Elections, Chinese food, royal visit and extra autumn pictures!

Hm, I think it’s time for another update… here it is!

• As I wrote last time, the mushroom course we had was not a big succes. There were just not many eatable ones. But it was a lot of fun! And I took home some mushrooms that you could dry and use as potpourri, they smell like anise/lavender :) And, of course, the weather was good. 
•  I went to Oslo kulturnatt with Ayub from Tanzania and visited the Norwegian Parliament. Well, I can say the Dutch parliament can learn something of this building, it is amazing! 
• The 9th of september there were elections in Norway. Maybe you already read about it, but this is the result: the new government probably will be right-winged. But, the whole political spectrum of Norway is more to the left than the average European country. 
•   Lailai asked me if I wanted to come to her father to have dinner there, well of course! Her father is cook in a restaurant, and you taste that. I got to know some real Chinese food: eel (fish), jellyfish, something with tofu, something else with ox meat, sea cucumber, black chicken (yes, that exists), peanuts with seaweed (I can recommend that!) and limpets (not recommendable). Very good, interesting food and we were full afterwards of course. 
• In the meantime it has become autumn here. Still just a little rain, but lowering temperatures, especially at night (and still there are some stupid Norwegians wearing shorts) and the trees become reeallly pretty! 
• Next to that: not all Norwegians are “cold”, some of them just need to thaw. With kickboxing it is actually fun now because everyone gets to know each other better. And when you’re lucky you meet an even more open Norwegian: last week I chatted with a woman who was walking her dog. 
• Meanwhile I’m getting better in working at the embassy. Some subjects are just unfamiliar to me, but there are questions I just can answer. I also went to some seminars/presentations, I think it’s interesting to talk to other companies and Norwegians about for example the European Union. 
• And last Wednesday, the Dutch king Willem-Alexander and queen Máxima visited Oslo! At noon we had to stay at the embassy, while Marloes, together with the daughter of one of my colleagues, saw the king and queen, I am jealous! ;) At the end of the afternoon some of my colleagues and I went to the palace to see the king and queen leave to the airport, where we saw queen Máxima sitting in the car :)  
• At this moment I’m having a routine, and I don’t really miss home anymore either. I feel comfortable here at my apartment in the middle of Oslo. But, I booked my flight ticket back home: 17 december I come back to the Netherlands! 
• Maaike (my sister) is going to visit me in November/December! She’s staying a long weekend and I am really looking forward to it. 
•  And next weekend I will be in Stavanger, and probably hiking the Preikestolen too! Together with Marloes and 4 Germans. I am curious how the train to Stavanger will be (the views) and hopefully the weather in Stavanger will be good.  
•  Right. Now some extra pictures of the lovely weather. Enjoy! 

Stortinget, the Norwegian Parliament

Autumn! Herfst!

Vigelandsparken

Vår Frelses Gravlund, a cemetery, near my apartment