blt's norwegian tales

Vintage "Travel Norway" posters

2009-11-11T04:31:00.000-08:00

Halo folken! I was browsing the 'net, and I came upon these old Norwegian tourism posters that were used back circa 1930s-1960s. Since I love all things vintage, I thought I'd share....

1937

1953

1954

1957

This one is actually for a movie, circa 1957.

1961

1965

1966

Halloween in Norway?

2009-10-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

Halloween (one of my favorite holidays) is unfortunately not celebrated here, so I have had to come to terms with the fact that I won't be dressing up, carving pumpkins, or giving out candy this year. (It wasn't pretty.)

I was wandering aimlessly at the grocery store yesterday, lamenting the lack of Halloween decorations, when there, in a crate, sandwiched between the purple grapes and the onions, were 4 pumpkins!!! It was one of those clouds parting, choir singing moments, when everything in the world just falls into place...sigh.

Anyways, I bought 3 immediately, and tonight was our carving night! It was a first for Anne and Ole Martin, and I think they had a good time! Well, Anne did. After scooping about 3 handfuls of pumpkin innards, Ole Martin called it quits. I took over the carving duties after he went to bed, so tomorrow he'll get to meet his new friend, Vegard. :)

My Norwegian (grown in Germany) Pumpkin Pals!

gotta love these norwegians!

2009-10-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

This would never fly here...but power to 'em!

eplekaka

2009-10-27T00:57:00.000-07:00

As hard as this may be to believe, last night (with help from Grete), I baked my first apple cake...from scratch!! For those of you who don't know, I may or may not be slightly domestically challenged. And by slightly I mean severely. My sister, Tara, managed to snag the chef skills from our mother, so me and Chrissy are on our own. Needless to say, I was VERY nervous...to top it all off, Grete invited about 10 of her friends over to taste it, so the pressure was ON.

Grete made the apron mandatory.

the awesome Grete

Ready for the oven - 40 minutes at 175 degrees Celcius...conversion please?

Action shot...

The finished product! I got thumbs up all around - I can't wait to bring my newfound baking skills back to the US!

sunrise, 8:33am

2009-10-21T23:53:00.001-07:00

I bet Norway is next...

2009-10-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

Probably Sweden and Denmark as well...

Autumn has arrived (and with it, something else entirely...)

2009-10-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Fall is officially here, and I'm LOVING it! SD, I do miss your sunshine and warm October days, but nothing can beat a true blue autumn. (Although - I hear of a major "storm" in CA? I use the quotations, because honestly CA, you don't know the first thing about storms.) Below are some snapshots of what I encountered today on the lovely streets of Norway.

Maybe it's because I'm a SoCal girl, and I don't see it too often, but I can't get over the changing of the leaves! So gorgeous!

Why yes, that is a cat in the middle of the road, oblivious of the field mouse directly in it's line of sight. Sorry cat lovers, but the only good reason I'll accept for having a cat is that it's an excellent rodent snatcher. This little guy does nothing for your cause.

Oh, and yes, that IS the head and upper body of a rather large stuffed deer chillin in the passenger seat of a Mercedes SUV. (Click the pic to enlarge.) I thought I had seen it all (well, maybe not ALL - but a lot)...apparently the universe had to put me in check.

Mr. Charming & my partner in crime :)

just saying...

2009-10-05T12:26:00.001-07:00

Norway rocks!

because i know you were wondering...

2009-09-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

moose season is now officially open!

sorry for the mini hiatus, i'll get back on track - i promise!

Dublin, the aftermath

2009-08-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

DUBLIN. IS. AMAZING. Seriously though, I had such an awesome time there and meeting up with Chrissy was incredible - I've missed my family so much! This has definitely not been the last time that I visit the amazingness that is the Dubs. Enjoy!

Christina arrived earlier than I did, and was sitting in the common room of the hostel when I got to there. She was skyping with mom, and mom captured this shot right after we were reunited!

Chrissy had blown up 24 green balloons in celebration of my birthday! So sweet!

Our rooms were on the top floor, and we had skylights that were about 15 feet up. We were given this crazy looking 300-esque stick to close the windows at night...it was tricky.

