Guest Post: Visiting Peace by Jessica from Far From Kansas

If we are on schedule, I should finally be in France! I am scheduled to be in Annecy today and extremely excited to explore the French countryside.

I was fortunate enough to be paired up with Jessica from Far From Kansas, for a book exchange, a few years back. She introduced me to Barbara Kingslover and I truly reading about her travels and life abroad. I will turn it over to her to describe one of her most recent trips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last year I visited Oslo, Norway. Despite it being October the weather was sunny and warm-ish…warmer than should be expected for late-October. In other words, it was beautiful!

I arrived on Thursday and the friends I was visiting had to work Friday so I was left to wander the city on my own. No problem there! Oslo is very walkable if you don’t mind walking and given the aforementioned nice weather I didn’t mind at all. Once I made it downtown from my friends’ apartment one of the first places I came across was the Nobel Peace Center.

The Nobel Peace Center is the museum about the Nobel Peace Prize. Our permanent installations tell the story of Alfred Nobel and the Peace Prize laureates and their engaged and groundbreaking work.

Our changing exhibitions provide insight into the fields of war, peace and conflict resolution, often presented in new and surprising ways.

Through exhibitions, guided tours, various events and family activities, we are a venue for reflection, debate and involvement.

[Source]

They had an exhibit titled, “What the World Eats.” Not surprisingly, we in the western world consume a whole lot more than most other parts of the world. I’ve lived in some of the non-western world and the consumption and waste here in the west is staggering and heartbreaking.

There’s also a little restaurant on the side of the building. The awning made me immediately think of Angie!

“Food for Thoughts. Thoughts for Peace. Peace for All. All Peace.”

I highly recommend a visit to Norway if you get the chance (warning, though, it is the most expensive place I’ve ever visited!). Oslo is beautiful. The harbor, the museums, Fronger Park… and the Nobel Peace Center.

Don’t tell Angie, but I just might have brought something back for her from the center. Shhhh!!! I haven’t mailed it to her yet so it’s a surprise!