The Oslo Top Ten

After winter break in January, school was back in full swing, which kept me busy as usual. Winter in the north of Poland is long, cold, and dark so to beat the winter blues, I of course had to plan more trips!

I got another ridiculously cheap ticket to Scandinavia, this time to Oslo, the capital of Norway, for a weekend in March. I liked Oslo, though I didn't think it was quite as inviting as Stockholm. There was still plenty to do, though, so allow me to present:

The Oslo Top Ten

1. The Viking Ships
The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo is home several Viking ship discoveries and findings from the Viking tombs around the Oslo Fjord. It has the world's two best-preserved wooden Viking ships, which were built in the 9th century and are honestly just super cool.

2. The Norwegian Folk Museum
The Folk Museum has tons of old Norwegian houses and buildings from all parts of history and regions of Norway. The most famous building is an old stave church from 1200. The museum's actually very big, so when you're wandering around, it's pretty easy to feel like you're in the middle of some past version of rural Norway.

3. Akershus Fortress
The fortress was completed in the 1300s. It's located right on the edge of the water so that centuries later, tourists would be able to take strategically planned photos from the top.

4. Frogner Park and the Vigeland Sculptures
The park is the biggest in Oslo, and it's filled with bronze and iron sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. It was strangely entrancing in the snow.

5. Christiania Torv (Square)
The square designates the spot where the first town hall was built in 1641. These days it's a restaurant, but there happens to be a sculpture right in the middle of a hand pointing at the ground. As the story goes, a big fire destroyed the town in 1624. The king decided to capitalize on the disaster by rebuilding the town and naming it after himself. Supposedly, he pointed to this spot and said: "The new town will lie here!"

I think I will put a town right here

6-8. The Museums Being the art lover that I am, I spent some time popping into art museums in Oslo. The National Gallery had lots of works by Norwegian painters which seem to consist largely of snowy, Norwegian landscapes and seascapes. The centerpiece of the collection is one version of Edvard Munch's famous painting, "The Scream."

Looks like me when my alarm clock rings

I also went to the contemporary art museum, the Astrup Fearnley Museet, which architecturally looks really cool on the outside. I wasn't really a fan of the exhibits on display inside though.

I popped into the National History Museum as well since I had a little extra time and my ticket for the Viking ships allowed me free entry.
 
9. The Biathlon celebrations
I seem to have the lucky habit of traveling to places right when something interesting is happening. In Oslo, I managed to run into the 2016 Biathlon Championships. It was really one big party - people were wandering the streets with flags and facepaint, big screen TV's were set up all over the place projecting the races, and market stalls were set up selling food and souvenirs in the main square.

In the evening, there was a big concert right before the medal ceremony, and I loitered around to see what was going on. It was free to stay and watch, so I crowded into the square with everybody else to gawk at the performances and catch a glimpse of the champions. Besides some Norwegian rappers (whom I didn't understand whatsoever) there was a Spanish group and Joe Jonas. I really can't think of anything more random than running into a free Joe Jonas concert in Norway. (Oddly enough, my Polish students love him and were envious of me when they found out. I can't understand why!).  The champions came out after the show and were awarded their medals amid a great deal of cheering and excitement. Considering I had never heard of the Biathlon before coming to Norway, I was really surprised by all the commotion and enthusiasm.

Stripey Joe Jonas

 10. Oslofjord
Even in the snow and winter, the water afforded some pretty views.

 

I headed home at the end of the weekend with another adventure under my belt and a little more motivation to get through the winter freeze!

The Little French Adventure

After sightseeing in Vilnius, I took a small plane from the small airport to France where I had the special treat of meeting up with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ken to see Kelsey skate in one of her international synchronized skating competitions. I flew into a tiny airport outside of Paris and had to take a bus into the city and then back out of it to get to Rouen, the little French city where the competition was being held. Although I had the slowest bus driver in the world, as we drove through the city center I couldn't help but think how lucky I was to be seeing the Eiffel Tower twice in a period of barely more than two years.

My visit to Rouen allowed me to see a bit more of France and I found the little city so completely charming! The center is a maze of winding cobbled streets and timbered buildings leaning in the shadows of overwhelmingly intricate Gothic cathedrals. I went sightseeing with Aunt Kathy on the second day, and she showed me all the places she remembered from her visit last year. Probably the most impressive sight is the cathedral, Rouen's very own Notre Dame.

Along the main shopping street is the Great Clock, 'Le Gros-Horloge.' It ran non-stop from 14th century to the 20th, ticking away the hours until electricity was installed in 1928. Besides the time, it also shows the phases of the moon and the days of the week.

It's still telling time

Also fascinating was the St. Maclou courtyard, a small partition of land from what was previously a cemetery from the Middle Ages where many victims of the Great Plague of 1348 were buried. The building enclosing the courtyard is decorated with bones, skulls, and all sorts of death motifs so it's pretty eerie! The knobby, leaveless trees scattered among the courtyard only added to the creepiness!

Feels like Halloween

Rouen happens to be the place in which Joan of Arc was martyred, so there is a large church dedicated to the saint built on the location of her death. The architecture is intended to look like flames.

(Not a shark)

While I'm talking about sights I also have to mention the absolutely beautiful hotel Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ken put me up in. The building is from the 15th century, so it's historic and gorgeous inside and out. As someone accustomed to sleeping on rickety bunk-beds in hostels and sharing rooms with ten other snoring people, it was a dream to stay in such a gorgeous place for two nights! And there was even breakfast (my favorite meal) in the mornings!