Chrissy trying (and failing) to make things happen.

We missed you, T!

Christ Cathedral, Dublin

Dame St.

Dublin Garden

Genius! A straightener in the bathroom in the pub! Well, I thought it was genius, until Jill pointed out that it was a communal straightener...at a pub....oh well.

Celebrating my 24th!

And what better way than with a round of Jaigger blasters.

With two friends we made that night, Kamil and Remi.

Guinness Brewery!

On the top floor there was a bar, Gravity, that gave you a panoramic 360 view of Dublin. However, Tina wasn't too fond of the ride up.

Buuut we made it...

Unfortunately we couldn't even finish our complimentary pints...but they were delicious!

The view from the Ha' Penny Bridge

More of the Dubs

Last night in Dublin...Chrissy had left that day, and I met a few cool guys in my hostel. We joined a pub crawl to celebrate our last night in the Dubs....so much fun!!

Dave and Ed (from the pub crawl) were on my flight the next morning. Well, I guess you can tell we had a lot of fun the night before, haha.

Chrissy - we forgot to take a picture of Rick's Burgers!

the luck of the irish

2009-08-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Allrighty, I'm off to explore Dublin, Ireland with the one and only Christina! I've been waiting for this trip foreverrr and now it's finally here....5 whole days of pubs, castles, gingers, shenanigans, and who knows what! Pictures and details upon my return!

(We'll be missing you, T! We'll have a pint in your honor...or two.)

the boys' birthday!

2009-08-23T13:44:00.001-07:00

Today Andreas and Daniel had their birthday party! Andreas turned 2 a couple weeks ago, and Daniel just turned 1 the other day. They're so precious! I can't believe how big they've gotten since I've been here!

Right after this shot he grabbed a handful of ice cream, naturally.

Andreas sporting a new 'do! I tried to convince Anne to let him get a mini mohawk, but she wasn't having it.

Such good food...all of the desserts they have here are made from scratch...DELISH!

Sweeeeeden

2009-08-19T01:06:00.000-07:00

So sorry I've been MIA for almost a month...No worries though, I come bearing gifts! I just got back from a long weekend in Gothenberg, Sweden, visiting my good friend from Semester at Sea, Mario. He was in town for a couple of weeks visiting his cousin. It was only a train ride away from here in Akre, so I popped over for a visit. (Almost missed my train and about had a heart attack, but that is a story for another time.) Had a GREAT time!

Reunited and it feels so good! (Yea, we're 23.)

Downtown Gothenberg

I was hoping for better weather than we've been having here in Norwizzle...meh, not so much.

Mario's cousin Chris made us a bomb dinner!

Ready to see what Sweden has to offer.

Marstrand, a summer town off the coast of Sweden.

So quaint

A little chilly

Mario, pointing to Trygg-Hansa: "I think this is the name of the village that we're in right now."

Chris: "Uh...that means life vest in Swedish."

We wandered around a fort in Marstrand...

I love how they built on top of the existing topography, instead of demolishing it.

Swedish meatballs!

We made our way to the border of Norway and Sweden.

So I went on a trip to Sweden, but then making my way back to Norway. Go fig.

Ventured into "Old Fredrikstad"

Discovered these delicious chocolate desserts we named "Poufies." It was a tasty sweet whipped like cream in the middle, covered with a chocolate shell and sprinkled w/coconut. MMMMMM.

Packing our lives away.

Preikestolen

2009-07-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Preikestolen. Roundtrip it took us 8 hours of driving, 4 ferries, and a 4 hour hike, but it was SO worth it!

Gisle, our driver.

Annette, the photog.

Poor Ida wasn't too happy about waking up early.

Ida and Sverre getting some fresh air while waiting for a ferry...

Finally...

604m or 1982 feet high...

Along Lysefjorden...

Movin' on up....

Great views along the hike...

We were so sore the next day...

About halfway through the hike...

Sorry SD, but Norway's got a big one on you when it comes to great hikes.

WE MADE IT!

(Warning: Mom, you might not like these next few pictures...)

