Happy solstice, everybody!

So i meant to post this last weekend, but me and my very busy schedule...... i didn't get around to it. :) Last weekend, we did a couple of fun things. Saturday we got up and went to a local farmer's market. It was absolutely pouring down rain, but that didn't seem to keep anyone from coming out and enjoying the goods. There were tons of cheeses, jams, and sausage... and lots of samples! yum! We picked up some elgpolse (moose sausage). Odd and confusing language twist: "elk" is norwegian for "moose"... apparently there are no actual elk in norway. Didn't stop the sausage from being a pretty tasty snack with a baguette and some cheese! We also went by a tent that was making belgian waffles... the smell was unbelievable! of course I had to have one. :) It was topped with sour cream and "wood berries" the woman told us - she didn't know the english names.
In good news, we switched our shipping company from fed ex to the postal service, so our boxes are currently en route and should be here next week. Its a good thing, because i think i'm getting carpal tunnel from computer games...
We walked up to the fort that stands over trondheim last week. It's a pretty good hike up a steep hill but well worth it. the views of the city, the river, and the cathedral are beautiful from up there. And it's just a little jog back down the hill and into Rosenborg, the area of town where our apartment is. (By the way, if there are any soccer fans out there, i just found out that the Rosenborg soccer team is the top ranked team in norway at the moment. or, at least, i think thats what the tv said. the announcer may have said "the rosenborg soccer team is the #1 worst team ever!")
The summer solstice was last sunday at exactly 7:45 pm here. so we walked around town, took some pictures in town square (check out how high the sun still is in the pics!), and had a beer in a pub along the river to celebrate. We tried to get a few shots around midnight to show folks how light it is all night long. that definitely takes some getting used to. we don't have the super dark shades in our apartment, so i keep waking up at 3am thinking it must be 10 in the morning. :) Depending on the light to judge what time it is doesn't work so well.
This week has been beautiful weather, especially compared to when we arrived. Our first week was cool, wet, and rainy, around the 50's every day. this week has been sunny, blue skies, and low 70's. Of course, when it's nice in Norway, be prepared: don't expected any guys walking down the street to be wearing shirts, and bikini tops are to be worn under anything so that at a moment's notice you can rip your clothes off and lay down in an available patch of grass to worship the sun. The weather is interesting. Walking around town, I often think it feels hotter than it really is. mid 60's feels like mid 70's... but there isn't any real humidity, so i think it must have something to do with the sun's intensity this far north. Yesterday afternoon we went to a nearby cafe for kaffe and an eplemuffin. It was about 4 pm and we sat outside on the patio enjoying the sunshine. After a bit we realized that 4 pm sun in norway is rather like 1 pm sun at home - pretty high in the sky and likely to fry a white little girl like me. Good thing that revelation hit before I ended up looking like a lobster.
During the days i've been doing some short runs around town.. Of course, this is when I see some really great scenery and never have the camera with me. My favorite run takes me down the Bakklandet, pretty section of town with restaurants, cafes, and shops in the old style painted wooden buildings. Then a little gravel path takes you down right by the River Nid, with great views across the river of the cathedral. I go across a cute little wooden footbridge to the other bank, run along the far bank for awhile, and the turn back across the river over the "Old Bridge" or the "Gamle bybro" in norwegian, which is probably the most photographed place in town. The only problem with this route: running on cobblestones through Bakklandet is not easy!

midnight: