"You are American? Yesterday, Martin Sheen was here." The waiter placed our drinks on the table and looked up to gauge our reaction to the name drop. Despite the non sequitur , neither of us flinched. "Martin Sheen. You know... the American actor. West Wing." I'm not really one for name…
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All posts tagged Daily Expat Life
"We keep." (or Audrey's Russian Embassy Adventure)
It took me ten minutes to jog from the Russian Embassy in Oslo down Drammensveien to the nearest Joker market and withdraw the cash. I'd expected the cost of two Russian Tourist Visas to run about 630 NOK ($110), based on what I'd read several times on the consulate website…
The Cost of Coffee: A Currency Comparison
Oslo always tops the list of most expensive cities in the world . So, visitors probably expect to pay a little more for a cup of coffee here. The above info graphic from Bloomberg News illustrates the cost of, specifically, a 16 ounce cup of Starbucks coffee in cities all over…
Free Snow Cone!
The sunniest, warmest day yet this year turned snow to slush, pushed the ice flows around in the fjord, and made me yearn for a sweet treat. Take one bottle of Coca-Cola from the Folkmuseet cafe plus one snowball, and what do you get? A free snow cone ! Positive temperatures…
Glow Bowling in Oslo
When Jonathan took the day off work on Friday, neither of us knew what we were going to do with that extra free time together. Unfortunately, we're not practiced enough with the cross-country skiing gear to pull off a last-minute run anywhere. So, it was up to me to choose…
The Oslo Weekender: Galleri Trafo in Asker
Asker is an affluent suburb of Oslo. It's where Crown Prince Haakon and his family have their home. The city is known for its many beaches and wooded trails, as well as shopping options and beautiful churches. We went to check out the Galleri Trafo . The gallery opened in 2006…
Camp Valentine's Day
It was a day of R omance with a capital R : R oses (Not a dozen. Apparently Norwegian blomster shops sell them in bunches of ten or fifteen!) R oot beer floats (with real A&W root beer, which made this expat very happy!) R eservations at Pizza da…
The Secret of the Red Umbrella (or How to Survive Winter in Scandinavia)
If the days aren't icy, they're just plain cold. If the snow isn't falling, it's turning to to black slush in the streets. Either way, it's slippery. And the bleak days may not actually outnumber the gloriously sunny ones, but the short daylight hours make it feel like we're being…