My mind is confused, an American in Europe

2008-08-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Trolltunga;

For almost a year, we have been trying to organize a hiking/ camping trip to the western side of the country. Our goal was to make it to the trolls tongue, which is a long prowl shaped rock that jets out over a fjord near the town of Odda. This past weekend we finally headed out with three other friends.
We rented a car and drove 5 hours to the other side of Norway. The entire journey was filled with the most amazing scenery. The road was a simple two lane highway that passed waterfalls, lakes, forests, and drove through some amazing tunnels including a "cork screw" tunnel. The inside of the tunnels were were left unfinished, so you actually felt like you were drive threw a mountain (which you were) .

Once we were in Odda, we drove up the mountain to the base of the funicular railway. This railway (when running) takes you up the side of the main part of the mountain. It is on a 42 degree slope and raises you 960 meters. All our information told us that the train was not running this summer, so we had no choice but to hike up the very steep adjoining path, with backpacks full of camping gear.

The two hour hike up was completely exhausting especially when we realized that the past two hours simply got us to the start of the real hike. We continued walking for another hour before making camp by a stream. We had a fantastic view of the sun setting behind snow covered peaks. The clear mountain water was extremely refreshing as we ate a quick dinner before collapsing in to our tents for the night.

We awoke to beautiful clear blue skies, perfect for the long day ahead of us. We broke down camp and hid our gear in the rocks near the stream, so we would not have such heavy bags to carry all day. With lots of water, we headed out. The landscape was absolutely amazing.

We walked though snow.....

clear ponds.....

spectacular waterfalls.....

we filled our water bottles in mountain creaks and then we came to the fjord itself.

It was breath taken. The sheerness of the cliff sides, and the clearness of the water made for an awesome spectacle. There was no direction you could look towards with our stopping in awe of the landscape.

After we had hiked for about four hours, we suddenly came upon the Trolltunga.

Walking out on the prowl was quite the experience. I impressed one of the guys by walking all the way to the edge with out crawling (something he could not do) . I was not until I was sitting on the edge of the rock dangling my feet, that I looked down and was suddenly a bit uneasy about what I was doing. It was a very long way down. We all had turns on the edge, and took many photos. While we were eating our lunch we heard from other hikers that the funicular rail would be running at six o'clock that night. So with the incentive of a free ride down the hardest part of the mountain, we made great time back to our campsite to retrieve our camping gear. We were able to make it to the railway in time to ride the three car train.

Ben and I were in the first car, and the view of the tracks reminded me of the top of a roller coaster. It was very steep, and I kept expecting to accelerate forward with extreme speed. In reality the ride was slow and smooth, taking about ten minutes.

We loaded back in to the car and headed home, arriving in Oslo at around two in the morning. Ben and I ended up with twelve blisters between us, sun burns, and very sore legs. We had walked about eight miles along uneven and rocky ground. The original idea of our trip was to just see the one little site (the Trolltunga), but the actual experience was so much more then we could have hoped for. Not one moment of out journey was with out exceptional scenery and beauty. It was a hard hike, but an unparalleled adventure we will always treasure. If you ever have the chance to go on this exceptional trek, take it. You will be sore, but never sorry.

2008-07-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

Bodø;

Last Monday my friend Phillipa and I traveled to Bodø, a tiny city inside the Arctic Circle. We started out by taking the seven hour night train to the city of Trodheim. We decided to save money and not get a sleeper car. The result was an uncomfortable, interrupted sleep, lasting only a few hours.

Once in Trodeim, we had a short stop over before boarding a train that would take us to Bodø in nine hours. The journey was beautiful. Through out the entire trip we passed country farms, lakes, forrest and mountains. All though there was a little snow in the mountains, there was none on the ground. Instead there was lush green land for miles.

We arrived in Bodø at about 5 PM Tuesday night. After a good hot meal, we settled in to our hotel for a comfortable deep sleep.

Wednesday morning we headed out in to the city. We quickly discovered there was very little to do. We visited the local Cathedral, with its bell tower dedicated to the people who fought to protect the city in WW2. The local museum (very similar to the "Jason Russell house" in Arlington) was an informative stop which explained the history of the city all the way back to its fishing roots.

We spent a lot of time exploring the local stores, chatting as we shopped. The city is built around a harbor, which we also explored and walked all around. We ended the day by joining a "moose safari". The safari took us out in to the country in search of moose, although we were only able to find three grazing in a field.

Our guide took us hiking to the top of a few hills for some amazing views.

The safari ended at the Saltsraumen, which is a natural tidal phenomenon occurring at high tide. We ended our day with a viewing of the midnight sun.

Thursday afternoon we returned to the train. We arrived back in Oslo at 7AM. We had a lot of fun shopping and exploring the area. We like that we can now say we have visited the Arctic Circle, however neither of us would ever want to travel for 16 hours on a train again :)

*map photo used from tripsource

2008-06-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

Heading North;

Tonight I am taking a train trip to the Arctic circle. I am going with a good friend, who's fiancé works with Ben. We are heading to the last stop on the train, which is a little town called Bodø. The trip will take 17 hours, so we will be sleeping on the train (in seats not a sleeper car). We are looking forward to seeing the official midnight sun, and some moose.

2008-06-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

My quick trip to Greece;

I went to Athens last week for a few days. I went by myself, and had a great time.

I stayed in a Hostel this trip, and it was a much different experience then the one I had in Amsterdam. My roommates were loud, came and went often during the night, and one guy was VERY drunk. He kept the rest of us awake until 2 am. Every night was restless, and every morning was early. It was however safe, comfortable, and the staff were very helpful.

The best thing about the Hostel was the location. It was close to most of the attractions I wanted to see, and it was located in the middle of a main shopping area. There were many restaurants, and plenty of tourist stores to keep me busy for a few hours.

I was able to spend two full days touring around the city of Athens. I woke up very early the first day and headed to the Acropolis. I spent the majority of my morning exploring the ruins and the area around the Acropolis. I worked my way to the summit of the hill and beheld the Parthenon.

The Parthenon was extremely impressive, even though it was covered with scaffolding. When Ben and I were in London, we saw all the statues that had been moved from the Parthenon, so there were only three left to gaze upon. Just a few yards away, I was able to see the Porch of the Caryatids. The Porch is famous for its lady shaped columns, although most of the columns have been replaced with casts. The originals are now in museums.

I spent my afternoon wondering around Ancient Agora, which was a market place that formed the heart of ancient Athens. The temple of Hephaisteion is closed to tourists, but it is clear from the outside, how well preserved it is. There is also a museum on the site filled with ancient coins and perfume bottles.

The following day was mostly spent at the Archeology Museum. I was thrilled to see the death mask of Agamemnon as well as the rest of the Egyptian collection. There was also a case filled with toys from ancient greece including dolls, tops and yo-yos.

I spent the rest of my last day walking around the city, visiting a few ruins, and shopping before heading back to the hostel to get ready to go home.

One of the best things I did while in Athens, was to visit "The Poet Sandal Maker". This is a great little shop that will make you "custom" made sandals. There is a "menu" of sandal styles that you can choose from. You try on the sandal in your size to make sure you like the way it looks. The sandal maker then takes the shoe apart, and remakes it to perfectly fit your foot.

Many well know people like John Lennon, Jackie Onassis, and Barbara Streisand, have purchased sandals from the "Poet" and now have sandal styles named after them. The shoe maker is also a published poet (hence the shop's name) and gives his customers his latest published works for free. I bought a pair of sandals while I was there, and the fit is amazing.

I had a great time in Athens, and really enjoyed the experience. I ended up with an extreme "farmers" tan, but as long as I wear a T-shirt it looks great. It is fun to get away and explore places on my own. It is nice be reminded what I am capable of.

2008-05-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Italy;

What an amazing ten days! The months of planning, organizing and making reservations was worth it, as the entire trip went off with out any problems. We made many early morning train trips, and ended up with very soar feet, but the experiences we shared, the art that we viewed, and the time we spent together outweighed the tiredness and blisters.

It all started on Monday, when we boarded an early flight to Rome.

We did little more then check in to our first hotel (we changed hotels do to the length of our stay) and walk around Rome to get our bearings. On our walk across the city, we did arrive at Vatican City and got our first look at the outside of St. Paul's Basilica.

Tuesday was our first official day in Rome. We woke up early, and headed out in to the city. Our destination was the Vatican museum, but on our way we got a glimpse of the Colosseum, and passed the Pantheon.

There is always a long line to get in the Vatican museum , mainly because the Sistine Chapel can only be viewed by first walking through the entire museum. A person can arrive at the entrance before it opens, and still find themselves waiting in line for hours. To avoid this, I singed us up for a "tour group" that I found online. The only point of the tour group was to beat the line. It worked like this; we show up at the meeting point, the "tour guide" took the group in, she gave every one their tickets and a map and then we were left on our own.

As an independent museum, I was not very impressed. While there was a lot of art, not much of it was "important" art. I did enjoy The School of Athens (I had seen the original sketch in Milan), and a few other smaller frescos. I am sorry to say that I was disappointed by the Sistine Chapel. Like most works of art, my imagination had expected a much larger room. The amount of frescoes in the Chapel was astonishing, for every inch of the walls are also painted. I brought my binoculars with me to get a more detailed look, but I found my self more amused by the hole in the ceiling where the chimney is set up during conclave. There is no smell in the chapel. Nothing to hint at its age, or use. When you walk in to the room, it is a surprise. The entrance is right off of the museum, and we suddenly found ourselves the chapel. There is no sense of presentation, and in a way we felt like we were just in another room of the museum. I have always been a fan of the Sistine Chapel's back wall image of The Last Judgment. However seeing it in person also left me less then inspired. It seems that I enjoy the history and the story of the back wall, more then the image itself. Sadly the entire room is more impressive on TV then in person.

After we had explored the museum, we headed to the Basilica itself. The basilica is immense, yet simple to navigate and find the main points of the church. Immediately to right as you enter the main doors, we found the most famous Pieta (a pieta is any sculpture of Mary holding the body of Jesus after the crucifixion) made by a very young Michelangelo. The sculpture is protected behind bullet proof glass, and the crowds are kept at a far distance ever since the statue was attacked with a hammer in 1972. I was able to get a closer look using the zoom on my camera and my binoculars. Although not my favorite sculpture, the piece is simply stunning.

Further in to the Basilica, we viewed Michelangelo's dome, and Bernini's Baldacchino. We were going to descend into the crypt, but unfortunately, it was closed the day we visited.

Before leaving the Vatican we walked around the plaza, viewing it from all angels. While it is a lovely space, the extremely large screens set up at the front of the plaza for viewing mass, seem extremely out of place. The front half of the plaza is also filled with hundreds of chairs for the Sunday and Wednesday services. Although the chairs are modern in design, they seem to fit in perfectly with the atmosphere and the history of the space.

On our walk back to the hotel, we passed by some old structures/ ruins that are being excavated. The small block sized area is gated off to the crowds, but seem to now be home to stray cats. A shelter spays/ neuters, and vaccinates the cats before returning them to the ruins. They keep water available to the cats and passing tourists are encouraged to feed them. Some of the cats walk up to the fences to be petted, while others just sleep in the sun. The cats are all available for adoption if you visit the shelter.

Wednesday was a travel day. We arrived at the train station at 6 am to catch a train to Florence. Before arriving in Italy, I had bought a four day "Rail Pass" for Ben and myself. The Rail Pass is basically an any time train ticket. The pass allows unlimited train travel on the rail system for one day. We could use our four days when ever we want, over a six month period, and go where ever we want in Italy.

We arrived in Florence after a two hour train ride. Our first stop was to the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. It is the oldest bridge in the city and is covered with gold and silver shops. There is an old passage way above the shops, that nobles used to use as a safe way to cross the bridge, away from possible thieves.

Our next destination was the Uffizi Gallery. This museum is a bit small, but is home to Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera. We were also able to view a few da Vinchies, and three Rembrents. Since the museum began its life as a palace, all of the ceilings were covered with lovely frescos. Unfortunately staring at the ceiling every few minuets, tended to give us soar necks before we were half way through the museum. This museum is always crowded, so we made reservations to beat the long line.

After we rested our necks, We made a quick stop to the Santa Croce church. Here we were able to view the tombs of Michelangelo, and Galileo.

After lunch and a bit of shopping, we arrived at the Accademia Gallery, where we also had a reservation. The main reason to view this gallery, is that it is home to Michelangelo's David. The gallery did a wonderful job of presenting the statue. The room was designed just to home the enormous piece, and incorporated arches to "frame" the statue. As soon as you turn the corner in to the room, you instantly can see it from a few hundred feet away. The time it takes to walk up to the statue allows you to acclimate yourself to it, and study the masterpiece. Benches all around the base of the sculpture allows you to consider the piece at your own pace. This piece is only one of two works that have exceeded my expectations. Contrary to most famous art piece we have seen, this one was much larger then I had expected. It is one of the most extraordinary works of art I have ever had the privilege of seeing.

We returned to the train station and headed back to Rome. We passed the time by trying to capture an acceptable picture of the country side through the window. It was harder then it sounds because as soon as you see the possibility of a good shot, and positioned the camera, a bunch of trees or a wall would replace the Tuscan scenery. By the time the obstruction passed, she shot was gone.

Thursday's destination was a thrill for me. We were going to be exploring the ruins of Pompeii. We boarded an early train to the city of Naples, and upon our arrival, took the subway train to the site.

It was a beautiful clear day and we could clearly see Mt Vesuvius looming on the horizon. We walked about a block from the subway stop, to the entrance of Pompeii.

I had an amazing time wondering around the ruins of homes and gardens. Where ever I could, I would scurry up the walls that ran in to hills. We took hundreds of photos of the structures, arenas, fountains and alleyways. There were stray dogs looming around the restaurant, and quick lizards scurrying around under foot. We ate the picnic lunch we had brought with us before heading to the main attractions; the people and mosaics. We spent hours exploring all the nooks and crannies of the site.

It was an amazing experience that was one of the high points of the entire trip. We made our way by the subway, back to Naples and the train to Rome. Pompeii was a long and tiring day that was the source of many of our blisters. However a little foot pain was definitely worth a day like that.

Friday morning we were scheduled to move to a new hotel just two floors up from the first one. This hotel was a small bed and breakfast and we would stay there for the rest of our trip. After checking in we headed out to the city, heading towards the Spanish Steps. The steps were full of tourists, all trying to get the same photos in the same spots. It was also full of souvenir booths and street vendors trying very fours-fully to sell you something.

We slowly (for the sake of our tired feet) made our way to the Borghese Gardens. We had our packed lunch and roamed the grounds until it was our appointed time to visit the Borghese Gallery. This museum is by reservation only, and is booked at least a week in advance. Two of my favorite sculptures are on display in this Gallery, Bernini's Apollo and Daphne, and his Rape of Proserpina. Although small, the gallery has a wealth of amazing art in both canvas and sculpture.

After, we made our way to the Plaza dell Popolo to view another Bernini sculpture at Saint Maria's. We then started our long walk back to the hotel. By this time our feet were really suffering from the days outings. Laying on a bed in our hotel never felt so good.

Saturday morning we were served a filling breakfast before we headed out. Our first destination was to San Pietro in Vincoli, to see Michelanglo's Moses in Chains. We then made our way to the Colosseum.

The ticket line is always long at the Colosseum, but we knew a trick. You can buy your ticket at Palatine Hill, since both sites are included in the ticket price. After going through the short line for our Colosseum tickets, we walked past the long line at the Colosseum and walked right in.

We spent a few hours walking along the two different levels, and taking lots of photos. It was fun to "people watch" as they wondered around and interacting with those they were traveling with. Out side the Colosseum we observed a handful of brides and grooms on their wedding day, taking professional photos with the Colosseum as a background. We could only imagine it was a local tradition.

We then made our way to the church of Santa Maria in Cosmdein to see the Mouth of Truth. The Mouth of Truth is a sculpture that is thought to be part of an ancient Roman fountain or perhaps a manhole cover, portraying one of several possible pagan gods.

The most famous characteristic of the Mouth, however, is its role as a lie detector. Starting from the Middle ages it was believed that if you told a lie with your hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. Of course it is now a photo opportunity for tourist to come and have their photo taken with their hand in the mouth (yes we did this too).

Sunday marked our six year wedding anniversary. We spent the morning on a three hour train journey to the city of Pisa. When we had arrived, we strolled down the streets of a market while eating gelato. Pisa looks just like all the European cities that are depicted in television and movies. It is small, quite and quint. While we made our way to the Leaning Tower, we passed the route of a foot race that was being held all day. It had stopped or re routed all the traffic, so walking became very simple.

We took lots of photos when we arrived at the tower, and yes we posed with the tower to make it look like we were holding it up. I had made a reservation for a time slot to climb to the top of the tower (necessary in the high season). So at our appointed time, we lined up at the base of the tower. One of the most interesting things about the tower is the stair case inside. It is a winding stair, and as you climb you can figure our where in the angle of the tower you are. As you approach the slanted side off the tower, the wear patter on the stairs is close to the wall. As you approach the other side of the tower, the wear pattern is in the center of the stair case. The view at the top of the tower was spectacular. You could see little homes with red roofs all the way to the mountains in the distance.

We decided to take a different route back to Rome when we arrived at the train station. A direct train to Rome was going to take four hours. This meant that we would not get in to the city until almost 10 p.m.. Instead we took a train to Florence, and from there hopped on a second train to Rome. We were glad we changed our train plans (and that we had Rail Pass to allow it) since we arrived in Rome at 7:10. We were asleep in bed before the original train made it to the station.

