Growing up in a city, I used to be a little envious of my friends who would visit their grandparents in the countryside during weekends. They had all these fun stories about gardens, dogs, hedgehogs, and apple-picking. When we finally moved to a province, I really missed the urban life. So it’s true, the grass really is greener on the other side. Now, however, I feel lucky to live in a quiet, but not remote part of a city, next to a river. The sunsets are beautiful, and the sunrises, however rare I experience them, cast a spectacular glow. I just love looking outside my window and seeing the Danube river. It makes me miss the Philippines and its seas a little less. That’s why any new destination with any kind of body of water really makes me happy.

I went to Oslo in late September and was so pleased with the cool, but sunny weather. Midsummer and its long days might have been over, but in the early evening the sun was still shining bright, like a diamond giving us so much more time to explore the city. As we walked past the Oslo City Hall, the refreshing view of the harbor said “hei” to us. And this view, well, it had me at “hei” *whispers* it had me at hei.

In other nautical news, we also went to the Viking Ship Museum, which, as a fan of the cartoon series Wickie und die starken Männer, fascinated me.

This is the Oseberg ship, a burial ship for two wealthy ladies who died in the year 834. Yes, 834.

If you’re a little lost, a trip to the self-help section could be beneficial.