydenlund. Now, I am NOT a beer gal. Heck, I hate alcohol, and it equally hates me on a biological level. BUT, this beer actually tasted really good. It was a light lager with a sweet undertone to it that helped to balance out the hoppiness. And that folks, culminates all of my beer lingo knowledge.

Mmmmm black bean burger…

Frydenlund beer!

My final thoughts on Oslo is that it’s a fantastic city. The public transportation is top notch. It’s clean, fast, and fairly affordable (compared to driving a gas-powered vehicle yourself every day). The city is extremely environmentally friendly. I’ve seen more electric cars than I could count. Even some of their taxis were Teslas! TESLAS! C’mon America!

The people were friendly, but kept to themselves. My FAVORITE type of people – don’t talk to me unless I’ve had my coffee! In our experience, they were very open to foreigners and appreciated our efforts to speak Norwegian. And by “we” I mean Michael. I could really only remember how to say “thank you” and sometimes slipped into some Spanish just to confuse them more. It was more of a panic reflex. Don’t judge me! Michael was the real lingual wizard. I didn’t feel any “we hate tourists” vibes, which was nice. When we went into a wool clothing store, the woman at the front desk asked us about America. She had friends in Maine, but never had the chance to properly visit, and was curious about how different things were in different parts of the country.

If you ever get the chance to visit Norway, Oslo should be on your list of places to visit. It’s a rather large city with an interesting history and culture behind it. You could spend several days at museums or taking tours, or just meandering about like we did!

Our first stop was the Viking Ship Museum! This was probably one of my favorite places. I mean don’t get me wrong, I loved that Stave Church, but there’s something about fancy boats that really floats MY boat.

The first ship was the Oseberg Viking Ship. It was found in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm, and was highly decorated and contained the remains of two wealthy women. It was 21.58 meters (70.8 feet) long, 5.10 meters (16.7 feet) broad, had a mast of 9–10 meters (29.5-32.8 feet), and was built almost entirely out of oak. It had the potential the reach up to 10 knots.

Oseberg Viking Ship

The Gokstad Viking Ship was a 9th century ship also found in a burial mound, and is the largest ship in the museum, measuring at 23.80 meters (78.1 feet) long and 5.10 meters (16.7 feet) wide.

Gokstad Viking Ship

The Tune Viking Ship was also from the 9th century, and although it is fragmented, it may have been 22 meters (72 feet) long. It is 4.35 meters (14.3 feet) wide.

The Tune Viking Ship

Aboard the Oseberg ship, two women were given an honorable burial. One was between 70 to 80 years old and may have died from cancer, and the other woman was in her 50’s, cause of death unknown. No one knows who they were in society, but they were of great importance to the community to be given such a burial.

The remains of one of the two wealthy women

Michael facing off with history

After we had our fill of Viking culture, we went to the Fram Museum (the Polar Ship Fram), which tells the history of Norwegian polar exploration. The ship was “designed and built by the Scottish-Norwegian shipwright Colin Archer for Fridtjof Nansen’s 1893 Arctic expedition in which the plan was to freeze Fram into the Arctic ice sheet and float with it over the North Pole.”1 Many thought him to be crazy, since the Arctic water temperatures claimed so many ships before the Fram.

The Fram ship

On the deck of the Fram ship

Michael exploring the (poop) deck! Heehee

For their exploration, they utilized dog sleds! Fun fact, they had to make sure that the material the harnesses were made out of tasted awful to the dogs. Otherwise, om nom noms would be initiated!

A big puppy sled for winter pups!

Model of what an exploration mission looked like

Finally, we ended our museum tour at the Historical Museum. Entrance was FREE with the Viking Ship Museum tickets!

Afterwards, we took a walk towards the Royal Palace! And yes, it was all uphill! I guess you could say it was a…walk in the park! (Somewhere, Michael is cringing and he doesn’t know why!)