Monday was a very exciting and fun day. We once again took an early train to Naples and then the subway to Pompeii. Today however, we were going to climb Mt Vesuvius. Once we arrived at the subway stop, we walked down the hill to a bus stop. There is a bus that runs from the city, to the base of the volcano, which means you must walk up the last 1.5 km to the crater. We found the bus with no problem and we were soon on our way.

It was a cloudy day, and very windy at the base. The path up the volcano is very steep at first, but gets easer the closer you get to the top. It was little nerve racking where is some places the fence along the path had smashed holes in it. These holes had been made by large rocks that had recently falling down the side of the volcano.

Although there was allot of clouds and mist at the top of the crater, it created a mystical environment where people ahead of you suddenly disagreed in to the fog. I have always loved climbing rocks, so I had a great time climbing up and down the rock face (although I do not think I was suppose to do that). We captured some amazing photos all the way to to crater, and half way around the top. Just when we had begun our descent, the clouds parted and we had a great view of the city below. We were also able to see the entire crater. We were even lucky enough to see some of the steam escaping from the vents inside the crater.

We made our way back down the volcano a rested while we waited for our bus. We were soon back in Pompeii, waiting for the subway to take us back to Naples. It was also the last day of our Rail Passes and we boarded the train to Rome, knowing it was the last time we would see the Italian country side.

Tuesday was a slow relaxing day.

After breakfast we started our day visiting the Trevi Fountain. I did the traditional throwing of a coin, and took lots of photos.

Our next stop was to the Pantheon , and while we were there, we saw the tomb of Raphael. We walked to Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, to see Michelangelo's Christ Carrying the Cross. We then made our way to see the Four Rivers Fountain.

I was disappointed upon our arrival to discover that the fountain was being restored. The entire structure was behind a fence, and plastic viewing windows. Half of the fountain was covered in a protective cover, so I could only see two of the rivers, and get a good photo of only one statue.

We went to dinner at a restaurant in the train station. It was called "The Road House" and it was styled to be an "American" restaurant. I told Ben that Italians must look at "The Olive Garden" the same way we saw the "Road House". It was filled with every Western stereotype you can imagine.

Wednesday was our free day. We roamed around the city, stopping off at an interesting church. The bones of hundreds of monks had been set up in the crypt in an artistic fashion. At the end of the crypt was a sing with the eery message, "Where you are now, we used to be. Where we are now, you will be". We walked around the street markets and did a little shopping. We sat by a pond and fed the ducks. We headed back to the hotel and we took a noon time nap. When we woke up, we walked down by the Trevi Fountain, for a gelato before returning to the hotel for the night.

Over all, our trip was fantastic. I did a great job of planning out all the trains and reservations so that we never had any problems. It was wonderful to spend our anniversary seeing so many masterpieces and seeing so many beautiful areas. It could not have been a better experience.

2008-05-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go;

This year Ben and I are celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary. To commemorate, we will be spending ten days in Italy. We plan to stay in Rome, but we will also be taking the train to Pisa, Naples, and Florence for day trips. I have been planning this trip for more then a year now, and I am very excited to go. There were so many details to coordinate for this trip, not to mention all the reservations I had to make for all the different museums.

This will be the first trip where there are several amazing items that are on my "must see before I die" list. Just to name a few, we will be visiting, The leaning tower of Pisa, The Vatican, The Sistine Chapel, The Colosseum, the ruins of Pompeii, Michelangelo's David, and we will be climbing Mt Vesuvius. There is so much more that we will be seeing, but I will wait and report about everything, when we get back to Oslo.

2008-04-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

All fixed;

I picked up my ring from the Jewelers this week, and I am very happy to report it looks as good as new. It was hard to be with out my ring all week. I kept trying to adjust it, only to be reminded that it was in fact, not there.

Also this week, I bought a new digital camera. I picked one out almost two years ago, but never got around to actually buying it. I choose a Canon Power Shot SD800 IS, and so far I am very happy with it. I took the above photo of my now fixed ring, using the macro feature on my new camera. I am having a lot of fun taking photos of everything I walk by, and trying out every mode the camera offers. Since Ben and I are planning a trip to Italy, I have to make sure I know how to use every feature before we arrive in Rome.

2008-03-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Big Scare;

Saturday night, Ben and I were getting ready to go to a party. I decided to clean my wedding rings because the party we were going to was for an engagement. I knew that all the girls would be showing off and comparing rings, so I wanted mine to sparkle too.

As I stared to clean my engagement ring, I gasped in horror as I discovered that one of the diamonds was missing! It was not in the cleaning solution, and it was not in the sink. Ben happen to be with me at the moment, and so we began an intense search.

Ben took apart the drain pipe in the bathroom, while I checked the shower drain. We searched the bathroom floor on our knees, shining the flash light in all the tile cracks. I started to loose hope as I checked the fingers of my gloves. I had no idea when the last time was that I looked at my ring, and saw all of the diamonds. My stomach fell as I thought of all the places I had been in the past week, or even month.

Not about to admit the diamond was gone forever, I started to slowly pick threw the trash can. As I got to the bottom of the bag with no luck, I looked up to the plate of muffins I had baked for the party that night. I thought to myself, "if the diamond does not turn up any where els, I will crumble every muffin just to be sure it did not fall in to the batter".

I was about attack the muffins when Ben sat on the floor next to me with a cupped hand. He had found the diamond!! It was on the floor just beneath the section of the couch I always sit on. Relief rushed over me as the tears started to fall. Ben held me as I cried out my fear and disappointment at the thought of loosing that diamond.

I left my rings at home when we went to the party. I did not want to worry about another diamond falling out during the night. On Monday morning I am going straight to the jewelers to have it reset. I am very aware of how lucky I am that Ben was able to find the very small, but very sentimental stone.

2008-03-21T05:33:00.001-07:00

Spring;

Most of our winter was cold and cloudy with very little snow. Yesterday was the first day of Spring. The snow started to fall in the early evening, and has yet to stop. A reminder that the weather is unaware of the concept of seasons.

2008-02-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

Fairy Tales;

Little girls are raised on fairy tales, princesses, and the perfect prince. We play with dolls to act out our future wedding days. We create our own versions of a perfect world, of life with home, husband, and children. No matter how logical a girl might grow up to be, she still believes in her "happily ever after".

Fairy tales do not tell children that the "happily ever after" takes hard work, commitment, and communication. That it takes mutual respect, trust, and love. It does not occur to children, that the "happily ever after" is not something that is given to a couple after the "I do's", but something that is earned years later.

My life has certainly not unfolded according to the script my dolls would act out. The reason why is simply because, there are some things even children do not dare to dream. I did not have the ability to image the life, the experiences , or the fortune that I have had. Simply put, the life I have is beyond my dreams.

The main reason my life has become what it is, is because of my husband. Ben does not just love me, he cherishes me. I know that in any situation, he will always put me first. He never yells, he is never judgmental. He is always considerate, and understanding. He can tell what I am thinking by the way I move my toes. When we get mad at each other, we calm down and talk it out. We have never had a fight. He knows how to make me smile, he knows how to make me laugh. He knows what I need, and always provides it for me.

He encourages me to try things I am afraid of. If I can not do it on my own, I know will be there holding my hand, trying it with me. It is because of Ben that I realized how strong and self reliant I am. That the word is not a scary place, and that I am safe in it.

It will be years before the status of my "happily ever after" is known. Until then, I can fall asleep each night in the arms of my handsome prince.

2008-02-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

Walking on Ice;

Around Oslo, there are no laws about shoveling the sidewalks of homes or businesses. Instead gravel is laid on top of the ice. This is usually enough to keep people from slipping, but as the gravel is walked on, it becomes sparse in some spots. This leave large sections of black, or thick ice free to be slipped on. The answer to this? People know how to walk on ice with out slipping.

I have learned this skill, but every now and then I hit some black ice, or the ice is on a slope, or I am just not paying attention, and I slip. Very few times have I fallen to the ground, and I have never been hurt more then a bruise. I do get nervous when I am not walking alone. Most of the guys at Trolltech walk very fast, and I worry about trying to keep up with them and falling on ice. So the other day I bought some "ice shoes" (I am just calling them that. It is not their proper name).

My "ice shoes" are rubber skeletons that are pulled around and under my own shoes. They have a thin metal coil that surrounds the rubber beneath the shoe. The metal coils grab the ice as I walk on it, and prevents slipping. You can even run on ice wearing them. A draw back is that they are very hard to walk with on tile or very smooth floors, however they are very easy to remove.

Even though these "shoes" are meant for the elderly, and hikers, I find them very useful and fun to use.

2008-01-02T04:37:00.000-08:00

I found this photo yesterday on line. It was taken two minutes after midnight on New Years eve in Oslo by Bjorn Christian. Just in case I never get our video of the fireworks up here, I thought that this photo would give you an idea of what the night was like. Try to remember that all the fireworks are set off by citizens in small local parks. You can see a better image at, http://pizdaus.com/single.php?id=14984

2008-01-01T12:10:00.000-08:00

New Years;

We went to a dinner party at our friend Paul's house. It was the most traditional Norwegian dinner I have ever eaten. Besides the sauteed reindeer, there was a classic "pinnekott" dish. "Pinnekott" is a salted lamb rib that has been dried. You cook it buy steaming it on top of pine sticks, so that the meat never touches the water.

At about 11:40, we all headed for a park to watch the fireworks. The fireworks are set off by regular people and there is no organization to it. Because of this, the atmosphere in the parks is very frenzied and very loud. We toasted the New Year with Champagne as we counted down the seconds to 2008. We took lots of photos, and video, in an attempt to capture the crazy scene that New Years in Norway provides.

We hope that everyone had a safe and happy New Years !!

2007-12-14T13:56:00.002-08:00

Ornament project;

I spent a few days on a fun craft project that resulted in 20 Santa Claus ornaments. You take a stick that is cut on an angle. I painted the middle of the cut tan, the top red, and the bottom of the cut white. Add a nose and eyes, and you end up with a fun and simple art project.

2007-11-30T07:50:00.001-08:00

Uses for Marshmallows in Norway;

I bought a bag of marshmallows for Thanksgiving, and noticed something for the first time. On the back of the bag, were three suggestion on what to do with the marshmallows. Two of the suggestions were very familiar:

1. "Grill for dessert"

2. "Delicious in coco"

However the third suggestion made me stop and think,

3. "Try them in a salad!"

2007-11-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to put our Thanksgiving off until Saturday. We figured that it would be better to have the entire day to eat and play games with friends, then to only have a few hours after work on Thursday. We had a two friends over and had a lot of fun.

2007-11-10T15:08:00.000-08:00

Red Tape;

Moving to another country and becoming "legal" comes with a lot of red tape. I thought that I had cut through it all when I was approved for my "permeant" (only good for one year before you must renew it) Visa in September. The last thing that I needed was the Norwegian equivalent to a Social Security number. I thought that this would not be hard to obtain. All I had to do was walk to the "Folk Registers Office", fill out a form, and I would have the number in two weeks. A week after I had filed the paper work, I realized it would not be this easy.

I received a letter from the Folk Registers office stating that they needed me to bring down a legal copy of my marriage certificate to prove Ben and I were married. So I brought down our marriage certificate and presented it to the teller. The man looked at my apologetically and said, "well... yes... this is legal in the USA, but we need it to be legal for Norway". When I asked what that meant, he told me that the certificate needed an international stamp/ seal, and that I should go to the American Embassy to obtain it.

I took the bus down town, found the embassy, went threw security, and found my way in to the correct office. I approached the window and explained to the teller my predicament. To which she quickly replied, "there is nothing we can do for you. You will have to call the Secretary of State of the state you were married in. They will tell you how to get a stamp".

At this point I was starting to feel discouraged. So I left the Embassy disappointed and headed home. I looked up the number for the State Department and called the Secretaries office. I spoke to a very nice lady that explained to me how to send in my marriage certificate to them. She also told me what else they needed (check, self addressed envelope, etc.) and that it would be returned to me in two to three weeks. I put a small packet together of all the requested items and sent it off. Having no other choices available to me.

Two weeks and a day later, our marriage certificate appeared in the mail box. It now sports a letter stapled, tied, (yes literally tied threw two holes in the papers) and stamped with an official seal. I returned triumphantly to the Folk registers office, and presented my now legal document. It was photo copied, I filled out one more form, and I was DONE!!!

I now have a the equivalent of a Social Security number, and am extremely proud to say that I have finally defeated the red tape!

Photo by hexod.us

2007-10-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

Italy, The hotel and a few random incidents;

The hotel I stayed at was literally a half block from the train station. It was very easy to find, but when I first saw it I was a bit confused. It was the right name and address, but the hotel looked to nice for the room rates. It had a nice exterior, and the nicest lobby I have ever been in while traveling in Europe. I was the right place though, and I quickly checked in and headed up to my room. The room was a single, a was a typical European room. It was larger then I thought it would be. It had an on sweet bathroom, closet, desk and bench like chair. The bed was a single, and looked like a day bed. The room was very cozy, and sweet.

While I was waiting to board the train to Venice, I was standing behind two men traveling together. They seemed a bit confused and wanted to make sure they had the right train. So one of them started to ask me a question in Italian. So I responded in Italian (this is the best line to learn when going to another country. Say it in the countries language simply to be polite and respectful) I'm sorry, do you speak English?

He responded, "err, little, no good". Then he asked if I spoke French. I responded no, do you speak Dutch? (German, Dutch and the Scandinavian countries all sort of resemble Norwegian) He did not, so we spoke in broken English, and pointing. When we had decided that he and his friend were in the right place, he asked me if I was Australian. It was the first time someone did not assume I was American. I do not know how he got Australian, since I do not think I have an accent that sounds anything but American.

When I was walking back across the bridge by the train station in Venice, I saw 5 or 8 guys with canvas tarps on the bridge steps. Each tarp had hand bags displayed for the tourists to buy, and they were either fake, or stolen. Anyway, as I approached one of the men yelled something to the others. The all quickly grabbed the tarps and ran off in to the ally ways with there merchandise. As I reached the top of the bridge, I saw what the men were running from. Two police officers had turned the corner, and were approaching the bridge. The street seller were so well organized and quick, that the police never knew they were there.

At the Milan airport, many planes leave from the same gate within ten minutes of each other. While I was waiting for my flight to board, a flight going to Brussels was boarding. I had my passport out because my flight was next. I looked up and noticed a women perhaps in her 50's looking at me. She was in line to board the plane and as she got closer to me, I noticed that she had a dark blue passport which meant she was probably an American. When she was just about in-front of me, she eagerly asked if I was an American. I said I was, and she got a huge smile on her face and she told me that she was from Michigan. It must have been her first trip to Europe, and she was heading home through the Brussels hub. I guess I was the first person she saw that was definitely from the states. It was very cute.

2007-10-16T09:40:00.001-07:00

ITALY, A day in Venice;

I boarded a six am train to Venice for a day trip. I watched the sun rise on the train while we passed grape vineyards before arriving on the island of Venice at nine o'clock.

Even with a very good map, is is extremely easy to get lost amid the winding streets and ally ways. There are yellow sings posted high on the buildings, with arrows pointing towards the main tourist attraction. If you happen to miss one of these signs, you may end up turned around and at a dead end.

My first stop was at the Rialto bridge, which is one of only three bridges that span the Grand Canal. This bridge is host to a large market at both ends of the shore, and on the bridge itself. It is also almost always packed with tourists.

On the north side of the Rialto Bridge is a mask shop that I wanted to visit. It is the shop that belongs to a master mask maker, who's work was featured in the movie "Eye's Wide Shut". I knew that I wanted to buy an authentic Venetian mask while in Venice, and I am so happy that the mask I choose came from this artisan. I did not want to get in to to many colors or adornments, so I choose the classic theater mask of comedy and tragedy. The mask maker even singed it for me.

I made my way threw the winding streets until I came upon the San Marco Piazza. I fed the many pigeons here, and they landed in my hands and even on my head! At the head of the Piazza is the Basilica of San Marco. Inside the Basilica are the most amazing mosaics depicting many biblical stories. You can climb the stairs of the Basilica to view the Piazza from the balcony. Up stairs is also a small museum, whose main attraction is four bronze horses which date back to antiquity, and are the only chariot group to have survived from that time period.

I took a little break from the mass amount of tourists, and went for a walk along the Grand Canal. I did a little shopping, and had a gelato while taking lots of photos of the canal and the gondolas.

My next stop was the Doge's Palace that then leeds you across the Bridge of Sighs and in to the prison. While it is in itself unique, the palace was sort of like every other palace I have visited in Europe from that time period.

My last tourist stop was at Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. This is a church I discovered in my research of Venice, that houses pieces from three masters. I was able to view Titian's "Assumption of the Virgin" and the "Madonna di Ca' Pesaro", Bellini's "Madonna and Child with Saints", and a wooden sculpture of John the Baptist by Donatello. Since this church is not one of the popular attraction, I had to rely completely on my map, and the kindness of the locals to help me locate the church.

I made my way back to the train station, and boarded the train back to Milan. The trip was three hours long, and I arrived at my destination after dark. When I had returned to my hotel, I quickly got in to bed and was asleep within five minutes. It was a very long, but stimulating journey.

2007-10-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

ITALY, Milan;

I spent more time in Milan and was based there. I went to bed very early each night, woke up very early, and did a lot of walking. My legs were so soar by my last day, that while walking to my hotel, my walk resembled the waddling of a duck. I was able to see all the sights I wanted, and still arrive at them with plenty of time to appreciate where I was.

