A Witty Blog Title.: 07.2011

So, its been about 3-4 months since my last post, and as predicted I forgot I even had this little patch of Internet Real Estate. So Lewis' birthday was in May, we had a blast - went to go see Avenue Q, which I also so a few years ago on Broadway. It was as good as ever, even though the whole Gary Coleman thing didn't quite work any longer. John came for a flying visit in early June, all the way from Portland. It was lovely to see him and go to Alton Towers (first time since about 1990 for me). Then it was time for my birthday!

Given recent events, I'm just not sure exactly how to convey how I feel about our trip to Oslo, how I feel about Norway and the Norwegian people. Prior to the events there last Friday, the general sentiment would have been "It was fantastic, had a lot of fun, would love to go back again sometime in the future". I don't particularly want to harp on about what happened Friday, but it would be an injustice to not bring it up.

It goes without saying that the horrific events that unfolded in Oslo and Utøya were barbaric and above all, tragic. The Norwegian people that we met during our trip were extremely friendly, lovely people. For such a tragedy to be unleashed upon them by one of their own is simply unthinkable. Their reaction to the revelation that the perpetrator was one of their own, has been exceptionally noble and admirable. Taking the moral high ground where most others would vow revenge and to hunt down and kill those responsible.

A few months ago, a friend of ours moved to Oslo, and in the short time that he has been there, he has become (in my mind) an honorary Norwegian. David is loving life there, and is extremely enthusiastic about everything Norway has to offer. David lives in the center of Oslo, about 1 block away from the hotel we stayed at (the Comfort Xpress). His account can be seen here: http://www.diaryofdavid.co.uk/
The bomb went off a block away from the hotel, according to David there is some damage to the building, most likely windows blown out. I have to say that in light of all this, I now have a burning desire to return to Oslo as soon as I can, where as before it would have been a case of "well sometime soon". Its one of those cities that seems to have so much to offer, that you can't possibly explore everything in one visit. And thats just the city, not the rest of the country!

The red pin on the below photo is the location of our hotel. The purple pin, is where the bomb went off - a 2-3 minute walk away.