The Royal Palace

If you ever get the chance to visit Oslo, it’s definitely worth your time and energy to go to as many museums and historical landmarks as you can. It was a challenge to visit all three of these before they closed, but it was worth it. Norway has such a rich and fascinating history, we embraced our inner tourist!

References: 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fram

Our Way to Norway Day 2 – Cultivating Culture

To start off day 2 in Oslo, we visited the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History! Our original plan was to wake up at 8 AM and take public transit to both this museum and the Viking Ship Museum, but we kinda sorta didn’t get up until a little later so we only had time for one… The “plane brain” is real, people. And frankly, the hours for most of the museums were only open between 10 AM to 3 PM or…

Our Way to Norway Day 1 – Flying, Fish and Forts!

Fair warning, I started to write this blog in a sleep-deprived haze during an 8-hour layover in Dublin, Ireland, so my sass levels may be up a notch or two. Nothing says “vacation” like destroying one’s internal clock! This year, Michael and I decided to FINALLY take a trip to Norway! I swear the man has talked about it since the birth of this beard…so, since childhood I think.

We flew out of…

POP Pilates Instructor Training Review

2017 was a year of change for me, both physically and mentally. I decided to take control of my fitness and health through Cassey Ho’s blogilates and PIIT28, and I wanted to share that feeling of confidence and accomplishment with others. So, when I saw that a POP Pilates instructor training was coming to Massachusetts, I swallowed my self-doubt and took the leap and became certified.

[youtube=htt…

PIIT28 Review – From Sore to Soar, then back to Sore!

Towards the end of February I thought to myself, “Hey, I haven’t put my body through torturous physical pain in a while. Let’s change that!” While I had been doing Yoga with Adrienefor 6 months, I felt like I needed a change. I wanted a challenge (not that yoga isn’t challenging because good god crow pose is tough). I needed to change things up and I wanted to get stronger. In the past, I was…

The Curious Case of Hansel the Cat

For the past several months our little family has been wrestling with a medical mystery that feels like it came straight out of an episode of “House” only for cats. I felt it appropriate to share our ongoing story for anyone who may go through something similar. But first, happy backstory! Cue the “sounds-like-disney-but-isn’t-disney-to-avoid-getting-sued” music!

In December of 2015 Mike and I…

30 Days of Yoga – Bending, Bumbling, and Breathing

Winter is coming. Or rather, fall is in the air, and like the changing season I wanted to make a change in my life. When it comes to fitness, I try to stay active most days of the week. I take 2-mile walks at work during lunch time, and occasionally run when the weather permits (AKA when the temperature isn’t “oh god why,” or when Thor isn’t having a hissy fit). If I’m feeling really ambitious,…

What to Wear When Visiting Iceland in the Summer

So, you want to visit Iceland during the summer? Congratulations! You’ve chosen a great time of year that doesn’t involve heavy snow drifts, frost bite, or 20 hours of darkness! Great choice! Yes, yes, visiting Iceland during the winter comes with its own amazing experiences, but summer in Iceland is when you can really let loose and show some skin (and by “skin,” I mean your base layer of…

The journey home from Iceland was probably the longest day of this vacation. Our flight was at 3:30 PM, but we wanted to get there earlier than normal since we were traveling outside of the country. We rose from our slumbers to checkout of our hotel, and said goodbye to the various wooden statues that were placed around the lobby.

Once we got to Keflavik International Airport, we headed straight for the tax refund desk. The nice thing about Iceland is if you’re a visitor (AKA you aren’t staying for more than 90 days), you can receive a tax refund on items you’ve bought if they’re over 6,000 ISK, or approximately $52 USD. The sales tax is a whopping 24.5%, and is included in the price of an item (so you don’t need to do a lot of math). If you decide to visit Iceland, don’t be surprised by the prices. If you buy anything that isn’t a meal at a restaurant and you’re asked if you want a tax-free receipt, go for it. It’ll take about 8 weeks to see the money returned to your account. Be forewarned, sometimes the tax refund associates will ask to see what you’ve bought to make sure it matches your receipt, so make sure to do this before you check any bags.