While in Milan I visited three museums, that each held it's own unique master piece.

When visiting the Brera Museum, I was able to view Bellini's Virgin and Child, Hayez's The Kiss, and Raphel's Marriage of the Virgin.

At Castle Sforzesco, I saw the Funerary monument for Gaston de Foix, Mantegna's Madonna in Glory, and most interesting of all, the last sculpture by Michalagalo. The later was unfinished when Michelangelo died at the age of 89, in 1564. The story goes that he was chipping away at this statue when he passed, most likely of a stroke.

The last museum that I visited was the Ambrosiana Museum. At the Ambrosiana, I saw Leonard's Portrait of a Musician, and the original full size sketch Raphael drew and then used to created the School of Athens fresco located in Rome.

I also visited Santa Maria delle Grazie, where da Vinci's Last Supper is located. While viewing the Last Supper, I realized that is was the first time a famous art piece or landmark, was larger then I had anticipated. To view it you must reserve your ticket to the last supper early because only a limited amount of people are allowed to view the fresco each day. During the high season, you may need to make a reservation three months in advance. As a result, many people are turned away at the ticket counter daily because they were unaware they needed a reservation. While waiting for my time slot, I passed the time by watching people go in to the ticket office, count how long they were there, and if they came right out quickly (they did not have a reservation), observed their reaction to the realization they could not see the last supper. The most common reaction, started off being angry, then annoyed, then sad, and finally acceptance before leaving the church yard. It was quite amusing.

I visited Milan's Duomo. The Cathedrals interior is immense, with many grand stained glass windows, and an intricate tiled floor. You can even climb to the top of the Duomo and walk along the outside of the stone roof.

I walked through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is a large X shaped mall cover by a glass ceiling. The floor of the galleria hosts some famous mosaics, including an image of Romulus and Remus, as well as a depiction of torino (little bull). The Galleria is an impressive example of Milan architecture.

I must say that the highlight of my time in Milan was visiting the last supper. I enjoyed looking at the feet of the decibel's since they are not often included in photos and posters. Unfortunately the feet of Christ were forever lost when a door was installed right under him.

2007-10-07T09:25:00.001-07:00

Short trip;

Tomorrow I am heading off on a four day trip to Italy. I will be staying in Milan, and taking a train to Venice for a day trip. I am planning on visiting many architecture sights and museums. I am very excited to go, and looking forward to the 90 degree weather.

2007-10-07T04:43:00.000-07:00

New old food;

The other day ben and I walked to the mini-mall up the street from where Ben works, and stopped in at the large grocery store on the main floor. We had only gone in to look around and compare the prices to the store closer to home. There are a few food items that we never got around to finding in Oslo. The items were so unnecessary, that a hunt for them was completely unnecessary. This day however, two of these food items found us.

The first item we came across was macaroni and cheese. It tastes very much like the craft brand, and looks the same. On the box it says, "American Macaroni and Cheese" and even has images on the American flag. The instructions on the back are in Norwegian as well as English. Now normally when ever instruction are given in English, the English flag appears next to the text (the home country flag of any language used is pictured next to the text to help the reader find the correct language). One the box of Macaroni and cheese, the American flag was used to mark the English text.

The other item we found was chocolate chips. This was the first time that I had ever come across chocolate chips in Norway (not that I was looking for them). The chips were richer, and about twice the size as the ones in the states. We bought a bag and made chocolate chip cookies right away. They were all eaten with in two hours of emerging from the oven.

2007-09-04T12:08:00.001-07:00

Amusement park;

This past Sunday, Trolltech took the the employees to a near by amusement park called "Tusenfryd". The park was small by American standards, but lots of fun. There was at least one example of all the different types of rides, including a huge wooden coaster. The park was definitely more geared towards families with small children, and a few rides for the teenagers.

There was a "Wild West" town set up in one section of the park. We only realized it when we noticed that all the signs were written in English. The best part of the "Old West" town was a troff where you could pan for real gold. It remedied me of the time I did the same thing on South Dakota when I was about ten.

Trolltech had a tent set up where people could get together and talk. The also served a barbecue lunch. Ben and I were unaware how many people at Trolltech had children, since we only ever talk to the development guys, and they are all single.

It was a very long day, but we had allot of fun running all over the park.

2007-07-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

July 3rd London

We woke up at about 5am, and headed out for the airport. There were no delays, and no extra security that we noticed. Our plane left at about 9am, and we arrived in London at about 10:30. After finding our hotel we grabbed some lunch, and stared some sight seeing. We walked past West Minster Abby, and Parliament (Big Ben) on out way to Buckingham Palace.
We took lots of photos, and video tape of the guards, the palace, and the surrounding area. From the Palace, we got our first look at the London Eye. We walked through the city and found our way to the British Museum. There we saw the Rosetta Stone, statues from the Parthenon, and a wide assortment of items from the ancient world. We then stopped at the National gallery were we saw works from all the masters. We also saw Leonardo's "The Virgin of the Rocks" , Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and Rembrandt's "Belshazzar's Feast" . While walking back threw out the city, a thunderstorm rolled in, so we headed back to our hotel. We stopped at a grocery store and picked up some bread, cheese, lunch meats, and a bottle of soda (we had a mini refrigerator in out hotel room). We had sandwiches for dinner, and we were asleep by nine o'clock.

July 4th Stonehege Tour

After a very good nights sleep and a light breakfast, we went out in to the city for an up-close look at the near by sites. Our first stop was Big Ben and the houses of Parliament. We crossed the river Tames, and stood beneath the London Eye. We then went to Westminster Abby, where inside I saw the tombs of Queen's Elizabeth and Mary, Henry the 8th, King George, Mary Queen of Scott's, Chaucer, Newton, and Darwin. After lunch Ben took me to wait for the tour bus that would eventually take me to Stonehenge. Ben preferred to stay in the city and look around some more. The bus arrived and after a kiss from Ben, I was off. Our first stop was to the largest stone circle in the world located in Avebury. There was also a sweet village complete with thatched roofs. Our next stop was a neolithic burial mound that we were allowed inside to explore all the chambers. Right next to the mound happen to be a crop circle that had "formed" in the past few day. It was a simple circle however there were a few people in the middle, chanting. Next we drove threw Pewsey valley, passing the white horse carved in to the chalk hillside. Our last stop was Stonehenge. Normally visitors are not allowed any closer then with in ten feet of the site, and there is a fence to make sure of it. The tour I took is called the "beyond the Fences Tour" and takes its passengers inside the site so you can walk around the stones and touch then. This tour runs either before stonehenge officially opens to the public at sun rise, and just when it closes at sunset. I was on the sun set tour. We spent about an hour walking around the stones and taking photos. It was an amazing experience. The best part was at the end. Myself and another person from my tour were the last people to leave the site. Because of this we each took a turn standing in the center of the stones all alone. It was an unsurpassed moment. We then boarded the bus and headed back to London. We arrived at about 10:30 pm where Ben met me at the hotel and we headed to bed.

July 5th All Over London

This was a very long day that ended with blisters formed on top of blisters on our feet. After breakfast we headed West to reach the days attractions. All the places we are visiting offers free entrance if you buy "The London Pass" which also gives the bearer special offers at shops and restaurants. We first crossed London Bridge (the original one is long gone and is now just a normal bridge) to arrive at "The Monument". The Monument is the largest stone column in the world, and was built to commemorate the great fire of London. After climbing the 311 steps to the top of the tower, you are rewarded with spectacular views of the entire city. Our next stop was the "HMS Belfast, which is a cruiser that fought in World War Two. Visitors are free to explore nine decks and see recreations of what life was like on a war vessel. The best parts were the boiler rooms, and sitting the captains chair. This was much bigger then we thought it would be and could have spent a lot more time there. We then visited Tower Bridge which most people mistake as London Bridge. We rode to the top and crossed the Thames from the foot bridge at the top of the towers. The bridge was built in 1894 and survived World War Two, because the Germans used the bridge as a landmark to find their targets. For this reason, no pilots were allowed to bomb the bridge. We visited the engine room, and saw fun interactive displays on how the bridge hydraulics work. Next we visited the tower of London. Here we saw the Crown Jewels, traitor gate, the White Tower, The Bloody Tower, and of course the Ravens. We then headed to St. Paul's Cathedral which was featured on Disney's "Marry Poppins" as the location to buy crumbs from the old lady to feed the birds. Here we climbed 530 steps to the top of the golden dome, for more breath-taking views of the city. Our final stop was a gift shop that gives a free teddy bear to you if you have a London Pass. We did a little bit of shopping on the way back to the hotel, and stopped at Pizza Hut for good hot food. When we returned to the hotel, we backed out backpacks and got ready to return home.

July 6th

We started our last day with a good breakfast at the hotel. We checked out early, but left our packs so we could squeeze in a bit more sight seeing before we had to be at the air port. We walked to Hyde park to see the "Wellington Arch" then walked threw the city to see Harrods department store. Our destination was the Science Museum which we arrived at a few minutes before it opened. Once we were in the museum, we saw exhibits on space, train travel, airplanes, and a display on plastics. After a few hours, we headed next door to the Natural History museum. Here we saw lots of dinosaur skeletons and very cool dinosaur displays including some life size animatronics. From here we walked back to our hotel and picked up our bags. We took a bus to Heathrow airport and checked in. Our flight was delayed an hour, and sat on the tarmac for an hour after we had left the gate. We finally got home at about 10 pm, and headed to bed after we took a nice hot shower.

All in all we had a fantastic trip. We saw lots of amazing things and had some fantastic experiences.

2007-07-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Scotland

June 29th Glasgow

Last friday we met up with some guys from Trolltech at the bus station down town to fly to akadamy. We were flying out of the small airport that is a two hour drive from Oslo, which meant the long bus ride was unpleasant. The flight was uneventful, and was soon over. We took a train from Prestwick airport to Glasgow central station. On the train ride we saw many wind turbines on the hills. Once we arrived in to the city, we all split up to find our separate hotels. Ben and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which is located along side the River Clyde. We grabbed some dinner and headed out in to the city. We found the statue of the Duke of Wellington, which is famous because teenagers place a traffic cone on the dukes head, and will replace the cone no matter how many times the sanitation department removes it. Unfortunately for us, there was no cone on the Dukes head when we visited it. We visited George square and saw lots of kids dressed in punk and goth styles. We picked up some groceries so we would have food to snack on, and headed to the hotel for an early bed time.

June 30th Day trip to Loch Ness

After breakfast at the hotel, Ben walked with me to George Square to meet the bus tour I would be taking that day. Ben kept walking to aKadamy, while I waited anxious for the bus to arrive. There were only 16 of us on the tour, so the bus was a small coach. When it finally arrived, we all got on board quickly and headed out 10 minutes early. Once we were out of the city, we headed towards Loch Lomond. We drove the length of the loch and stooped for photos. Next we headed north towards the great glen beneath Ben Nevis ( Britain's highest mountain) and learned about the great massacre of the McDonnell's at the hands of the Campbell's. We stopped for lunch near Fort August were I had a tranquil experience. The place we stopped for lunch had a large gift shop and a coffee shop. Since I had packed my own lunch, I went walking around a bit. I saw a fast moving stream down the banks behind the gift shop. I saw a little path threw the woods and decided to explore it a bit. I had only gone down the hilly path for a few yards when I realized I was now parallel to the stream. I walked very carefully across moss coved rocks, until I reached the dry rocks of the shore. The river ran around the shore in a way that made a small peninsula. I walked out to that part of the shore and sat to have my lunch. I was very peaceful and tranquil. Even though I knew there was people and a town up the bank, I could only hear the rushing water, and could only see the wooded tree filled banks. I was a bit saddened to leave my secret stop to rejoin the tour group. After lunch we drove along the four lochs including, and on the way, to Loch Ness. The other Lochs were, Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, and Loch Linnhe. After driving along the bank of Loch Ness for a half hour, we stopped at Urquhart Castle which is one of the most famous and most photographed castles in the world, although not many people know its name. We toured the castle for an hour and a half taking photos of the castle, and the Loch. At 2:30 we gathered together on a boat, and took a half hour cruise on the the Loch itself. The cruse ended at a gift shop were there were two "Nessy" full scale models. We gathered back on the bus (which drove to the spot while the group toured the castle, and took the boat cruise) and headed back towards Glasgow. We drove threw the Forest of Atholl. We stopped for dinner at a sweet little restaurant in Pitlochry where I had roast beef with yorkshire pudding. While people were returning to the bus, the bus driver was on the phone with the office. This is how we learned about the terror attack on Glasgow airport. The airport was now closed with no indication on when it would reopen. Some of the people on the tour bus were suppose to leave in the morning. Since they were not sure if they could get out, they started to discuss taking another tour instead. After the dinner break we drove on the high way to return to the city. Since the road was mostly empty we made it back to George Square an hour early.

July 1st

On Sunday I spent the day in Glasgow and took advantage of a Hop on - Hop off tour. These tours are in most big cities and the premiss is that you buy a tickets and can get on or off the bus at any of the stops all day long. The bus stops at all the popular tourist attractions and gives a commentary about the sites and about the city itself. I jumped on the bus in George Square and took it to the city limits to see the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The museum is home to real stuffed animals like birds, a giraffe, elephants and many other land and sea creatures. There are fossils, skeletons and Egyptian artifacts on display with hands on experiences for the kids. On the second floor there is an impressive collection of art from many masters like Rembrant, Monte and Rafael. There was also a room dedicated to Scottish painters and a wing for Scottish history. I then took the bus to the 'Barras' Market, which is a large flee market. I then went to see the Glasgow Cathedral and its crypts. When I was done touring the city, I went to aKadamy and picked up Ben. We went to the largest glass top mall in Britain and looked around for a while. We went out for dinner for a hot meal (which is severely under appreciated) during a rain storm. We picked up some ice cream and headed back to the hotel. We ate the ice cream and had a relaxing evening, going to bed early.

July 2nd Edinburgh

I headed out early on Monday morning, and made it on to the 7:13 train to Edinburgh. The journey lasted for a little more then an hour, and took me through the rolling hills of the country side. Along the way, I saw many cows, sheep, and horses grazing in the pastures. When I arrived at Waverly station in Edinburgh, I first visited the statue of Greyfriar's Bobby (check out this site if you are unfamiliar with this story, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby ) before heading up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle. The castle was fascinating, and is home to the crown jewels of Scotland, and the destiny stone, as well as the "one o'clock gun" that has fired everyday at 1:00 for the past hundred and fifty years. After about two hours I headed out of the castle and down the Royal Mile. I stopped in at the Tartan Mill, which is a free walk threw exhibit of a real tartan production factory. It is also broken up with many opportunities to buy scottish products. My next stop was the Scottish Whisky experience, where you can learn about the production of scottish whisky. There was a "barrel" ride that took you threw the history of whisky in the country. I had never been more bored on "amusement park ride" in my life, simply because of the slow movement of the cars. My next stop was Giles Cathedral, with it's crypts and lower sanctuaries. After a bit of shopping, I went to high tea (lunch) at Clarinda's tea room. It was extremely quaint, and served tea family style (shared tables). I then headed back towards the train station, stopping at Princess St. Park, and walked around the grounds for a while. My last stop was at the Scott Monument, which is a gothic tower with 287 steps to clime to get to the top. I boarded the train headed back to Glasgow. I met Ben at the hotel and we went out for dinner. Once we were back at the hotel, we packed our backpacks and went to bed early in anticipation of Tuesday being an early and long day.

2007-06-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

"aKadamy"

It is once again time for the annual "KDE" conference called "aKadamy". This will be the third conference that Ben and I have attended since moving to Europe. It will be great to see a bunch of people again that go to the conference each year, and a few guys that used to work at Trolltech.

We leave on Friday for Glasgow Scotland where this years "aKadamy" is going to be held. While Ben is in meetings, I am going on a tour of the highlands, which includes a stop at Lock Ness. I am also going to take the train to Edinburgh for a day trip on my own.

When we are done at "aKadamy", we are going to hop a flight to London for a few days. Although there will plenty of amazing sites to visit, I am most anxious to see the Rosetta Stone, Westminster Abby, and StoneHenge. We are looking forward to going on a trip together, before it gets too hot in Europe.

2007-06-14T09:32:00.001-07:00

Amsterdam

Last weekend I found a great deal on a round trip air fair to Amsterdam, so I decided to go on a quick trip. Ben was not interested in going to Amsterdam, and the deal was for the middle of the week, so I went by myself. I left Tuesday at five, and got back Wednesday at nine. I stayed in a Hostel, which is a cheap hotel where you share the room with other people. In my case, I was in an all girl room with seven other girls.

I walked around a little bit when I arrived to get my bearings, and did a little bit of shopping. It was very cool in Amsterdam especially around the canals, which even under cloudy skies, were very pretty. I also saw "The Red Light District" with its windows before heading back to the Hostel for the night.

I got an early start in the morning, and headed out to see the sites I was most interested in. I visited "Dam Square" to see the palace and the first Dam which gave Amsterdam its name. I went to the "Rijksmuseum" to see "The Night Watch", which like so many other iconic items, was smaller then I expected. I headed to "The Van Gogh Museum" to see over two hundred of his most important works that included "The potato eaters", "Sunflowers", and "The Bedroom". I visited the "Flower Market" and "Nieuw Market". My last stop was to visit Ann Frank's house. The highlight of the tour was too see the actual bookcase that hid the door and the actual diary that Anne wrote in.

I was a great trip with interesting new experiences. I only needed a backpack and enjoyed not having to wait at baggage claim for a suitcase. It was also the first time I went on a trip by myself. An experience that I might recreate in the next year.

