Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Hardships

  • Viking Venture: Travel Goals

    Sometimes I just wake up feeling like a kid. On these days I forget the scholarly pursuits and the to do lists and just look for pure fun. We decide to check out Viking World. This small attraction behind Oslo City Hall is a series of video and vr experiences. Interactive computer simulations explain the…

  • Remembrance: Travel Goals

    The Holocaust Center in Oslo is located in the former home of the Norwegian Nazi party leader, Vidkun Quisling. His mansion seems in gross excess compared to most Oslo city dwellings. It is now a center that commemorates the forced removal of over 700 Jewish citizens during World War II. Many of the deportees, especially…

  • Military History: Travel Goals

    We aren’t sure what to expect at the Akershus Festning (Fortress). We walked by the large park/military complex when we first arrived in Oslo (two weeks ago). But it is much bigger than it appeared from our walk along the harbor. The walled fortress houses a castle, a resistance museum, a military museum, outdoor amphitheaters,…

  • Tromso Love Is True, But I Hate Their Airport: Travel Goals

    I mention in each travel day post that I dislike air travel. It feels chaotic and uncivil in ways other forms of transport avoid. Each airport and airline has its own system that you can’t know if you have not been there before. Sometimes your experience is different due to the people you encounter. Add…

  • The Struggle: Travel Goals

    Excitement is high as we land in Tromso. It is beautiful. Mountains and fjords merge together under a cloudy sky. Dramatic is the only word to describe the landscape. Here we disembark. We wait impatiently for others to leave the ship. Many only have a few hours to experience Tromso and we will stay a…

  • Into the Arctic: Travel Goals

    I wake up quite early and realize it had been snowing through out the night. Steady sleet pounds the windows and I smile. Just as dawn breaks, I emerge onto the upper deck. Today we cross the artic circle and venture far beyond. We entered the boat in Bergen and will not disembark completely until…

  • Trondheim Pilgrimage to Nidaros: Travel Goals

    We dock in the cold, cold rain. Coming down the gangway, the wind blows water into our faces. My husband struggles into his rain suit while I wrestle with my umbrella. We try to follow directions to exit the docks into the town. In the blowing rain, it is unclear which way to go, so…

  • Educating for Sanity: The Nation of Immigration

    So much discussion, attention, and emotion…. Immigration talk has flooded our media sources, emerging as an American campaign issue in 2016 and again in 2024. Let’s move beyond the rhetoric and attempt to understand the topic more deeply, starting with basic definitions. An immigrant is someone who moves permanently to live and work in a…

  • My Toes Are Cold

    As I sit and watch the snow outside my window, my toes are cold. But my coffee is warm. I have central heating in my house and a blanket on the arm of my chair. My toes are cold, but they don’t have to be. Down the hall, I have a warm bed which I…

  • Educating for Sanity: Information Warfare

    Since the history of warfare began, military’s have sought to gain advantage over their opponents. This has been done through both physical and psychological attack. With the advent of the internet, opportunities for attack are infinite. Physically attacks (known as cyberattacks) can cripple a business or industry. But information wars are designed to destroy the…