It's
May 17 once again and time to celebrate Norway's national day. This is, by far, the biggest celebration in the whole country, and people think more of this celebration than they do Christmas. And on this day, the people of Norway are probably the best dressed people in the world.
Except me, of course. I packed all of my nice clothes in a box several weeks ago and hopefully they are on their way now to the Philippines. Add to that the extreme pollen levels and you end up with a Hector who cannot be outdoors for many hours at a time. But I was out long enough to take some pictures.
It's a nice celebration but this is probably the day when the streets of Oslo, most especially Karl Johan, is most crowded. And no matter which country, crowds are not my specialty. But it's nice to see everyone happy and smiling, and wearing their best attire. Although the "bunad" which the women wear are the most popular, the male costume, or "herrebunad", is also quite charming to look at. I have always wanted one myself, but due to economic and time constraints I have never had the opportunity to have one tailor made. But when I come back to Norway one fine day, it will probably be one of the things I will invest on!
So this is it. The last May 17 I will be celebrating in Oslo for quite some time. Next year I will probably just read about this in the papers, or celebrate other Norwegians in the Philippines, if ever I get to be friends with any.
So now it's back to cleaning the apartment. In exactly a week from now I will be out of my apartment at M15 and probably going to sleep at a friend's couch. And on Saturday evening, I fly back home. I get teary eyed every time I think about it. But I am pretty sure that I will get to see more of these celebrations first-hand in the future.
Enjoy the weekend! It's a long weekend here in Norway since May 17 is a Friday and Pentecost Sunday and Pentecost Monday follows immediately afterward.
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