Everyone Hates A Parade...

...but I LOVE them. Strike that. Reverse it.

It's Constitution Day here in Norway, and we walked to town to watch the parade. I have never seen so many people in all my life. And they all wanted to be just a little closer to the parade route than they were two seconds ago. For those of you who know me well, you know that I do about as well in crowds as an unfed tiger, with social anxiety, and a headache, who has been poked with sticks and called a puma :) in other words, I kinda freak out. We stood in the same spot for two and a half hours like the much-loved sardines of this land. Even my incredibly cheerful and diplomatic mother said that she didn't care if she ever saw another Norwegian again. It was totally brutal.

It was fun, though, seeing at least half of the spectators in their bunads. These are the traditional costume clothes that everyone has tucked away in their closets for special occasions. Each detail of the outfit is specific to the region of Norway that you are from. Those that I grew up seeing at family reunions are from Hardanger (read Hardonger) and they were out in full force ( like the woman in the top picture to the right of center, next to the stroller, holding her coat).

After the parade we swam against the floods of people to a restaurant without a line, and were treated to a very fancy, very expensive lunch by our family here Rolf and Anne-Marie. It was just incredible. We walked home, said goodbye to our tour guides, slept for four hours, and now here I sit.