walkability, bookstore cafe

Walkability is one of the reasons I wanted to move here, and I enjoy being able to walk or take the public transportation (bus, bybanen mostly). A six month bus card for the two zones I need costs 4100 NOK. 99.9 % of the time I never miss having a car, never miss driving, and actually have become very relaxed with taking the bus, as I can just sit back relax and enjoy all the spectacular views. Really, even the dump here is pretty, surrounded immediately by forested mountains, with all the bins neat and tidy, labeled and in perfect order! Sometimes I suddenly want the car option, for very specific reasons, but that is rare. It´s really great not having to drive, and I´ve driven since I was a teenager. I was suprised i don´t miss it, except rarely, but then I can just take a longer bus ride or train, to get my ´driving´ fix of watching endless roads, scenery. The remainder of wanting rarely to have a car, is not so much about driving as time schedule issues, such as the rare times weather prevents the bus being on time and I will miss an appointment; or weight issues, such as the rare times I´m fed up with carrying my shopping, or am lugging something awkward and bulky home!,) The shop keepers here are very thoughtful though, and let me leave something behind their desk for the day til closing time when I can come get it, and finish my day without carrying it round, til I can catch the bus home:).  Most times it´s charming and romantic, European/French...that I usually shop for the day´s groceries on the same day or the day before, carrying two recyclable cloth bags, buying from small local bodegas usually, such as I did when I lived in NYC. Mostly, I enjoy it, and appreciate the walkability of this city!

One of my art installation ideas, which I probably won´t actually do, is ¨walkability¨, video of feet walking showing the changes in what one is walking on as one walks about their daily ordinary life in a city. Compared to someone driving who sits in their vehicle completely encased within something so that they never even touch the ground let alone see what is beneath them. Walking, you see the sidewalk, the cobblestone, the grass, the sand, the rocks, the wildflowers, and can actually see other people, children, dogs, cats, horses, smell the food as someone walks by, see each others eyes and smiles, feel the brush of another´s jacket as you walk past each other, listen to others conversations as others walk or stand or sit nearby as you walk past or sit near by. It is rare during my day to not run into someone I know, and it still amazes me that it happens! It´s really nice knowing that I live somewhere where I can be walking outdoors on an ordinary day, and just randomly run into friends and people I know, or meet new friends because we both just happen to have walked past each other, or stopped at the same cafe:).

It´s really nice. That´s what I like about living here:)