After we got our money back, we grabbed the elixir of life. Mama needs her fix.

Then, the Waiting Game began. First off, at least for WOW airlines at this particular airport, you cannot check in at the front desks even though they say “check in.” Those are only for baggage checks. Plus, they didn’t say when they opened so we stood there awkwardly for a while. Regardless, we didn’t have to wait in that particular line, and instead had to check in at the unmanned kiosks! #rage But, we were able to check our own bags since the kiosk printed out the tags so I guess that was nice…

Our journey through TSA was actually more cumbersome than the one in Boston. They didn’t have the full body scans, and instead, had you walk through a metal detector that was more sensitive than a hormonal-raging tween. I set the thing off about three times. I even took off my jewelry and it still went off. Maybe the government DID install those brain chips. I had to step aside and get frisked which was super fun, but the lady officer was nice about it. Ladies, please note that underwire bras can set off metal detectors.

After our TSA excursion, we headed to our terminal which was about a 15 minute walk away. Hurray. We grabbed some food and I had to have Icelandic yogurt one last time. It is now my favorite yogurt, and I can never go back to Chobani. Fage is good, but Skyr ran away with my taste buds on a romantic and fruity getaway. #toneitdown

After lunch, we continued on our journey to the elusive terminal. We were blocked by a passport check and had to wait another hour for them to open. Again, Keflavik is a very nice airport, but they don’t announce when things open, or they do and I’m just blind. Yes you can ask someone, but that requires you to A.) find someone who works there in that particular department, and B.) general social interaction. And nobody wants that. Good thing I had the new “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” book to keep me occupied! #potterhead

Once we got through the passport check we finally reached our terminal, or rather, the door to our terminal. A woman observed out loud that “they don’t make this easy,” and it’s true. In retrospect, with the way this airport is designed there were no seats near certain gates to wait in. That may be a reason they shut us out. Or they just hate us.

After another hour or so, they finally let us in! We were slowly loaded onto a bus and taken to our plane. I’ve never been happier to sit in an airplane after all of that.

WOW airplane next to ours. Ours was better.

The flight would take about 5 1/2 hours to reach Boston, so we had some time to kill. I convinced Mike to read the new Harry Potter book, and the guy sitting next to him also had the same idea! #nerds4life

I’m usually pretty good on airplanes (no screaming or crying from me that’s for sure), but I was getting a bit antsy. I felt slightly claustrophobic, but through sheer willpower and my “superpower” to fall asleep in any moving vehicle or mode of transportation, I fought through it.

Finally, we reached Boston! The city never looked so beautiful! Yeah, yeah, argue with me later, but I wanted LAND, people! LAND!

Once we were free from the giant metal bird, we made our way through U.S. Customs, which honestly was not as bad as I thought it would be (disclaimer – your experience may vary). We scanned our passports, got crappy photos taken of us, and gave the Customs officers said crappy photos. We were only asked three questions – where did you go, how long were you there, and did you bring back any food? We told them we brought back some chocolate, but they didn’t seem to care. As long as it’s not meat, fruit, or vegetables, it should be fine.

We finally made it home, and our cats, Hansel and Gretel, were quite happy to see us. They did give us the stink eye at first (maybe that’s just because they’ve never seen Mike wear a hat before), but after 5 minutes they warmed up to us. And yes, they loved the wool blanket. And yes, they chewed on it as I predicted and much to Mike’s horror.

Our trip to Iceland was amazing, and we plan to visit again in the future. Maybe we’ll even hike the glacier (and remember to bring water with us). We would definitely like to explore the northern part of the island, especially where they filmed scenes from “Game of Thrones.” Mike wants to go during the winter where 20 hours of darkness is the norm. We could cross-country ski, see the aurora borealis, and be cold all the time! Maybe the first two would outweigh the third. Regardless, if you’ve ever thought about visiting Iceland, I highly recommend it. It’s a beautiful country with a wonderful culture, and it’s always nice to get away from the usual hustle and bustle of life in the States once in a while. If you seek new landscapes, peace and quiet, and all the sheep and ponies you’d ever want to see, Iceland should be at the top of the list!

