11-03—-13-03-2016

Culture trip to Oslo

This trip was about to get a deeper understanding and experience of the importance role of “friluftsliv” and understand how nature it has been a central part of the Norwegian culture. During three days from Friday to Sunday we “outdoor education group” going to visit the Fram museum, and we will together experience the joy and enthusiasm in relation to the Nordic World Ski Biathlon Championships in Holmenkollen.

So as usually before every big trip night before I packed my rucksack, put there shovel for emergency case, thermo clothes, sleeves, ski clothing, extra clothing and jackets,  sleeping bag and sleeping mat, “storm kitchen” with gas, lighter, thermos ( put that in the morning with warm tea), first aid kit, knife,rope- everything that we need for camping and sleeping outside in the tents. Also I prepared some food too before we left Kristiansand- cooked some eggs for Fridays and Saturdays breakfasts, for Friday lunch I prepared some rice (later I only will need it to warm up it ) and for sauce cooked chicken, put coconut milk, vegetables and spice curry. For Saturday lunch I cooked from chicken and pork farce some meat balls, and cooked noodles (which will be warmed in the storm kitchen later again). For Friday, Saturday dinners and Sunday breakfast I took with me dry food (mash, cereal) which need to be warmed and prepared with water and some canned food. This food was good for me- most of it when its prepared –warm, nutritious, with protein, normal dose of Kj. and energetic content. I measured that I didn’t needed food with huge amount of Kj. and fats, because we are not going to do a lot of skiing or other outdoor activities, so in this case normal dose of warm food for outside camping was enough for me, maybe I could bring with me some sweats for glucose. Later after food I done with my meals, I prepared my skis, because Len said that where we are going to camp there is snow and snow tracks.

Friday very early in the morning 4.50 Me and few other outdoor fellows took train to Oslo and get there about 9.00-9.30 o’clock. We decided to take the train so early because It was a little bit cheaper and most of us never been in Oslo so we wanted to explore the city a little bit more. At 13.30 we had to meet everyone else at Fram museum, and we were walking all the way to it from train station. We were a little bit disappointed because we can’t explore more just walk through only few things- little bit of city center, Parliament, Royal palace and most of left way was all around the water without anything special to see.

So like we were planning we all met at 13.30 at Fram museum, and after while we went inside. There you can instantly notice a huge ship- Fram (that’s why the museums name is Fram), legendary ship which was used by legendary Norwegian explorers (F. Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, Roald Amundsen) for polar exploration. Of course you even can go in to ship, walk on its deck check it’s inside. This museum also talk about all before my mentioned explorers and Norway’s heroes, plus Ernest Shackleton and other scientists, about their heroic expeditions and adventures, there is in museum even small cinemas and movie chambers, where movie sessions happening and explaining stories about those great people and their adventures. Also there is a lot of stories on the walls and stands around museum. By the way in this museum you can see a lot of stuffed animals, many things related with nature, flora and fauna, they trying to represent issues with global warming- at this point this is another example how nature is important to Norway and it’s people, that nature is the part of their lives and indentity. After we explored the Fram and learned something new, we left the museum and decided to went to Holmekollen- ski resort center in Oslo, where we planned to camp. When I get there, from it I noticed how Oslo look like from the top- Like a capital it was very green city, view was fantastic- sea, a lot of houses and between them a lot of trees and green spots and that’s prove again how Norwegians are related to Nature I think. At the campsite where we had to stay for few days me and few other friends get later than most of the group, because we were late to the first buss that left Fram museum. Because of  our late arrival other members of our group could said that we were social loafing, because other outdoors built and prepared all tipis that professor Len bring with him, and we didn’t helped. When I arrived at our campsite I just only needed to settle down one of these tipis- I prepared my sleeping place, lay down my sleeping mat (before I put some pine braches under for isolation and one more layer from the icy ground and for more comfort) and on it my sleeping bag. Where we were camping there was settled down other people too with their tent, they were 2 Norwegian Families so later they will taught us more about “friluftsliv”. After we all gathered (It was dark already), picked wood food from Len, set up fire and some prepare their dinner on fire, some in storm kitchen. We wanted to do some “bonfire” to warm up more and sit around the fire more, but there was wood only enough to prepare some food and warm up a little bit our bodies. But it was free and we had to be happy about that J. So we did some mistakes by firing up the campfire. Firstly we put logs on the icy snow and that was bad, because melting snow was slowing down the fire. Secondly, in my opinion we sliced too many woods into small pieces and that’s why it burnt faster and campfire died faster. After we got dinner, some talks around the fire and games on the bigger hill near the campsite (we were sliding with plastic sleds from it), some of us went to check the stadium where tomorrow will happen biathlon games and check the free spots where we can stay and watch it.

