Sunday, June 26, 2005

Gandalv in Oslo

I saw Sir Ian McKellen or Gandalv (from the Lord of the Rings) walking the streets of Oslo Saturday. He's here for the Europride festival and participated in the big parade through the streets of Oslo. He's a wonderful actor and as Gandalv in the Lord of the Rings - he was superb! Here's Ian through my lense.



Sir Ian McKellen in Oslo, Norway, June 25, 2005 Photo: Norwegianblogger




Europride parade (Photo: Norwegianblogger)

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Norway - a young nation

Today I went to a lecture about June 7th 1905 when the Norwegian Parliament dissolved the union with Sweden. It was interesting to hear how the Norwegian Parliament actually was able to reject the King and dissolve the union. An English commentator called it "the most gentlemanly revolution in history". No violence, no war and today there are no hard feelings between the two countries. In some ways I guess it's quiet unique in European history and an interesting field for research. At the same time: We are a young nation, and in the same way as young people I guess we are trying to understand ourselves and find our way. What does it mean to be a nation in Europe today? What is a country and should we as inhabitants have our belonging to the nation as a foundational part of our identity or should we think of ourselves as Europeans or maybe only as human beings? I do believe that it is important to feel a belonging to something outside of yourself - a community. It could be your family, your friends, as supporters of a football club, a religious community, your city or your country. The fantastic thing is that there are a lot of different ways to belong - to be a part of a community. I'm sure glad to be Norwegian, but who knows - I think I would have enjoyed being a Swede as well. :)

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Swingin' London

I'm spending great days in London. Yesterday I was actually out of London on a walk in Salisbury and Stonehenge. Thanks to the TKTS booth I was today able to see two plays. First I saw Hedda Gabler - I was really impressed and even though I haven't been the greatest Ibsen-fan, I was touched by the play. Compliments to the casting - all of them were great. The choice of Eve Best as Hedda Gabler was superb and ALL the supporting actors were outstanding!

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In the evening I saw Val Kilmer and Charlotte Emmerson in The Postman always rings twice. Powerful, yet sensitive. Raw and violent, yet romantic - and both the main actors had a strong presence on stage.


P&C
Originally uploaded by Norwegianblogger.
Charlotte Emmerson and me in London.


Seeing both of these plays in one day knowing that the first was set in my native country, while the other one was set in the other country I've lived, made me think about the differences and similarities of these countries. I think the plays in many ways elaborated some typical traits of the people living in these countries, but at the same time are both stories universal. Seeing these two plays convinced me once more of the power of theater! I enjoyed it tremendously - and London - what a city. You just have to avoid some of the stressful parts of it, like Piccadilly Circus, Oxford street and the streets around Parliament. The rest of it can both be peaceful, interesting and diverse!