The only people responding appropriately to air travel are the crying children

The part of this trip we most feared, by far, was the overnight flight with Annalise. Annalise has flown, but only on direct flights during the day. These flights went well, but involved us playing a lot of defense, as her radius of impact gradually grew to include more and more of our seat neighbors […]

What did we pack?

To make this trip, we each get two checked bags with which to make a life in a cold, rainy place where people love the outdoors. This is not easy! Every T-shirt must also be an undershirt. Every long-sleeved shirt must also be a layer. Anything more formal than jeans is brought regretfully, as it’ll […]

A Third Taylor Goes North: An Interview with Our Toddler

It’s official: we’re going back to Norway for another year. Gavin has another sabbatical and we’ll be back in Trondheim in late June. It’s been much easier to prepare for this time, since Gavin and I know more or less what to expect. Annalise, of course, has no idea what to expect — or really […]

A Few Final Reflections

This is our last week in Norway! Today we are flying to Raleigh, NC, where we’ll spend a couple of days with my parents, brother, and extended family. My parents have been gracious enough to keep our car this year, so we’ll pick that up and drive back to Annapolis on Saturday. So as a […]

Pictures from my favorite spot in Trondheim

I walked past this spot twice a day, on my way to and from work. As the light and weather changed, I took to taking my camera with me to work, and if I saw something happening with the light out my window, I’d go out and take some pictures. Aside from the mountains, the […]

“At Last, the Lofoten” OR “In Cod We Trust” OR “Finally, Some Dudes”

Well, folks, we’re about done here. We have a few more summing-up posts planned, but we’ve pretty much run out of time for more trips and places to take pictures. Fortunately, we saved some great stuff for the end. Throughout our time here in Norway, Norwegians have been asking us, “Have you been to the […]

Ålesund with a capital Å

We’re pretty continually amazed by what our Davidson friends grow up to do, and our friends Katie and Laetitia are great examples of that. Katie is the Senior Veterinarian at the North Carolina Zoo in Greensboro. Within half an hour of our arrival, she was walking us through the process of performing a fish necropsy. […]

Yes, Work Exists

I think it’s fair to say that this blog has not focused much at the reason we are ostensibly here. Some of you are confused as to why your tax dollars are allowing me to do this! To clarify why this trip is happening at all: the USNA is hoping I’ll learn something new and […]

Books I’ve Read in Norway Since Christmas

Just before Christmas, I posted the books I’d read in Norway up until then. It turns out a lot of people really like book recommendations! If you’re one of them, below are the books I’ve read since then, listed by how much I think you should read them. Really Great Jesus’ Son, by Denis Johnson. […]

The Fjords are not so Cold

Friday was officially the second day of summer, which meant it was 42 degrees F in Trondheim, with periods of heavy rain and high winds. I spent the day hiking with some friends, protected from the elements by several layers of wool and a full Gore-Tex outer layer. I was completely comfortable in these conditions, […]