Is the season over for biking?

In six short weeks I have noticed that the biking situation (at least when it comes to biking as a means of transportation) seems a bit different here in Norway than it was in Lund, Sweden.  Keep in mind that my perspective is quite limited and...let's face it...it is the end November.   Things may look much different around here in the spring, but this is what I have observed so far.

Just to back up for a second, during the short time we lived in Lund, I learned to utilize my bike as a means of transportation, not just as a form of exercise.  When living in the U.S., it was more of an event to take my bike out for a ride on the trails....the thought of taking my bike (instead of the car) to run a quick errand never- ever- crossed my mind.

In Lund, bikes are EVERYWHERE- day or night, rain or shine, and even sometimes even in the snow.   I would often ride my bike to work (about 30 minutes each way), to the grocery store (as long as I didn't buy too many things) and back and forth with the girls to school.  Yes, it's a University town and most students did not have cars, but many "grown-ups" were biking, too!

Bike parking at the train station in Lund

I guess the funny thing is that riding my bike everywhere became "normal" because so many others were doing the same thing, even through most of the winter.   Although some people (almost) always rode their bikes or took public transportation, this was NOT me.  I was not ready to give up the car to save the planet and much preferred to drive when the weather was bad or if I needed to travel to the mall or IKEA.

So now we're living in Sandefjord, where I (incorrectly) assumed that the biking environment would be similar to what we experienced in Sweden.   I have seen a handful of kids still riding their bikes to school,  but I have to say I have seen very few adult riding around town since we moved here.  Again, it is November in NORWAY,  but I admit I expected to see a few more folks biking all year round.

As for me, partially because of habit and partially due to necessity (we are currently a one car family), I am still riding bike to the gym or to the grocery store.

Yep...that's my bike...all alone

I sometimes think people see me riding around in 30 degree weather (or about 0 degrees Celsius) and wonder if 1) I cannot afford a car (which, in Norway, is not out of the question) or 2) I have had some kind of driving "problem" and am currently not allowed behind the wheel.  And that pretty much sums up what I thought when I saw people riding their bikes around the suburbs of Chicago (especially if they were riding in bad weather).   Shame on me for making such assumptions.

Anyway, due to deteriorating weather conditions, the hills, and poor brakes, my biking may be curtailed in the near future.  For now, I guess I will keep riding as long as it seems reasonably safe.

My goal is to avoid this!

Don't get me wrong...the Norwegians seem to love the outdoors (more on that later) and are quite fit and active (from what I have observed so far).  Perhaps they just have enough sense to trade their bikes for skis once winter arrives.

My season may soon be over as well!

Trick or Treat- Norwegian Style!

Being new in Norway, I was curious to find out if the Norwegians celebrate Halloween (and if so, how do they do it?).  Luckily there were a few people that gave me the scoop on how things work around here.  First, I was excited to find out that Halloween is acknowledged here (at least it has been for the last 10 to 15 years).   It has not quite reached the level of excitement, and yard decorating, that occurs in the U.S., but perhaps in a few years....

Where can I buy this??

So what about trick or treating?  Yes!  The children go door to door saying "knask eller knep" which means pretty much the same thing as "trick or treat".   Most people who welcome trick or treaters will light candles outside (or just keep a bunch of lights on) as there are some Norwegians that are a bit reluctant to embrace this relatively new tradition of Halloween.

And what about costumes?  I discovered that most of the kids here dress up in something scary which is a bit different from the princess or cute animal costumes my girls have been wearing pretty much since their first Halloween (again, glad I asked!).   Here's a quick throwback to Halloween several years ago...

So girly!

This year, the oldest decided to be a witch and the youngest wanted to be a zombie....funny for a little girl who is often terrified by people in costumes (think Chuck E. Cheese or even someone playing Santa).

"I'll get you my pretty- and your little dog, too!"

I am truly terrified by this one!

After costumes and makeup were finished, we headed to our friends' house for tacos (yum) and trick or treating.  Even though it was quite cold, neither of my kids wanted to wear a coat (God forbid something would obstruct the view of their costumes).   After a good tour of the neighborhood and a bag full of sugar, we headed inside where the kids posed for a quick photo.

What happened to my little girls?

My friend made fantastic, and festive, cupcakes which we enjoyed while the girls played and looked through their bags of candy (I'm sure they weren't eating any!)

The cupcakes even had "blood "inside

I made one simple contribution to the evening which was a very "American" one (many thanks to my mom for sending these with our Halloween care package).

Peeps...not just for Easter anymore!

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!