The Big Trip: Oslo

After 5 blissful days in England, Kara and I packed our bags and excitedly set out for Norway. This was uncharted territory for both of us and we were excited to begin the Scandinavia leg of the trip. We flew into Oslo and took the train from the airport into the city center. We were in Oslo a total of 1 and a half days–although that time was interrupted by a 24 hour fjord trip in the middle (which I will cover in the next post.)

So Oslo. Oh Oslo. I am not going to lie, we had a rough go of it in Oslo. First off, it was cold. I should say that we expected Scandinavia to be a little chilly. We were prepared for 50-60 degree weather but that is not quite what welcomed us when we stepped off the plane. I started to get nervous about the light layers I packed, especially considering that when you are on a trip like this, you spend most of your time outdoors. That first day was cold–around 40 degrees. And then you add to that the second issue we had with Oslo. Hunger.

We soon learned that food was expensive here–especially considering the weak US dollar. We didn’t want to spend a lot of money on average food and so we bought groceries and instead we lived off of bread, cheese, fruit, and my favorite Norway treat, Nugatti. Nugatti is basically a Nutella like spread that you squeeze out from a toothpaste container.

I love me some Nugatti.

So despite a few set backs, we still managed to enjoy some great sights in Oslo. One of the things I really wanted to see in Scandinavia was some Viking stuff. I wasn’t sure what “stuff” meant. Just that I wanted to see something having to do with Vikings. I think this counts:

Real Viking Ship.

We went to the Viking Ship Museum (Vikingskipshuset) on our first day in Oslo. You have to take a ferry to get there. We quite liked taking the ferry.

At the Viking Ship Museum they have finds and ships excavated from the Viking age. It is a small museum and really you won’t need to spend too much time there, but we felt it was worth it for the unique items you get to see. I loved this decoration that was from a ship of the time:

The Vikings were artisans!

The rest of that first day we spent walking around the city and visiting the National Gallery of Norway. The highlight of that museum was seeing Norwegian Edvard Munch’s paintings. We even saw one version of The Scream.

The second day we spent in Oslo was the one we were looking forward to the most. It was May 17th which is Norway’s Constitution Day. We heard tell of parades and native dress and flags and dancing in the streets. And yes, we did see all those things. The only struggle is that they were accompanied by freezing rain and wind. By far, this was the hardest day we spent on the trip. Here is a picture of us waiting for the kid’s parade to begin:

Miserable.

We had no where to go to warm up as we were leaving that evening on the train. We also had slept the night before on a train and had no where to shower in the morning so we were wearing clothes we got cold by wearing the day before and had no opportunity to warm our body temperature. I had soggy socks and shoes on. Kara was wearing 4 layers. There was really nothing we could do about it so we just had to deal with the elements and still try to appreciate and absorb all we were seeing. Eventually, the kids did start the parade. We were watching in front of the palace along with the royal family.

One thing about Norway’s Constitution Day is that many Norwegians dress up in native costume. Not just performers but normal people just coming downtown to see the parade. It wasn’t just the old people either. It was a really cool thing to see and made me think how festive the 4th of July would be if we all dressed up in Colonial wear.

The other thing we saw a lot of were flags. Specifically the Norwegian Flag.

Me on Karl Johansgaten.

Karl Johansgaten is the main drag of Oslo. You can step on it right when you leave the train station and it is a straight shot to the palace. This street was lined with tall beautiful flagpoles flying the flag of Norway. I loved the sight of it.

When I couldn’t feel my toes anymore, we went and hid out in a subway station to try and get the blood flowing again. We knew we had one more sight in Oslo that we couldn’t miss out on or we would hang our heads in shame. With only a few hours left in the city, we gathered our courage and started the trek to Vigeland Sculpture Park. Frogner park is a large, beautiful, and green place to walk around and at it’s center is the coolest sculpture park filled with sculptures crafted by artist Gustav Vigeland. Most sculptures seemed to be of humans in various stages of life.

Attack of the toddlers.

I should admit that some of them kind of creeped me out. But then there were some that just exuded beauty and strength.

