London!

7.26.11
I am in London! Yesterday travels were a little hectic but I made it ok. Landed at LHR around 9pm, found the Picadilly line and took an hour long bus ride to the Holborn station. After a little wandering I found a map and found my way to the hostel. Checked in, crept into my room (with 12 or so other sleeping people), and passed out on my bed.

Up early this morning, checked back out of my room and am now just waiting for Annie to arrive so we can get this party started!

Tonight Annie, Kasia, and I got a bit tipsy at a pub called O'Niels - and that is all I can say about that.

7.27.11
Today Annie and I went shopping and found some very cute dresses. We met up with Kasia and saw the entire National Gallery, by the end of the four hours I didn't think I could even see straight. Trafalgar Square is gearing up for the Olympics next year, lots of promotional materials around.
We saw Big Ben and West Minster Abbey. We found a cool skate park with a little side walk beach along the river. There was also a rooftop cafe with a garden. And some kind of waterfountain-esque area you could run in and out of, I tried it and got a little damp but it was fun.

By Sarah Zuckerman

(Photograph of me in the water fountain taken by Kasia)

7.28.11
Annie and I ventured to the London Eye this morning, as long as the line was it was completely worth it. We could see so much, it was awesome. Then we went into West Minster Abbey- it was huge. Lots of rooms, lots of people. We went through all of it and found a little outdoor area with a small garden and laid on the grass a little while to rest. The we were off to Buckingham Palace. Everything was adorned in gold and grandeur. It was lovely. We walked back through the gardens, had ourselves some ice creams, did a little more shopping and headed back.

By Sarah Zuckerman

7.29.11
Today I walked across Abbey Road! It was pretty surreal. We all wrote on the "Beatles Wall". Went to Portabello Road to find a record for Patrick and discovered it was a pretty cool place for shopping...so we did!
This evening we went to an outdoor wine bar, it was a tremendous time.

Abbey Road Photographs

By Sarah Zuckerman

7.30.11
Sick
Sick
Sick
Sick

7.31.11
Today is my last full day in London and I am not doing a thing, unfortunately. I am so sick, I feel horrible. Someone said there was a bug going around the hostel. At least I'll be all packed for tomorrow...

~

Definitely loved spending this week in London. Had the best time ever with Annie and Kasia. 

Annie and Kasia Photographs

By Sarah Zuckerman

Last day in Norway

It's my last evening in Norway - I can't really believe it. I just thought of it and it made me sad. I would be more so if I thought I was never coming back, but I know I will. I love Norway, whether it is because of my genes or not, I most certainly feel as though this is my country too.
I don't know if the last two months here can really be summed up. It has been amazing, everything I could have asked for and more. I have made unbelievable friends, met my awesome Norwegian relatives, lived in another place, in another way. I believe I have really pushed myself and really grown. My time here has been positively life altering. I feel I have really done this trip right, for me. I wouldn't change any of it. Maybe I can sum it up as:

Jeg elsker Norge.

Sunset over Bergen

By Sarah Zuckerman

Rain in Bergen

7.18.11
I'd like to start off by saying I did not realize that when I booked this hostel I had booked a bed in an 18 bed co-ed dorm... Interesting to say the least.

Bergen is a different kind of city, it is spread out and there are many parts to it and yet it can all seem so close. The weather is unpredictable, one minute sun, the next rain, pouring or just a drizzle.
I went to the aquarium, walked around the town center, journeyed through the botanical garden.

7.19.11
I made a friend from Australia, Chris, and we ventured off to "Old Bergen", saw the old shops of Bergen, they were all lined up in a row, all different colors: reds, oranges, yellows. The streets were exceedingly narrow and of cobblestone. We saw Domkirken, Bergenhus the fortress, Haakon's hall (13th century royal ceremony hall), Rosenkrantz Tower (16th century). We seemed to try and peek through every door we could find, even if it didn't look like the "tourist" way to go. Mariakirken was closed for construction (won't open until 2015...). At some point it started pouring and we waited it out in Korskirken.

The Shops of Bergen

By Sarah Zuckerman

7.20.11
Today I made my "art day" and went to the Bergen Art Museums: Lysverket, Rasmus Meyer Collection, Bergen Contemporary Art Centre: Bergen Kunsthall. The current exhibition at the contemporary Art Centre is work by Hanne Borchgrevink, she composes her work of simplified shapes and a range of colors to create house motifs - very akin to some work I saw in Svolvær at the Kunstnersenter. Parts of the exhibition are installation based. One room (a rather large room) have the floor and entering walls painted a lime green, the left wall is black, the right wall is gray. It was a relatively overwhelming scape - but not dissimilar to how I have felt at certain points during my travels.

I also went to Bergen Art Museum: Stenersen, a salon style gallery. Realistic, Romantic, and Classical works. I was very excited to find a piece by Gunnar Berg titled "Svolværgeita", which was the peak I saw everyday from my window in Svolvær. The other side of the building was modern work. There was piece by Yoko Ono titled "Crickets" pertaining to the events of pain and suffering.
Good "Art Day".

