July 04, 2008

Women don't choose math

Because blogging is not (yet?) an acceptable excuse for missing the bus to work, I can't comment on this. But here it is.

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July 03, 2008

Summer in Oslo, part two: Tourist attractions

Three favorite tourist attractions in Oslo:

1. The Norwegian Folk Museum. I work there because it's a great museum. And since I work there, it's a great museum. This is an open-air history museum - the world's oldest actually. It's basically a collection of historical buildings from different regions in Norway, complete with real Norwegian guides in real Norwegian national costumes (bunad is the Norwegian word). Of course I kind of have to put my steady summer job (I've lost count of how long I've been working there) on this list, but I seriously think this is the one museum you should go to, if you only have time (or cash) for one. After a few hours here, you will have experienced Norway on so many levels. There's a church from the 1200s and several grassy-roofed farmhouses from the 1600s, but you can also see a Norwegian student apartment from the 1980s and a Pakistani-Norwegian apartment from the 2000s. And about half of the visitors to this museum are Norwegians - it's not a tourist trap, it's something Oslo-people enjoy doing every summer. Take the 30 bus to Folkemuseet, and while you're in the area, you can check out the Viking Ships and Kon Tiki, if you have time/money/interest.

2. Vigelandsparken/Frognerparken. This park by Majorstuen metro station goes by two names. Technically, the first refers to the sculpture park by Gustav Vigeland, also known as "the park with all the naked statues", and the second is the rest of the area. Again, this is a good chance to do the touristy things that real Oslo people actually do. As far as I know, Vigelandsparken is a unique art experience. Frognerparken includes a swimming pool, and plenty of those sun-craving, beer-drinking Norwegians I mentioned earlier. Oh, and this is free!

3. The Opera House Sure, you could see an opera or a ballet here. But the building itself is a tourist attraction. It's brand new, it's right by the main train station, and you can walk on the roof and have a picnic there - but you can't drink alcohol or roller-skate. Here's a three-minute video of the whole building process.

See also:

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June 29, 2008

Blogging in June

Yeah, yeah, it's been quiet this month. But last year was not much better. It's a June thing, get over it. Even According to Julie goes through cucumber season.

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Paris off the top of my head

De første Paristips jeg kommer på når folk spør - ingen grunn til å ikke dele dette med alle norske lesere.

Paris-tips har jeg alt for mange av. Her er noen, sånn off the top of my head.

Skal dere opp i Eiffeltårnet, gå i trappene så langt opp som mulig. Det er en egen kø for det, som er kortere enn heiskøen, og det koster mindre. For å komme opp i det øverste nivået, kjøper du en tilleggsbillett når du har gått opp trappene så langt det er mulig. Eiffeltårnet er egentlig best hvis man opplever det enten fra Champ de Mars, eller Trocadero. Jeg synes utsikten fra Sacré Cæur eller Pompidou er minst like fin.

Museer er ofte gratis på kvelden på spesifike utedager, for alle under 26 år (student eller ikke student)

  • Onsdag kveld: Pompidou (verdens største samling av moderne kunst, og bygningen er i seg selv interessant. Fantastisk utsikt, og den ligger i mitt favorittområde.)

  • Torsdag kveld: Musée d'Orsay (det kunstmuseet du skal se, hvis du bare skal se ett. Alle de store impresjonistene.)

  • Fredag kveld: Louvre. Egentlig ganske slitsomt. Jeg synes bildene henger for tett sammen, og det er alt for stort. Men, hvis du har mulighet til å se Mona Lisa gratis, er jo det fint.

Min yndlingsbydel er den fjerde (20 arrondissements til sammen). Der finner du Notre Dame, verdens beste is på Berthillon på øya back Notre Dame, Le Marais som er den jødiske bydelen, med små brostensgater og fantastisk fallafel og jødiske bakerier. Mange barer i dette området også, i tillegg til Soluna Caféotheque (52, rue de l'Hôtel de Ville, Pont Marie metro stopp) (Mer kaffeinfo her) Det er også her du finner både bruktbok-bodene langs begge sider av Seinen, og på venstre bredd, Shakespeare and Company, den engelskspråklige bokhandelen der filmen"Before Sunset" begynner, og der man kan overnatte hvis man er fattig forfatter.

