Hiking and Zoo

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I'm sure in times to come I'll update quite a bit about Norwegian courses. I really like being in the class. I love talking to people of different backgrounds in my class and a lot of my curiosity and questions get answered about other parts of the world. Not to mention I'm learning Norwegian at a fast pace and it wasn't until this week I've actually realized I've been progressing in Norwegian since my husband and I had our first, second and third ongoing conversations in Norwegian that didn't consist of the basics.

Part of being in Norsk kurs is about helping us foreigners - that word sounds so strange to me - integrate into society. We recently took a hiking trip and the point of which was to teach us about mushrooms. Here in Norway, the early fall is a popular time to go into the forest and pluck mushrooms to eat. However, recently it's been in the news of people being hospitalized due to plucking the wrong mushrooms and consuming them. About 50% of these people have been foreigners. I have no worries about this at all, personally because I have a hard time thinking of a food I detest more than mushrooms. YUCK!!!!!!!! Lutefisk, maybe? We'll never know the answer to that though! Nevertheless, the trip was fun, a great idea and it gave us a break from language and time to bond with one another.

The class hiking through woods. 








I didn't pluck mushrooms, but I did get some blueberries!
It was actually the first time I've ever seen blueberries in nature. :-) 

And this is a poisonous mushroom. 

Some good friends. 
A friend from Brazil.

We even started a little campfire and had lunch.
I made certain I shared a bit of America with everyone and
brought marshmallows for us to roast. :-)
Next time... S'MORES!  

Beautiful lakeside. 

Another friend from South Korea. 

When I first saw this sign, I thought,
"Hikers and skiiers - to the left.
Knights in shining armor - not allowed!" 

On top of a hillside overlooking the city. 

Mushrooms. These are the safe ones. 

And also, this past weekend, while the weather was nice and before it gets too cold to want to do anything, my husband and I went to Kristiansand and unleashed our inner child on a trip to the zoo and other things. He lived and went to school in Kristiansand for a year after he graduated high school and he wanted to show me around the city. It's one of the most southern towns in Norway, so it was nice to see some of the southern parts of Norway, though it really looks no different than where we live. 

I took pen and post-it's with me to the zoo so I could write down animal names and learn them in Norwegian. Occasionally Arild would quiz me a bit and when we were in the petting zoo he said, "How do you say 'pig' in Norwegian?" I thought for a bit and thought I knew it, so I said, "Skinke." He laughed at me and said, "NO! NO! NO! You're close. Skinke means ham." It just felt so wrong to say that!

Again with the trolls.
Our deal is whenever I see a troll, I must hug it. 

So these guys got lots of hugs. 

Probably my favorite troll there! 



Otterly adorable. 

My husband's favorite animals are
monkeys and penguins. He got it penguin fix in
Bergen. Now it was time to get his monkey fix. :-) 


There was a petting zoo of farm animals and of course we couldn't
 pass it up.  This little goat tried eating my camera though... 

The zoo in Kristiansand has an area based on
a town in a children's book which is really famous
in Norway and is popular worldwide. 

The city has been built to reinact the fictional place
in the books by Thorbjørn Egner. The people
working here dress like the characters. I came out of the
bakery with carrot cake. :-) YUM! 

The biggest reason I wanted to go to the zoo
was because of the red pandas. Giant pandas are
my favorite animals, but the only time I will see them
is if I ever go to Edinburgh, Washington D.C., or
San Diego. On day it will happen! Until then red pandas will
have to do! :-) 



Capybaras!!! There was also a little area where we could pet
the capybaras. 

And we could pet tapirs as well. She was enjoying a scratch
behind the ear. 

We had to go to IKEA during our trip. Luckily, there will soon be
an IKEA in Vestfold within a couple of years. I LOVE THAT
STORE!  (In other words, it has reasonable prices!)
We found a couch to put on our wish-list.... just kidding!
I would like to meet the person who would seriously buy that though!

And we took a walk along the beach. 

A windy walk on the beach. 

Apparently there's an old fortress in Kristiansand built in the 1600s.
AND it was Chilean night! I wish we stayed for empanadas! 

Cannons outside the fortress. Apparently they had only
been shot once at English battleships. I had no idea Norway
ever had any quarrel with England or why. 

A bank turned into McDonalds. This is a very
grand entrance to get a Big Mac. 



Comments

Anonymous said…
If I remember correctly (we came there just as they were closing, so had to rush a bit) there were giant pandas in the Berlin Zoo.
September 26, 2012 at 8:05 PM
Evelyn Sand said…
I checked and yes, the Berlin Zoo does have Giant Pandas! Thanks for the info!!! :-) I'll keep that in mind!
September 29, 2012 at 11:40 PM
Vegard Fjeld said…
Was just reading this blogpost about your hiking trip. Just curious on which lake you went to? Do you know what it's called or where it is? Don't look like a place i've been to, and it seems nice. I'm always looking for new outdoor places to go with little Magnus, as I have paternity leave this fall.
October 3, 2012 at 10:47 PM
Evelyn Sand said…
It's in Hvitsteintjern - a very nice place in Skien and I'm sure little Magnus would love it! :-)
October 3, 2012 at 10:51 PM
Vegard said…
Thanks! Maybe I will go there some day :)
October 4, 2012 at 1:47 PM
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