I could show you picture after picture but trust me, this is something you are going to want to see for yourself. In the end–and in hindsight–I really did enjoy Oslo. We made some great memories and I feel bad that the weather distracted us from the beauty of this city. I am glad I have pictures to finally allow me to fully appreciate the incredible view.

Next up: One word. Fjords.

The Big Trip: Brighton

For those unfamiliar with Pride and Prejudice, Brighton (a seaside town south of London) is a place where the youngest daughter of the Bennett clan goes for a social season and ultimately gets in trouble with a particular up-to-no-good officer. Kitty, her slightly older sister desperately wants to go to Brighton too but much to her disappointment, is not invited. Kara and I talked about going on a day trip somewhere close to London and decided that Brighton would be a perfect spot. I mean if Kitty wanted to go so badly, we figured it was worth a trip.

We took the train from London to get there–only about an hour and you are dropped off in the heart of Brighton. I would say Brighton is a great mixture of the ocean, history, and modern-day color. Perfectly situated for a day trip, you can come and leave in a day and still feel like you got a good taste of the town.

We started our day by walking around the North Laine area where there are some eclectic shops and yummy restaurants. I wish we had taken more pictures of the buildings and neighborhood but this is the best I have got.

I could really picture what this town must have looked like back in the day. Lots of old and beautiful architecture with the ocean as a backdrop. Today, the town adds to it kind of a youthful hippie vibe. The mixture of the old and the new is always an interesting one to me so I really liked observing life in Brighton.

Our hands down favorite activity of the day was visiting The Royal Pavilion.

Oh how we loved this palace. If we were allowed to take pictures inside you would be subjected to a slew of photos showing you exactly why the pavilion is so amazing. Although I am afraid pictures wouldn’t really do it justice. You have to go inside and see for yourself.

The palace was built by the prince regent in the early 1800’s (who eventually would become King George IV.) It is crazy interesting since on the outside it looks like it should be in the Middle East somewhere and on the inside there is this wacky but opulent mix of Asian art, themes, and decor mixed with the more traditional regency style. There is no way my description can do it justice. I mean there is a huge gilded dragon affixed to the central chandelier in the banquet room. That is the kind of stuff I am talking about. Crazy stuff.

They give you those self guided tour headsets and Kara and I couldn’t get enough. We listened to every possible nugget of information. We spent a long time inside and so before we finished the tour we stopped for a refreshing beverage on the upstairs patio.

Here’s to you King George.

Here is the view looking out onto the pretty gardens. Masses of people hang out in the park nowadays. It is where I would eat lunch everyday if I lived in Brighton.

After the pavilion tour we were ready for some relaxing time at the beach. Both of us have special attachments to the ocean and were looking forward to digging our feet in the san….

Strangest sand ever.

Yes folks, the beach consists of millions upon millions of rocks. It is so interesting and oddly comfortable to lay down in. Kara and I spent some quality time sitting, staring at the ocean and resting our tired feet.

The above picture overlooks Brighton Pier. That is the best segue I could think of so I could show you this picture.

At the end of the pier is a mini amusement park. We walked to the end but didn’t go on any rides as our energy was starting to wane. Brighton turned out to be the perfect day trip from London. It is different enough to enjoy the contrast from London and full of unique sights to keep you occupied.

We love you Brighton!

Next time: Norway gives us a cold reception.

The Big Trip: London, Part 2

One of the beautiful things about going on this kind of trip is walking. Lots and lots of walking. I enjoy exploring a city on foot because I feel it is one of the best ways you can quickly learn about your surroundings and get a feel for the energy of a place. I also love walking because you burn calories. Lots and lots of calories. For someone who loves food like I do, this was a sweet opportunity to eat whatever I wanted and neither gain weight nor feel gross from over indulgence. It was awesome.

I know England is not known for its culinary prowess. But there really is some great food in London. The first night I was there I knew I had to buy me some chocolate bars. Specifically, Dairy Milk with Caramel. I don’t really eat chocolate bars in my normal life but I can’t get enough of these when I am in England. I guess better chocolate really does make a more delicious chocolate bar. Imagine that. The other snack treat I like in England are all those McVitie’s cookies. I am sure a lot of you have heard of Hob Nobs. I like those and pretty much every other kind of McVitie’s cookie. I can’t help it, like me some British treats.

