Oslo fjørd

My mom recently asked why there aren't more pictures of the fjørd in my pics. In other words, why are your pictures more fun? Well, to be truthful, while it seems like I'm on some great vacation, I actually 'work' more than I get to see the sights. I am on a great adventure, but mostly my life is the same strange life of a pastoral intern.

But, never fear, I did take some time to get some pics of the Oslo fjørd for you. The lives of Norwegians, generally, don't revovle around their job as much as in the United States. As a result, people don't work quite so much, enjoy more time with their families, and spend more time out walking and enjoying the weather when it is nice. This is what happened last Saturday. We had one of our first sunny days in awhile. So, everyone was out strolling and enjoying the sunshine.

So, I sat and read my book for awhile, watched the toddlers run about, and enjoyed the sun. Funny thing though, when you take pictures of the fjørd in the sun, it actually looks dark! The sun was shining right at me in these pics, I suppose shining on the side of the boats that was not exposed to me. Oh well, here are some pics from the waterfront.


And, you can even buy freshly caught fish on Saturday mornings! Want to hold a shrimp party? You are set!
But, really, the fjørd sneeks up on you, more often than not. The church is only about 4 blocks from the water, but there is no beach or waterfront, so it doesn't even register that we are close to the water (except when the ferry boat blows its horn every day at 2pm! Can you spot the fjørd in this picture? This is right near the church.
Or here? This is from above the National Theatre train station. If you come visit me, this is where I will meet you after you take the train from the airport!
But, you can also seek out amazing views of the Oslo fjørd. So, on Monday - my day off - I took the train (t-banne) up to Frognersteren, past the ski jump, ot the top view. I tried to hike around a bit, to see what I could see. But amazing how what we learn in science is really true. While there is no snow in downtown Oslo - where I live - about half way up the hill / mountain, snow started to appear. At the top of Frognersteren, there was at least a foot of snow and much ice. Most people who were going to explore had brought their cross-country skis and just hopped off the train and into their skis and away they went. (Yes, paradise for skiers. Not so much for me on foot. Oop, slippery!) So, back to the train I went. But not without some pictures first.

Check out the flying dragons on this house! I think it might actually be a nice restaurant, but the slippery icy trail prevented me from finding out.
Really, the dramatic scenes of the fjørd are not in Oslo. For it to be dramatic, you need to be high above the fjørd. But, its still a strange experience for me to be basically right next to the sea, but it only looks like a lake. The wonders of nature!