In other news, all I had heard about Norwegians and their love of the outdoors before this trip has proven to be true. I just got back from a walk with my new host parents in Oppegard. Marianne (laced up in MBT shoes....husband Bjorn in MBTs too) said it would probably be a "short walk because our backs might hurt from the shoes". An hour and fifteen minutes later, we arrived home.
Everyone has a path into the forest behind their homes. In Lorenskog I asked their environmental staff what environmental issues the citizens in their community care about. Their answer was having forest to walk in nearby, parks, and green space. In the U.S. everyone is concerned about the INSIDE of their house....decorating it, having sufficient storage space and closets, getting new furniture, etc. People want a yard, but it's not natural, just a small monoculture of grass. The Norwegian houses I've stayed in are beautiful (wood everywhere!) but perhaps a bit small by American standards. The decks are often comparable in size to the surface footprint of the house. In Lorenskog, Jarle and Sissel's deck wrapped all the way around their house.....you can only see a part of it in this photo from our delicious lunch the other day:
I've had some great runs in Norway. In Valer I ran in the forest and on a dirt road behind my hosts the Bergstroms' house. I wish I would have brought my camera to document my personal Valer 5K. This photo, taken nearby their house, doesn't do it justice:
This past Saturday we went canoeing with a few of our hosts from Lorenskog. Although Bergen, Kimberly, and I could not canoe in a straight line, we were champs at getting the canoe in and out of the water and the day-long trip was absolutely wonderful. Although I love Chicago, it is going to be difficult to return home and not have such opportunities to enjoy nature up close.
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