Preikestolen

The view from the top.

VICTORY!

Holla!

Livin' on the edge, 1982 feet high.

So scary but so AWESOME!

Gisle was insane...he is sitting on a ledge just under the edge.

Taking a peek...

Sverre being a daredevil.

Annette snapped this crazy pic of me sitting on the edge. This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip!

Roots Festival @ Vikedal

2009-07-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Went on a mini road trip this weekend to the Roots Festival in Vikedal. Met some rad Norwegians and had a blast. :)

Our "campsite"

VB during the day...it was weird to watch them play beach volley (what they call it) when they're not actually at the beach...

Ein...to....

Tre!

It was sunny when I went into the grocery store, but when I came out it was POURING rain. Crazy Norwegian weather. Lars Roald and I had to sprint back to the campsite...we might as well have jumped in the river with our clothes on - we got absolutely soaked. 30 minutes later, the sun came out. Go figure.

Stole w/his stunna shades and box of white wine...

Jan Tore is not too happy about his shot of Absinthe!

Grete!

Stole's shenanigans...

V.A.M.P. performed...they were awesome live. Think Irish music meets Coldplay...

Hanging out at one of the docks along the river after the show. (Note the lightness of the sky! It was about 10:30pm.)

It was a great weekend but I am absolutely exhausted! I've got a couple more weekend trips coming up, so stay tuned! :)

Catching up...

2009-07-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

God dag & Happy 4th of July!! Here's an update as to what's been happening since we got back from Tunisia...

During the summer solstice, there is a huge bonfire by the beach...I believe the sun went down at 11:07pm that day! (And rose at 4am, haha!)

There she goes. Check out how light it is outside...this bonfire took place at 8pm!

A big day for Andreas - he managed to climb up and slide down all by himself!

He's pretty proud...

Enjoying the hot Norwegian sun.

BUT the water was effing freezing.

My new favorite way of eating hot dogs - potato tortilla, crispy onions, and LOTS of ketchup.

Daniel loves his potato salad.

Found a cool spot up in the hills behind the house. You can see all of Akra and all the way to the North Sea...gorge.

Djerba, Tunisia

2009-06-22T12:20:00.001-07:00

Værsågod!

En route to Djerba...Andreas found himself a gf!

VB w/Ole Martin

Daniel!

The SAS Radisson, Djerba

At the day care center...

He loved it!

Oslo

2009-06-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

...am currently in Tunisia with the family, taking a two week summer vacay! :) En route to Djerba (the island we're staying at, off the coast of Tunisia), we spent a couple of days in Oslo. Ch-ch-ch-check it!

Where Norway's Parliament meets - Stortingsgata.

Aker Brugge - the most expensive strip of land in one of the world's most expensive cities.

At a music festival hosted by Oslo's finest police officers.

Oslo's new opera house, Operahuset, finished in 2007.

The Royal Castle

Walking around with the fam...

On our way to Vigeland Sculpture Park

The infamous Angry Baby staute. I thought it would be bigger.

Reppin' at the US Embassy.

Stay tuned for more Tunisia pics!

Just another day...

2009-06-02T03:01:00.000-07:00

Enjoying a sunny, long Norwegian summer day.

Just lounging...too cold to bust out the Rainbows though.

Frolicking in a freshwater lake...so cold! :(

brrrr.

BBQing...

Ida and Andrea

Hein Oluv, Andrea and I at the BBQ

Truls!

London, Round 2!

2009-05-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Just got back from visiting Jill and her mom in London! (You guys rock!!) I love visiting places with Jill because she always finds the best things to do/see...well, her and Rick Steves. :) Enjoy!

Waiting in line for the London Eye.

Our neighbor pod.

Faboosh!

You could see all of London from the top of the Eye...it was incredible.

Poor Mrs. Roaquin was afraid of heights and opted to wait for us safely on the ground. :)

My fave, Big Benny boy.

We had to have a little fun...

And apparently, so did this guy.

Westminister Abbey...gorge.

We found us some bobbies!

Friday Night Shenanigans at Shunt.

Prince Harry?

