WEEK 5 IN OSLO - ALEX
November 11 to November 18, 2024 – Winter is Coming
The weather over the last few weeks was not what we anticipated. A pleasant surprise yes, but we were expecting more gray, more cold, more precipitation. There’s been rain here and there, but we would bargain that Seattle has seen more since the middle of October than we have. The sun has been out in some capacity more days than not and temperatures have stayed above freezing, up until last week at least.
Overnight lows broke the 32 degree Fahrenheit barrier and on Thursday the highs didn’t get much warmer. This led to icy conditions around the city and we learned first-hand why everyone has told us to get microspikes for our winter shoes. The sidewalks, crosswalks, and especially the overpass near our apartment have become hazardous. Morgan needs to be extra careful on her morning walk to the train station and Alex slipped on the crosswalk paint in front of oncoming traffic. We know it will only get worse with colder temperatures and snow.
The icy overpass that Morgan has to cross everyday.
Away from the city, the fjord’s warm waters (relatively speaking), and a little higher in elevation the changes are also noticeable. The gravel roads are more chewed up after multiple freeze thaw cycles and the lakes are beginning to freeze over. The extended forecast does not predict temperatures above freezing for the next 10 days either, likely leading to the end of Alex’s Nordmarka cycling season.
Photos from biking in Nordmarka and Alex making preparations to clean the bike in the shower after completing his ride.
Becoming Sauna Members
Common in public pools and gyms, saunas have a place in Norwegian life, but are in no way, shape, or form a cultural touchstone as they are in Finland or potentially other Northern European countries. Popularity has increased in recent years in the Oslo area with the founding of Badestuforening, a collection of volunteer-led saunas that are throughout the city. Some of the most popular saunas are located on the fjord, where jumping into the cold water is part of the experience.
On Monday, Morgan and a Belgian colleague went to these saunas for a sweat and swim, Morgan reports that the fjord is indeed cold. The post sauna report was positive and Alex has joined Morgan and become a member as well. The saunas are popular and require registering for time slots in advance. Locations exist throughout the city.
Pizza Hut in the Woods
On Tuesday night and under the cover of darkness we cycled out to Kobberhaughytta, a DNT hotel style cabin that also boasts a full service kitchen. The journey was about 13 miles by bike, 8 miles on asphalt and 5 miles on private Nordmarka gravel roads. The two of us went for dinner at their weekly pizza night, a fall and winter special. We enjoyed delicious and reasonably priced pies with a number of other Oslo locals, maybe 150 others if we were guessing. Going out to dinner at the restaurant in the woods felt like an authentic Norwegian experience and one we will be doing again. The ski route is a little more than half the length from our apartment and we already have plans to do this once there is sufficient snow.
Clockwise from upper left: Alex enjoyed a epleboller and hot chocolate for desert, Morgan biking back home, outside of Kobberhaughytta, Alex and Morgan waiting for pizza, our bike lights illuminating the road.
DNT Trip - Oslo Style
Morgan is wrapping up a paper that has an end of November deadline. To help alleviate some stress and provide more working opportunities we had a more relaxed weekend in the city. On Saturday we explored a new park, Ekerbergparken, between coffee shop and library work sessions. It was a beautiful sunny day and we enjoyed the great vantage points of the islands in the fjord near Oslo as well as the collection of sculptures throughout the park’s trails.
Clockwise from upper photo: Overlook of Oslo from Ekerbergparken, one of many sculptures along the trails, Alex and Morgan in a lighted forest exhibit that was very popular with parents and children under the age of 7.
On Sunday we participated in an official DNT trip that included a walk down along the Alnaelva, a river of historical and industrial importance. Our guides gave us a history lesson as we slowly walked through the watershed that at one point was heavily polluted and home to Kvaener, which made anything from cast iron pans to hydroelectric turbines. The company ceased operations in 2005 and an ecological clean-up ensued. Within the last couple of years the river is no longer polluted and new apartments stand where most of the factory buildings once stood. The majority of our walk was more or less in a park.
This particular event was for “internationals” meaning that it was English speaking and catered to non-Norwegians. DNT puts on events/activities/trips throughout the entire country ranging from city walks to multi-day mountain excursions. By and large all of these trips are volunteer led, which helps keep costs down and makes them more accessible. Some of these are explicitly advertised as being for internationals, although all are welcome. In fact, the Oslo DNT group has a minimum of one international activity per week. Despite being labeled as international a few native Norwegians joined, making for a nice mix. Alex in particular enjoyed the excuse to be social for a couple of hours and chat with someone other than Morgan. The walk was capped off with a private sauna that was a part of this event. In total 15 people were in attendance. Of the internationals we were by far and away the newest Norwegian residents.
Clockwise from left: Walking with our group next to Alnaelva, a view back of a bridge along the trail at a waterfall, Alex enjoying a cold plunge during his sauna.
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