Iceland Day 5 – The Blue Lagoon

Our last full day in Iceland took us back into Reykjavik for a final view of the city (and to hunt for trinkets like typical tourists). We even got ourselves a wool blanket (thank you sheepies)! The cats will most likely love it and chew on it, or they will hate it and still chew on it. Too bad we can’t fully enjoy it until it’s cold outside. Maybe Christmas won’t be 65 degrees this year!

The…

At first I thought we were just going to “ooh” and “ahh,” take pictures, and then be on our way. However, Mike pointed out that we ARE in Iceland and should “take advantage” of our time here. AKA “let’s climb the exorbitant amount of stairs, Sam!” Yes, let’s climb to the top of the waterfall, he said. It’ll be fun, he said. #legday

After mentally cursing the inventor of stairs and the occasional break, we made it to the top! My quads were jelly and I immediately regretted leaving my water bottle in the car. Oh I’m sorry, I thought we were just going to take a nice stroll around the waterfall, not hike the terrain like Davy Crockett! Sorry, that’s the lingering dehydration talking. Regardless of my complaining, I will admit that it was worth the climb.

We followed the river that created Skógafoss and the sights were breathtaking (like the stairs). The grassy hills were scattered with grazing sheep (the urge to pet one was great, but they were so far), and one of the popular hiking glaciers was sitting behind it. It was very peaceful, and very, very windy.

Skógafoss was one of my favorite places we visited on this trip. It was so open and it honestly felt like something out of the book, “Heidi.” Rolling hills, sheep, clean air, and mountainous terrain. Simply beautiful.

Mike and I finally pulled ourselves away from the falls thanks to our need for hydration. #h2over We then continued on our way, only to be drawn into part of the Dyrholaey National Reserve.

Ocean waves crashed against rocks with tremendous force, and the surf had Mike itching for his board. However, that’s a good way to die, boys and girls. No one was surfing (take that as a sign), and the only ones who would be out there would surf during hurricanes. And the Darwin Award goes to…

Finally, we reached the Black Sand Beach! It’s located in a quaint little village called Vik, which is the southern most town in the country. It had the normal “small town vibe,” and even had a church sitting on the top of a hill.

After always being around Rhode Island’s beaches (and “normal” beaches in general), seeing black sand was eerie and almost alien.

You could probably make some amazing Gothic castles.

We spent some time watching the surf and played with the sand, which was surprisingly cool to the touch. It was still warm, but not “scald-your-feet-off” hot. This might be due to the fact that the sun isn’t very high in the sky. Or, it just doesn’t get hot at all for science reasons.

After our day of detours and delays, we returned to Reykjavik to rest up for our final full day, where we took one last walk around the city, and entered the infamous Blue Lagoon Spa.

Mike ordered the smoked trout with cottage cheese on homemade rye bread, and I ordered the smoked herring with eggs on rye bread. It’s a bit intimidating when you first look at it, but the rye was very rich and filling, and the fish was sweet and flavorful. Plus, for all of you “paranoid fish eaters” out there, we’re alive and didn’t get sick! We also learned that water is usually free, and they place pitchers out for your own use.

We continued to explore the city, and even ran into some of the locals!

Our next stop was the infamous Icelandic Phallological Museum (Mike insisted of course). You can’t help but feel small when you stand next to a whale’s business that’s hanging off the wall. #whaleofatale And who knew that some mammals have actual bones in their “bones” while humans do not. Science is crazy!

After such a “stiff” experience we were lucky enough to witness the Gay Pride Parade! We had no idea it was going on the weekend we were there, so it was a pleasant surprise. Everyone was dressed up to show their support, and the atmosphere was absolutely fabulous!