Churchill Museum w/Jill - Dad, you would have loved it. It was the underground bunker where he and his chiefs of staff ran Britain's WWII operations.

We saw Chicago...my first musical! :)

Mind the gap.

Platform 9 and 3/4...at Kings Cross Station!

Yes, we had to check this place out. We are nerds.

Bergen & 17.Mai

2009-05-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

Grete, Ida and I went on a road trip to Bergen this weekend! Bergen is the second largest city in Norway,and it's population is....are you ready for this? 385K. Yea, I know. It's annual precipitation at 88 inches. (Sister city to Seattle, probably). Luckily for us, it was sunny the whole weekend! The 17.Mai, Norway's Constitution Day (equivalent to our 4th of July) was this past Sunday, so there was a huge celebration as well. Peep the pics, yo!

Ida w/her stunna shades!

Made it to Bergen in 3.5 hours and met up with Karina and Anette. Here we are sitting on the Blue Rock in the heart of downtown Bergen.

Karina, myself, Ida, and Grete had a few beers at a local pub, Hectors, before calling it a night. (Cheapest beer I've bought here in Norway so far - 38kr = $7.50. Woo hoo!)

In Norwegian high schools, the senior class celebrate "Russ" for the last part of the year. You see the kids wearing the red overalls and usually pulling pranks every where you turn. We ran into these guys after Hectors...I think they were trying to hang their Russ pants on the flagpole?

Day 2

The main street, Torgallmenningen.

Eurovision 2009 is the equivalent of American Idol, for all of Europe. The final competition was on Saturday night, so we had a little party. Annnd....Norway won!!!!!

Lovely ladies.

@ Tiger Tiger w/Ida and Karina.

Waiting for the bus after Tiger Tiger. Anette and I had to get a picture standing on the Blue Rock! There were many interesting characters out and about at that hour...

17.Mai! We woke up early on Sunday and went to the city to see the parade. On the 17.Mai, Norwegian men and women wear their traditional outfits, called Bunads. It was so great to see everyone out and about, all dolled up. About half of the men choose to wear their Bunads, and if they don't, they usually wear suits, like Sverre (above).

Brann is the soccer team for Bergen, so their section of the parade was particularly loud.

Bergen is known for their traditional marching drumline during parades/national holidays.

There was also a mini amusement park set up in the city. We couldn't resist.

Did you know that Norwegians consume more ice cream per capita than any other country in the world? Just doing their part. :)

It was such a long day! We took a break at a local pub...it was so nice to be able to sit outside in the sun and just relax. I've taken so much for granted in San Diego!

And lastly, we stopped by a well known hot dog stand. Hot dogs, ice cream, sunshine...wait, I'm in Norway, right???

the lil guy

2009-04-27T23:29:00.001-07:00

Andreas, my little handful! :)

Out and About

2009-04-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

Good news! I've finally started my Norwegian classes! We're learning Bokmål (BOO-kmaul), which is the official dialect taught to foreigners. Unfortunately on the west coast of Norway, they speak Nynorsk (NU-nosh-k), which is a bit different than Bokmål (some words are pronounced differently, some words are changed entirely, etc.)...it's a learning process, but I'm so excited to finally start school! Yea, I know - my nerd status is through the roof.

Here's what I've been up to this week...

Checked out a local "football" game in Kopervik. We won!

Stine brought her friend's puppy, Tor Leif.

It was a big cold, but we managed...

~~~~~~~~~

We finally went out last night in Haugesund (the nearest "big" city)

Grete and I at Krasjna (CRUSH-na)

Eirick being Eirick.

The boys.

~~~~~~~~~

Today it was absolutely gorgeous outside!! Not a cloud in the sky. Grete, Ida and I hung out and enjoyed the sunshine (and recovered). :)

Snakkes! (SNA-kahs -- talk to you later!)

Easter

2009-04-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! This past weekend we all went for a little hike in the woods and hung out in this cabin for a few hours. It was a gorgeous day and we had a blast.

Stian made some hot cocoa...it was bomb.

Truls!

Karina brought a mini grill and made pancakes. They were sort of a blend between a crepe and a pancake.

