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Month: August 2014

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My Norwegian Family

Back in my student days, when I was slumming around Europe on a couple of bucks a day, my Norwegian relatives were an oasis of warmth, love, and lots of food. My “Europe Through the Gutter” days are long gone, but I still love dropping by. My Uncle Thor has welcomed me into his home for over 40 years. On this trip, I got to meet granddaughter Lisa’s new boyfriend. If you have relatives anywhere in Europe, by all means look them up. Making distant relatives in Europe a little less distant is a bright spot in any trip.

norway-relatives-rick-steves

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Still Screaming

The Scream, by Edvard Munch, seems to be everyone’s favorite Norwegian painting. The spot (in Oslo’s Ekeberg Sculpture Park) where Munch actually painted it now has a framed replica, so anyone can do their own scream. If you ever just feel like screaming, this is a great spot.

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Oslo’s New Ekeberg Sculpture Park

The buzz in Oslo is its new modern sculpture park, just opened in 2013, with stimulating art sprinkled through a forest with grand city views.

The 63-acre park is a 10-minute tram ride southeast of the center. The project was a gift to the city from the Ringnes family (the Norwegian brewery tycoon, who — like Coors in Denver and Carlsberg in Copenhagen — has lots of money for grand city projects).

The park has a long history, from evidence of the Stone Age people who chose to live here 7,000 years ago, to the memory of this being a Nazi military cemetery in WWII.

Today, its unique feature is the many modern art installations you’ll come upon as you hike — like this work, by Tony Oursler.

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Afternoon Storms in Scandinavia

afternoon-storms

This shot (in Sweden’s Uppsala) shows weather I’ve experienced almost every afternoon for the last month. Throughout northern Europe, it’s been extremely hot and muggy. With all that moisture sucked up into the atmosphere, around 4 p.m. every afternoon, dark clouds descend, birds rush for cover, you smell that metallic dusty fragrance sidewalks give off just before a deluge, and the sky unloads — sending everyone scrambling.

By the way, do you know what I mean about that delightful scent a dry sidewalk gives off before a big rain? What is that, anyway?

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Norway’s Immigration Challenges: “We’re Here to Help You…Leave”

Norwegians try to be open to immigration. But like any small, homogeneous society that does not have a melting pot heritage, assimilating lots of immigrants is a challenge here. I was almost shocked by signs on the trams reading “Going Home with a Future: For information about voluntary return, contact…”

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When I asked my Norwegian friends about this delicate issue, they explained that they see two kinds of immigrants: those who want to become Norwegians, and those who just want to work hard for a while, earn some serious money, and go home and be set up. But many immigrants from that second category kind of get stuck here, never intending to really settle in, unhappy, and a drag on Norwegian society. This program is hoping to nudge those who wish to return to their homeland…with a little help from the Norwegian government.