My side-trip to Oslo, Norway, despite some rainy weather has been wonderful. This city is compact, diverse, walkable, and has excellent facilities and attractions. The public transport includes train, Metro, bus, tram and ferry facilities – typical of modern cities in this part of the world. I am here because of my association with the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE). In case you did not know, I lead their Technology and Innovation Network (TIN), a community of practice comprising global ICDE membership. While here I participated in an ICDE initiated day starting with a Panel session and moving to a workshop that I ran for those interested in AI integration and perspective in higher education. More about that in my next post!

Meanwhile, my ICDE friends (Torunn, Sophia and Anna) took me to lunch at VaagHals – a Norwegian astronomic experience. Sophia and I had lunch the next day at Villa Paradiso Majorstua where I had one of my favourites, lasagna, that was magnifico.

Catching up with Ann Michaelsen

Let me take you on my Oslo exploration journey! First stop, as soon as I landed from Helsinki was to make my way to a suburb called Blommenholm, about 6 stops out of Oslo Central Station. It was there that I caught up with my friend Ann MIchaelsen. We had not seen each other for about 10 years and we reflected on our respective journey’s with education, edtech, the emergence of AI and a lot more. Ann, author of The Digital Classroom book, writes in her blog, The Digital Classroom: Transforming the way we learn, consistently. I am impressed with her discipline. She will soon reach 1 million blog readers – make sure you are one of them. Ann – I am miffed we did not take a photo of us together in Oslo! Next time I visit…..

In 2014 Ann came to Sydney, Australia at my invitation to help run the Flat Connections Conference. She blogs about this HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. You can see what I mean about discipline? I can’t find any of my posts related to this event!

Ann and husband, Henning who is also an excellent jazz pianist, provided a Norwegian influenced meal starting with an individual charcuterie board, fresh mackerel, then Norwegian cheeses and finishing up with ice-cream and local wild blueberry puree.

I don’t usually talk about food when travelling….or do I? Sometimes I take pictures, of meals and wine to remember the experience. Once again, on this trip I forgot to take pics but I want to say that the food here is fresh, tasty, wholesome, and excellent.

Norwegian National Opera Orchestra

Always on the lookout for new experiences and local culture, I attended the Opera Concert Hall to hear the Norwegian National Opera conducted by Edward Gardner who is mainly with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Mezzo-soprano, Joyce DiDonato sang Berlioz La mort de Cléopâtre, brilliantly! The orchestra (which although named as such I believe is Philharmonic with 5 percussion, 2 harps, 8 double basses…and a lot more) enthralled us with Stravinsky’s Petrushka’s Suite, and Ravel’s Suite No 2 from Daphnis et Chloé. It was magnificent – the venue, the musicians, the appreciation from the audience.

Around Oslo

From parks to sculpture, to views of the city, the opera house intermission entertainers, MUNCH art gallery and more.