2007-06-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hodgepodge;

I woke up early the other morning and it was so sunny in the house, I thought that the alarm clock had not gone off . When I looked at the kitchen clock I realized it was only 4am! Now that we are in to summer, the sun is setting at about 11pm, and is rising at about 3am, and it we have not even reached the longest day of the year yet.

We went for a walk to the statue park last weekend, and on the way we heard birds chirping by a wall. We could not figure out where the chirping was coming from until we saw a bird fly in to a vent by a window. When the bird fly out, we peeked inside, and found three baby birds waiting for food. They were extreme adorable.

It has been very hot these past few days the type of heat were you do not want to move or get out of bed. To escape the heat, we spent some time at Trolltech. The office just purchased a "WII" so Ben and I battled it out on all the different sport games. I finally won at a bowling, even if it was only a video. We ate ice cream from the cafeteria, and cold sodas. An excellent way to spend a hot day. :)

2007-05-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

May Day;

May Day in Europe is just like Labor Day in the US. Since Ben was home today, and everything was closed, we decided to go for an adventure walk. There is a small lake surrounded by forrest about five miles north of us, which is also the last stop on one of the subway lines. We have gone there a few times on the subway and it is very nice. Ben and I decided to walk to the lake this time since it looked like it would only take about an hour on the map. The way there was up hill and there was some very nice views of downtown and the ocean. We past by a little antique store, but like everything else it was closed. Walking parallel to the train line, we arrived at the lake which was full of people having barbecues and spending time with friends and family. There were people running around the lake and there was someone selling ice cream at the entrance. Walking around the lake took us another hour with breaks and photo opportunities. Never in america would you walk for an hour to a place to exercise and then walk back, that is what the car is for :)

2007-04-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ben Before;

Ben After;

Ben is donating his hair to Locks of Love. "Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis."

http://www.locksoflove.org/

2007-04-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

Stupid Fun;

Last Sunday we went to "Vigelandsparken" which is a large park in Oslo, full of statues. We went with a bunch of friends to have a BBQ and some laughs. Well, Veronica and Donald were messing around and Jesper took some video. He then edited it and put it up on You-Tube.

"Frog Fighting" is when you hop around on your calves (like a frog) and try to knock over your opponent. It is very silly and stupid, and much funnier when witnessed in person. You can see Ben and I in the back round of a few shots. We are the two on the blanket behind Donald.

Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma5pmwJy9sA

2007-04-05T05:53:00.001-07:00

Easter Week;

Easter in Norway is a very big deal. The days leading up, and following the holiday are also observed with the same respect as Easter day itself. Businesses close on Wednesday afternoon, and do open again until the following Tuesday. This also applies for the grocery stores. Normally we go there three times a week, buying enough to last two days. With the grocery store closed for so long, our kitchen is stocked to last a week. It seems so alien to us now to have so much food just sitting on a shelf, while in the USA, we would always have a weeks worth of food available. It is hard to fathom how quickly you can adjust your self to living in a different culture.

2007-04-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Visa;

After nearly two years of living here, I have finally obtained a permanent Visa. The wait for a Visa is about nine months from when the paper work is received until you receive a letter telling you whether or not you are to be issued one. It took me a year extra due to translation mishaps, wrong paper work, missing paper work and waiting on Ben’s Paper work. At least that is all behind us now, and I have a legal right to stay in Norway.

2007-03-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

A welcome site;

Norway is a culture based on the outdoors. Even though Ben and I are not in to sports, we have adopted the practice of picnics in the parks. We have often discussed how a picnic in America always seem to in tale such hassle, to the point where not many people make picnics a routine outing. Many of the picnics here include disposable grills that people use for burgers and hot dogs. I was so excited to see that the grocery store has started putting the grills out. This more then anything else, tells me that spring is coming very soon.

2006-12-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

We are back in the states for Christmas, and I cannot get over how big everything is. The produce section of Stop and Shop would hold the entire grocery store I go to in Oslo. Do people really need that many tooth paste choices?? I also used a shopping cart for the first time in a year and a half. Ill try to remember to report other differences that I discover as we spend time in the states for the holidays.

2006-10-31T16:11:00.000-08:00

A white Halloween;
It snowed today for the first time in Oslo. It is not sticking to the ground yet, but the wind makes it look like a blizzard. I got the winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves down from the attic, so we are all set to start the winter. If this snow fall is like last year at this time, the snow will not stick and it will not fall again until December, but at least we are ready now.

2006-10-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

Note on the milk;

Ben will never leave for work without giving me a morning cuddle and a kiss before he goes. Well Ben woke up very early this morning and left for work at 6:30 for no other reason then he could not fall back asleep. As a result I awoke to the alarm at 8 to find him missing. I realized his laptop was also gone, so I determined that he had simply left for work early. When I went to get the milk for my morning tea, I found a note on the carton. I was a very simple message of “ I love U”, but it has made my day. It is a great example of “gifts are always nice, but it is the little gestures that make a wife happy”.

2006-10-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

All in all;

This years Akadamy was such a great time. The weather was great (for Ireland) and the attractions were not to be missed. I did some shopping, and Ben got to code. It was a very enjoyable and I am very glad I got out of the city. The entire trip was well worth it. Next years Akadamy will be held in Glasgow Scotland, and I am already making plans for what I will see there

2006-10-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

By train and bus, traveling in Ireland;

Taking the train to Blarney-

During the past year of planning our trip to Ireland, I was determined to find a way to get to Blarney to see the Blarney stone. I discovered that I could take a three-hour train to Cork, and then take a taxi or bus to the city of Blarney. The main website for Blarney Castle said that the self guided tour of the property would take about three hours. After checking the train schedule, I realized that I could take an early train, see all of Blarney castle, and still make the train back to Dublin. If I timed it all correctly, I theorized that I could be back by six that same night.

On Tuesday morning, I woke up at five A.M and got ready. I had packed my bag the night before, so I kissed Ben good-bye, grab my bag and headed down stairs. I took a taxi to the train station and found my platform. I had to wait a half hour before boarding the train, but was soon settled in my seat. The train was off at seven and I was able to watch the sunrise as we left the city. The train rout took me through the country and I was able to see the sprawling lands with mountains in the distance. It was a very relaxing and comforting site. I kept waiting for the tea cart to come to my car to get a cup of tea, but for some reason the cart never showed up.

The train arrived in Cork at about nine forty five, and I grabbed a taxi to take me to Blarney. Once at the castle grounds I went slow and took my time. First I went to the castle and slowly made my way up the stairs, exploring all the nooks and rooms (tourists are free to go anywhere inside the castle ruins). The stairs were very slick, steep, and tight. I made sure to stop fairly often to take photos and video of everything I saw. At the top of the castle, I was amazed at the views of the country. The sun was still out, and everywhere you looked resembled a post card. I made my way in to line to kiss the Blarney stone. To kiss it, you must lie on your back, hold on to parallel bars set in to the stone, and bend backwards to get to the bottom of the stone. A man sits next to you to hold you as you “hover” above the hole in the wall that is about five stories high. Although it seems dangerous, in reality there is a grate at the base of the outcrop, which will prevent you from falling more then a foot. For a little more info here is a link, http://www.sparta.k12.il.us/SID/blarneystone.htm.

While you are kissing the stone, a man is also above you taking your photo that you can later purchase at the gift shop. I then slowly descended down the castle again taking photos and videos of areas of the castle. I even climbed up in to window ledges to get and interesting photo. Just as I had finished my exploration of the castle, the sun went behind the clouds. I could not have timed it better my self. Back on the ground I explored the property. There were supposed Druid sites, the wishing steps, rock formations that seem to look like a witches head, and woodland trails. After the grounds had been thoroughly investigated, I returned to the main entrance, picked up my souvenir photo, and ate the lunch I had packed.

I explored the village of Blarney for an hour before hailing a taxi to take me back to the Cork train station. I boarded the three thirty train and headed back to Dublin. It rained for most of the ride however I was still able to see many farm animals grazing in the fields. As we were pulling in to one of the stops, I was able to see a full bright rainbow that was situated very close to the train tracks. On arrival in Dublin I walked back to Trinity and retrieved Ben. We went out to dinner before going back to the hotel, where Ben rubbed my soar feet. I am very glad that the trip was a success, and it was completely worth the time and effort to plan it.

Bus tour to Celtic sites-

On Wednesday I scheduled a bus tour to see the Neolithic sites know as the Hill of Tara, and Newgrange. The bus picked me up right around the corner from Trinity collage. The tour guide was an Archeologist specializing in Neolithic Irish sites. Our first stop was the Hill of Tara, which is situated in the middle of a sheep paddock. You had to be careful of where you stepped due to the amount of sheep dropping, and because the grass was wet and slick. Here is some more info, http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/tara/. From the top of the mounds on a clear day, you are able to see two thirds of Ireland. I was there on a rainy overcast day, so I am unsure if this is correct.

Our next stop was Newgrange, which is a mound made in honor of the winter solstice. It is built so that the sun will shine in threw a shaft and illuminate the chamber inside on the shortest day of the year. There are more mounds built for the summer solstice as well as other solar occurrences, but the winter solstice mound is the only one that has been excavated. It is the only mound that small groups of visitors are allowed to enter. Here is some more information, http://www.knowth.com/newgrange.htm.

2006-10-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

What I saw and did in Dublin by foot;

On Saturday morning I got an early start and headed out in to the city. My first stop was St. Patrick’s, which is Irelands largest church. I then headed to the Guinness Brewery were I saw how they make their beer. Your “ticket” was a free gift of a clear paperweight that contains a drop of real beer in the center. The tour ended with a free pint, but since I do not drink, I received a large soda instead. My next stop was the Jameson Distillery, where they make whiskey. This tour ended with four volunteers conducting a taste test of the different whiskies produced by Jameson, and other top manufactures. Everyone else enjoyed a free glass of whiskey, or in my case a soda. I then walked around the block to the Jameson viewing tower. The viewing tower is am observation deck nestled atop a tall chimney. I was the only one on this tour, and had the deck all to my self to take as much video footage as I wanted of the city views. I next walked to St. Audens, which is the oldest church in the city. Not much is left of the church, however one small chapel remains around the ruins, and still holds Sunday mass. Next I walked to Christ church, where I found the most beautiful tile patterns on the floors. My last stop was at Dublin Castle. The castle was turned in to more of a state home, and only one tower is left of castle. One the tour we were taking underground, where we could see more of the original breaking walls, and what is left of the moat (still filled with water from the river).

On Sunday I again headed to the opposite side of the city to take a tour of Kilmainham Gaol, a prison built in 1792. It was one of the first “modern” prisons that held people in individual cells, and focused on rehabilitation. It was also the site were many rebellion leaders were executed. Next I headed to Phoenix Park to see the animals of Dublin Zoo. My favorite moment was when I was alone at the Gibbon house. I knelt down as a young gibbon approached the glass and we observed each other from very close up. This exchange lasted only moments when a young girl shouted excitedly from across the path. She ran up to the glass and freighted the gibbon away. My last stop of the day was to see the Bram Stoker (author of Dracula) exhibit. My guidebooks, and online research of this attraction led me to believe it was an exhibit on the life of the famous author. I quickly learned that the exhibit was a long hallway of news articles about the writer, that turned in to a cheesy haunted house.

On Monday I arrived at St. Michans, which is home to four natural Mummies. For those that might not know, a human mummy can be formed in any environment, as long as the weather conditions stay constant. Like a dessert, in ice, in peat moss, or in a constant dry cool place. The crypts of St. Michans created the latter conditions. Some of the coffins were damaged and the remains fell out. The church will not explore the other hundred or so coffins to see if more mummies exist. The tour of the mummies included two priests, one nun, and a crusader’s remains. It is suppose to be “lucky” to gently touch the finger of the crusaders hand. When the group was allowed to touch the body, the Archeologist in me told me not to, but the curiosity in me won out, and I did gently touch the finger. It was a thrilling experience.

I then started to walk towards Trinity College, to meet Ben at Akadamy. I intended to do some shopping on my way back, and was crossing a street when a man about my age said “hi” to me. The people are very friendly in Dublin, so I thought nothing of it and replied “hello” to him in response. I was about to enter a store when the same man ran up to me and started to talk to me. When he asked if I was traveling alone, I started to tell him all about Ben, and what we were doing in the city. He looked at me and said, “Oh, you are married?” while at the same time looking at my hand. I then realized he was trying to “pick me up”. I replied yes, and then asked him if he was going to ask me out. He responded that he was, and then apologized for not knowing I was married. Now it might seem strange that I included this experience in my blog, but this had never happened to me before. I have never been “hit on” or had a random person come up to me on the street to ask me out. It was an interesting experience.

When I arrived at Trinity College, I took a guided tour of the campus, which ended in the old library. It is officially called “the long room” and is the most amazingly beautiful library I have ever seen. There were no paintings, no stain glass, just the two stories high vaulted wood ceiling, with wood bookcases on the main level, and around the balcony of the room. Every shelf was full of old priceless books from floor to ceiling. The best part was the rich deep smell, of old manuscripts, and old wood. I found Ben at the conference site and told him all about my day. The guys laughed as I told them all about the guy that “hit” on me.

On Thursday I went to the Archeology museum, where there were three peat moss mummies on display. I also saw some Viking artifacts, including a small scout ship (about the size of a canoe). It was fun to compare that ship with the ships I have seen on display in Norway. I also went to the national gallery, where I saw some famous Irish paintings and sculptures. I spent most of the day with Ben as he finished the KDE conference, and I got online for the first time in a week.

2006-09-30T04:05:00.000-07:00

The ambience of Dublin;

I had an unbelievably good time in Ireland this past week. The country is as green as it is always depicted, which is a direct result of the fact that is does indeed rain (at least a sun shower) every day. The rain never lasted more then ten minutes each time which did not hinder my walking around the city very much. The rain showers also allowed me to view a full bright rainbow on three different days during our seven-day trip.

The hotel we stayed at was a small B&B, just a ten-minute walk from Trinity college (the KDE location). The hotel was a typical European hotel, which means the rooms are small and the hallways tight. We ended up having to change rooms three times because the Ryder Cup was also in Dublin this week, and the hotel did not have the same room available for our entire stay. Two of the rooms we stayed in had only a shower and sink. The actual bathroom was down the hall on the landings. This is also very common in European B&B’s and other small hotels.

The people in Dublin were extremely friendly and polite. In fact, they went out of their way to help me if I was having trouble locating a street. One gentleman even walked six blocks with me to make sure I found what I was looking for. After being so used to listening to Norwegian accents, I found myself having a hard time understanding the Irish one. By the end of the week I was doing fine hearing the words, but every now and then I still could not understand what I was being asked.

One great thing about all the attractions and tours I attended, was the history lessons. While on my tours of churches or other monuments, the guides would give the customary history of the property and what it meant to the people of its time. They would then go further and explain how future history would be affected as a result of this particular site both in Ireland, and the rest of the world. As a result I know more about how the world impacted Ireland, and how it impacted the world, then I ever learned from other sources.

2006-09-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Good to be home;
We just got back from Akademy in Dublin. I will blog all about the trip in the next few days, but for right now we are in need of a shower, hot food, and our own bed.

2006-09-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Dublin

It is time again for the KDE conference called Akademy. This year it is Dublin Ireland, and we will be there for seven days. Of course I made an itinerary of everything I am going to do there while the boys are in meetings. I even got a train ticket and will travel for three hours to Blarney Castle to kiss the blarney stone. I will blog all about the trip when we get back.

2006-09-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Kayaking

Girish and Tahara invited us to go kayaking with them last Saturday. We met them at the last stop on the bus route, and headed for the harbor. None of us had ever kayaked before, so we were all a bit hesitant. The renter of the kayaks seemed a bit concerned at our lack of “out door” abilities, and joked about having a rescue boat follow us. After a bit of effort, we were all settled in out boats and headed out in to the harbor.

We followed the coat line where we had a great view of nesting birds, and the cliffs. The weather was perfect, and the clear skies gave us a great view of the Fords. Sometimes powerboats would go by, creating large wakes. Our boats road the waves, much to our delight at the up and down motions.

After about 45 minutes we headed back to the pier. Poor Tahara (who is not as strong as the rest of us) lagged behind so much that when the rest of us docked, the renter thought we had lost one. Kayaking was not as hard as I thought it would be, and we are already planning on going back next season. We went out to lunch at a restaurant near our apartment and had fun conversation about how the different cultures view marriage. It was nice to talk to another couple about married life, when we are so accustomed to going out with the single guys.

2006-09-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Toys “R” Us

While looking up Toys R Us locations on line, we discovered that there was one “near” us. We decided to go for a long walk and find it. During the walk we found the circus that has been in town for a few months. By looking over the fence, we saw the elephants, and some dogs that had just come out of the ring.

We followed the bike path along the high way for about two hours, until we reached the border of Oslo. We were about to give up out search and head home when we saw a mall. We decided to investigate in a last effort to find the store. As we reached the back of the mall, we finally found the Toys R Us sign.

We found Transformers and Care Bears, but did not purchase anything. The store was as big as the one in the states, and even had the same smell. Although we are still not that good at speaking Norwegian, we recognized the whiney voices of children stating “But I want it!” I think that is one of the few phrases that has a universal understanding.
After thoroughly exploring the store we turned around and walked the two hours home. Ben and I agreed that we never thought we would spend four hours on a Saturday walking back and forth to a toy store.

2006-08-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

Today I realized that when you are craving a tangerine, a banana just does not cut it.