A new to me British treat I became slightly obsessed with on this trip was the 99 flake. This is a soft serve ice cream cone with a flake chocolate stick stuck inside. You can buy one in various ice cream carts throughout the city–I LOVE buying food from carts. Anyway, I became a little obsessed with having one of these delectable treats. Plus, they only cost 99p…or so I thought. I believed (like any rational person would) that the reason the ice cream is called 99 flake is because that is how much it costs. Not so, it costs around 1.50 pounds. Granted, not a ton of money or anything, just left me very confused for the inexplicable name of the ice cream cone. Anyhow, confusing name aside, I loved my 99 flake.

Another yummy experience we had was afternoon tea at the The Orangery restaurant at Kensington Palace.

Love. Little. Mini. Orange. Plants.

Spot of tea?

Mmmmm. Orangery cake.

And the gardens around Kensington Palace?

This picture looks garden of eden-ish to me.

There was more to celebrate than just food on this trip. May 14th was Kara’s birthday. We had a full day planned for the “perfect” birthday celebration. Of course, what is a birthday without a little bit of drama? We were soon to leave for Scandinavia when Kara realized that she was out of passport pages. First, can you imagine having a passport where you are out of pages? My sister is cool. Anyway, on her birthday morning we found ourselves at the US Embassy hoping they would be able to give Kara extra pages for her passport at the last minute. Thing is, they close for lunch and we got there just a tad too late. Only problem, we had tickets to a matinee for Wicked. We were freaking out a little that Kara either wouldn’t get her pages or would completely miss her birthday show but if I am being honest, I wasn’t really too worried. I’ve seen The Saint–I know how awesome US Embassies are. So I went ahead to the show and birthday miracle that it was, Kara arrived only a little late AND she got her pages.

My happy birthday girl.

That night we went out with Kara’s flatmates to a great Thai restaurant and then after went for the largest ice cream sundaes ever with met my best friend from high school who now lives in London. I was reminded on this trip why Megan is a lifelong friend. You know the friend who you might not see or talk to for years but with whom you are still completely connected to and immediately at ease with when you do see each other? That is Megan.

Megan is as funny and kind and smart and beautiful as she was in high school.

Miss you already Meaghaan!

Up next: “But I want to go to Brighton!”

The Big Trip: London, Part 1

The big trip. I don’t know how many posts this will take but here begins my effort to share snapshots of my fabulous trip with my even more fab sister.  Enjoy…

So the trip began in London.  I had been to London before, lived there for a semester in college–long enough to have any blood I try to donate rejected because of potential dormant mad cow disease.  Anyway, my point is, I have spent some quality time there which meant that I wasn’t too pressured to see everything.  Our time in London was simply about Kara and I hanging out in a city we both love.

One of the first self-portraits we took.  And believe me, we took many.

There is just something about Big Ben.

One of my favorite pictures of Kara while picnicking in Hyde Park.

Kara has perfect billowy, wind-tossed hair.

As it has been close to 13 years (yikes) since my time in London, we visited some new to me sights. Like the Globe:

And the over-priced London Eye:

For those who don’t know, the London Eye is a huge ferris wheel-like “ride” with pods holding 30-ish people rotating around and giving you amazing views of the city.  I am glad I went on it but I feel like it is a one time thing.  Unless of course next time someone else pays.  Then I am in.  See what it looks like inside:

Next up for London: food, friends, and birthday mishaps

Cherry FO…finally

Honestly, why on earth did I wait so long to finish this:

Cherry is done and I love her. I had a suspicion that this would be one of those infallible patterns. Not a single version I saw finished was ill fitting–everyone looked great in it. I was so pleased to discover I was right, it is simply a great pattern. Some things I love about it? The sleeves (see below). I love how slightly gathered they are on top and the length and the overall look of them. I also love the color. I got really lucky with this part as webs had an amazing sale on this color of the suggested yarn and I got it for something like 2.50 a ball. I think the whole sweater cost me less than 30 dollars to make. I really just love how classic and simple it is. Totally wearable and yet still fun to knit.