7.21.11
Today I decided to go on a nature walk and ended up climbing Ulriken, the highest of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen. It was quite a hike, I didn't really know if I was going to make it. It took a little over an hour and a half but I made it to the peak. The view at the apex was breathtaking, I couldn't believe I had made it up, and I am sure my adrenaline was pumping. I could see what seemed to be all of Bergen. All the little houses lined up in their rows, the clouds drifting in the distance. I thought about staying until sunset, but realized I didn't want to hike down the mountain in the dark...

Going down the mountain was more difficult than climbing up. I must have deviated from the path (if there was a set one to begin with), but it seemed like I got lost a few times. I did eventually make it down safely, only a few scratches and bruises, totally worth it.

Top of Ulriken

By Sarah Zuckerman

7.22.11
Esben came to visit me in Bergen. We went to the Leprosy Museum- weird weird place. Then we went to the Marittime Museum; lots of ships. We took a tram to the top of Fløyen, it was beautiful to see all of Bergen from its peak.
Esben received a call while we were on the top of Fløyen that Oslo had been attacked. We had no idea what was going on so we left to go and see what we could find out. We didn't really know any details at the time, it was frightening to see the photographs of everything that was happening. I made sure to call everyone I knew in Oslo to make sure they were alright, and they were. We spent the rest of the day just walking around aimlessly, it seemed a time of quiet contemplation.

Top of Fløyen

By Sarah Zuckerman

7.24.11
This morning I woke up, ate breakfast, and caught the 10A bus into town. Esben and I went tin an international mass at Johannes Kirke. The service was supposed to be in English and Norwegian but the minister had made last minute changes to her service due to the attack and spoke only in Norwegian. Even though she was speaking only in Norwegian I understood parts of what she was saying, the deep sadness in her voice made what she was saying evident.

Oslo in Summation

I feel as though I have seen everything in Olso, so much so that my brain has temporarily shut down to protect itself from exploding. National Palace, Royal Palace, Akershus Slott, Holmenkollen, Viking Museum ( Oseburg Ship, Tune Ship, Gokstad Ship), Norsk Folkemuseum, Naturalhistorik Museum (and all that was encompassed within), Viglendsparken, the Botanical Gardens, and more I just can't remember the names of all the places. I did get to meet up with Britt, the girl I met on the flight over, which was a good deal of fun and good fortune.

At the top of Holmenkollen

Water Lily in the Oslo Botanical Garden

By Sarah Zuckerman

My Norwegian Family

Today I am meeting my Norwegian family. I met Liv, Thorbjørn, and Ole Jan. Liv and Ole Jan are cousins, and are also my cousins. They drove me to Undrumsdal and we went to the church and saw the graves of my ancestors. Apparently it was Undrumsdal and not in Skien where my family was originally from. We went to a farm there that belonged to Otto's family (Otto was my great grandfather), and the barn he was born in. I also learned that my grandmother grew up on a street in Tønsberg called Bull's Gate (St. Olav's Gate is the cross street). All of this family history today and meeting new family has been a tad overwhelming but so wonderful and exciting.

The barn Otto was born and raised in.

By Sarah Zuckerman

Also, needless to say, I found Bulls Gate.

By Sarah Zuckerman

Viking Festival

Today was an amazing day! I woke up, had breakfast with Holly, met up with Thomas by the Viking Ship, walked up to the castle hill and to the top of Slottsfjellet. Then we drove to Borre (Mittgard) for a Viking Festival. I threw axes and shot arrows. Walked around with Thomas and Esben, saw a "Viking Fight" where they fought and showed all the viking weaponry. Then there was a "play", where there were at least ten acts that took place all over the field area of Mittgard. We followed the play as it went, literally on foot. It was in Norwegian, English, and I believe a kind of made up language. It was about the some of the Norse gods and the trouble they would get into. The acting troop was so into it you couldn't help but be completely pulled in. Even though I didn't always know what they were saying I was totally enraptured by the acts. It was one of the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen.

By Sarah Zuckerman

Skien and Rjukan

I went to Skien today, to get to Gjerpen (or where a town named Gjerpen used to be) and where my family would have been from. I think it is wonderful I am going to a place my family took their name from.
The hills of Vestfold are sloping and covered in grasses, yellow fields, and hazel wheat. Fields span kilometers, with one small house within it. The nature and scenery are not so drastic as Lofoten. I have not seen Fjords or peaks so prominent as the ones in the North.

By Sarah Zuckerman

~

Today Thomas and I are also going to Rjukan, a plateau about 2 hours or so from here.  We saw a couple getting married in a Viking Church on the way. It was cloudy but still stunning! There were little cotton ball like puffs all over the place. We took photographs and walked around.

By Sarah Zuckerman