2006-08-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

A movie in the park:

When we went out for our walk the other day, we noticed a structure set up in the park across the street from out house. On further inspection, we realized that an out door movie theater had been set up. There was a free showing of “Grease”, with movie-goers sitting upon the hills and under the gazebo. We did not sit and watch the movie, but we were definitely impressed that the city set it up.

2006-08-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

The end of summer;

Our “two weeks” of summer has come to an end. The sun is setting enough now for the stars to come out. This week it has been raining almost every day and the clouds are always blocking the sun. The fall berries are out on the vines, and it is getting cold enough for blankets at night. We have not needed shorts for a few weeks, and I am currently wearing a sweatshirt to fight off goose bumps. We are hoping that the weather will be nice long enough to have one last picnic in the park. So until then, we will have our umbrellas ready to go.

2006-08-16T02:52:00.000-07:00

Hedgehogs;

Now that it is starting to get dark again, we have made a discovery when we go out for our walks. Apparently the parks are home to Hedgehogs. We have never before seen one in the “wild” and upon our first sighting were a little surprised. We often spot a pair of hoglets next to the high way. They let us sit near by and watch them until they decide to scurry off back to the safety of the bushes. We always forget to bring the camera with us to capture them, however we know that as soon as we remember it, the hedgehogs will be nowhere to be found.

2006-07-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

An old friend;

I have known Rachelle since I was thirteen years old. We were together for every event of our teen years, and she served as one of my bridesmaids on my wedding day. Even though Ben and I had moved to different states then Rachelle, we managed to see each other once a year, and talk via the Internet.

Rachelle and two other guys we knew in high school planned to back pack threw Europe for the summer. To my ultimate delight, they were planning on coming to Norway for five days.

They arrived from Copenhagen by ferry to the Oslo harbor were I picked them up. Rachelle stayed with me on the couch, and the boys stayed at the local hostel. Unfortunately Ben had to go up north with Trolltech to work on KDE, so Rachelle and I had the apartment to our selves.

We spent the week visiting the major tourist destinations like the Folk Museum, the Viking ship museum, Vigeland Park, and a few others. I also took them to see the near by Ford. Although the views are beautiful, the boys spent most of there time looking for topless sunbathers.

Rachelle and I had lots of time to walk around, shop and talk. I do know a few girls that I talk with, but having Rachelle to converse with was different. With people you do not know well, you will often have to deal with that uneasy silence when everyone is trying to think of something interesting to say. When Rachelle and I would finish a topic, there would just be the comfortable silence of old friends. We could talk about old friends, or current events. She is recently engaged so we talked about how relationships change with marriage. We talked about about `children and how we feel about them. She vented about the boys she is traveling with, and I vented about life in Norway.

I saw them off at the train station early Saturday morning, and then took the long walk home. It was refreshing to have Rachelle around to talk or to just be with. Even thou our time was short, I enjoyed being wrapped in the loving sweater of a old friendship built from years of trust and respect.

2006-06-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

All in All;

Abolishing false stereotypes and accepting true ones is something I deal with a lot. It always amazes me what I think I know, only to realize my knowledge is based on a stereotype.

Pairs has been featured in countless movies and television specials. For this reason, there is no way any city could live up to the expectations that have been placed upon it. I found my self a bit disappointed when I would gaze upon a monument or work of art, and realize how small it was.

I found Notre Dame not to be the dark gothic “sanctuary” I have seen in film, but a light colored beautifully decorated cathedral. Mona Lisa was smaller then her posters in the gift shop, and the Eiffel Tower was just not tall enough.

I expected a more romantic atmosphere like music playing, or people kissing everywhere. Part of me even realized I was disappointed that the air smelled like a city and not like perfume.

I know the difference between reality and fantasy; I just never realized how much of my “reality” was built by a fantasy. So all in all, Paris was a great trip with my husband. We spent lots of time together, and saw amazing things. It was relaxing yet tiring, as all vacations tend to be. I learned that Paris is just another city, and to check my expectations of what is real, and what is fantasy.

2006-06-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Food;

Like I have said before, Ben and I are not very experimental when it comes to the foods that we eat. While in Paris we did bow to the stereotypical experience of eating a croissant on a park bench, and we did share a flute of bread when we were at the airport. However as far as every day eating, we visited a grocery store and bought a few non-perishables to have in our hotel room. We got some snacks to keep in our backpacks, and some breakfast buns and rolls.

As far as dinner was concerned, we found a nice little restaurant that had a fantastic chicken dinner (Kentucky fired chicken). We also ate a little café that made great burgers (McDonalds). And we had pizza at busy lunchtime bistro (Pizza Hut). We know how bad it is to go to other country’s to obtain cultural experiences, but not try the food. It was our vacation and our decision how “cultural” we wanted to be. I do not regret not eating more French cuisine, and the chicken at KFC was the best we have had in a long time

2006-05-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Where we went and what we saw in Paris:

Eiffel Tower- Built in two years, the tower was the most important monument of the 1889 World fair.

We rode the trolley at the north end to the 2nd floor. From there we traveled by elevator to the 3rd and highest floor. We took many photos and visited the shops at the top of the tower. Since the Eiffel Tower can be seen from any other monument in Paris, by the end of the week we found ourselves saying, “there’s the tower again”.

Arc de triomphe- The Arc was built from 1806 to 1836 and its purpose was to commemorate the military exploits of France under the Revolution and the First Empire.

The Arc stands in the middle of a rotary. To reach the middle the city has built a tunnel that runs beneath the street, eliminating the need for pedestrian stoplights. The tunnel also diminishes the frequency of tourists being injured trying to cross the busy street. There were over 200 steps to climb to the top of the Arc. From the summit, there are amazing views or the entire city. Even more fun, was watching the traffic circling below you.

Notre Dame- The cathedral was under construction from 1163 till 1245. After the revolution the monumental and decorative statuary of the portals and towers were badly damaged. At the beginning of the 19th century, the towers, like the rest of the cathedral, were in very poor condition. After the success of Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”, a campaign was initiated to restore the cathedral to its original splendor. The renovations took place in 1845.

Inside the cathedral is as breath taken as the out side architecture. The stain glass images that line the church give a off a soft glow that bounces off the conclave ceilings. Standing outside on the bridge between the towers makes you appreciate the silent calm that comes from being high above the traffic and crowds.

The Louvre- The construction of the Louvre began under the reign of Philip Augustus in 1204. The construction took some seven centuries to complete. Originally used as a palace of the kings of France, it became a museum in 1793 and is now, one of the largest museums in the world.

While at the Louvre we saw many famous works, however we were surprised at how small most of them were. People seem to associate size with importance so I was surprised when I saw that the real Mona Lisa was smaller then the posters of her sold in the gift shop. We also saw “The Winged Victory of Samothrace”, the “Venus de Milo”, and masterpieces from all four teenage mutant ninja turtles.
Pantheon- Built from 1764 to1790, the Constituent Assembly decreed on April 4th, 1791, to turn the basilica into a temple destined to accommodate the remains of the great men of the Nation. Later the great women of the nation also found a final resting place within the Pantheon crypt.
Along the walls of the Pantheon are murals depicting French history. In the center of the room is the enormous Foucault’s pendulum guarded by a black cat. Ascending to the top of the dome, you have a 306-degree view of all Paris.

Boat Cruise-

After walking for four days, we took a boat cruise on the river. The cruise took about an hour and featured seating on a double decker, open top boat. The tour took us passed all the major sites that we had just spent hours walking to. I was a nice break for our feet, and the tour was given in English.

Moulin Rouge-

We did not sit in for a show at this famous landmark, but we did walk past it. As with so many other monuments and works in Paris, The Moulin Rouge did not seem to measure up to the size expectations Hollywood has placed upon it. Seeing the height of the windmill was a bit of a disappointment.
Cimetiere Montmarte-
During our walk to the Moulin Rouge we literally stumbled upon this famous cemetery. The graves and tombs are all above ground, and is the resting places of some well know celebrities including Jim Morrison, and Dumas.

Flee market-

As we were walking back to our hotel on the last day, we spotted flea market spanning the length of five blocks and two streets. We were hoping to find care bears only sold in Europe during the 1980’s, but to no avail.

Candid camera-

While we were walking down the street on our first day in Paris, a woman approached Ben and hit him with the bouquet of flowers she was carrying. We kept walking, assuming it was a case of mistaking identity, when we heard clapping and laughing. A man came up to us explaining that we had just been filmed for a candid camera type of show. We gave him our information and consent for the footage, and they will be sending us a DVD of the show our segment in on.

2006-05-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Paris in general:

We did a lot of walking while we were in Paris. We could have just as easily taking a bus, subway, or joined a tour group. We felt that if you are going to see a city, you might as well walk it and see all its aspects. This approach allowed us to visit a few tourist traps we might have over looked from a bus window.

Not only did we walk a lot, but we also ascended around 1,000 stairs. When we visited the various monuments and structures, the only one that offered elevator service to all was the Eiffel Tower. The Arch of triumph and the Louvre had elevators for the disabled only, while Notre Dame did not have the space for an elevator. All of the stairs we climbed were constructed in and continues circling ascension, which created a high sense of vertigo.

All the buildings we entered had an amazing architecture inside and out. Both Ben and my favorite part of many of them were the ceilings. Every ceiling we saw was as ornately detailed as the walls. The passages and stair wells were from a different time. They were very narrow with only recently installed railings and safety measures. This was mostly evident at Notre Dame, where to cross the bridge between towers, only the ten year old did not have to round the corners by walking side ways.

The people were not the rude pencil thin creatures personified in art and print. They were very polite and helpful, especially in restaurants when we were a little lost. The one stereotype that seemed to be true was the amount of people carrying flutes (long thin loaves) of bread home for lunch and dinner. There were also many people sitting in out door cafes enjoying coffee and pastries at every corner.

2006-05-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

Spring trip:

Last week Ben and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. We decided to take a trip together to celebrate, and see a new country. For our anniversary where else could we go but Paris? I know it is cliché, but why not? When would we be able to take advantage of being a two-hour plane ride away from France?

So last Wednesday we got up very early and headed to the airport. We spent six days and five nights in Paris, and saw as much as we could. We were able to get to everything we really wanted to see, and a few things that happing to be in the direction we were walking. I will blog about everything we did and saw while in Paris in the next few days, but for right now……..time to sleep.

2006-05-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

An “interesting” movie:

We went with some of the guys to a movie down town. The theater is presented as an “artsy” type theater. No food or drinks are allowed in order to preserve the appearance of the theater. They show a lot of older movies and unlike many other theaters, there is no assigned seating. We went to see “Zardoz”; a movie from 1974 that, stars Shawn Connery, and takes place in the future.

It was an interesting movie, but not what we expected. There was a lot of nudity and tons of sexual innuendoes. I am not very familiar with 70’s film so I was very surprised at the content. At the same time the movie was hilarious as a direct result of that same content. It was a good experience to not be disturbed by the graphic scenes, but to laugh them off in the humorous mood as it was intended to be.

2006-04-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

God Paske! (Happy Easter)

Even though most people in Norway are not very religious, Easter is a very big deal. It kind of feels like an extended Thanksgiving because many people travel home to spend the week with their families. We are enjoying Ben’s time off by going on walks, sleeping in, and spending time together.

Starting Wednesday afternoon, everything closes down because of the holiday, and they do not reopen again until the following Tuesday. The grocery stores open for a few hours on Saturday for those people that run out of food, but other then that they remain closed.

As a result of this I have a weeks worth of groceries in my kitchen for the first time in nearly ten months. It is strange when I realized how acclimated I have become to shopping for food every two days. On Thursday I was sure that half of the food I bought would spoil before we had a chance to eat it. It then occurred to me that I used to have this much food in the kitchen all the time back in the states. That realization showed me that I am integrated more in to this life then I had previously thought.

2006-04-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

New place, again;

Well for the most part we are all moved in to our new apartment. After one more trip to Ikea, the apartment is no longer in need daily used items. All that remains is the spontaneous personal touches takes years to place, such as photos from travels, and sentimental items from experiences not yet had. The apartment is on the first floor which means no more “soft feet” out of respect for the down stairs neighbors.

We are enjoying the fireplace / stove in the living room, and have lots of wood stored in our basement storage room. We have used our attic storage room for out of season coats and clothes, and some under utilized computer equipment. The dryer in the laundry room dries the cloths in an hour, instead of the two days it used to take on the drying rack.

Besides the amenities, the apartment was recently updated for a clean and modern look. We are really enjoying this place and are relived to no longer have to worry about moving. We are still waiting for the Internet to turn on, so until then, we are doing all our Internet activities at Trolltech.

2006-03-30T12:50:00.000-08:00

Moving;

We officially move to the new apartment on Friday. We have been staying at our new place, although we return to the last apartment to use the Internet. The connection at the new place has not yet been activated so this will be my last post for a little bit. Ha det bra! (Good-bye in Norwegian)

2006-03-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

Ikea;

We have made two trips to Ikea so far to purchase items for the new apartment. The Ikea is about a twenty-minute ride from center of the city. Ikea has a wonderful bus service to bring customers with out cars to the store. Two special “Ikea buses” takes turns going to Oslo every half hour. The buses are fitted with lots of shelf space to accommodate all the boxes and bags.

The Ikeas here are just like the ones in the US. They are big and have everything from furniture to household needs. Ikea’s style is affordable, good looking modern furniture that you assemble your self. The items are also meant for setting up your first house, which means that they are not meant to last a lifetime. Since we were looking for items we can dispose of in four years, Ikea was a perfect fit.

We found everything we needed for the bedroom and the kitchen. The best item we found is called the “Ikea kitchen starter set”. Literally this set contained everything you need for cooking in your new kitchen. The set had pots, pans, casserole dishes, a timer, cutting boards, hot pads, potato peelers, scissors, a cheese grater, mixing bowls, Tupperware, every cooking utensils needed, and even a set of knives. Best of all, you got all this and more for about a quarter of the cost of buying the pieces separately.

Besides the obvious convenience of Ikea, the store is a nice destination for a day trip. It takes us about an hour to walk to the center, and then about fifteen minutes for the bus to take off. Walking around Ikea takes another hour at the very least, then the bus ride back to Oslo. After the half hour ride on the city bus and the walk home, we are pretty much done for the night. Just like in America, you never go to an Ikea on the weekends. This means that I go by myself during the day, or after Ben gets home from work.

2006-03-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

Bread;

We have been doing a good job with the food. We have figured out almost all cooking instructions, and the words for most foods. There are times however when we feel extremely stupid. A great example of this is rolls. When we first arrived here I bought some pre made packaged rolls to go with dinner. When we tasted them, they were not quite right. They had a strong yeast taste, and were a little moist. We figured that it was a bad batch and fed them to the ducks. When we tried the rolls again later that month, we had the same problem. So we added them to the list of things we did not like.

Last month at lunch, Trolltech served hot rolls. Ben asked Marius if the kitchen staff often makes fresh rolls. To this Marius explained that you can buy rolls that are ALMOST cooked, and you just put them the oven to finish cooking them. This way you can have fresh hot rolls whenever you want.

We quickly realized that these must have been the rolls we thought tasted like yeast. So we went to the store and found those funny tasting rolls. Now that we are able to read more, we clearly saw the cooking instructions for the “pre made” rolls. So we tried again and cooked the rolls. This time they tasted extremely good. I would choose these rolls over the “Pillsbury” instant rolls every time.

2006-02-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

New Place;

We were really lucky and found a great place just down the street. We are subletting another fully furnished apartment from a young couple. This time the owners are sailing around the world, so they will not be returning before the end of the lease. The apartment is located right off the main street on a quiet side road. It is also just a half block from one of the many parks. There is a courtyard in the complex with a playground for the kids. There is also a laundry room complete with dryer! Which means that our clothes will be dry in an hour, and not in the two days it takes on the drying rack.

The apartment is a little smaller then our current one, but it is much nicer. It is an older building, however the apartment has been totally renovated. The original stove that was used to heat the apartment is still in working order and can still be used to heat the apartment. There are also electric heaters in every room including the bathroom. There is the same set up as our current apartment, of one room for the shower and another for the toilet. The best part is a huge storage area in the attic, which makes up for the lack of space in the apartment. Even though we have very little to store, it will be the perfect place for the bulky suitcases.

We are planning on buying a few things for the apartment to decorate it and add shelf space for books. We also have to buy new bedding and cook ware, which are not included with the apartment. Out of coincidence, we will have the new apartment the first of March, but do not have leave our current place until the first of April. So we are planning on taking our time moving in. It will be much more relaxing then trying to do it all in one day.

2006-02-25T09:53:00.000-08:00

“Life happens when you are busy making other plans” J. Lennon

I do not expect life to be easy. I expect it to be full of hard choices and decisions you just do not want to face. I know the difference between fantasy and reality. That life is not a scene in a movie, and that “Seventh Heaven” is not a reflection of the world. When a negative event happens, people are tend to ask, “why me?” I try to keep the position of “why not me?” What makes me so great that I am above suffering, and that for some reason there is another soul that deserves this hardship over me?

When Ben and I made the decision to move to Norway, we knew it would be hard. We expected confusion and the frustration that is inevitable when trying to acclimate you self to a new culture. What we have encountered has been harder then we could have predicted. The biggest issue we face on a daily basis is the language. Even though every one we encounter speaks English, all documents we get in the mail or have to fill out, is in Norwegian. It is frustrating when you feel you cannot function in the world you are living in. Even though it takes time and effort, we are slowly able translate a lot of words using a dictionary. We are stating to recognize common words, and we get help from people at Trolltech.

