Norway

Well it's around 25 degrees Fahrenheit in Bodoe, Norway where I just came from. (Pronounced "Buddha") but here in Oslo it is a bit warmer, actually. The temperatures vary widely in Norway because of the long shape of the country and because of a stream of warm water from the Gulf of Mexico... the coast is warm compared to the inland areas. :-)    I've been told the temperature can get down to like minus 25 degrees Celsius (ouch), though I've never met anyone who has experienced that first hand. (Ouch, I think that is approx. 50 degrees below zero in Fahrenheit terms, right?)

11-29-99 Norway is fantastic... I am on the keyboard player's computer, meeting his wife and kids for dinner later... Jan Gunnar Hoff is his name. He is a fantastic keyboard player, has passionate energy, like Chic Corea does, but he has a somewhat more reserved or "Stoic " demeanor. If you listen to him you hear intricate and interesting lines dancing to and fro, harmonies taking you on a grand tonal adventure rhythms bouncing off the ceiling, and then when you look, there is a smiling Jan Gunnar Hoff sitting still and confident and in control of his instrument. Hee hee it's quite fun playing with him.

Dinner was great! Actually I had chicken enchiladas in Norway! Ughhh, sorry. I can not recommend it. ( I saw a native Norwegian making faces at the food, so I don't feel so guilty ) But I loved the decor of the restaurant. They had two place settings entirely on the ceiling! -I've never seen that before- tee hee! I met Jan Gunnar's friends and family. Wow! Kids are adorable. Don't you think so?

Here I am in Oslo, Norway. Nice hotel : the SAS/RADISSON... I just left a Radisson hotel in Bodoe, Norway, with a bar called the "Top 13". The view from the Top 13 is really breathtaking... the Top 13 is surrounded by beautifully chiseled mountains... gorgeous Norwegian terrain covered with thin layers of white snow.

The panoramic view gives new meaning to its adjective. The busy ships reveal an industrious, intelligent, organized, and beautiful people.

The airport, unlike any I have seen, is so remarkably small and pretty, and convenient. ( It took only minutes to drive to the airport from Bodoe. It is much more convenient than Logan or JFK or La Guardia...)... The water is clean and blue, the children are happy and people in Bodoe (pronounced "Buddha" -I kid you not) people like JAZZ! What more could I ask? Thanks Jan Gunnar (he's the bandleader, keyboardist) for some golden memories.

I am told that when the sky is free of clouds, one can see the "Northern Lights" in various places all over the sky, like some kind of mystical electrical field betraying incredible beauty. I can see it in my minds eye. I have an awe of the unexplained natural beauty here in Norway.

Anyway the "Top 13" has a hilarious claim to fame... they offer a post card which shows a MAGNIFYING GLASS amplifying the size of the hotel... it compares some similar structures around the world: the Empire State Building (443m), the Tokyo Tower (333m), the Sydney Tower(304m), the Eiffel (300m), The Torre de Coliserola Barcelona (288m), the Donauturm tower(252m), the Montreal Tower (175m), and finally it shows a miniscule yet stately and valiant looking little "Top 13", Bodoe at 45.5m hee hee...nice sense of humor the Norwegians have.

Click here to see pictures of me in Norway!