Berit kindly invited us to spend some time with her in Oslo, Norway, in her gorgeous apartment overlooking the Fjord in May 2004. Here is some of the writing and images that came from that trip.

Pink at Stockman's

Through rosŽ glasses, sultry, smoky air
and music rosy memoried aglow
the mirrors shimmer rouge and hennaed hair
and conversation, laughter overflow.
A river trout, reclining Reubens nude;
aflush, atop a chaise of tender shoots:
upon the flagstones delicately hued
besandalled cerise toes collide with boots.
And lamb and beef blush, melting on the tongue;
a melody of flavour colours lips.
The sunset colours sunflowers among
the pavement tables set with seafood dips.
Night Oslo comes to life with Russ teens
Kirkeven's international pink cuisine.

* Russ is pronounced "rew-suh" and is the annual graduation celebration for Norwegian teenagers - they wear the same special outfit for the two week period and usually hire buses to drive around the towns in, with loud music coming from immense speakers within the bus or behind it on a trailer. Stockman's is a restaurant in Oslo.




Vikings at Hadeland Glass

They should have been Vigeland bronzes,
bare-torsoed Vikings, basted in honey-sweat
rippling golden in the furnace-light
to delight the tourist gaze.

Fortunately, just outside,
there is a fjord, pure, clean and icy fresh
to extinguish disappointment.

Holmenkollen, Oslo

Across snow-pine forests, a mammoth tusk aims jettison
towards the Oslo fijord. In Summertime, lake flotsam brings
sweet orchestra drifting to Frognerseteren above.
Ancient, grass-roofed cottages with hewn log guttering
survey flora and woodland gifted to Oslo generations ago.
A plaque commemorates record breaking flights and we
gaze in wonder at the scale of athleticism and nerve.
Oslo fijord is timeless and fathomless as we sink deeper
and deeper and drink the welcome, fragrant apple-tart breeze.