Each float had their own music, whether it was through speakers or performed live! I almost forgot how loud trumpet players could be. It brought me back to the Clarkson Pep Band days where us flutists stood in front of the trumpets. I can still hear the ringing. #whatdidyousay

The parade came to an end with a fabulous sparkling rainbow unicorn float. Every time the speakers on the float dropped the bass, the fabric would shimmer to the beat. There were dancers and a singer on the back of the unicorn, and even though we weren’t sure what we were seeing (like most things on the Internet), we enjoyed it.

Afterwards, we went to the Saga Museum and learned an impressively depressing history lesson about Iceland. Long story short, man discovers Iceland. Man settles and fighting ensues. Man converts “willingly” to Christianity. The bubonic plague wipes out about a third of the population (thanks Einar Herjólfsson). Man keeps fighting. Yeah that sounds about right.

We had dinner at a restaurant called Reykjavik Fish. Mike ordered a traditional Icelandic dish called Plokkari, which was very similar to clam chowder, but instead of clam it had cod. I ordered the fish burger (#adventurous), and am now addicted to Icelandic fish. I guess you could say that this trip went…swimmingly! #pun-ished

We ended the day with a nice, quiet stroll around the bay of the city and enjoyed the natural wonders and man-made structures.

  Even though Reykjavik is a small city in comparison to those in the U.S. (even Providence), it packs a cultural punch, and you can’t help but feel like you’ll discover something new every time you visit.

When it came to our venture, we wanted to go on our own private sightseeing adventure. A lot of tourists take “The Golden Circle Tour,” but that would have cost money, and we’d have to interact with other strangers in a an over-sized van that literally screams “tourists.” These were two things we wanted to avoid. We’re such socialites. We ended up visiting the Kerio volcanic crater, Strokkur Geyser, and the Gullfoss (Golden) waterfall.

But first, food break! We found a small restaurant call Hoflandsetrið in the town, Hveragerði. They made really good ham and pineapple sandwiches. We may or may not have randomly found this place due to my miscalculations when it came to where I thought Strokkur was…  Seriously, that whole “I can’t GPS my way out of a paper bag” thing is real, people.

Our first stop was Kerio, which was essentially a giant glorified hole in the ground, but there was something very eerie about it. Also, we had to pay around $8 per person to see said hole. This was the only natural wonder we had to pay for but I think it was worth it.

According to scientists, they believe that Kerio was a cone volcano that erupted its magma reserve, which caused the cone to collapse and formed the hole. The pool of water is the same level as the water table and is not caused by rainfall. #damnnatureyouscary

We were able to journey into the crater itself, which was quite the challenge thanks to the rain and the mud.

There were several signs around the crater that said “Help us protect the nature,” or AKA “Don’t be an ass, keep off the grass.” We ran into some tourists inside the crater who were a tad obnoxious and relieved themselves in public. I think they were American. Ugh I hate our stereotype…

Our second stop was at Strokkur Geyser, which consisted of even more holes in the ground, but these holes contained active water!!! (Man, if I had a dime for every time I said that…I’d have two dimes!)

  There were signs around the geysers and the runoff areas that said “Do not touch” because you’ll burn your hands off (unless your name is Daenerys Targaryan, Mother of Dragons). We saw people getting really daring when it came to the no touching rule. I’m pretty sure jellyfish have a higher intelligence than some of these tourists. #thatwillsting

Our last stop was The Gullfoss waterfall, which was the wettest of them all! The falls had carved a ravine that as geeky as it sounds, made me want to play Minecraft again. I know there are diamonds down there! I just need my iron pickax and a sword to fight off the spiders! #creepernocreeping

An interesting observation I made was that there was no official supervision when it came to viewing these three wonders. The only thing separating you from certain death or painful limb removal was a rope and good judgement (and one might be sturdier than the other).

