When God proclaimed “Let there be light!”, he must have proclaimed it somewhere in the general direction of Norway. Norway is known as ‘The Land of the Midnight Sun’. Because the Earth is tilted on its axis, in summer the Arctic Circle (which includes parts of Norway) is constantly facing the sun – so, between late May and mid-August, nowhere in Norway experiences complete darkness.
As I mentioned in an earlier post about my work at Opera Software, I have been taking care of Opera Education, our outreach program for schools, universities and other educational institutions. After a few months of labouring tirelessly on Opera Education, the program was finally launched last week!
Several posts ago I provided my own Oslo Sightseeing Guide, which provided a brief review of the many landmarks and attractions I have visited in Oslo. One landmark that I have been meaning to see for a while is the graveyard near my previous apartment in the suburb Fredensborg. A fairly morbid excursion, you might suggest, but this graveyard is the final resting place for many of Norway’s most important historical figures.
In his book 'How to Understand and Use a Norwegian', Odd Børretzen writes “There is a long list of world famous Norwegians that only Norwegians have heard of.” Ha! Indeed Norwegians are very proud of their celebrities. When I glaze over at the mention of a famous countryman, Norwegians I know have a habit of huffing in a wide-eyed fashion, “How can you not have heard of x?! He’s famous!”
“Jeg snakker bare litt norsk” is one of the Norwegian phrases I use most often, as it means “I speak only a little Norwegian”. Yes, despite living in Norway for almost 18 months total, I am merely beginner level. Shame on me!
A few weeks ago, Opera Software received third place in the Universum Ideal Employer survey for technology companies in Norway, meaning it is among the top three companies that Norwegian IT students would like to work for. And as you'll see, it is not difficult to understand why!
When most people travel to Europe, I understand that Oslo is not the first city on their mind. As was the case in my first journey here from Australia, their eyes are set on the famed Roman Colosseum, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London, or perhaps even the red-light district of Amsterdam.
I am keen to share my adopted city with family and friends, but also aware that not many people outside Scandinavia know what there is to see and do in our capital Oslo. Fortunately, having originally come to Norway on a 13-month contract (and thus knowing my time was limited), I have been very good at being a tourist in my own city. So now – drumroll - I would like to present to you My Oslo Sightseeing Guide!
As you may recall from my second post to this blog, my first introduction to this great country Norway was via the famous ‘Dead Parrot’ sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
A few weeks ago newspapers around the world reported the parrot that was the subject of this sketch – the Norwegian Blue – may actually have existed, when fossilised parrot remains were discovered in Scandinavia.
As I mentioned in my first post to the 'Back in Norway' blog, the thing that brought me back to Norway (other than the wonderful Norwegian boyfriend I'd left behind!) was starting work with Opera Software, which has its international headquarters here in Oslo.
WIDGETIZE