Oslo, Norway

20 - 24 September 2011

We spent the first day of our visit in Oslo mainly at school. When all of the foreign students and teachers gathered at 9:30 am at school, we were led to the auditorium where after a warm welcome by the headmaster of the school and the vice-president of the city we could show our presentations about saving water in our countries.
When all of the countries showed their presentations, we were invited to a typical Norwegian meal, which Norwegians are equipped with when they go on long trips. >>>School gallery<<<
After lunch we could take part in outdoor activities like canoeing and lavo building. The activities were organized in a beautiful park located just next to the school where we could admire the views and charming Norwegian houses. >>>Outdoor activities gallery<<<
The meeting at school finished with a barbecue after which we could spend our free time in the way we wanted.

The following day as early as 8:00 we met up at school so that we could get to the train station all together in order to get to the harbor in Oslo. From there after a long and quite detailed preparation on safety issues on board we set off on a cruise on a Viking ship. From there we were able to admire one of the most populated parts of the Norwegian coast called Oslofjord. During the cruise we made new friendships. We had fish for lunch on board which of course suits Norway. >>>Boat trip gallery<<< After the trip our hosts were waiting for us with whom we explored the capital. We had a chance to walk down the main street in Oslo, visit souvenir shops, see the Royal Palace and all the main sites of the capital city. In the late evening we went to the top of the Opera House and admired Oslo by night from there. That view was unforgettable! Very tired but happy we all went home to rest for the next day. >>>Oslo gallery<<<
Our great Norwegian adventure was coming to an end. But..yet...Another exciting day in the country of Vikings was still awaiting us. And we planned to enjoy it as much as we could.

The topic of our meeting was water. It accompanied us all the time, not only as the subject of the presentations but also literally - it travelled with us in huge bottles which thirsty students could drink at any time.
Therefore, it's no surprise that we visited the water purification centre - Nedre Romerike Vannerk. There, we were able to take a good look at how water is supplied to Norwegian homes. >>>Nedre Romerike Vannerk gallery<<< Then at about 11:30 we got on a bus and went to visit the Ski Museum and the jumping tower in Holmenkollen. The location and modern architecture of the structure made a huge impression on us.
The next stop of our trip was the Gustav Vingeland park, full of...hmmm...very original sculptures. These figures were mainly artistic nude and their topic were existential problems (life with all of its good and bad qualities). >>>Gustav Vingeland park and Holmenkollen gallery<<<
The last stop of our trip was the museum Fram, where we had a chance to visit a polar ship which had gone on 3 expeditions to the pole. >>>Fram gallery<<<
In the evening it was time to say goodbye. We took part in a farewell dinner organized at school. Thanks to the teachers, parents and students from the Norwegian school we tasted delicious meals and saw fantastic performances of the teachers and students presenting traditional music and songs. We also had a great surprise-  our Norwegian friends prepared the photo exhibition showing us in funny situations during our stay there, which was a wonderful experience. To cut this long story short, we were enjoying our last moments among our new friends. >>>Farewell dinner gallery<<<
Norway has always been an isolated cold place for us. However, it took only 4 days in the motherland of trolls to change our mind completely. It's a very modern country open and surprisingly warm. Of course not warm according to the degrees on the thermometer but the warmth of people's hearts.
Dear Norwegian friends, thank you for your hospitality and great effort you put in organizing this visit.

And now dear friends something special: >>>A jumping photo<<<

See you in Sweden!