We have been living here for about eight months now, and things are getting easer. We sorted out a lot of bank confusion, I can use the Celsius stove with out effort, and we can read enough to be sure of our purchases at the grocery store. We were settled in our apartment and were starting to personalize it. However just as one difficulty was conquered we were informed that the woman whom we sublets the apartment from, needs to move back herself. So we had to rekindle our search for an apartment. This is also more difficult then it would be in America because the listings are all in Norwegian. Thankfully it is a bit easer then the first time we searched for an apartment simply because we now know more of the area. We also know which “buzz words” to look for. Such as the Norwegian words for, furnished, stove, storage, laundry room, and bedroom.

2006-02-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

Skating;

A small group of us took advantage of the “warmer” cold weather to go skating. I met the guys at Trolltech and to my delight, one of them had a car that we would be using to get down town. I realize how silly it sounds to be excited over a car ride but the last time I was in a car was a German taxi. Considering we use public transpiration about once a month, and walk everywhere else, a private car ride is indeed a treat.

Near the center of down town there is a very shallow square shaped man made pond. It has an “island” near one end that is inhabited with iron deer. There are little restaurants around the pond and little sculptures of children. It is a great place for the tourists to stop, have lunch and feed the ducks.

In the winter, the pond it turned into an outdoors skating rink. There is a little shop for skate rental, and a massive bench/light pole had been erected on the center of the rink. There were only six of in our group, and only half of us could stay vertical on the skates. Two of the guys had been skating twice before, but it was the first experience for the last guy.

There were only about ten other skaters on the rink so there was plenty of room to help the non-skaters, and for the rest of us to go at our own pace. The best part about the skate was that as soon as we got there it started to snow. It was the kind of snow that looks like feathers, a big flat slow snow. It made the skating a bit harder, but the ambiance was so peaceful, that is was worth a little trouble.

2006-01-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

Dinner and a movie;

I walked up to Trolltech so that we could go on an outing with a few of the guys. The nine of us took the subway down town to an Indian restaurant. It was located in the middle of the main tourist street, just in front of the palace. We were able to ascertain most of the items on the menu, but the waitress brought us some English menus just incase. Even though we have been attending the Norwegian classes, and I know my numbers, I still felt uncertain when ordering “number 56”, so I resorted to English. Maybe next time I will feel more confident.

After dinner we walked about five blocks over to one of the theaters. We had ordered the tickets on line, so we only had to pick them up. In Norway you pick the seats that you want to sit in when you purchase the tickets. The seating is all assigned, so you have the ability to sit in just the place you like the best. One interesting “tid bit” about the seats I noticed was that there was no cup holders in the armrest. I have no idea why this is; I just found it an interesting fact.

It was nice to go to out to dinner and especially out to a movie. We have been watching the movies we have, in the living room on our laptop. At the theater we watched “King Kong”, which was a good movie to see in the theaters due to the nature of the film. It was fun to compare this new release to the original feature from 1933. On the walk home, we also had discussions about the graphics and the effects of the movie. We also learned from this movie that an enormous bug is always “scarier” then the large hungry dinosaur just out side your hiding place.

2006-01-18T01:02:00.000-08:00

Classes:

We have finally been able to start Norwegian lessons at the new Trolltech office. There were a total of twelve people (employees and spouses) that wished to take a Norwegian class. Because there were so many of us, Trolltech decided to hire a private teacher to come to the office instead of sending us to a local college. Every Thursday we meet in one of the conference rooms, and have our private lesson.

Since we only meet for two hours once a week, most of our learning is done at home on our own. We were all supplied with a text book that included a CD, and a workbook. We have a lesson for homework, that we go over in class. The point is to work on the oral pronunciations, and have the grammar explained to us while we are together in class. We are then able to work on the translations at our own pace. The CD also allows us to listen to the pronunciations, to improve our speech.

Like any language class, it is hard and frustrating work. Ben and I are already seeing a difference in the amount of words we are able to pick up form television and the grocery store. At times we are even able to hear some spoken words, and understand the meaning. Of course we can only say simple sentences like “My name is” and “what?” but it feels good to know we will soon be able to get around in the verbal part of living in a foreign country.

2006-01-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

Sledding;

Trolltech has internal mailing list dedicated to certain interests that the employees can interact together in. On the sports list a message was left for an outing to a near by sled renting lodge. The idea was to take the new employees out to experience a Norwegian winter “sport”.

It took about thirty minutes to travel by subway to the mountain sledding resort. We obtained our sleds at the rental office and preceded to carry/pull them to the start or the run. The sleds consisted of two wooden rails with a metal strip on the bottom. The rails were attached to wooden framed square that housed a nylon fabric square attached with rope laces. The result of the construction was a heavy, sturdy sled that cushioned the rider from the bumps of the run.

It took about ten minutes to reach the bottom of the sled run. In that time you tried in vain to control the path the sled would take. Even though in some places the edge of the run had a curved wooden wall to herd sleders on the path, at times there was nothing to keep you on the track. I found myself approaching turns with nothing to keep me from going over the side of the cliffs. Other times the lack of sled control produced my appearance beneath the bushes of the forest surrounding the route. It felt like a ski run that had been “let go”. It was several miles long of mostly un-maintained hills where you could get up to twenty miles an hour. Portions of the trail curved around the side of the hill where there was vistas views of Oslo to your left.

When we arrived at the bottom of the “hill”, there was a platform to wait for the city tram to stop and pick us up. It took the tram about twenty minutes to return the sledders to the lodge next to the run at the top. Two members of our group were Girish and his wife Tahara. They are originally from India, but came to Oslo from Texas. It is hardly surprising that this is the first year that they have seen snow. They have been making the effort to try winter activities such as ice skating. Tahara was a little nervous about the sledding, but quickly got the hang of it. I could hear Girishs’ excited yelps the entire way down the run.

After sledding down the hill twice, we were all wet and cold. Most of us could no longer feel out toes, and fingers. We went to the lodge for coco and snacks. We all sat by the fire talked and ate. We took a few group photos before we headed back to the subway station. When Ben and I got home, we quickly changed in to our warmest pajamas, and sat together drinking one last cup of coco before heading to bed.

2006-01-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

New Years;

We were invited to Frank’s house for a new years party. Frank does not work for Trolltech, but is friends with many of the people who work there. When we arrived Marius, Simon and Jason had already arrived. Also present was another friend of Frank, his sister, and two of her friends. At about eight o’clock there was a buffet style dinner. There was an assortment of cold trays with pasta, shrimp, and meat entrées. We ate in the living room, talked and listened to music. Mostly we talked about our Christmas’s and the different cultural experiences that goes with every ones respective holiday. While talking the group broke up in to two sub groups. Those that can speak Norwegian, and those that cannot.

After dinner, a cheese and fruit platter was served to go with the wine that had been consumed all night. At this point Jason was a little tipsy, but was having more fun for it. An assortment of chips and sweets were also at hand to wait out the clock till midnight. At about ten till midnight we bundled up, retrieved some plastic glasses and champagne and headed out side.

There was no ball dropping on any of the buildings, and there was no count down to the moment of midnight. Instead the sky over Oslo was on fire. We walked to the closest park to watch the fire works. The displays were not put on by the government, but by hundreds of regular citizens. People were set up all over the park with all kids of fire works. They ranged from small sparklers to huge multi colored rockets. It looked like the types of displays you would see on the fourth of July in the US, only multiplied by ten. The rockets were going off about ten feet from where we were standing. A few rockets exploded on the ground and although we all new that it was dangerous; the effect was still pretty cool.

Our group each had a sparkler, and champagne as we watched the spectacle. We walked up the hill for a better view, and we could see more fire works in all the different parks through out the city. The noise was immense and reminiscence of thunder. The smoke in the air seemed to magnify the brightness of the explosions. The seen was amazing and can just not be described short of it was the most amazing thing we have yet seen.

On the walk home, the men in the group amused themselves with sliding down the hills, which were ice slicks. Back at the apartment, we continued to eat and talk. Then there was the “cheese shots”. One of the cheeses served had a funky taste so the boys decided to mix the cheese with alcohol and grapes in a blender to make shots. Simon and Frank had the idea and only they partook of the creation. Surprisingly Simon found the concoction palatable.

We had a fantastic time at our first Norwegian New Year. We are thinking that next year we will either join in the setting off of fireworks, or travel to the fordge to watch from the cliffs.

2005-12-27T12:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas;

We had the most wonderful Christmas this year. Every year of our marriage we, have driving for many hours and spent a few day with our families in Boston Mass. Both sides of the family live with in a few minutes of each other, which makes visiting a little easer. On the flip side however, Christmas day has always felt rushed and hectic. It always seemed that as soon as we had settled at one house, opened gifts, and had a little conversation, we had to leave to travel to the next house. It is a lot of fun seeing everyone, but exhausting. We would wait until we returned home to open our gifts to one another.

Well this year we have our Christmas at home. We decided not to travel back to the states for the holiday. We have only been here for five months and we could just not justify the cost of the flight. We bought and sent all of the families gifts back in October, and they sent our gifts to Norway.

To get our tree we walked a few blocks down to a tree lot, and pick out a small tree. Together we carried the tree home, set it up, and decorated the tree with ornaments I have been collecting in the countries we have visited. We bought a few bulbs to fill in the extra spaces, as well as lights and a silver star.

On Christmas Eve, I prepared dough for us to make cookies, and for cinnamon buns in the morning. We filled the stockings and arranged all the gifts under the tree. We lit the tree, set a fire in the fireplace, snuggled under a blanket and watched a movie. At midnight we kissed and were blissful in the moment. The night was cozy, warm, and relaxing.

Christmas morning we got up about ten, made tea and cinnamon buns, and sat down to open stockings and gifts. Ben and I took our time and enjoyed exploring each gift as it was opened. When everything was opened, we cleaned up the wrapping paper, and organized the gifts back under the tree. The rest of the day was spent playing with all our new “toys”. Ben got me “Dance, Dance Revolution two”, so I spent most of the day with that. Ben had fun playing with a marble game that goes on the refrigerator. He also explored the new camcorder we had received. Later in the day we both called our families to exchange thank yous for all the gifts.
I made a roast for dinner with all of our favorite side dishes. Ben and I spent some time baking sugar cookies together for dessert. After dinner we sat in the living room reading some of the new books. I played my game a little more, and Ben tried it out as well. All and all the day was exactly what we wanted, relaxing and calm. It is very likely that we will be returning to the states for Christmas next year, so it was nice to have Christmas ourselves this year.

2005-12-22T11:09:00.000-08:00

Germany

Ben surprised me last week by telling me we were going some place for my birthday. All he would tell me was that we were going to another country and that he would give me a hint every day until Thursday. His clues included “We can uses our Euros there”, “we will be gone for three days and four nights”, “we have never been there before”, and “it is not France”.

Finally Thursday came and he revealed that we would be going to Germany. He had been invited to a company called “Frog logic” to discuss issues with a computer documentation system. He would be busy with that for two days, but we will be staying for an extra day to go sight seeing together on my birthday. He divulged that we would be leaving Friday night, and would return Tuesday morning. I ran around packing, getting together all the travel papers, and buying film.

The next night we were off. The flight only took about an hour and fifteen minutes, so before I knew it, we had landed. Simon and Harald, who come from Germany, had also been invited to join in the discussion. Having them with us was extremely convenient. They spoke to the cab driver, and the man at the hotel’s front desk.

While the boys went to the Frog logic offices, I explored the city of Hamburg. There were many churches and towers exemplifying a broad range of architectural design. My favorite was St. Nicholas, which had been bombed in the Second World War. The city never rebuilt the church, so only the tower and a bit of wall remains today. Even though the church was destroyed, the remaining bell tower an inspiring example of rococo design.

One of the popular churches to visit is St. Michaels, which offers an observation deck atop the bell tower. You have a choice of riding in an elevator, or climbing over three hundred steps to the summit of the church. For some reason I still cannot fathom, I chose to climb the stairs. The views were amazing from any point on the three hundred and sixty degree platform.

I visited a museum that was featuring the history of image entertainment. It began with original shadow puppets from the 17th century and continued to how television and 3D pictures work. The exhibit also showed an amazing collection of picture boxes from the 18th century. In the main gallery a man was creating siluets of the patrons, not with light, but by cutting the profiles directly in to back paper. It was amazing to watch him snip the paper with tiny scissors, never even sketching an outline.

Throughout Hamburg, the city was celebrating the holiday with a Christmas market. Booths were set up in all the squares selling merchandise, food, and glugg. Glugg is a traditional hot drink served at Christmas. It is a liquor based drink, mixed with orange and a plethora of spices. Christmas music was being played in many languages throughout the markets. There were lights and decorations everywhere including large nativity sets, hand carved out of logs.

On Ben’s day off (my birthday) we wondered the city enjoying the sites I had located earlier. We took a boat tour of the harbor, and adjacent channels leading in to the city. We saw the “Queen Mary Two” as well as the old brick warehouse’s that line the city’s harbor. We were also able to go to some local malls to pick up a few things. We had a great time on our second trip to a new country. It was an amazing and wonderful birthday surprise!

2005-12-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas party;

Trolltech recently had their annual Christmas party. It was located at the local pub and was a lot of fun. The party started with the “master of ceremonies” Trenton, discussion what a “Julebord” was with Jason. A “Julebord” is the word for a Christmas party, and Jason wanted to know what you eat at a Norwegian “Julebord”. Trenton described all the foods that Norwegians eat at Christmas, like salted, dried and smoked lamb ribs, cod with its liver, lute fish, and a ribbe-rib roast of pork. Jason asked if these were some of the foods we would be sampling tonight, to which Trenton replied, “ Oh god no! That stuff is disgusting! We are having Cajun tonight.”
The Cajun menu included catfish, spicy potatoes, chicken wings, and other typical Cajun dishes. During dinner every table was expected to sing Christmas carols. The words were provided on each table for carols from Germany, Norway, and America. Our table took the easy way out and sang, “Deck the Halls”. Dessert was a plethora or sweet treats. They served chocolate pie, cheesecake, carrot cake and a fruitcake.
Through out the night we played a game to see how well the company knows the new employees. Five flyers were made up for each table featuring images of the new employees. The only thing was that the images went through Photoshop to combine four photos in to one odd looking face. The point of the game was to correctly label the twenty new employees to their respective feature. Our table came in 2nd place after getting 16 of the 20 features correct.
Some other entertainment was a skit put on by the employees, jokes preformed separately to win more drink tickets, and the president of the company doing the “Can Can” (yes sober) in full “Can Can” girl dress. The entertainment ending in the “Golden Troll Awards” which was awards to employees who best fit the made up humorous categories. The awards were troll figures spray painted gold. The atmosphere was light and fun. The night felt like a big family gathering.

2005-11-26T16:19:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was an exercise in adaptively. We could not find any turkeys at the grocery stores, so a friend suggested going to a butcher shop. Coincidently, one of the best butcher shops is right down the street from our new apartment. I had to ask if they had turkeys, because I could not see any in the cases. The person I asked at first could not figure out what I wanted. Another person at the counter figured out what I wanted after I described a turkey as a “big chicken”. He ducked in the back room and rustled in the deep freezer for about three minutes. He finally produced an extremely frozen turkey that was just the size I needed.
Another item we could not find was stuffing, or even breadcrumbs. This solution was simple enough; I simply made it from scratch. The only problem I had was buying the correct spices. Before I went to the store I looked up the Norwegian word for each spice necessary to make stuffing. As soon as I had the translations, I was able to buy all the spices I needed at the grocery store.
The only item I was unable to locate was pumpkin pie mix, or pumpkins at all. The only why to solve this problem was to not make pumpkin pie. I simply made apple pie and banana bread (each from scratch) for the dessert.
We invited four friends to dinner. Simon who is German, Marius who is Norwegian, Harold who is German, and his girlfriend Septop who is from Turkey. It was every ones first “Thanksgiving” but they all had an idea of what a Thanksgiving dinner was from TV and movies. They were intrigued by the turkey, and were impressed that “Americans actually ate apple pie”. After dessert we cleared the table and played a board game together. The game “Ticket to Ride” was very appropriate because the purpose of the game is to make trains form different US cities. We had great conversations about our cultures and current events.

2005-11-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

Moving

We spent most of Saturday moving into our new apartment. We took two trips with the suitcases, walking the twenty minutes to the new place. The best part of the move was that unpacking only took about ten minutes. The apartment is fully furnished, which also includes the kitchen being full of appliances and other kitchenware. There are lots of home touches including plants, and curtains. We were very fortunate that the lady who owns the apartment, is renting it out while she attends school. Because of this, the apartment has everything we need. There is even a double bed, which compared to the single bed we have been sharing, seems huge. There is a phenomenal closet system with pull out baskets. There is lots of extra space considering we did not bring much clothing.

An interesting feature of the apartment is the bathroom set up. In the hall way there is a room about the size of a small closet that houses the toilet. There is a small sink to wash your hands, and that is it. In the bedroom there is another bathroom about twice the same as the other one, with a heated floor. On one side there is a small shower, and on the other is a good size sink with a cabinet below. There is also a good-sized medicine cabinet. So we have a shower room, and a water closet.

As far as other rooms go, there is a living room with a fireplace, the bedroom and the kitchen. I have yet to explore everything in the kitchen, but it is in need of a good re-organization. In the kitchen there is also a washing machine, dishwasher, and even a microwave. The windows in all the rooms are large and you can see the “kebab” vender on the corner.

