Lets go Biking

Just a small update on my travels, I have arrived in Utrecht Holland, and it is quite a beautiful city.  I took the train from Eidenhoven to Utrecht, after my flight from Poland, and everything went smooth as can be.  Arrived in Utrecht, and found my hostel without much difficulty.

So here are my first impressions about Utrecht, Holland.  It is a very beautiful European city as I have mentioned earlier.  It is well maintained, yet still looks very European.  But here is the kicker, I have never seen so many bikes and people biking in my life.

For my faithful blog followers, I mentioned biking in an earlier blog about Sweden.  Well, Sweden has nothing on Utrecht.  Everyone bikes everywhere, and there is even sidewalk lanes dedicated to bikes.  Want to know how I figured that out? I got a bell rung at me because I was walking in the bike lane.  I cannot express in words how many people bike here, it is so cool to see.  I also have not seen one gas station, although I am sure they exist somewhere haha!

A small group of bikes

Bikes all lined up near the city center

The special bike lanes

Polish Walking Tours

My time in Poland is coming to an end, and I have absolutely loved every bit of the experience.  During my time here, I took advantage of a few walking tours that I am going to tell you about. What is great about these tours, is that they are absolutely free.  The incredible thing about the fact that they are free, is that they are also extremely informative, and also quite fun. 

The first tour I went on was the Jewish Krakow tour.  Basically, we went to the area in Krakow where the Jews settled and lived in prior to World War 2.  They showed us the different synagogues, and told information on how many Jewish citizens lived there prior to World War 2, and then following.  The next part the led us to the ghetto, which is where they were forced to live under Nazi control, and then to finish off the tour we ended up at schindlers factory.  It was extremely informative, and I really enjoyed it.

Synagogue

Stairs featured in schindlers list

Street art representing Pope John Paul II and his followers

Sorting area for Jews in the Ghetto - Those who were fit stayed, those who were not were sent to be killed

Schindlers factory gate.

The second tour that I went on was the Royal Krakow tour. It basically went over the history of Krakow through the years, and which countries owned Krakow. It was not as interesting as the Jewish Krakow tour, but still worth it for the price. It also led us to the castle in Krakow, which actually was very cool as well. It showed the different city walls, and what remains of the old walls. It also led us to John Paul II window that he would appear at when he visited Krakow (he was originally from Krakow). It was a good tour to learn the history, and for the price it was definitely worth it!

A picture of the pope at the window that he would appear at when in Krakow

Fire breathing dragon at the castle

The best possible picture of the castle I could find

Auschwitz Concentration Camp & Wieliczka Salt Mine

Time for an update on my travels. I want to apologize to everyone who has been faithfully following my blog. I had stated previously that I would be updating my blog more often, but unfortunately my lap top power cord has bit the dust, and no longer works. I looked at replacing it here in Poland, but the voltage of the actual cords is different. The only way that I can update my blog now is when the Hostel computer is not being used. The laptop itself is getting old, and I had intentions of getting a new one anyway. Enough about that, and time to talk about my adventures.

One of the first places I visited while in Poland was the concentration camp Auschwitz. It is one of those place that I have always wanted to visit, but clearly it is not for a fun time. So I went to the camp, and I must say it was one of the saddest things I have ever witnessed in my life. Seeing how brutal this camp was, and the conditions they had to live through was extremely saddening. When you are in Auschwitz, you get taken through the camp and inside many of the buildings. In these buildings you get to see a room full of shaved hair, all the belongings that the prisoners brought to the camp, and things like rooms upon rooms of luggage and shoes. The worst part is that this is only the first of two places you go. The next camp that we went to was called Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was only a couple of kilometers away. It was actually built by the prisoners of Auschwitz during the war, and the conditions there were horrible. It was a really rainy day, and I was miserable after being there for an hour, so to think that people could have spent years there was really hard to swallow. This is definitely a part of history that I think everyone should see, even though it can make for a sad day.

Up to 8 people had to sleep on each level of these

Toilets prisoners had to use

The row of toilets, absolutely 0 privacy.

Double row of fences

Ovens in the crematorium

Now on to something a little different. The next place I visited was the Wieliczka Salt mine, which started in the 13th century. I was not really sure what to expect when I visited this, but essentially it is like a town underground. There are cathedrals, and different commemorative rooms throughout the entire mine. The wood is very well-preserved throughout the mine, due to the high salt concentration levels, and even gets stronger as time goes on. You end up descending 125 meters, with rooms to visit during the whole time. It is hard to explain it on a blog, but pictures may help. Sorry about the quality of a few of the pictures, they are uploading rather weird. 

One of the exhibitions in the tour

One set of the many stairs in the mine

4 guys would spin this around in order to bring the salt up from lower areas

They got smart, horses worked better.



Welcome to Poland

Well, I have officially arrived in Poland.  The flight went very well, and I had no travelling complications along the way, besides being on a flight full of Justin Bieber fans.  A few of them saw the canadian flag on my back pack, and asked me if I had met them.  I later found out that he was performing on Oslo, so this all makes sense now.

