2011.09.18 - Farmers Market

Malmö and Farmers' Markets

Last weekend we dashed home to Malmö for the weekend. Although we are really close, it still takes 4-5 hours from we leave one home till we arrive at the other. Oslo airport is about 40km out of town and the trains ... well, the train is another story. So instead of risking it all with the train, we got up at 4 in the morning to take the 5 o'clock bus instead. And arrived in Malmö at 9:30. But not before having visited the supermarket Netto close to Copenhagen Airport for a quick Saturday morning wine run ! The first of many shopping trips this weekend !

The second shopping was done at the farmers market on Drottningtorget - close to our apartment. Coming from Norway we found the prices of all those delicacies really cheap ! Living in Oslo WILL transform us, I am sure !

At 13 we had to be at Sebastian's baptism, but I ran into a slight problem 10 minutes before that, when I was putting on my suit. A friend of ours had borrowed it in Korea and mistakenly - it seemed - given us back his fathers jacket, which was size much-too-big-for-me. Hmmm - luckily we still arrived just in time for the (again luckily) not-so-formal baptism.

Jackie and Tue had picked the big Skt. Petri kirke for the baptism of their son. And Tue's sister. As she was to be the Godmother, she had to be baptized before Sebastian. The ceremony took place in one of the small chapels in the big church. It was a very nice small ceremony and Sebastian seemed to enjoy the attention and the water! When his time came he didn't want to be with his back to the water but instead wanted to stare deep into the holy water !

After the ceremony at the church we were invited for lunch at Rica Hotel. All nice and cosy in good company!

Sunday we dodged the rain and headed over to Noelia and Tom for Lunch. Their son Nicolás has grown so much in these 6 weeks! Now he can crawl and sit up himself - soon he'll be joining his dad at the local soccer team's home matches !

Later in the afternoon we had a short visit by Heini and Spencer before going out for dinner with Linda and Jonas. Thai - good Thai!

All in all a good weekend with friends, wine and cheese. But I am not sure we will arrange the same schedule next time - getting up at 4:30 Monday morning in order to make it to the office before 10 was just a little too tiresome. Next time I think we will go from Friday to Sunday.

During the week we have been quite inactive. I have been working some late hours (well ... 17:30-18:00 doesn't really qualify as long hours in most of the world, but here in Norway it definitely is!). We have had some important drawings to review and lots of them also. After a slow start things will start to pick up from here for me.

Friday came with another farmers market - this time closer to home (the temporary) at Rådhuspladsen in Oslo. Paula and I went down for a look Friday evening and came back with tonnes of cheeses! We also had time for a free "cruise" to the opera house. Chilly but nice. On our way back from the Opera we came across the Book Festival where we picked up some English books at bargain prices. Yes - I am not kidding ... bargain prices!

Saturday was more or less a repeat of Friday except that we first went to the Book Festival and then to the Farmers Market where we met up with Magda and Jarek. Oh - Paula just reminded me that we also bought our birthday presents - mine was two tickets for the X-mas concert with the Philharmonic and Paula's was two tickets for another concert with the Philharmonic. So now we have something to look forward to in the cold autumn nights. Because it has quickly turned cold here. we have gone from t-shirt to winter jacket in one day. Several of the Norwegian vikings have missed the change in weather pattern and still walk around as if they were at a beach party, while the rest of us are wrapped up like mummies.