There are lots of stores in out new area, selling everything from toys to fruit. There is even a local butcher shop. We went to an electronics store and we bought a cable modem so that we finally have Internet in our home. We also signed up for cable, and we ended up getting a digital cable box. We are borrowing a TV from Marius, but hope to get our own this weekend. All in all everything is settling down and life is getting back to our normal routine.

2005-10-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

A White Halloween

We awoke this morning to discover it had snowed during the night. The snow was still falling, as a light lazy flurry. The total amount of snow was enough to cover the grass and only allowed the tips of fallen leaves to poke thru. There is a thick icing like layer of snow on top of all the cars. The trees have not yet lost all of their leaves, which makes for a white yet colorful landscape.

A little walk behind Trolltech there is a large hill besides a man made waterfall. The kids in the area were having a wonderful time with the first snowfall by sledding before and after school. So even though it is technically still fall, and Halloween has yet to a cure, winter has begun in Oslo.

2005-10-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

Friends moving back home

Two of our good friends have decided to leave Trolltech and return to their home countries. The first person to leave is Zack. Zack has decided to return to the states after having a hard time adjusting to a new country. He is a vegetarian and has found it hard to find the assortment of meals he was used to in the states. Zack was also used to playing basketball and riding a skateboard with his friends back home. He has tried to get in to a basketball league here, but he says it is not the same. He has toughed it out for about five months, but now has decided to return home.

Our other friend that is leaving is Boris. Boris is from Croatia and has a young daughter. Due to some family issues, Boris has decided to resign from Trolltech and return home. Boris has also only been at Trolltech for a short time, about four months.

I cannot begin to express how much we will miss them. It seems that we are with them at least once a week. We have gone to museums with Boris, and Zack comes over for dinner often. Luckily in the computer profession, there are many conferences and worldwide meetings. I know we will see them at one of these functions, but I will miss them on a day-to-day basis.

There is one good occurrence for Boris leaving, as cruel as it is to say it. Boris had recently leased an apartment and now has to break his lease. Ben and I have agreed to take over the lease and move in to his apartment. So we finally have an apartment of our own. It is about a twenty-minute walk from Trolltech’s current location. However when the new office opens on December, Ben will only have to walk for ten minutes. We will be moving next weekend, and we are currently setting up the cable and Internet services.

2005-10-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

Fun things going on

We try to get out of the house and do something together whenever we can. One activity we did together was to go to ceramic store on the corner. It is basically like a “color me mine” where you pick out a pre-made ceramic item. The items vary from simple cups to piggy banks and vases. I painted a water jug to uses as a flower vase. We are planning to return for another date soon.

There is a small stream that runs thru Oslo, that we live about five minutes from. All up and down the stream you can find many small clusters of ducks. In the past we have always forgotten to bring bread on our walks to feed them. The other day we realized we had some bread that had gone stale. So we saved the bread with the intent to take it on our walk. However when we left the house, we had once again forgotten it. We walked home just to get the bread, and we were finally able to feed the ducks. It was a lot of fun feeding the ducks especially when groups of them came from up and down the river when we started feeding just a few of them. Ben took some pictures.

There was a film crew directly out side of our apartment filming a scene for a local soap opera. They shutdown the street and spent the entire day filming a boy and girl talking, and then the boy backs up and gets hit by a car. He stands up and is fine. The scene ended with the boy and girl hugging. The boy did his own stunt, and it was fun watching all the takes of him getting hit by the car in different ways. I doubt we will ever see the show this scene was intended for, but is was interesting to see the filming from the living room window.

2005-10-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

Alone again

Jason moved out of the apartment, and in with his girlfriend Pam. Pam’s job transferred her to Norway, and Jason decided to move with her. Pam’s transfer did not go in to effect until now, so Jason has just been waiting for her to move. Pam’s company is providing her with an apartment, so she did not need to locate one on her own.

Now that Jason is gone, we have the apartment to our selves. As of right now, Trolltech has not hired any one else so we might be alone for a wile. Of course if any business associates arrive for a meeting, they will stay with us.

We are still in search of an apartment of our own. We have been looking for one on-line and in person. Trolltech is moving to a new office building in December, so we are mostly looking in the area of the new office. We are looking forward to moving out, so that we can finally finish unpacking and be all moved in.

2005-10-09T05:58:00.000-07:00

Underwater bar

We went to a bar a few block away from us with a large group of guys from Trolltech. It is called “The Underwater Bar” and has a matching décor. The walls and ceiling were painted with ocean murals, and schools of colorful schools of fish. On all the walls were displays of artifacts supposedly from the ocean floor. The bar had an upstairs reachable by a “dock” bridge and a down stairs representing underwater. The group of us sat down stairs in a corner next to a salt-water fish tank.

The thing that makes this bar different is that every Tuesday and Thursday is Opera night. They show Opera on a large screen TV over the door, and at seven and nine PM, students from a local college sing Opera live for the patrons. Two women took turns singing ballets with a live piano acompiment. To end the performance, both girls sang a lovely duet. The second performance started with a violin solo, and a violin/ piano duet. The second act also sported a different program of classic Operatic melodies.

All in all, it was lots of fun to be out with so many “trolls”. We took up an entire section on the down stairs with our group alone. We (they) drank and told stories from Spain and everyday life. The conversation eventually ended up returning to talk of work and the currents “bugs”. The live Opera was wonderful, and a welcome cultural treat.

2005-10-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

The quest for Ricotta cheese.

I try to have Zack over for dinner once a week. I feel bad that he always eats out, or eats what is left over at Trolltech. Zack is a vegetarian, so I normally feed him pasta. I decided to make lasagna because it would be a little different, and yet still safe for Zack to eat. I found a proper pan, and all the ingredients except one, Ricotta cheese. I looked in every store near us with out success. I even went to my favorite little “mom and pop” shop but no one knew what it was, or sold it.

I went with Ben to work one day and asked some of the HR people if they knew where I could find it. Only one person knew what I was talking about. She had lived in the USA and had also gone on a hunt for the cheese when she had first arrived in Norway. She told me about a little Italian grocery store that sold it. She had not been there in a long time, but they should still carry it. It would take about a half hour to get there on the bus, so I started out. I found the street I was sent to, and walked to the address I was given. When I arrived there I did not find a grocery store, I found a gas station. I walked up and down the street hoping that the number was wrong, but again I could find nothing.

I returned to the bus and went home very disappointed. On my way I stopped at my favorite “mom and pop” store to pick up some vegetables for dinner. As I walked to the casher, I saw a boy unpacking a new shipment of Ricotta cheese in to the fridge. I was ecstatic as I realized my search was over.

Happily the lasagna came out well, and everyone enjoyed it. It feels good to make familiar foods that Ben and I enjoyed in the USA. It can be difficult at times to find all the ingredients needed, but in the end it is worth it.

2005-10-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Dinner Party

We were invited to a dinner party at Harold’s apartment the other Sunday for a non-birthday party. We have never been to a dinner party, so did not know what to expect. We have gone to other people’s houses for dinner and had people to our house, but it was never classified as a “dinner party”. It was always, “want to come over for dinner?” I instantly had images of the 1950’s with proper table setting and martinis. Again my images of what a dinner party is was in need of help. Basically it was a group of people eating and talking around a table, just like Ben and I do and how we both grew up with our families.

Then menu was as an interesting blend of cultures as were the people at the table. There was homemade bread and salad with different dressings for the first course. Dinner was Eggplant curry over rice, which was a Turkish recipe. Dessert was a dish called, Kaiserschmarrn, which was a pancake like substance, ripped up and added to an egg based liquid. Fruit is added and the whole thing is cooked in a pan and served with ice cream and applesauce. This recipe was an Austrian dish.

Harold, who is German, and his girlfriend who is from Turkey, made all the food. Also in attendants were Marius-Norwegian, Simon-German, Zack- Polish, and Trenton-American, which made for the best part of the dinner, the conversation. Normally when I am with computer guys, the conversation is almost entirely about computers. This night however we had almost no discussion of work. Instead we talked about world politics, and customs. We discussed the German elections and the state of New Orleans. There were debates about policies the European government has on Turkey, and India. The conversation was light though, with jokes and stories every ones has had. We even discussed the different news sources including the Daily Show.

Ben and I have debates and conversations with each other, but we have never been able to discuss these topics with anyone else. We never lived close enough to Ben’s offices in America, to be able to hang out with intelligent people. And lets face it; the three year olds at my work have a limited understanding of the world’s movements. It was so refreshing to be able to discuss topics with people who have a better understanding of the European markets and culture. To be able to have intelligent debates and informed conversation was a refreshing change to be a part of.

2005-09-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

We are now Norwegians

Well not really but a Norwegian says we are. Our friend Marius took us out for a hike, which is the normal outing for Norwegians on Sunday afternoons. We took a bus and the subway to get out of the city. About thirty minutes north we ended up in a forest. There was a large lake and trails all over. The woods were “real” woods, which had wild animals in it. It takes three days to walk across it, and there are no fences to keep things in or out. It is like a smaller version of Yellow stone, only totally wild. We did not see any animals, not even a squirrel (another thing I have not seen since we moved here), but Marius told us how he has seen everything from Moose, Lynx and Bear.

Marius lead us through the woods and up some rock faces. The trail was slippery, rugged, and skinny due to the fact that other hikers made it. We all slipped and fell, and got very wet and dirty. We ended up at a cabin that served food and hot drinks to the hikers (skiers in winter). We ate our packed lunch and Marius had hot coffee. In the cabin there were little troll figures, not like the cartoon image that is popular in the tourist shops, but a more classic looking image. We took the main path back down, which was much easier but not as much fun. Marius told us that next we should spend the night before going on a long weekend camping trip.

2005-09-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

Homesick

Some of the people at Trolltech have asked us how we are handling the home sickness? They all seem surprised when we tell them that we are not home sick at all. I’ll admit that we miss some of our belongings, but that is just because we have had them for a while and we still want them. Like our furniture and our collections. Of course we miss our families, and we will miss our three nephews growing up. When we left the youngest was only a year old. However we have lived in a different state then our families for three years. So missing the boys grow up is unfortunately not something new to us. Not seeing our families more then twice a year is also not new to us. So we really can’t miss them more now then we did in New Jersey or on Long Island. We have gotten used to moving around and an unfortunate by-product of that is getting used to saying good-bye to friends and family.

But as far as being home sick goes, how can we be? After all, we are home. I mean think about it. We live here, we work here, and we have friends here. We are forming routines here, and having new experiences. Most of all though, Ben and I are together here. We are our own family and have been for more then just three years. We are our own support structure. So it does not matter where in the word we live. As long as we are together we are always home. So if we are always home together, then how can we ever be home sick?

2005-09-17T03:34:00.001-07:00

Spanish wrap up

All in all we had a great time. I was able to experience the city, and Ben was able to code all day. One other activity we were able to do together was a beach party. The city of Malaga put together a beach party for the developers at the conference. They served sardines and had an open bar. It would have been really nice if most of the developers had not taking advantage of the open bar and gotten really drunk. A lot of them got the idea to go skinny dipping. So the guys for Trolltech, Ben, and I walked on the beach and talked. It was an interesting experience to remember Spain by.

It was nice to go shopping in Spain because the currency was Euros, which is much easer to figure out then Krones. Also everything was much cheaper then it is in Norway. I was able to buy a few tools for half the price they would have been in Oslo.

It was nice to get home and return to our routine. We discovered that ten days is a little too much time to be away from home. I would guess that a week is the perfect amount of time to go away, before it starts to get boring. That said we are looking forward to our next adventure.

2005-09-17T03:34:00.000-07:00

2005-09-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

The language barrier

Norway has spoiled us with the knowledge that we can easily survive in a foreign country with out speaking the language. Almost every one in Norway speaks English, and going shopping or going to a restaurant is never a problem. We naively thought that Spain would be the same way. We quickly discovered all menus were only in Spanish, and getting directions required a photo of where I wanted to go. I had to take a taxi back to the hotel one day, but was unable to correctly pronounce the name of the hotel. I resolved to show the driven hotel door card. It had the hotel logo printed on the front. The driver understood and I arrived at the hotel a few moments later.

We learned to point a lot in Spain. You would be amazed at the number of uses for pointing in a foreign country. For example, you can order food. If the menu has photos then you can just point to the picture. If you see another patron eating something appetizing, then just point to it when the waiter comes for your order. It may be a bit rude, but you do not have many options.

You can also get directions by pointing. When I was walking to the Picasso Museum, I got turned around in the many side streets. I stopped a man passing by and pointed to my photo of the museum. I then pointed to the street I thought I needed to take and looked at the man and shrugged. He smiled and said “si”. A few moments later I found the museum.

We did incounter one situation where pointing was of no help. Ben, myself and four other “trollies” got stuck in the hotel elevator. Instead of going up, the elevator took us to the bottom of the shaft. The doors would not open, and the elevator would not move. Now this situation was not like in the movies and TV, were there are two people in a very large elevator. They sit and talk and laugh. Well we were in an elevator with six people that was only big enough to hold eight. Even thou it was not full it was very tight and heating up quickly.

We pressed the alarm button and a voice came on the speaker. She did not speak English. We asked for English but apparently no one in her office spoke it. She was asking us questions we did not understand, and had no hope of answering. Finally Ben suggested trying to manually open the door. Two other guys helped and thankfully it opened. We had to step up a bit, but everything worked out fine.

2005-09-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Spanish cuisine

Now anyone who knows Ben and myself know that we are simple eaters. We do not eat many spicy dishes, and tend to be a little picky with our food choices. I was relieved when our first meal was pizza, and the hotel restaurant had a wonderful grilled chicken breast. Ben and the guys often stayed at the conference until 9 o’clock, so most nights I ate at the hotel alone. My favorite part of the meal was the dessert. My favorite one was a double chocolate moose. It had a white chocolate mosses on top, and a milk chocolate layer on the bottom. Between the layers was a dark chocolate syrup with hazel nuts in it. This is probably not a local dish, but it was still good.
Sardines
I would guess that Sardines in Spain are the equivalent to chicken in the USA. Every restaurant has them roasting on an open fire. We went to one restaurant right on the beach where no one spoke English. We asked the waiter (also owner) what he would suggest and he offered the sardines. I ordered a chicken dish by pointing, and the guys ordered a vegetable dish (also by pointing). When the food arrived a plate full of assorted fried items that no one remembered ordering accompanied it. I spotted what I thought was onion rings, so I ate one. It was very good so I took another one. As I was biting in to it, Marius told me that it was a fried squid ring. Now I still think that it was good, but I did not eat any more. My mind could not get over the thought of eating squid.
Ice cream
There are a lot of ice cream parlors in Spain. The kind that has all the ice cream in a glass case arranged in long dishes instead of cardboard tubs. The ice cream was in many different flavors that we did not recognize. So we would try random variations that looked appetizing. The ice cream was not as creamy as in the USA or in Norway. It was like a combination of ice cream and Italian ice. It was cold thou, which was what we needed in the hot nights.
All thou we did not go out of our way to experience the local food, we did at least try some new stuff. One thing that makes me feel better about not getting in to the local foods was that most of the people that went to the conference became very sick with a harsh stomach bug. Although many things could have caused this virus, Ben and I were never sick. Sometimes it helps to eat what you can recognize.

2005-09-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

Sunning on the beach.

While the boys were at the conference, I took advantage of the Spanish sun and went to the beach. The beach was about a fifteen-minute walk from our hotel. The sand on the beach was a dark color and a bit gritty. There were hardly any shells or rocks to stub your toe on. There were no clouds in the sky, so the beach was covered in umbrellas and beach tents. The water was a cool retreat from the intenseness of the hot sun, and I must say that swimming in the Mediterranean Sea was very cool. I spent a few hours swimming, tanning and reading during the week.
Before we left, I went to the bookstore and bought two new books for the trip. “The Secret Life of Bees”, by Sue Monk Kidd, and “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult. I figured that in ten days I could finish one, and get halfway thou the other. Unfortunately I underestimated my reading skills and by the fourth day I had finished both books. Luckily I enjoy reading books more then once to find details I might have missed the first time.
By the end of the ten days all my burns have melted away to form a nice even tan. The boys however are all as white as the day we arrived. They had fun in the lecture halls so in the end we all enjoyed our stay.

2005-09-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Out and about in Spain

Even though going to Spain was a vacation for me, Ben had to go to work every day. I spent most of my time sight seeing alone. I had a great time roaming the city and traveling on the busses to the local sites. While in Spain I was able to visit these exciting attractions:

Laguna de Fuente de Piedra nature reserve;
The lagoon is about an hour away from the city. I got directions and grabbed a bus. The bus was similar to a Gray Hound bus with cushion seats and curtains in the windows. When the bus arrived at the station in Andalusia, I walked for a half hour down the highway to the Lagoon.
The Lagoon is the most extensive one in the area and is the second most important one Europe. It is also an important site for the largest colony of flamingos in the Iberian Peninsula. The water is deep blue and surrounded by lush foliage. So I am sure you can imagine my disappointment when I arrived at the reserve only to find a giant sand pit. Of all the people I asked directions to in the past two and a half hours of travel time, no one thought to tell me that the lagoon dries up at this time of the year. I had to wait two more hours for the bus to return, and another two until I returned to Malaga. So in total I spent about seven hours going nowhere. The bus trip went thru the mountains, so at least that part was neat.

