Hurrah for Syttende Mai!

So here they are: pictures from Norway's National Day. It has taken me a while to put them up-they were taken on May 17th. I have no excuse except for laziness. It was a great day though. I will never forget the huge crowds of bunad-clad folk. It was quite the sight to see. I felt a ton of pride also when I first donned my bunad and very lucky as well to get the chance. After a champagne breakfast (we had food as well) and the childrens' parade in Eiksmarka, Tante Eli and I headed downtown to see the celebrations. There were masses of people, many wearing bunads, and also people with other cultural backgrounds wearing their traditional dress as well. Syttende mai is primarily a day for kids so there were tons of childrens groups in the parades. It is also important to get your fill of ice cream and hot dogs. You wouldn't believe it by looking at them but Norwegians consume some of the most sweets per capita compared to the rest of the world. And I am doing my best to honor this fine tradition;)

Here we are enjoying the tradional Syttende Mai breakfast. Apparently champagne with breakfast is mandatory. I love this country!

Barna tog i Eiksmarka.

If you ignore the huge glaring Burger King sign you can see the gorgeous Bunad straight ahead.

The four tiny figures up on the balcony of the Palace are Kong Harald, Dronning Sonja, Kronprins Haakon, and Kronprinses Mette Marit. They say hi:)