Fortsetter du vekk fra elven på venstre bredd, er du i Latinerkvarteret i 6e arrondissement. Dette er det tradisjonelle studentområdet, så her er det rimelige spisesteder og mange utesteder. Du kan spise bra tre-retters måltider til under 20 euro her, og etterpå anbefaler jeg sangria på Le Dix, 10, rue Odeon (Odeon metrostopp)

For bittelitt mer penger, kan du få en litt bedre versjon av samme tradisjonelle snegle-baguette-kjøtt-grønnsaker-crème brûlée kombinasjon på Au Pied du Sacré Coeur, 85, rue Lamarck i Montmartre. Det finnes MANGE bra restauranter i Paris, men der har du i hvert fall ett konkret tips. Foran Sacré Coeur er det alltid liv og folk som drikker øl og spiller musikk om kvelden.

Går man av metroen på Opera, finner man all kjedebutikker og de to store varemagasinene Galleries Lafayette og Printemps. Marais har en del fine butikker, og vintage shopping i Rue de la Pompe i 16e arrondissement er bra. Les Halles og rue Rivoli skal visst også være bra for standard kles- og skoshopping, men for å være ærlig, handlet jeg langt mindre i Paris enn man skulle tro, gitt at dette er motehovedstaden.

Posted by Julie at 11:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Summer in Oslo

This post is obviously for Peter and for Craig.

Here are four things you need to know about Oslo, especially if you're a student visiting this summer.

1. Whether you are arriving by boat or train (including airport express train ) your very first impression of Oslo is not likely to be amazing. It will get better. With the exception of the new Opera House, get out of that central train station/lower half of Karl Johan street area fast. Go east, west, north, south - it will be a step up from this no matter what.

2. Norwegians never get enough sun. If it's a sunny day, parks will be filled with people getting as much of it as they can. Norwegians believe that being indoors on a sunny day is sinful. I'm sure 80% of the summer activities Oslo-dwellers will recommend happen outdoors, about half of them are variations on the drinking-beer-in-a-park activity. See rule number 3.

3. Alcohol in Norway is tricky. Because of taxes and regulations, it will be more expensive than you are used to, and harder to find. This is not really a problem if you get used to it. Actually, this is really annoying. Beer can be bought in grocery stores until 8 PM on weekdays and 6 PM on Saturdays. Wine and spirits must be bought at "Vinmonopolet" (literally, The Wine Monopoly), the one "chain" of stores allowed to sell this. These stores usually close at 6 PM on weekdays and around 3 on Saturdays. And you can't buy anything on Sunday, of course. Bars don't follow these rules, but they will be more expensive than you are used to. Again, get away from Karl Johan, or think like a Norwegian and drink grocery store beer in a park. This is technically not legal, but no one cares as long as you're not being a nuisance.*

4. Norwegians do not eat out much. Although you'll probably find every kind of coffee shop, sandwich place and restaurant in Oslo, the Norwegian way to eat is to have breakfast and dinner at home and bring sandwiches wrapped in paper to work/school. Many Norwegians have turned their coffee to-go into a morning ritual, but paying someone to prepare their food for them is a special treat. So if you're on a budget, you can't afford to not visit grocery stores. (If you do need a quick ready-made meal, there are 7-Eleven and DeliDeLuca everywhere.)

Now you know the basics. I'll be back with more tips - my favorite tourist attractions and places to get coffee/beer/food.

* I'm sure some readers are rolling their eyes at how much space I'm giving this alcohol issue. But if you're a student from a country where you're used to just buying a bottle of wine whenever for whatever price you feel like paying, and you're arriving in Oslo at 2 PM on a Saturday, you'll be glad you read this.

Posted by Julie at 11:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)