Alcazaba;
The Alcazaba is a military fortress built be the Moors in the 11th century. The fortress lies on a hilltop with amazing views of the town and the sea. The hike up the steep sloping walk way was an extreme work out. On the way up I met a lady named from Florida named Malaina. She could speak Spanish, so she translated all the sighs for me. She is afraid of heights, so I helped her gather the courage to climb the stairs to the top of all the towers. It was a wonderful time exploring all the nooks of the fortress. I ended going twice, once by myself and once with Ben. When I went the second time with Ben, we discovered a section of the ruinis that I had missed with Malaina. The archatecure was inspiring even though to get there caused you to loose a pound of sweat.

The Roman Theater:
The Roman Theater is located just below Alcazaba, but was not discovered until 1951. It is thought that the last event at the theater accrued the 3rd century and that the Moors used elements from the theater to build Alcazaba. Today the theater is mostly closed off, but there are a few stone rows the public can sit in.

The Picasso Museum;
Picasso was born in Malaga and there is an impressive collection of his work on exhibit at his museum. There were examples from all of Picasso’s phases of art, and some of his sculptures. The most interesting display was a sequence of sketches showing the progression how a painting of his developed. There were a few progressions that actually ended in the finished work. It was fascinating to see how his thoughts and ideas changed thru the six sketches of the same piece until the finished painting.

A bullfight
I never thought that I would attend a bullfight. The violence and cruelty has turned me off the sport since I first realized how the bulls suffer. However like I said, I was eager to experience the culture and events of Spain. So I was open to the idea of going to one. When I read about one on Thursday, I figured that since I would never be in Spain again, it would be my only chance to see a real Spanish bull fight. So I boarded the bus and went to the near by city of Torremolinos where that nights fight was being held. I had to walk about a half hour to the ring where I found two German tourist that spoke English. The also spoke Spanish so they helped me get my ticket and I sat with them during the fight. They were very interesting to talk to, and they brought a bottle of wine to the fight that I thought was strange. They thought that I was strange for not drinking any so it worked out. I will not go in to the details about the fights for it was bloody. Although it was violent, sad and horrific, it was also strangely exciting and exhilarating. At least until the matadors started to stab the bulls. There were six fights, but after four I had seen enough and decided to leave. Watching the crowd’s reactions was another experience. They would whistle if they did not like how the fight was progression, and would wave white cloths if they were happy. If the crowd really liked the fight, they would throw their hats in to the ring so that the Matador could throw them back. All in all it was an interesting experience that although horrific, I am glad I went.

2005-09-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

The ambience of Spain;

Spain was both beautiful and ugly at the same time. The environment was breath taken. The ocean meets a deep blue cloudless sky, which met at the horizon in a way that seemed seamless. The city of Malaga is surrounded by towering mountains and doted with palm trees. The sun was warm and constantly beet down on us. A cool breeze and zero humidity made us forget the temperature reaching to the 100’s. Ancient structures rise between modern buildings. Thick defensive damping walls ascend high above city streets, lining the old Moors fortress. The combination of the natural environment, the hot weather, and the ancient architecture made our trip to Spain worth the aggravation of travel.

On the other side of the scope, the city itself left much to be desired. The only word to describe the city is dirty. Where our hotel was located we could see many empty lots coved in litter. Due to the lack of rain, the city is very dusty. A thin layer of dust blankets most cars you see. All of the sidewalks are tiled in differing patterns thru out the city. Normally this would be an intricate detail that adds charm to any European city. However this same tiled sidewalk in Malaga is dotted with the resident’s dog droppings. The last thing that takes away from the beauty of Spain is the smell. There is a smell thru out the city that stops you from taking a deep breath. The dust in the air forces you to cough now and then, no matter how many shops you enter. The worst smell was one similar to sulfur. I do not know where it was coming from, but every three blocks or so, you would be impaled with a strong sulfur odor. It would last for about a block and was so pungent that it would linger in your throat, even thou the smell was undetectable.

Even though the city’s hygiene was not on par with the landscape, our time in Spain was wonderful. I took advantage of what the city had to offer and soaked in the natural beauty of Spain. You make your own enjoyment of a new experience based on your egerness to take in a culture or event. I was so excited to explore Malaga and its landscape, that I hardly noticed the city’s condidtion. We had a wonderful time, and made the most of this one chance trip

2005-09-05T00:12:00.000-07:00

A return to cold weather

Well we are finally home. I will spend some time today writing with more details. In short we had a wonderful trip, and have lots of stories and photos.

2005-08-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

Spain

We are off to Spain for 10 days. Trolltech always attends the annual KDE conference, which is held in different countries each year. Ben will be going with a group of other “Trolls”. I am also going to do some site seeing and visit some important anthropology sites. Ben will most likely be able to skip a day or two of the conference to join me in investigating Spanish culture. We are leaving on Thursday the 25th and will be returning Sep. 4th. It is strange, that going to Spain does not seem like a big deal to us. I guess the novelty of going to a country in Europe wears off when you live here.
It is suppose be in the 90’s when we arrive. After having the comfortable weather of Norway for so long, I’m sure the heat will come as a shock to us. It will be the first time we will have needed to wear shorts this summer. We are taking two cameras with us, so we are sure to be able to get some great photos. They will all be online as soon as we can get them up. I’m not sure how much Internet access we will have in Spain, so this might be my last entry for a while. In any event I’ll fill you all in about our trip as soon as we get home.

2005-08-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

Walking is good.

Everyone walks here. Most of the people walking by us are in great shape. It is good exercise as well as providing time to be able to talk, away from the distraction of home life. It decreases the stress in your life, as well as the pollution in the city. These are all valid reasons for walking, but I have a better one. You find money. Ben, Zack and I were walking home, taking the long way. Ben and Zack were talking about some computer program, and I was looking around. Both Ben and Zack were so involved in there discussion that they stepped over a piece of paper. Since I was looking around my surrounding, I took a second quick look at it and stopped. I picked it up and happily showed it to them. It was a 50 Krone paper note. It is about the same as $10.00 in the US. There was no one around so I kept it. So go out for walks, it is good for you and you might find money.

2005-08-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

Our stuff came :)

Before leaving Boston we mailed five boxes to our selves in Oslo. Four of the boxes would take 4-6 weeks, wile the last one will take 8-10 weeks. They were filled with winter clothing, books, computer items, and a few things that would not fit in the suitcases. I jumped in the air when we found out the boxes had arrived. Because the boxes were heavy, we borrowed the dolly from work, and walked down to the post office. We brought them back to Trolltech, where I happily went through each box. We now have some new reading books, and my favorite cookbook. Ben got some of his tech books, and we got some projects to work on. The last box is filled with the rest of our books. I will be glad when the last box arrives. It feels like we have not totally moved in yet, simply because we still have items in transit. The only problem with receiving our stuff now, is that when we get our own apartment, we will have more stuff to put in the taxi.

2005-08-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Pubs
As I teenager I never went to any clubs or bars with my friends. My only knowledge of what they were like came from movies and television. Bars were always painted as dark and dangerous, where you can get drugged, hurt, or raped. Well the real thing is very different. The first pub we went to was inside a jazz store. There was live music and a bright atmosphere. All the roommates went together, plus Simon (who has moved out). Zack is a straight edge guy, which means he does not put anything in his body that could alter his perception of reality. At the top of the list are liquor, drugs, and caffeine. He is also a vegetarian and does not believe in promiscuous sex. I do not like the taste of liquor so while the rest of the guys had a beer while Zack and I had hot chocolate. The movies also never showed hot chocolate being served at a bar.
After the beer and chocolate was finished, we moved to another pub in town. This one was just a pub with a DJ and dimmer lights. This one did have sofas, and upholstered chairs. The guys again had beers, while Zack had an ice tea. Overall I have realized that pubs are just a nice place to go and talk to your friends on a Friday night. If you pick a nice one, there is nothing to fear and if you are responsible with the alcohol then everyone has a good time. No one messed with us, and no one else even talked to us. Even a pub in the middle of a capital city could teach that movies and reality is very different.

2005-08-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Girls
There are not a lot of girls in Trolltech. There are some, but they are mostly in the HR department. There are no girls that I can really talk to around here, and I find my self surrounded by the guys every day. I had a little bit of a reprieve the other week when Jason’s girlfriend Pam came for the weekend. Pam works for a cruise line company and is moving to the main office here in Norway. Due to her moving, Jason looked and found a job in Norway so they can stay together. Jason’s job started first so he moved here while Pam finished work on a cruise ship she had just inspected in Germany. Pam is moving here in September, in to an apartment supplied by her company. Jason will be moving in with her as soon as she arrives permanently. She came for a visit to see Jason for the first time in six months. It was different having a girl in the house for the weekend. It was nice to talk to someone about the guys, and about emotions. It was funny how the house suddenly smelt like perfume and hair products. Even though her stay was short, I am looking forward to September when Pam will be here to stay.
Boris’ wife Lilly had arrived with their daughter Emma. I have not been able to spend a lot of time with Lilly yet, but have talked to her at the office. She is trying to get her bearings and a just to an apartment after living in her own house. I got to play with Emma for a while, even though we cannot understand each other. It is a good thing that interactive play does not need language to succeed. I hope to spend more time with Lilly, especially when we get our own place. I can understand how she feels being alone all day.
After we were in the paper we were contacted by a girl who moved here from Wisconsin, to marry a local Norwegian man. We went out to dinner with them and I was able to trade stories with her about living in a new country. She understood the boredom of not being able to work, or go to school until the visa comes in. She gave me some good tips about Norwegian culture and living practices. We are planning to get together again as soon as they get back from their vacation. My hope is to get a small group of girls together so that we can go out together and help each other with the trials of a new country. Like I have said before, I love spending time with the guys, but now and then you just need the understanding of another girl.

2005-08-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Frisbee

Last week some of the guys at the office decided to go out and play ultimate Frisbee. For those of you who do not know what that is, here are the basics. There are two teams each with a goal. You pass the Frisbee to your teammates in an attempt to pass it to a team member in the opposite goal. Once you are holding the Frisbee you cannot move, but everyone else is free to run around or block your pass. It is kind of like basketball with goals.
It was my intention to read in the sun wile they played, but they were so into the game that I had to take pictures of them. The photos I took just did not capture the intensity of how the guys played. They were literally diving for the Frisbee, and jumping on each other to get the Frisbee away from the other team. One guy fell hard and sprained his ankle, and others were cut up and bloody by the time the game was ended.
Now I love Ben, and I have seen all the sides of him but being physically active is a side I very rarely see. We run around and chase each other, and we do physical things together, but I have not seen him play a team sport since collage. It was fun to see him running around and being active, although the next day he was very soar. We will be putting the photos I took on line as soon as we get our computer up and running.

2005-08-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

Back to a bit of normality;

When Ben and I first got married, we carried on his family’s tradition of home made pizza and a movie every Saturday night. After a few months of this, we realized that our waistlines were growing a bit to fast. From then on, pizza was only made when we had friends over for dinner. Our friends had to help make the pizza, which made for lots of talking and fun. No matter whom we had over for dinner, they enjoyed the novelty of home made pizza from scratch.
We had invited Boris and Zack over on Saturday for a movie. I thought it would be fun (not to mention an adventure) to try to find all the ingredients and make pizza for everyone. Our first task was to find a pizza pan, which we were told might be hard to locate. Fortunately there is a restaurant cookware supply store not far from our apartment. After wondering around the shelves, I was able to locate two good size professional pizza pans.
I was then off to the corner “mom & pop” store to locate the ingredients. I was able to find everything I needed except for the yeast. I had always used dry yeast available in a packet or jar. When I could not find it, I asked the casher. Even though he spoke English, “yeast” was not a term he was familiar with. I spent a few moments using my hands to “show” the rising motion as I said, “it makes bread rise”. He had no idea what I was talking about. Luckily for me another customer was from England and knew what I needed. He showed me to the refrigerator and pointed out a small, squishy cube. When I got home I opened the yeast to discover a gray pliable substance resembling clay. It had the correct smell so I began the dough.
The pizza came out pretty good for the first attempt, and they guys left no leftovers. We had a great night watching movies, and eating ice cream for dessert. We have since had the guys over for dinner a few more times. It is always a nice feeling having Zack and the guys over to eat and talk. It is starting to feel like a normal life again. Now we just have to find an apartment of our own to officially be home.

2005-08-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

New Roommates

Trolltech rents out two apartments in the building for new employees or for visiting business officials. Originally Trolltech only had one apartment. Now that the company is expanding, they realized they needed more housing for the overseas recruits. Two Trolltech employees happen to rent an apartment in the same building as Trolltech’s. When these guys moved out, Trolltech took over their lease to provide the extra space needed. The apartment we live in is on the second floor and the official Trolltech apartment, with a sticker on the door to help locate the correct apartment. We have been sharing this apartment with Simon. Simon has been here about three months, but started at Trolltech as an intern a few years ago. Simon has recently moved out after finding his own apartment. A few days after Simon left we were told that we should expect a new roommate named Jerry on Friday. Well Friday came and the door buzzed. The voice on the other end said his name was Jason. So Jerry turned in to Jason. Jason comes from Canada, and will be moving in with his girlfriend as soon as she arrives from her job in Germany. We are trying to help Jason get used to the city and give him the information he needs to know about Trolltech and Oslo.
One the fifth floor lives two other Trolltech new hires. Boris, who is from the Czech Rep. and Zach who moved to Pennsylvania after being born in Poland. Boris had to find an apartment fast, in order for his wife Lilly and two year old daughter Emma to join him. To be able to get an apartment, you first need a bank account due to the fact that all money transactions are done thru bank transfers. This process makes checks unnecessary. In order to get the bank account you need what is called a “D” number. Think of a “D” number as a social security number. Boris’ “D” number finally came in, and he was able to find and move in to an apartment in a matter of a week. He only lived in the apartment for two months.
Zach has lived here for three months. He has not had a strong drive to find a new apartment, as it is just him. He has looked on-line a bit for an apartment, but has yet to decide on one. Now that Boris has moved out, Zack’s new roommate is named Anders. Anders is native to Norway, but has been working in the US office for six months. We were not expecting a new roommate the night Anders came, but I was awake because I could not sleep. At about 1:30 A.M I heard the sound of keys in our door. I figured that someone in the building had simply stopped at the wrong floor. When I called out that they had the wrong apartment, Anders replied he was supposed to be in the Trolltech apartment but his key was not working. Apparently no one at the office had told him to go to the top floor. He had seen the sticker on our door and assumed that was where he was supposed to go. I told him where his apartment was, and hoped that Zack was expecting a new person at this hour.
It has been interesting having roommates. We go out together now and then to museums or pubs. We visit each other for dinner or movies in each other’s apartment. It is nice to have people near by that are going thru the same thing as us, and that work with Ben. They also come in handy when we are trying to find out necessary information, like where things are or how to perform certain errands. I do wish that there were more girls around, but I am getting used to the boys.

2005-08-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Museums

We have been trying to get to a “tourist” site every weekend while Oslo is still new. The first attraction we went to was Vigeland Park, or as we call it, ‘statue garden”. Vigeland Park is Norway's most visited attraction with over 1 million visitors every year with app. 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943), who also designed the layout of the park. The sculptures are breathtaking and the design allows you to wonder and explore all the “nooks” of the park. It was amusing to watch the tourists get in to the same pose as a sculpture for photos. I had visited this park in January when we first visited the country, and saw this garden as brown snow covered earth. The park was so much more interesting with all the flowers in full bloom and the green grass. The next place we went was to the National Gallery. There we saw “the Scream” “Portrait of Mme Zborowska” “Winter Night in the Mountains” and the Van go self-portrait. There was a large collection of Munch’s work, as well as work by Van go, Monet, Rembrandt, and many predominant local artists. It amazed us that the museum had no air conditioning or humidifiers to protect the art. We soon learned that most recognized paintings (“the Scream” ect.) were much smaller then we had envisioned them to be. There were also many small sculptures that were over looked in the corners of the rooms. While most people either ignored or over looked these statues, we found them more festinating then some “important” paintings.
Last weekend we went to the Vikingskipshuset (Viking ship) museum as well as the Norsk Folkemuseum. The ship museum has a great display of three Viking ships and objects of daily life from the 9th century. It was an unbelievable collection that thankfully, was very well preserved. I spent a lot of time studying these artifacts, and examining the finely carved wood. The building was well laid-out, with balconies available to see over the top of the ships. After the Ship museum we walked about a block to the “Norsk Folkemuseum”. This is an open-air museum similar to Massachusetts Sturbridge Village. There is a re-crated village, with displays of social customs and clothing. There is also an apartment building that dedicates an apartment from the different decades of the 20th century. One of the main structures is the “Gol Stave Church”, which was built in 1200. It is a breathtaking example of the expert architecture and carvers of the past. We brought our upstairs roommate Boris with us, who by the end of the day, was exhausted from following us all over the grounds.

2005-07-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

We were in the paper;
The other day, one of the HR people asked Ben if we would mind being interviewed for one of the local papers. They were doing a story on a new program to help X- patriots get settled in the country. As Trolltech relocates a lot of people from around the world they are taking advantage of some parts of the program for their new employees. Ben and I agreed to be interviewed. We were asked the usual questions about why we decided to move and how we learned about Trolltech. We explained the biggest challenges of moving to a foreign country, which was how everything is just a little different. When they took our picture we were told to tickle each other. I can only assume it was so our smiles would look more authentic, but we think we look stupid. Oh well, we are still in the paper.
We were surprised when we found out that our article was in the paper the next day. Unfortunately we found this out the day after its release. We were able to keep the copy that Trolltech had, even though we cannot read what the article says yet. The best part of being in the paper was that Ben has received three e-mails from different people originally from the states. They want to get together with us to help us find our way around the city and to just talk. Not bad for being in the country for two weeks.