5 . 26 . 25

Today we leave for Norway! I'm in the larger group that has a layover in Amsterdam, but we leave much later than I'm used to ever being at the airport. I did not manage to fall asleep on the first plane, but I did watch four movies. I slept through the entirety of the second flight and some of the bus ride to the hotel. It was a mostly uneventful day, and completely spent travelling.

5 . 27 . 25

Jet lag style. We got into Oslo around 11ish and I was so tired I could barely stay awake. Took a much needed nap and will likely be sleeping the entire night as well. This day sorta just flew by, so there's not much to talk about. Our flight group got in with enough time for lunch in Oslo, but it was cold and rainy and we didn't know where anything was so I was honestly just looking to go to bed. And it was worth it.

I had a three hour nap in the afternoon and then we went to dinner. It was a really nice meal, and it felt very fancy because of the carefully set silverware. For some reason after dinner I was feeling super energized, so some friends and I walked down to the pier and up onto the roof of the Oslo Opera House. The sky was gorgeous, and the weather was much to my liking. The wind is quite intense, though.

5 . 28 . 25

Today started with a bus tour around the area of Oslo we're staying in. We learned that Oslo has been devastated by fire many times, which is why everything looks so new (and IS so new.) We walked around in the Gustav Vigeland sculpture garden, which was very bright and very interesting. He's a prominant Norweigan artist, and there are something like 200 sculptures in that park. Then we walked across and old fortress and headed back to the opera house.

We had a free afternoon, so me and a group of friends got lunch at a shwarma place and then checked out the Intercultural Museum. It was quite small, but free, and the exhibits were thought-provoking. Then we walked to a nearby thrift store and poked around a bit.

This evening we attended a rehearsal of the Oslo Chamber Choir, with whom we will be performing for the next three days. It was really interesting to watch their rehearsal process. Then they taught us a really fun Norweigan folk dance where we walked in a circle (in pairs) and did spins to the beat. I liked it a lot!!

After that they took some of the orchestra out to the bar, but I didn't feel like going to that so some friends and I got convenience store ice cream and then headed back to the hotel.

5 . 29 . 25

We had a free morning today, so my friends and I went to the Munch museum. It was really interesting- I had no idea he made so many works. My favorite part was probably the replica of his home with interactive items. I also liked the small modern exhibits of other artists- there was a particularly abstract one that played creepy ambience the whole time and showed performance art on old CRT TVs.

Tonight was our first concert! I feel like it went quite well, all things considered. The chapel we performed in was gorgeous, although acoustically very difficult to play with.

The downside of a space like this was the fact that it's incredibly boomy. The sound takes forever to die out so we have to play super short, and the back rows face a "zip code issue" that makes us have to play a little bit ahead of the beat to sound on time to the audience. Still, I think it sounded lovely. The last note of Death of Tybalt ringing out into the chapel was incredible.

Tomorrow we leave for Larvik.

5 . 30 . 25

Today brings us to Larvik. It took about two hours by bus, and we first stopped in a very pretty church. This church is a stop on our tour because it's the church at which F. Melius Christiansen learned to play organ, and of course Christiansen was closely tied to Larvik.

Then we headed to the local concert hall for lunch and rehearsal. There was a good amount of time between lunch and rehearsal, so some friends and I went down to the beach by our hotel (a spa hotel?!!?) and collected rocks and sea glass. There is a lot of sea glass, and I found two pieces of ceramic- a painted tile and a blue and white cup or plate of some kind. I did end up going to rehearsal rather damp, but it was well worth it.

The concert was a hit! Something I've learned about Norweigan audiences is that they will applaud all at the same time if they really liked it- it actually makes the applause sound quieter because everyone is clapping their hands at the same time. We did an impromptu encore, where the director asked the audience if they wanted to hear one more and they said yes so we played a piece that was not on our program for the night (II/iv.) The tour guide said that audiences in Larvik are usually quite reserved, and the reception we were greeted with was quite special and unusual.

Tried to go back to the beach after the concert but my swimsuit does not meet spa regulations and it was cold and hurt my feet so I didn't really stay long.

5 . 31 . 25

We had an early start today to get going to Hamar. It was a pretty long drive, but nothing compared to the drives we're gonna face later.

Our venue for today was very unique- the ruins of a medieval cathedral, enclosed by a giant glass structure. It was honestly stunning, although we had to set up quite strangely. We started by touring the bishop's palace and learning about the old medieval town in the area, and then we rehearsed after lunch.

It was quite boomy again, even moreso than the church. I was feeling pretty bad during our two rehearsals because the glass ceiling means the sunlight can come right on in, and it acts like a greenhouse. It was hot and I could barely see because I was squinting against the sun. I honestly feel like I got mildly sunburnt during rehearsal, which is not something I have ever experienced before. Despite feeling a little bit desolate about it during rehearsal, the concert went very well. It was a little bit cooler, and there were these two little birds flying around the ruins and chirping while we were performing, which was kinda magical. It was our very last concert with the Oslo Chamber Choir as well.

Tomorrow is our most monstrous drive- 8 entire hours to Bergen.

6 . 01 . 25

Long, long drive today.

Our journey takes us to Bergen. During the 8 hour drive we saw some stunning views of the mountains of Norway.

On the way there we stopped at a really cute restaurant in the mountains, where we had a lunch of reindeer meatballs and mashed potato. It was honestly really good. Then we continued on to Bergen, with a short stop in Voss. Our evening here is free, and so is tomorrow!