Hei folkens!

It's been a quiet month, so it has. This is the time of year when everything kind of falls into a slump, and I spend most of my time studying or watching films. The other day I was upset when I ran out of homework to do - that's how tragic it is!

So here I am about to enter into a reading week, which for most people doesn't involve so much reading as making woohoo. I'm skittering off up north for a couple days to do not much in a new setting, but after that I might actually be really boring and start reading for my dissertation. I've had a very unnerving email from one of my lecturers at home asking very specific questions about perspective, scope etc. - argh!

So, what have I done this month in the gaps between sleeping and studying? I've been to the theatre multiple times, seen some great movies, obsessed over some great new music, taken a couple walks in the what-we-hope-is-spring sunshine, and booked some trips for the coming months. Here's a few pictures and assorted other media to give you an idea :)

I'd been looking forward to seeing the play Et Bedre Sted for ages. I've seen it a couple times now and I'm going again on Wednesday. It's a really sad story about a Jewish family living in Bergen during WWII, and how they eventually get sent to a concentration camp in mainland Europe. In a way it's quite an embarassing story for Bergen, because they were the only place in Norway whose police force didn't warn the families they were coming beforehand to give them time to get away. The main role is played by Stian Isaksen, who I really like, even though he has a giggle that can perforate all eardrums within a 1 mile radius.

Trailer

I'd also had a ticket to see Gunnar Staalesen's Peder Påske for a long time. I've read a couple of his books (he's been translated into multiple languages as well, so you might know him!), and he's considered one of Bergen's treasures, so there's been a real buzz about this new play. I didn't know anything about it really before I toddled along to see it (on Valentine's Day - erp). It's soooo good though, with some really catchy songs, brilliant acting and amaazing costumes. I really wish I had a trailer for that so you could see.

As I mentioned before, the weather's beginning to pick up here, with clear blue skies and dazzling sunlight. However, there's still snow on the ground and the temperature's still sub zero, which means everyone's wandering around in huge winter coats, woolly hats and sunglasses. It's an amusing sight.

Yees, I am aware I look like an unimpressed egg wearing sunglasses :)

One of my lecturers really wanted us to see the new Norwegian film Trolljegeren (The Troll Hunter), so I dutifully caught the tram into town one evening and headed up to the university. Somewhat embarassingly, I was the only person that showed, but it's probably just as well because the DVD turned out not to have English subtitles, and he'd only invited the Scandinavian Area Studies students, most of whom don't unerstand Norwegian. It was a brilliant film though, and I think it's being released in the UK soon, so everyone should see it. It's about a group of media students who are following a supposed illegal bear hunter around, but he turns out to be hunting something far worse...

What else? I've just had to pull out of a ski trip because my knees are playing up - sad times. However, I am booked on a little 4-day cruise up the west coast from Bergen to Tromsø. All praise student discount! We stop off in a variety of little places, and they've arranged an authentic Viking feast for us somewhere in Lofoten. I think they even give us clothes to wear. Should be interesting, methinks. So yes, more news soon hopefully!

Roaming in Rogaland: the one when Siân visited Stavanger

Part One: Stavanger

Last weekend I took a brief trip to Stavanger to see Tristania again, but I was also excited because I'd never been there before and I'd heard it was a pretty little place. So I arrived, dumped my stuff in my very nice little hotel room (there's no such thing as a youth hostel in Stavanger - le sigh) and went for a wander.

The thing about visiting anywhere in Norway at the weekend, is that a lot of things are going to be closed on Saturdays, and on Sundays you've just got no chance. I always forget this when I plan my little adventures. This brings us to me standing outside a very closed tourist information office, staring gloomily in the window at the display of 'what to do here!' reading material.

So after a brief wander around the windy little shopping streets in the city centre, and staring some more, this time at the sale DVDs in Platekompaniet (I think they reduced Susanne Sundfør's album even more - d'oh!), I decided to go and have a look at the cathedraal before that closed as well. Considering I'm not a religious person, I spend an inordinate amount of time looking at churches. I just like them.

Stavanger Domkirke

Inside

Me trying to take interesting photos... did it work?

Carved figures on the wotsit that the priest stands in


I thought this was a good idea. Translation:
'The quiet corner. Here you can sit down and take your time to pray, enjoy the peace, think, or read the bible. Light a candle when you pray, if you so wish'

At night

I really wanted to make sure I found the concert venue in advance, so I trotted back down to the town centre to find it, snapping merrily along the way of course.

Gamle Stavanger



Found it!

There was an artist doing a sort of outside exhibition thing in the town center called 'finn formen av et hjerte' ('find the form of a heart'). He'd collected a lot of photos taken by a lot of different people and I thought they were really special. Here's a couple:

Water droplet

Clouds

Ice

Tree

Cool, no?

Then I was tired, so I had a nap after I found the venue. On the doorstep (I kid, but I bet you wouldn't have put it past me). I was veeeery excited about seeing Tristania again. I heart them. I told myself I had to be sensible and not turn up exactly when the doors opened because then I'd be waiting around on my own for ages. Norwegians never turn up until something's actually happening, which is good, but I just can't get used to it. I wandered in an hour after the doors opened, and it was just me and the band, who were sitting at a table next to the door looking at me.

'Err.. I guess I'll come back later'.

An hour later I wandered back in just in time to see support band Vulture Industries get on stage. I'd seen them before supporting someone in Glasgow, and I didn't remember being all that overwhelmed, but they were great fun.

Totally didn't realise he was looking at me when I took the photo..

Tristania were amazing. I'll try not to bore you all with the details because you probably don't know or particularly care who they are, but eeeeeee! They played a lot of my favourite songs, and everyone was on top form. Guitarist Anders sounded like he was spitting venom, vocalist Kjetil sounded as angelic as ever (heeheehee), and Mary's just brilliant. She really makes all the old songs her own. Whenever I listen to them on my iPod now, I can hear her singing them in my head as well. Love it.

This is the very end of a song called 'Libre' from an album they released about 5 years ago. However, this ending isn't on the record. They never did this til Mary came along, and it's so cooool! Even better in real life, I assure you ;)

Guitarist Ole was giving it some welly as well. He seemed to be having a whale of a time, which was great to watch. They also had the violinist who's been recording with them for about 15 years put in an appearance. There's some definate perks to seeing a band in their home town!

Anders, guitarist

Mary, singer

Guitarist Ole doing his best impression of a sweaty rabbit.. attractive much?

Violinist, whose name I've fogotten, much to my embarassment

Set list, for anyone who's interested. It was a reeeally good one

Part Two: Lysefjord

Seeing as everything in town was closed on Sunday, I hopped on a boat for a cruise of nearby Lysefjord, home to the famous Preikestolen (the pulpit rock) and Kjeragbolten (a boulder wedged between two sheer cliff faces 1000m over the fjord, which tourists delight in standing on).

Preikestolen

Kjeragbolten

I have plans for conquering both of them at some point in the future, but it's too icy at this time of year. Can you imagine slipping on a patch of ice on Kjeragbolten? Yes, let's not do that.

Not long into our voyage, we encountered a part of the fjord that was completely frozen over. No bother for hurtigruten! She plowed straight through it, so she did.

Path through the ice

Eventually we hit the mouth of Lysefjord proper. Straight away cliffs started rising up around us. It was easy to see why this fjord is so famous for its weird rock formations.

Preikestolen viewed from below :)

It was in invigorating trip, that is to say very interesting and bloody freezing!