Welcome, December!

November was the toughest month for me in Norway thus far. The darkness was setting in, classes were coming to an end, and the month seemed to drag on without promise of the light at the end of the cold, dark tunnel. 

To wrap up November, I went for my first classic ski of the season! It was so cold in the morning that I deciding skating would be miserable, so I hopped the first T-bane into the city center, bought some kick wax (and maybe a few other ski related goodies...), and scooted my way through Nordmarka for a marvelous afternoon on the trails.

My journey took me to Ullevalseter, then on to Holmenkollen. I left my apartment at 2 PM, and just an hour later, the track lights flickered on. I had some incredible fading-sun views when I reached Frognerseten, a few kilometers above Holmenkollen. The picture doesn't do the view justice, but here it is anyway:

This morning I wanted to give December a proper welcome so I set out to watch the sunrise. The great thing about living at 60〫North latitude this time of year is that you don't have to wake up ridiculously early to watch the sunrise. In fact, I slept in, enjoyed a cup of tea, bundled up for my morning walk and still had plenty of time until the sun came up. I took the following picture at 9:00 AM on the dot:

I couldn't help smiling all the way back home. The sun's presence the past two days has put me in a great mood and wiped away any residual November funk. With the countdown until I see Paul well under three weeks, this month is looking good already!

Happy December from Norway!