Go Oslo!

Happy Teacher Summer, everyone!*

School got out and I hit the road! First up was a trip to NYC with #thechildren** and then a quick turnaround for Norway. I'm starting in Oslo and explored the city yesterday and today. The city is beautiful, it has been a sunny 60 degrees for the high, and everywhere you go in this town is a statue. It's lovely!

I started off yesterday in Slottsparken (Palace Park)*** and had my first taste of the city's love of statutes. Right at the entrance was a statue park newly added this year that had statues inspired by children's drawings. I think they're just celebrating Pride, myself.

Palace Park includes the palace where the royal family lives. The flag implies the family was home but no one came out to greet me, so . . .

I continued wandering past the parliament building**** and more statues and flowers. I ended the night***** in the area of Aker Brygge for dinner. The area is right on the water and has been recently developed with live-work-play buildings that felt new and fancy.

I started today with a walking tour of Oslo given by Norway's own Kate McKinnon.******

 

We hit all the Oslo hot spots, including:
The Opera House which hosts the opera, the ballet, and people walking all over the building

City Hall- you can't fight it and the murals are so fantastic you wouldn't dare

And a fort.*******

After the tour I backtracked to see more things in detail. The views from the top of the opera house were glorious and it was super cool to walk all over the building. I did the tour of the building inside, as well, and they walked us through the performance space, backstage, the costume shop, etc. It was fantastic.********

I followed that up with a visit to the Munch Museum which featured artwork and the history of Edvard Munch. It was a scream.

 

 

I was pretty committed to hitting all the Oslo highlights so I next went to the Nobel Peace Center. This is where they award the Nobel Peace Prize every year. It features a museum that looks at the work of the recent year's winners, past winners, and an exhibit on a special issue that is affecting the world today.

The featured exhibit was on climate change and how it is affecting the world and how people are protesting for change.

 

The feature on the 2018 winners and their fight against sexual violence as a weapon of war was especially moving.

 

 

And finally, the last room had an interactive screen for reading about all the past winners.

 

My last stop for the day was to Frognerparken which includes Vigelandsparken, a park with over 200 statues by Norwegian sculptor, Gustav Vigeland. It rounded out my full sculpture experience in Oslo!

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow I head north- about as far north as is possible without hitting a pole.*********
More from there!
-Kelly

*Unless you live in the northeast, of course, and have an untold number of weeks left. I'm sad for you.**********
**Shout out to the world's best frolleagues!

 

***Naturally, I have learned no Norwegian and it reads like German with additional circles and slashes. Everyone I have encountered speaks better English than I do.
****It's a constitutional monarchy, I know you were wondering.
*****I swear it's after 9pm but the sun doesn't set until forever!
******Truly, she acted just like her. I'm sure she does a great Hillary.
*******I know you heard my exasperated sigh from wherever you're reading this.
********We weren't allowed to take pictures inside on the tour and, for once, I obeyed.
*********You're making this into an inappropriate joke so that I don't have to? Thank you.
**********Until August, you monsters.

Kokomo Quest

I love The Beach Boys and I love to travel so this feels inevitable. This year I will attempt to complete the full Kokomo.*

As far as obnoxious travel plans go, this is pretty up there. It can mostly be explained by the fact that the “Cocktail” soundtrack was one of the few tapes** my family owned while living in Indonesia. If there were locations listed in “Don’t worry, be happy,” I would go there, too. 


Currently:

Aruba (2014), Jamaica (2014), oh I want to take ya
Bermuda (2013), Bahama (2001), come on pretty mama
Key Largo (today), 

Montego (2014), baby why don't we go, Jamaica
Off the Florida Keys (2019),

 there's a place called Kokomo (there isn’t really, it was a bar. But there is a city in Indiana)***
That's where you want to go to get away from it all

Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand
We'll be falling in love to the rhythm of a steel drum band****
Down in Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go
oh I want to take you down to Kokomo,

We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow*****
That's where we want to go, way down in Kokomo

Martinique(2017), that Montserrat (pending thanksgiving 2019) mystique

We'll put out to sea and we'll perfect our chemistry******
And by and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity
Afternoon delight, cocktails and moonlit nights
That dreamy look in your eye, give me a tropical contact high
Way down in Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go
oh I want to take you down to Kokomo, 

We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow
That's where we want to go, way down in Kokomo

Port au Prince(2017), I want to catch a glimpse

Everybody knows a little place like Kokomo

 

Now if you want to go and get away from it all
Go down to Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go
oh I want to take you down to Kokomo, 

We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow
That's where we want to go, way down in Kokomo

Stay tuned for November 2019 when I attempt to stick the landing! -KT

*I will only explain this once because I like to pretend it’s an actual thing. I’m going to all the places listed in the song “Kokomo.”
**Yeah. I said “tape.”
***Robert and Andrew know to expect me.
****Easily the sexiest of all bands.
*****Island time.
******If past experience has taught me anything, I think going out to sea would be more of a chemistry test. See also: bicycles.