Anyways, after my arrival in Krakow, I definitely realized I was not in Norway anymore.  I asked a couple people inside on how to get to the train station, and they did not understand me.  I finally went outside and asked around until 3 girls from Holland were there, and they helped me out! I talked with them for a bit, and they were super nice, and even offered to show me around in Holland! I then hopped on the bus and headed for the heart of the city.  

I found my hostel without much difficulty.  I must of just had some bad luck with people who couldn't speak english at the airport, because once I went to the shopping mall it was super easy to get help.  I settled into my hostel, but was very tired.  I decided that for the remainder of the day I would just wonder around Krakow, and take in some of the sights.   It is a such a beautiful city! I had no idea or expectations of what Krakow was like prior to coming, but it has made quite the impression on me so far.  It is also very nice and convenient that it very cheap, so things are quite affordable.  Here are some pictures I took while wondering around.

Getting ready for EuroCup!

Hallo Old European street

I will find out what this is when I do the city tour.

It's not goodbye, it's see ya later.

Well, it is time to get a little sappy on the blog.  Tomorrow, I will be leaving for my european travels, and recently have had to say goodbye to many of my friends.  Although I will be returning back to Harstad, many of my friends were international students or Norwegians from other parts of the country.  By the time I will be back, most of them will have returned home.

To be honest, it has been really difficult, but many of my closest friends have been leaving at different points, so I did not have a bunch to do at once.  But today, as I am the one leaving, I had to say goodbye to the remainder of my friends, and it was really hard thing to do.  I have made so many good friends from all over the world, and many good Norwegian friends.  I am so grateful to have met them, and will miss them all dearly.  Many of us have made plans to meet up again, so I have decided that "It's not goodbye, it's see ya later".

I will be traveling to Poland first, and will be blogging along the way.  I will get a cheap power cord in Poland, so that my frustration with my laptop can finally be over with.  I will have frequent blogs during my time in Poland, so make sure to check in often.

To finish off this blog, I would like to thank all the wonderful people who I met during my stay in Harstad, and will miss you all dearly!

Gratulerer med dagen Norge!

It is official, I have now been to three different national celebrations.  What can I say, Canada Day and the 4th of July are always fun, but May 17th in Norway was an experience I will never forget.  The 17th of May marks the day that Norwegians celebrate that they in fact, had their own constitution.  They gained their independence from Denmark, and now it is time to celebrate.
So how do they celebrate, well it is a little.... alot different then how we do it in North America.  First of all, the big party is generally the night before on May 16th.  The party I went to was extremely fun, but I must tell it made getting up for May 17th rather difficult haha.  The alarm went off, but due to my excitement for the 17th, I rolled out of bed and was ready for the celebrations!

I started the morning off with a Norwegian breakfast, and hung out with some friends and admired the first Bunad I had ever seen in person.  Bunad is traditional dress for Norwegians, and most of the women have one, and some of the men do. The Bunad you wear is dependent on where you are from, or your family is from. It is quite common for the males to dress up in suits and ties, as the male bunad is not as common. The kids also wear traditional dress, but are not old enough for their official Bunads.  Bunads are absolutely stunning, and are also very expensive.  The cost is about 30,000 NOK, or approximately 5000-6000 USD/CAD.  Generally, they are given to the kids at their confirmation when they are about 15.  There are 2 kinds of confirmations here, a religious and a non religious confirmation, so everyone has one.



My Norwegian models Sissel and Espen showing off their outfits ready for the 17th of May!

The next part of the day was going to the kids parade, which the kids parade down to sentrum with their schools, and everyone stands on the sides of the streets and cheers them on.  Their are marching bands and cheerleaders as well.  Many parents walk with the kids, and everyone is out waving their Norwegian flags and Hip Hip Hooraying them on!  This was a really cool experience for me, as I got to see the many different Bunads, and got to celebrate National Day with all the Norwegians!

Start of the Parade

Hip Hip Hooray!

After the Parade, we then went to sentrum, to listen to the national anthem (Ja vi elsker dette landet) and some traditional music.  We hung out at sentrum, talking and just enjoying the event.  It is such a family orientated event, and it is awesome to see everyone with their friends and family, enjoying the day.  We were quite fortunate on this 17th of May, because the weather was rather nice, and it truly could be enjoyed.  My sun burn speaks well for that. Hanging out in sentrum was really fun for me, I got to see all the different Bunads, and see many of my friends and students wearing them.  It was relaxing, fun and extremely enjoyable.

Kristine me and Elisabeth!

Remi and I celebrating!

Hip Hip Hooray Ingrid! She is a great Parade Translator

Audun lookin dashing in his Male Bunad

My Praxis Supervisor Elin and I!

Yvonne(Middle) and her 2 Nieces on National Day!

May 17th, also marks the end of Russ.  As my friend said it, Imagine how they feel after 3 weeks of partying, if I felt that tired after one.  To celebrate the end of russ, they also put on a parade that is later in the day.  It is a time to celebrate, get rid of all their old Russ Cards, and maybe to get ready for those exams they have following? Haha, not sure about the last one. 