The hotel from the outside

In the evening, after sightseeing, we headed to the skating rink to watch the competition. I had the opportunity to meet some of the other parents of the skaters, and I got a sort of crash course in synchronized skating as I listened to the commentary and watched all the performances. I was so impressed by the skaters and really enjoyed watching them!

And this skater in particular!

I had to take a bus back through Paris on the last day to get back to the airport and I had just enough time before changing buses to grab a quick cup of coffee and admire some of the landmarks from afar. Someday I'm going to get to Paris when it's actually warm out!

Eiffel Tower yay!

It was really nice for me to be able to meet up with some family in Europe, and I'm so happy to have had the chance to see Rouen, such a lovely city that I never would have thought to visit otherwise!

(And Aunt Kathy, Uncle Ken, and Kelsey, if you happen to read this thank you again for the wonderful time!!)

The Strange Republic

My trip to Vilnius took place during the winter break, after my plans to go to Prague and Vienna were spoiled by a cold I managed to catch in Krakow. After returning to Elblag, and spending a few days recovering, I attempted to salvage what remained of the break by traveling to Lithuania's capital by bus to explore for a few days. Vilnius is an interesting place which, while full of stark remnants of its communist past, is also filled with amusing surprises. 

Gediminas Tower

The Old Town

And the new town

St. Anne's Church

While in Vilnius, I managed to visit an entirely new state. Nestled within the city and separated from the Old Town by the Vilnia River is the Republic of Užupis, a wonderfully strange and unusual district full of eclectic and mystifying scenes. Užupis, which used to be one of the most neglected and run-down areas of the city has become a popular haunt for artists in Vilnius. In 1997, it declared itself a republic, complete with its own flag, president, currency, and army (totaling 12 men). They celebrate independence day on April Fool's.

And here we have a giant rocking horse...

...and some cryptic signs

I think someone needs more fabric softener

The Republic of Užupis also had its own constitution with thirty-nine humorous, ironic, or just plain bizarre articles. For example, article 26 notes that "Everyone has the right to celebrate or not celebrate their birthday." Another reads, "Everyone has the right to appreciate their unimportance." There are several that also take animals into account such as one that reads, "A dog has the right to be a dog."

According to a Lithuanian student I spoke with, you can apply to be an ambassador in Užupis, and you don't need any particular citizenship or government credentials. All you have to do is write a letter to the Užupis officials stating what you would like to be ambassador of and why, have a brief meeting with the president, and voila - you are named an official ambassador of whatever you like. If I had had more time in Vilnius, I probably would have seriously considered attempting to get myself named the ambassador of cookies or sloths or something. I'd love to put that on my resume.

Every year they add a version of the constitution in a new language to this wall

In case you're interested in your Užupis rights

Back in the Old Town (though it wouldn't seem out of place in Užupis) is a long wall speckled with plaques and pictures and small inscriptions. These items commemorate every mention of Vilnius in literature, film, and culture that the Lithuanians are proud of.

I spent the remainder of my time dodging the rain by hopping in and out of coffee shops and chatting with people at the hostel. Vilnius was the perfect destination for a spontaneous trip.

The Legion of Gnomes

Wrocław is on my list of 'Polish Cities You Are Most Likely to Mispronounce.' It's number three, right after Bydgoszcz and Tczew. (It's supposed to sound like Vrote-swahv). Anyway I decided to visit Wrocław and have a look at the city I had been mispronouncing basically since I came to Poland. It was named the 2016 European Cultural Capital, so I even had an extra incentive to go explore.

I thought Wrocław was very charming. It has a lovely old town square (which is more like an old town rectangle) called Market Square. Wrocław's market dates back to medieval times when it was founded by the monarch, Henry the Bearded (the only reason I remember that is because of his name. I'm assuming he must have had a very impressive beard). It was largely rebuilt after 1945 when the city, then a part of Germany, endured an 80-day siege during the war, resulting in a great deal of destruction. The restoration process was undertaken with great attention to detail; The townhouses that delineate the square are supposedly very historically accurate, down to the flourishes on each facade's coat of arms. The bright yellows, reds, and greens certainly make it one of the most cheerful old town squares I've ever visited.

The Old Town Rectangle

Flower markets in January

Tumski Bridge

The centerpiece of the old town is the Ratusz, the old Town Hall. The town hall is a Gothic-style building, but it was built and changed over a period of 250 years, so it also looks a bit pieced-together. Luckily, it only suffered minor damage in the war, so it is mostly original. These days it's used as a museum, not a site of civic life.

The Ratusz

Interestingly, it so happens that there are also 300 gnomes that live in Wrocław. One of the funniest little quirks of the city are the gnome statues that can be found all over the place. If you go to the tourist center, you can even get a map and go on a 'gnome hunt.' But the gnomes are actually connected to a protest movement from Poland's communist era and are more than just a gimmicky tourist attraction. In the 1980s, under the restrictive government, a group of protesters went around graffiting little gnomes all over public spaces. The idea was to make the authorities look foolish as they had to spend their time painting over and censoring images of seemingly harmless little gnomes, or be seen arresting people for painting pictures of gnomes. Once, the protesters all dressed in orange and wearing homemade gnome hats, marched through Wrocław protesting for 'gnomes rights.' The authorities were shown on the news chasing and arresting people dressed as gnomes and looking ridiculous. The protesters, known as the Orange Alternative, were supported by the Solidarity movement as they organized their various absurd protests. Three decades later, the little gnomes are now the playful, permanent inhabitants of the city (and they can rest assured that their rights will be protected in Wrocław).

Gnomes, or 'krasnale' in Polish

Gnomes drinking beer

And gnomes eating pierogies!