Project Stats

Pattern: Cherry

Source: Anna Bell @My Fashionable Life

Yarn: Jo Sharp SoHo Summer DK Cotton

Needles: US 6

Size: 36/38 hybrid (see mods below)

Mods: I did make a few changes to this sweater and I am sure you can guess the first one. As is becoming my custom, I added 4-5 inches to the length of the sweater. I added most of the length before the waist band and about an inch after. Remember, when you knit more length to a sweater, you need more yarn. I know that sounds simple, but learn from my mistakes so you don’t have to place a second order a month after your first.

I had a hard time deciding what size to knit as my bust size falls right in between two given sizes. The sweater is designed with one inch of positive ease on the bust–which I wanted–but if I followed the sizes as written it would either be zero ease or 2 inches of positive ease for me. So I decided to knit the back in size 36 and the front in size 38. A compromise that worked to give me about 1 inch of positive ease. Perfect.

I started this sweater back in August of last year. I put it on a huge hold for all those reasons that we put projects on hold: change of season, loss of interest, giving attention elsewhere, life in general. I have to tell you though, it feels so good to finish. I like finishing things. Must remember how much I like finishing things.

Oh yes, and I am officially back from all my traveling. The next several posts will most likely be travel related, just as a heads up. To start it off (and to keep with the theme of this post) here is Cherry in the gardens of Versailles:

She had a grand time.

Checking in from Oslo

Just a quick post from Scandinavia.  I promise to post full trip details and photos when I get back but since it is too early in the day for anything other than sitting in the train station in an Internet cafe I thought I would give a quick check in now.  Kara and I just arrived in Oslo, Norway on an overnight train. We spent all of yesterday touring the fjords.  I will tell you more about this later but for now let’s just say, amazing. 

Today we will spend celebrating Norway’s National holiday in Oslo and tonight we are off to Sweden.  Frankly, we are a little excited to be going on to Sweden as Kara and I are really hungry.  Kara coined the motto yesterday when she said: I am never full in Norway.  You see, food here is pricey.  Now when I say pricey, I really mean it.  We gave up and decided to go to McDonald’s for lunch (even though it is generally against our principles as travellers to eat in American joints) because we thought, surely we can eat for cheap there.  A value meal?  14 american dollars.  Want to buy a bottle of water?  5 american dollars.  We have found ways around the cost of food by shopping at grocery stores and have basically been eating bread and fruit out of a grocery bag for the past day to sustain ourselves.  Just call us Oslo hobos.  Word on the street is, Stockholm is more within our budget so we may be able to, gasp, eat in a restaurant.  I will keep you updated.

So sorry I couldn’t get to a finished Cherry post before I left.  No time to take pictures and I thought Cherry deserved more than a self-portrait in my standing mirror with no natural light.  Never fear though, i brought Cherry with me and will do a photo shoot some time before I arrive home.  Perhaps Paris…

Random Thoughts

I believe it is that time.  Time for another random but itemized list:

• My new favorite cereal: Smart Start Maple Brown Sugar
• About Battlestar Galactica, for those who watch…i got caught up on the current season this weekend.  Oh how I love this show–so much.  for those who don’t watch…you really should.  Trust me.   For those who have a unsubstantiated and judge-y prejudice towards all things sci-fi…get over it.   Just because something is set in an imaginary world doesn’t mean it is geeky or boring.  Seriously, you are missing some quality television.
• Speaking of BSG, if I had to marry a television character right this second it would be him.
• Thanks for all your votes on which Kim Hargreaves kit I should buy.  Rosa was the big winner.  The kit is ordered and will be waiting for me when I arrive in London.
• Oh, did I mention I leave for London on Friday?   Because I do.
• Cherry is done.  Seamed.  Buttoned.  Just sitting on the couch with me waiting to be photographed.  I will do my best to bring you a FO post before I take off this weekend.  For now though, here is a really bad preview pic taken by my trusty photo booth:

A little zen

I learned what comforts me when I can’t decide on anything to knit. A Buddha Bowl.