We grabbed a bite to eat and I had the traditional lamb soup. It was very good! I didn’t…lamb-ent…my decision. #pun-ished

After we got back to the hotel, we settled in to watch the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics in Rio. After watching the abstract performance and observing the 10 Icelandic participants, we ended the day with environmental contemplation. I wonder if the seeds the athletes planted will sprout by the end of the games. #sowandgrow

Our first stop was the giant church, Hallgrímskirkja, which sat at the top of a hill and served as a great landmark. If you can see the church from wherever you are in the city, you can always find your way around. Unless of course you’re like me. I can barely GPS my way out of a paperbag. Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran perish church that stands an impressive 244 feet tall, and took 41 years to build (1945 to 1986). Needless to say it was the largest church I’ve ever been in! Plus, I didn’t burn up on entry! #browniepoints

We continued to be typical tourists and went in and out of shops looking at various cultural trinkets such as lava ceramics and wool sweaters. Wool is everywhere. No matter where you turn, wool-dn’t you know, it’s always there. #pun-ished Since sheep are a large part of Iceland’s history and culture, their wool is always “in your face” and guaranteed to see you through an Icelandic winter.

Reykjavik is a combination of eccentric, mix-matched buildings that carry their own quaint charm. Many streets are blocked off to cars on a regular basis and made for pedestrians only. Bicyclists are welcomed for the most part and many streets have actual bike paths built in. However, if they don’t stay in their lane and try to use the street, they get fiercely honked at. Ah, just like home.

The city is splattered with random graffiti and psychedelic murals that could rival that crazy Willy Wonka tunnel. Historical statues and monuments are proudly displayed throughout the city. One such figure is Leif Erikson, who was an Icelandic explorer who discovered North America before Christopher Columbus. #1492late

We stopped at a quaint little bookstore in search of an Icelandic phrase book, you know, for those important questions like “where is the bathroom” or “where is the beer.” Oddly enough they only had dictionaries, and since mostly everyone in the country spoke English, we abandoned that mission. However, we did partake in their quaint little coffee shop above the store. Mmm, mama needs her caffeine…

After our small pick-me-up we found The Settlement Exhibition, which covers the history of how Iceland was first, well, settled. #thankscaptainobvious There was no flash photography allowed and no one was taking pictures inside, so we didn’t want to be “those people” and followed suit. I can describe what we saw though. Rocks. Lots of rocks. And wooden “fossils” that archaeologists theorized were parts of common tools like shovels or pitchforks. How they came to those conclusions I’ll never know (until Google tells me later). The process probably involves carbon dating and the use of the legendary scientific Magic 8 Ball. #outlookgood

After our quick dip into history, we had dinner at Uppsalir Bar and Cafe where Mike had his first Icelandic beer called Gull. It was very light and refreshing. Even I enjoyed it, and I am so not a beer person.

After dinner we walked it off around Tjörnin which translates into “The Pond.” The running joke is that it’s “50% water, 50% something else,” which might just be true. I’d rather not know what the green mystery sludge was.

Besides the questionable pond water, we took in the nice weather, contemplated life, and watched the ducks and geese go about their day as if we weren’t even there. #notgivingaduck

Once we returned to our hotel we turned in for the night (“night” being used…lightly). During Iceland summers, it doesn’t get dark until around midnight and the sun rises around 3:30AM. Basically, Mother Nature is a troll. “Sure, I’ll give you infinite daylight in the summer, but you’ll also have to deal with infinite darkness in the wintertime.” Some say that that’s a good price to pay for long summer days. All I can say is thank goodness for exhaustion and blackout curtains.

Our first true night’s sleep was abruptly interrupted by the fire alarm. Everyone evacuated and huddled outside in their pajamas as firemen went in and out of the kitchen. We suspected that it was a grease fire from the smell alone. Remember kids, “grease is tough so it gets snuffed. If you wet it you’ll regret it.” And yes I made that up. I should sell t-shirts.

About 20 minutes later they let us back inside, but we couldn’t go back to our rooms yet. The hotel was nice enough to give us free juice boxes, cookies, and carrot cake, and tried to make us as comfortable as one could get in a hallway. Mmmm, carrot cake. Finally, we were allowed to return to our slumbers to prepare for our next journey into the Icelandic frontier!