Oslo. The mid-week weekend experience.

Konsert. Ekstase. Hjem til Erlend. Bytur. Jegergryte. Mye kjøtt. Tyggis. Anette og Tuva. Tegnspråk, bamsemums, brownies, rare ord og kirkehistorie. Amerikansk frokost. Bislett Kebab. Omvisning på Staffelds. Litt rar i magen. Togtur hjem.

I had a really good time in Oslo, and it all started with the highlight of the fall, The Sufjan Stevens concert. I had been looking forward to it ever since I bought the tickets in August.

That man did not disappoint me, rather the opposite. Delivering a fun loaded show with beautiful sounds and chaotic mess, all in the theme of flying, all with wings and inflatable supermen.

I continued on my road to the week's perfectness by going to Erlend's place to stay a few days. Hospitality and late nights, lots of meat and care.

I also went to visit Tuva and Anette, who gave me a memorable fun night, playing mime-games all night, with the musical sound coming out of the speakers being a mix of Sufjan, Armenian bossanova, High pitched falsetto singing and back to Sufjan again. A cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream as well as brownies with iced cream topped the night off. Thank you, both of you. (Sign-language for thank you: Hold both palms towards each other, all fingers pointing upwards, in front of your solar plexus, and bow your upper body forward in a slight bow.)

Back at Erlend's place, we slept, woke up, one before the other. The other being myself, the one being American-breakfast-maker Erlend. He made us a real American breakfast with American pancakes, Aunt Jemima's original syrup, bacon and scrambled eggs. A good start on a relaxing day.

After some hours in the antique apartment, we went out to eat at the world famous Bislett Kebab. Good food that makes your stomach come alive. After some minutes at the mother of kebab-places, we went over to Staffelds, where Erlend gave me a tour of the building, stating that it's not the building that makes the school so good, it' s the people in it. True, true.

It was time for heading home to Stange, and after packing my bags and heading out the door, my stomach tried giving me a fun time, especially on the train, when the guy next to me fell asleep and I had to pick up my book and read to keep my thoughts on other things than the growling within me.

I came home with a satisfied feeling, knowing that I had been given a gift, a much needed break with some great friends, good food and lots of laughing.

I know the post got long, but I think it's almost free of boring stuff, and if it got too boring, read the top few lines again, and you'll get the short version, if you know Norwegian, that is.

-paulandreas