Can I just tell you, I love my Buddha bowl. I first saw this bowl on a blog (I can’t remember whose but thank you) and I kept the page as a bookmark.  Someday I thought, I will buy one. Well that someday came. My bowl doesn’t completely fill the void left by the lack of knitting inspiration–but it helps.

I do realize I can only eat so many bowls of cereal though. At some point I am sure I will get excited about something else. So…since it is inevitable, I am preparing for that day now.

Here is what is coming up on the knitting front:

• Cherry is blocking now. I finished knitting the pieces ages ago, just lost motivation to seam it when winter descended. But now that spring is here I think it is time for Cherry to see the light.
• There are some new patterns I have seen previews of from a couple upcoming spring books and magazines. As soon as the patterns are released I will have to make some decisions about what I want to do but I am excited for the options to come.
• As my mind is turning to my upcoming trip to the UK, I have been thinking about my fav Brit knitwear designer Kim Hargreaves. I am contemplating buying Rosa. Or maybe Flo. I think I can rock the ruffles. But the question is, short sleeves or the quarter-length cardi? What do you all think?

Blank

I don’t know what my deal is these last few weeks. No inspiration. Period.

I can’t think of anything to blog about. I have no lasting interest in any knitting project. I think about cooking or attempting to sew or organizing one of the many things I have to organize but then lose interest the minute I have the time to actually do something. I must be in a mood.

I am not sure what brought this on. The internet has kind of been stressing me out lately. I am a member of around 15 online communities. I have 5 email addresses. I subscribe to 206 blogs. I just can’t keep up. It is not like this is new but for some reason lately, I feel overwhelmed.

So I decided I needed to post to give myself a little jump start. Here are some random quickies about my life:

• I have some trips coming up. Next week I go to Utah for some much desired family time. The following week I am in the San Fransisco area for a conference. Then in May comes the big trip. I will be joining sister Kara for 17 days of travel in London, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Paris. I have been to London before but none of the other places. I don’t think I can express how excited I am for this trip. The fact that I get to experience it all with my very much missed and much beloved sister is like the best kind of icing on the cake.
• Sometimes I daydream that while in London I will meet London Calling Bachelor Matt. I quite like his cheeky British self.
• Why did no one tell me about how good Buffy the Vampire Slayer is until recently? I am on season 3, thanks Netflix (and Ashley for inspiring me to put it in my queue.)
• For all you Mac users, does anyone else use your photo booth as a mirror?

• Is is just me or do my hands look HUGE in this picture? Also, I am not possessed, trust me, I am just trying to figure out this hat I started. It is a slouchy hat and I am trying to determine if I casted on the right number of stitches. I suspect I might have cast on too many but am thinking that with a little elastic at the hem I might be okay. I don’t know, this little debate is making my interest in this project wane a bit. But I do want to knit it so we shall see…

So there you go, a wee little look into my life. Now I really should go catch up on blogs, email, Ravelry, Facebook, Flickr, etc. But then again, maybe tomorrow. At least I updated my blog eh? Baby steps.

Fountain Hat

Sometimes I get these impulses. When the Fountain Hat became a free pattern on Knitting Daily, I decided I needed to knit it…right then. Within one day I had ordered the yarn, in three days I casted on, and two days after that I had this:

Since spring is around the corner I thought a nice season transition hat was in order. Made out of sock yarn, this hat is a great light-weight knit. I love the shape of the hat and found it a really simple and quick knit. My favorite part about this hat is the gathered top giving it some volume at the crown.

This picture is a little fuzzy but you get the idea.

Project Stats

Pattern: Fountain Hat

Source:Interweave Knits Spring 08 Staff Project/Knitting Daily

Yarn: ShiBui Knits Sock Yarn, Mulberry (1 skien)

Needles: US 4 dpns

Mods: The only addition I need to make is to add adding some elastic to the ribbing to give it a more secure fit.

Notes: The pattern calls for 2 skeins of sock yarn but I only used one (and even had a nice mini-egg of yarn left over…mmm, mini eggs).

So there you go, my new spring hat. Impulses aren’t all bad I guess.