Start of the Parade

Barbeque anyone?

Disclaimer: I do not know Norwegian, so am not responsible for any bad language that may have been on those signs :).

All in all, it was an amazing day, one that I will never forget.  No matter where I am in the world, I will always remember Norway on the 17th of May.  To be honest, I hope it is because I will be in Norway for many National days!  I will leave you with some facts about the 17th of May. 

1. We celebrate the 17th May because Norway got its own constitution then. It happened at Eidsvold in 1814. This year, our Constitution is 198 years!

2. 17. May is called "children's day" because the day is celebrated with children's parades. Marchingbands and school children march together. Often there are games for children in schools after the parade. You also get to eat plenty of the best: ice cream, hot dogs and soda.

3. The author Henrik Wergeland (1808-1845) was one of the first who worked to make 17 May into a feast day. He held the first 17 May speech in 1833. He also wrote the first national song for children, "We, are a nation with."

4. Wergeland was called "the 17 May King "while he lived.

5. The real king, Harald, is on the Palace balcony 17 May and have one of his busiest days. His job is to wave to the parade, so it's no wonder he is a bit tired in the wrist at the end of the day.

6. For over 100 years, the royal family has been standing on the palace balcony 17 of May.

7. In Norway there are over 27,000 children under 15 years playing in marchingbands.

8. Playing in a marchingband is one of the major activities for children in Norway, second only to football.

9. The tradition of dressing in the traditional costume began a little over 100 years ago. To mark and celebrate the fact that Norway had become an independent country in 1905, the adults began to dress their children in costumes.

10. These costumes were inspired by folk costumes that Norwegian farmers used in the 1800s.

11. From the 1920s it became especially popular to dress the children in costumes as they danced in leikarring.

12. Rødrussen, blårussen, black and green russ are celebrating that they graduate from high school. Some have been as long as 13 years in school, and really think they deserve a party. Therefore, some of them begin to celebrate already in the fall and keep on until 17 of May. Therefore, they look a bit tired in the afternoon 17 of May.

13. Russen can be really rude. Sometimes they claim that they have no russekort, even if they have it. And they can get you and your friends to really beg for some. But do not worry about it. They think it's fun to be asked as well.

14. 17. May is the day of the year when we eat the most ice in Norway. When we eat between five and ten times as much ice as an ordinary spring day. If the sun shines on the 17 May icecream producers rejoice, because they know that they have sold a lot of extra ice.

15. For over 140 years, school children has been singing our national anthem, "Yes, we love this country." The text was written by Bjorn Bjornson in 1859. Four years later his cousin, Richard Nordraak wrote the melody.

16. During World War II it was both forbidden to go to 17 May parade and to use the flag colors on clothes.

17. On the liberationday 8 May 1945, the flag became an extra-strong symbol of Norway's freedom.

Russ!

Well, if I was back in America today, this would be the day where I would attend commencement.  This essentially means that I would walk across the stage in my cap and gown, and receive a fake diploma.  What it actually means, is that I have graduated university!!!! So in the spirit of graduations, I figured it was time to do a blog on the Norwegian high school celebration - Russ.

Ka e russ på engelsk? Asks one of my students at my field work to the english teacher.  Well, there is no direct translation. Russ, is the time of year when High School Seniors celebrate graduating Highschool.  It is quite unique though.  First of all, it lasts for 3 weeks.... Yes 3 weeks.  It is officially over on May 17th, which is Norways National day.  The best part about all of this, is they party for 3 weeks straight, and write exams AFTER they have celebrated.

Now you are probably thinking, wow partying for 3 weeks straight, that must be very frowned upon.  Well, it is very traditional here, and from everyone I have spoke to, they all have fond memories of their Russ celebration.  From what I understand, almost everyone participates in the activities if you are senior/last year of highschool.  I think it is very cool, and it would have certainly been fun to have experienced Russ.

So, here comes the best party about Russ, the traditions.  First of all, they have these crazy pants, that they cannot take off or wash for 3 weeks straight.  You can take them off to go to bed, but that is all!  There are 4 colours so I have been told, but have only actually seen three: Red, Blue and Black (the other colour being green).  The colour that you wear is dependent on what stream of highschool you attended. The pants are ordered, and can be completely customized by the student who wears them.  It is also normal for people to write all over them. Here is a picture of some russ students in a parade.

On top of all of this, they also creat Russ busses which are decorated and used for partying throughout the period.  They are generally older vans, and fixed up for the occasion.  The students also have Russ Cards, that they can give out to people, that have things like their name, a picture of them, a joke etc.  They are quite humourous.  There is also a list of tasks that the russ students can do, which vary from driving around a round-a-bout so many times, sitting under the desk all day at school, and many party related tasks.

Russ Kids and their bus.

All in all, it seems like a crazy, yet really fun tradition that Norwegians share.  It is extremely funny to walk around town, and see all the kids wearing their Russ pants.  Norwegians, I would love for you to share your favourite Russ moments in the comments, and any corrections that should be made to this blog post!