riding the tbane.

How do we get around this beautiful city of Oslo, you may wonder. Well, we use a certain thing called the tbane- or the metro.  We are really lucky to be benefiting from the wonderful world of public transportation in Oslo, which includes the tbane, buses, trams and ferries! (Both Joshua and I use the tbane the most- usually at least once or twice a day.)   For 380 NOK (about 63 USD) we can get a 30 day passes that allows us to hop any of these transportation units at any time.  Pretty convenient! 

We got used to riding the tbane pretty much right away and within a few days we got more familiar with which lines go where, which lines we want to take and the times the tbane leaves from Kringsjå.  Despite knowing these departure times, though, you can often still find us running to the tbane to make it on time.  Sometimes we just can't seem to get out the door on time.  When we were completely new to Oslo and felt out of place, knowing how to ride the tbane gave us some confidence and a sense of reassurance that reminded us, yes, we can figure out how to live here!  

From our stop in Kringsjå it takes about 8 minutes to get to Ullevål Stadion, where Josh has class and about 20 minutes to get downtown, where we buy groceries, go to church and do fun things.  Almost every Monday, I (and often Josh, too) take the tbane to Grønland to buy produce, rice and spices at an immigrant run market.  Every student who gets to Oslo quickly learns that the market in Grønland is the cheapest place for produce.  However, we found out about these immigrant markets before we came and for a while Josh thought he had unlocked this awesome secret to the city of Oslo.  As it turns out, this is not a huge secret.  So after stuffing my backpack full of fruit and veggies (apricots, melons, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, beets and cucumbers are our current favorites), I just walk a couple minutes to the tbane stop and ride the 25 minutes home.  I’ve been doing a lot more reading lately thanks to these tbane rides.  I appreciate this time when I can’t be distracted by zillions of things and can just read, think or write.  

I love that all forms of public transportation are included in the 30 day pass.  A couple of times we have taken a ferry ride to the island of Hovedøya or the peninsula of Bygdoy to have a picnic and juggle the soccer ball.  I think this kind of exemplifies one of our favorite things about Oslo- that nature is so close at hand.  It’s so easy to access and enjoy nature here.  We’re just a ferry ride away from a beautiful green island and we can ride the tbane for 45 minutes to reach a great hiking spot. (Not to mention that we have a beautiful lake 5 minutes away!)

A friend we’ve met through Abels Hage (the garden) has offered us some bikes that she doesn’t need, so come Spring we might try to do without the 30 day pass. It would be great to have bikes, but on rainy days or with a load of groceries I imagine we would long for the convenience of the tbane. 

This might be a little more detailed description of transportation than is necessary, but I really hope it gives you more insight into our lives and helps you to picture how we go about our days!

p.s. photos for this post taken by Joshua D. Cranston.