The past 2 weeks have been action packed. I'm 2 weeks into a 3 week intensive Norwegian language course, so I have class everyday from 9-2pm. We have homework to do everyday, but there's still plenty of time to enjoy the wonderful summer days. Early last week, several of us took a ferry to Munkholmen, an island in the middle of the fjord. We swam in the fjord and laid out in the sun until early evening. The water is freakishly clear, but definitley chilly. The language program also organizes several social events for the all the students.
Last weeked we went up to Søvassli, a cabin about an hour from Trondheim. We were up in the mountains surrounded by tons of lakes, so it was absolutely gorgeous. After dinner on Friday, we went for a sunset swim and hung out on the beach until around midnight. With 20 hours of daylight, there is so much one can fit into a day. Shortly after midnight, a bunch of friends celebrated my birthday by bringing cake, drinks, and a gift. A 20th birthday here is just like a 21st birthday in the states. At 20, a person is completely legal to do/drink anything. So I got a very amusing Norwegian birthday card explaining what life at the age of 20 may be like...
On Saturday we went for a hike up to a peak called Gråfjellet (gray mountain). There was a lake at the top that we all went swimming in to cool off. The hike was a lot of fun, but I am not a big fan of traveling in such a large group (~50 people). After dinner some of us went for a sunset canoe in the lake and then hung out at the beach until 'dark' again. It's never really all that dark at night. At least not yet...but the sunsets are fantastic!!
Sunday was spent canoeing and eating blueberries. August is prime time for berry picking. Food, especially fruits and vegetables, are ridiculously expensive to buy at the grocery store. The good thing is that there are berry patches all over the place. So whenever we pass one, we have to stop and eat some. A couple of us spent almost an hour eating blueberries. They are 100 times sweeter when they are right off the vine and totally natural (unlike the genetically modified, pesticide soaked ones we usually find back in the states, but let's not go there).Norwegians love to swim and hike in the summer. On Tuesday, we went on a "Viking Hiking Trip." We swam accross one lake, then hiked about 30 minutes, swam in another lake, hiked, swam in a 3rd lake, then ate dinner. And all of this was done 15 minutes from where I live. Trondheim is a relatively large city, but nature is never too far away.
Now for the best part: I Now Have A BIKE!!! It's nothing special, but is was free. One of my flatmates had an extra one, so he just gave it to me to use. It's old, pretty beat up, and too short for me, but it gets the job done. There's only 6 gears, so the hills are tough. I haven't tried riding uphill from the Sentrum yet, but I have a feeling I'll have to walk this bike up the steepest part (It's really steep!!) For those of you from Boulder: think of the hill on Folsom Road by the stadium. Now make it a little bit steeper and about a mile long. I might get a different bike from a friend that has gears in the front, but until then this will do.
Take Care!
Julie
P.S. I've got a website with picture slide shows loaded up to it. So far the pattern seems to be one slide show for each blog entry. The link on the right will take you there, or you can use: http://photoshow.comcast.net/JKorak
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