Packing...

Well, here I am, on the other side of this trip, packing once again.  Going home feels pretty much like traveling to Oslo felt: unreal.  I can't believe that in less than 24 hours I'll be back in the US.  I have more stuff (how is it all going to fit?!?), certainly, but more importantly I also have lots of awesome memories.  Thanks everyone who I've met on this trip, you're all amazing people, and good luck to you in your future!
Without further ado, I present final sightseeing pictures!
The first museum was the Kulterhistorisk museum, which had a very cool exhibit showing Norwegian prehistory from the Stone to Viking ages.  It's a moose!

Most of the signs were in Norwegian, but who cares when there are soft sculptures of Odin and the Norns?

There were lots of other cool exhibits, too, such as the Egyptian mummies.  This is looking inside an empty coffin layer: it's painted inside, which I did not know was done.  Usually, they're full of, you know, mummy.

Next, on Saturday I went to the Stortinget, the Norwegian Parliament house, for a tour.  Here is the inside of the main parliamentary chambers:

Then, the Mini Bottle Gallery!  Lots of small glass bottles in all shapes and sizes, including this one:

That's right, a version of the "Dogs Playing Poker" bottle.
Oh, and a slide down into the basement, which I definitely used:

The Hjemmefrontmuseum, about Norway during WWII:

 The Kunstindustrimuseet (museum of design):

Ah, the 60's.  I want an egg chair!
The Botanic gardens, specifically in Victoriahuset, is a great place to visit in the winter, if you miss the sun:

In the same park are the Geologisk museum and Zoologisk museum (both part of the Natural History museum).

Glacial skurring and a pothole, from centuries of passing ice and water.

Ida, the oldest complete fossilized primate:

Look, it's the littoral zone!

...and a walrus:

Then, of course, I went to see The Hobbit (Hobbiten, in Norwegian).  Contrary to most European countries, in Norway most imported films are shown in their original language, with Norwegian subtitles (unless they're kid's movies, which are dubbed).  I loved it!

Ha det, Norge!

Brädspel in Stockholm

That was yet another excuse to put another letter in my titles. 
Anyway, I went to Sweden on Wednesday, and after figuring out where my hostel was, I went to the Vasamuseet! 
Here's me in front of the ship:

What, it's blurry, you say?  Tough luck, it was cold and snowy outside, and this is what my camera decided to do.  Eventually, though, it unfogged:

It's BIG-especially when you first come in, when you're on a lower level.
The ship was commissioned by King Gustav II Adolf, the king of Sweden, in the 1600's in his fight against Poland in the 30 Year's War (ah, Western Civ., good times).  It was supposed to sail off and fight, like this:

But instead, it did this...

 ...on August 10, 1628.
Why?  Because of this:

There was not enough ballast, and the ship was designed with towering beautiful carvings and 2 gun decks that had to stay above water, so the ship tipped and sank in the harbor.  Approximately 30 people died.  The Vasa was forgotten for 333 years...
Until the 1960's, when researcher Anders Franzén rediscovered her, and it was brought to the surface again.
This was an awesome museum, with neat sections on the conservation process, how the Vasa was recovered, the symbolism of the carvings, and the people onboard.  Also, a section on daily life, which brings me to backgammon, or brädspel in Swedish.

Swedish, as far as I could tell, has three more letters than the English alphabet: å, ä (don't know how this is pronounced-like æ?), and ö (like ø).  Also, I saw é, but that wasn't used very often.

Anyway, next I to Free Tour Stockholm, for a tour of the Old Town.  This, by the way, is what the snow situation was:

This was a very fun tour, with all the blood and treachery inherent in history.  Also, some very pretty sights, including the narrowest alley in Old Town (they're waiting for the lamp in one building's wall to touch the other side):

Also, the tiniest public statue, called Järnpojken, or the Iron Boy.  You're supposed to rub his head for good luck.

Next, to the T-bane!  In Stockholm they're decorated, including the one at Rådhuset St., with fake archaeology:

I did more museums in Oslo this weekend, but this post is quite long already, so that will come later!

December!

Well, it's December, and you know what that means: time to break out those Christmas decorations!  Also, it's chilly here now: today it is -11°C (about 12°F).  Good stuff.
So, in a break from the studying, I went and made Christmas decorations yesterday: