Summer vacation

It's the first day of my vacation, the sun shines, it's warm and my bike is waiting for me. In the evening I'm going to a barbeque. I've got more than FIVE weeks vacation ahead and I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest. I'll visit London, Paris and Ålgård, have friends visiting here and visit friends, but most of the time I'll just enjoy my wonderful hometown OSLO. Summer vacation: I'm ready for you!

I'm 27 :)

I enjoyed this test. It tells what age we are at heart. In this test I'm 27 - I actually think it's accurate :)

You Are 27 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Sweden - I love it!

The harbour in Gothenburg, Sweden (Photo: Norwegianblogger, June 2006)

One day after Sweden won their second match in the World Cup I went to Gothenburg with six friends to spend the weekend there. Great city, friendly people and a lot of atmosphere; great food, nice walks, a great adrenaline-kick with the roller coasters in Liseberg amusement park, a lot of sun, interesting talks and discussions, a nice garden walk, a museum and even a little dancing. Göteborg is a great city to visit - and Sweden - I really, really enjoy it - the country, the language, the friendly people - and I'm not saying this 'cause I have 1/8 of my genes from this country - but you know; it's interesting to wonder if coming to the country of 1/8 of my ancestors makes it feel a little "home" as well :).

In the footsteps of History

Lindisfarne Priory - Holy Island, UK (Photo: Norwegianblogger June, 2006)

For the last couple of days I've been walking in the history of England and Scotland. I'm here with family and we're enjoying the sites of these countries. From the windblown island of Lindisfarne / Holy Island to the cobblestone streets of Edinburgh. From the serenity of Lake Leven to the bustle of cities. It's like walking in History. In every direction there are castles and palaces, abbeys and priories. Some in ruins, others are lively places of community, even today. It's only a long weekend, so there's only a couple of more days to go, but it's incredible how much it's possible to experience in 4 / 5 days.

Michael Bublé in town

Michael Bublé in Oslo Concert Hall, Norway (Photo: Norwegianblogger June 4, 2006)

Yesterday, Michael Bublé's tour reached Oslo - Norway and Oslo Concert Hall. This man has got a big variation in his fan-base. When I entered the concert hall I was amazed to see a mix of teenagers, elderly and everything between, with a smile on their faces and a camera in their pockets :) That might explain why the concert was a mixed experience as well. It's not easy to please such a diverse crowd, at least not when it comes to what's going on between the songs. At times the show was like a stand-up show where he made jokes and partly some cheesy comments. I think it's the first time I've been to a concert where I felt an urge to tell the artist: "Please, please, can't you just sing?", but others might have enjoyed it, so who am I - only one of a crowd of hundreds. But, when that man starts to sing: WOW, that voice is "one in a million", and when he invited the people in the back to come dancing in front of the stage for the last couple of songs there was a party going on. His band is remarkable; young musicians with a groove and feeling out of this world.

Maybe Mr. Bublé is a bit tired of his tour? It's been interesting to attend three concerts in a week, because the difference between these artists was obvious. Josh Ritter loved what he did. You could sense that he loved sharing the music with us and that he was proud of every song he did. He shared little stories about the music and his life and seemed like a friend who wanted to share his songs with his buddies. Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler were very professional. They did a show they've done several times before, but their professionalism made it sound new and interesting. Michael Bublé has the voice and the charisma, but in my opinion, he seemed a bit uninspired and tired of his songs (which he more or less told us as well). But, by all means, when he sang it was great - he IS a great singer, no doubt about it, but maybe its better not to have a commercial success selling millions of records? Perhaps it's better to visit a little club in Oslo with 60 people present and just share what you love - the joy of music? I don't know - only asking.

Finding HOME

Finding HOME might be why we are at Planet Earth. The sense of loneliness, the sense of being lost, the sense of not being seen, which every one of us feels from time to time is maybe signs of our longing for HOME. Home is not first and foremost a place, but a state of mind; a sense of belonging, a sense of having been found, a sense of purpose to this life, and maybe most of all; a place of love, trust and safety. Now and then I’ve seen a glimpse of home, in conversations filled with hope, questions and equality, in a hug from mother, in a smile from a loved one, and I’ve found glimpses in art, music and plays that bring recognition and opens up our understanding of life. I’m still on my way to find HOME, and I know that I might find it in people, relationships, and friends, as a state of mind that tells me that I’m there, but maybe our search for home is a part of being human? Maybe it’s not found in its full form before we are in the loving arms of the Eternal who’ll embrace us at the end of this road called life?

Searching for HOME: Oslo, Norway (Photo: Norwegianblogger 2006)

Oslo tonight

Oslo at 10:30PM June 2, 2006 (Photo: Norwegianblogger)

This was the view from my balcony a few minutes ago. A beautiful night in Oslo! PS: I have my 1 1/2 year anniversary as a blogger today :)