Night wasn’t very cold, but I noticed that my one layer of thin sleeping mat wasn’t enough – especially for snow hole trips, because I felt a little bit cold on my back cause when I lay down, sleeping mat of my body weight pressure became more thin and I was very near the snow, even branches couldn’t helped. Also for the next trip I will need beavybag, or something to cover my sleeping bag, because of condensation water were dripping on my bag from the roof of the tent, and in snow hole water will be dripping too.

Next morning on Saturday I get up, got some breakfasts, prepared my skis ( waxed with purple wax because of temperature and snow conditions) and with other few group mates decided to ski around until the biathlon games will start. It was nice skiing, because we also explored place around, we went to one of the 2 ski jumping slopes (smaller one) we even could get to the top of it. Also it was cool because time to time athletes who was attending in the biathlon were passing us, it was nice to see them and their skiing technique from close distance. After some skiing we get back to the camp, put our skis and went to watch biathlon. We find very nice spot near the tracks, where we could see competing athletes passing very near and in Big TV shooting and overall results. I had never saw biathlon live like this before, it was very new experience. To tell the truth I liked, because It is very unpredictable sport, In the end every mistake or missed shot can cost you place in the leading table. This game was nice, changeable and the final results was surprising (some countries done surprisingly very good). I loved the absolutely fantastic atmosphere too, in the stadium and around the track fences there was a lot of fans, especially all age Norwegian fans ( from little kids to grandpas and grandmas) who were all the time cheering athletes- especially they were went crazy when Norwegian athletes were appearing. Because of this I had to cheer too. And to tell the truth I liked that, because It reminded me my home country Lithuania, because most of us (me toooo) are crazy about basketball, and in championships you always will see and hear Lithuanian  fans no mater where we are playing in the world, pay atenttion to yellow green ones at some basketball arena corner. And I understand that biathlon is huge part of Norwegian indentity (Like basketball to Lithuanians) and that’s I think what makes sport much more beautiful and exciting. After The biathlon relay ended we (me and few fellas) get back to the campsite, ate some lunch-dinner. Later we set up fire, this time much better. After while professor Len showed up, checked how we are doing. He also was initiator of some funny and crazy ideas, which ones some guys of our group accepted to do. He offered (of course for fun) to some guys of our group ski down from the hill and in the end jump over the rump with fire. Luckily no one was hurt, and we had a lot of fun. Later Norwegian families came back too and offered to all us (outdoors) some warm and very delicious food (moose with vegetables and sauce), because they had a lot of it. Also they share with us with some wood logs, and many other things, they even invited us to sit around their good and warm campfire together. Some of us accepted (me too) and we were sitting and talking with them, enjoying the warmth of fire. More latter there left only few of us with few Norwegians. We had a lot of fun with them too, they explain us how to keep fire burning ( because we told them about yesterday fails) and they just tell in shape of the joke “ throw wood”, it is funny but at the same time true J. I think around the bonfire that we made together, because we all were throwing woods in to it, Norwegians showed and explained the real meaning of “friluftsliv” and told us in the future to do the same with others, share with things and show how to live life in “friluftsliv”. Near the bonfire (it was the biggest I hand ever sitting around), I had never felt better at night that this time, I enjoyed of the place around, pureness of nature and magical fire.

Last day on Sunday we could choose or we wanted to stay longer there in Oslo or we could go back home. I decided to stay until the last buss leaves Oslo to Kristiansand and go watch today’s biathlon game and later explore Oslo more. So after everybody wake up, got some breakfasts and Len showed up, we all packed our tipis , gathered our things, put everything in the car which Len was driving and went on our ways. Me and Mike went to watch Sundays first biathlon game between women. It was nice relay again, especially in the end when athletes were competing meter by meter. After biathlon we went to city center, there we visit The Norwegian National opera and ballet building, city hall and more… Especially I liked Oslo at night in the dark, because the city is so alive and beautiful.

All in all I was again happy about this trip. I experienced new things that never done before, I first time Visit Oslo, in the museums I get some knowledge about Norway heroes, saw biathlon first time in my life. Also I achieved this trip goals, I understand much more about Norwegian people, I noticed strong natures and sport’s influence to their indentity, and thanks to that Norwegian people near the bonfire I learned more about “friluftsliv”, and much more they helped me to create my BLOG tittle “throw wood” :D.