Hi, friends! Today: the last stop of my international travels with Teo, sharing New York with Irish friends, and coming home.
Oslo
After our trip to Istanbul, Teo and I spent a few days in Oslo on our way back to New York. We were completely charmed by Norway, where the people seemed as content and healthy as the statistics suggest they are. The Oslo airport staff rode nifty little scooters around the terminal, and they were — get this — SMILING (a shock when you’re used to JFK Airport). When we started the drive from the airport to the city center, we were struck by how rural it felt. The sky was big, billowy, and pastel, and the roads were lined with spindly silver birch trees. Oslo summer days are long, the sky only darkening at around 10 pm, so although we arrived in the city at 9:30 pm or so, we could still see everything.
Teo and I were both tired after our Turkish adventures, so we took it easy throughout our visit, planning days around coffee breaks and dinners, and sneaking in a cultural experience here and there. I had the best latte of my life at Tim Wendelboe, a famous coffee shop around the corner from our Airbnb that doubles as a school for baristas. The coffee was strong but not bitter, and the milk was pure velvet. I also had the best fish and chips of my life (sorry, England) at Fiskeriet, a seafood shop and restaurant in the city center.
Other Oslo highlights include the Munch museum and the Oslo Opera House, both of which I found beautiful and functional in equal parts. Teo comes from a family of architects, his mom included, and so he took a million photos of the architecture in Oslo. The new buildings are gorgeous in an understated way — all clean lines and angles and energy-efficiency — and the old homes are sweet and cheery, many of them painted marigold yellow to combat the fierce winters. Teo was desperate to get on the water while in Norway, so he got us tickets to take a loop around the fjord in an electric boat. With our fellow tourists, we glided through the water and admired the dark, placid waters and the primary-colored cottages dotting the coastline.
One afternoon I took the tram to the Vigeland Sculpture Park, and while I liked the sculptures a lot, I liked the people and dogs even more. There were families jogging and playing soccer together, fluffy white dogs with friendly owners, mamas sitting on benches to breastfeed their babies, pregnant women walking around with their partners, and so on. On my tram ride home, an old woman sat next to me, carrying a bouquet of wildflowers she likely had picked herself. There was a little kid sitting across from us, and she complimented him on his “very cool” sneakers. I know that I romanticize Scandinavia, but it’s always such a delight to witness people cohabitating peacefully, and I saw a lot of it in our short time in Norway.
New York City / Fishers Island
As soon as we returned home to New York, Teo and I met up with Izzy and Ethan, our Irish friends. I met Izzy at Ballymaloe and lived with her in the Pink Cottage, and Ethan is her wonderful boyfriend. The two of them WWOOFed in Canada for a while this summer, and I managed to lure them to New York before heading back to Ireland. The timing worked out such that they arrived right when Teo and I returned, so we all gathered in Teo’s parents’ apartment (thanks, Mary & Brad!) to begin a week of catching up. I was a scatter-brained, jet-lagged mess for the first couple days, but luckily I felt completely at home with Izzy and Ethan, so I adventured with them when I could and rested when I couldn’t.
Jet lag wouldn’t stop me from ensuring that they ate well in New York, so I cooked a simple dinner one night and went out to Hart’s and Yoon the other two. If you missed the Hart’s era of The Dish, I worked there for a year prior to leaving for Rome, and it is my favorite restaurant in New York, for sentimental value but also for the wizardry of Chef GG. The menu at Hart’s changes constantly, and the night we went it was glorious, full of peak summer produce. Izzy, Ethan, Teo, and I met up with Serin for dinner, so it was a group of effusive, joyous eaters (the best kind of eaters!). The other night we dined at Yoon, a Korean BBQ restaurant in midtown. My friend Bel, who grew up eating Korean food in LA, had a sudden craving that led us to the restaurant, and thank goodness for that! It was my first Korean BBQ experience and won’t be my last. I particularly loved the deeply meaty ridged short ribs and the tteokbokki (spongey rice cakes) with crispy squid and tender octopus, all dredged in spicy-sweet sauce.
After a whirlwind few days in New York, the four of us took the train to New London and then the ferry to Fishers Island, where Teo grew up going and might be at his happiest. We didn’t do much besides sleep and eat tomato sandwiches and pesto pasta and go to the beach and play catch, and it was perfect.
Home
6 months later, I am — finally — home. In fact, I’m currently sitting in my high school library, which has emptied out for the summer. It’s so good to see my family and take a rest, especially as I ponder what comes next for me. Malcolm picked me up from the train station; Dad made me clam pasta to welcome me home; Mom helped me organize my belongings; Remy was a queen per usual; I’m seeing Trev tonight!!! I get so much peace from the presence of my family, and I know how lucky I am for that.
Lots of love to all of you.
More soon,
Phoebe
I’m so happy to see the photos read about the happy ending to this chapter!
Welcome home Phoebe!