Sous chef Ida.

Reke Smørbrød

2009-04-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Remember Norway's version of Pike Place? The other day Kurt stopped by and got 2 kilos of freshly caught shrimp (reke). Reke Smørbrød (shrimp sandwiches) are prepared by peeling as many shrimp as you like, and then placing them on a slice of buttered bread. Then add a light layer of mayonnaise. I was a bit skeptical at first, but once I tasted it....so refreshing! The perfect summer meal. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Even Andreas got in on the action!

The final product.

Herligt! (delicious!)

LONDON

2009-04-05T09:34:00.001-07:00

I'm back, folks...I had an AMAZING weekend in London! I highly recommend London to anyone who wants to travel to Europe...I can't wait to go back in May to visit the one and only Jill! Take a peek at the pics...

At the foot of the Tower Bridge, near Sian's flat.

Double decker sight seeing bus!

Piccadilly Circus

Buckingham Palace's front gate

A lion and a unicorn?

The London Eye

(Jill - I didn't get to go on it this time around...maybe in May?)

Westminster Abbey - absolutely gorgeous. One of my favorite sites.

Big Ben and Brittanni...no biggie!

I love this view.

For all you closet Harry Potter fans :)

Dad - this is for you...

"Waterloo Station, South Entrance, 10 minutes"

Inside Waterloo Station.

Wellington Arch. The sculpture on top depicts the angel of peace descending on the chariot of war. (Definitely one of my favorites.)

Stopped by the British Museum. It was almost closing time so I didn't get to see many exhibits. :(

But I did spot the Rosetta Stone!

Spent a lot of time walking around, just taking in the scenery. Check out the architecture! I could walk around in London for days.

and last but not least...

A huge thank you to the one and only Sian! I had an absolutely wonderful time!!!

London

2009-04-02T01:38:00.000-07:00

I'm off to London for the weekend, more pictures and stories will follow!

Cheerio, chaps!

Dag Mamma

2009-03-27T02:49:00.000-07:00

To those of you who think it is humorous to call me manly, masculine, or commonly refer to me as your brother - this post is going to make your day. Here in Norway, nannies or the women who work at day care centers are called "dag mamma" - literally translated it means "day mom". For short, the kiddies refer to them as "da-da".

Andreas will be referring to me as "da-da".

Go figure.

Norwegian Chocolate

2009-03-24T12:52:00.001-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen. CHOCOLATE!

-Ron Burgundy

Seriously though - I have tasted the best milk chocolate that Norway, nay, the world has to offer. It's been hiding here in Norway this whole time! While I'm overjoyed to have finally found my chocolate soul mate, I'm saddened by the fact that I only have the next 10 months to enjoy it. Yes, it's THAT good. Sigh.

Snowboarding in Hovden

2009-03-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Just got back from a great weekend snowboarding in Hovden. We made it back in one piece - through sunshine, rain, hail and snow! It was a 4.5 hour scenic drive northeast of Akre, and boasted gorgeous views of snow covered mountains as far as the eye could see. Enjoy! :)

Forgive me for all the landscape pictures, but I couldn't help it! It was a gorgeous day and the views were stunning!

I like how this one picture includes sunshine, snow covered hill tops, greenery, and the ocean.

Langfoss is the 5th highest waterfall in Norway, and among the tallest waterfalls of the world.

I feel like this picture doesn't do it justice, but it really was amazing.

Getting closer to Hovden...

Our cabin :)

The view from the back door...

Anne and the boys hanging out while Ole Martin and I practiced snowboarding.

He did so well!

Headed up to the top of the mountain with Kurt and his brother Frode. (Both were excellent skiers! Snowboarders were definitely the minority in Hovden).

After we got off the lift, there was a huge slope right in front of this lone skier. The mountains here were so intimidating!

I believe this during a break after my first fall of the day. :)

Hovden featured these T-bar lifts, which I had never seen before...they don't look very comfortable.

Ole Martin beat us at Monopoly...again. :)

Ain't nothing but a G thing, baby it's a G thing.

On our way back we took another scenic road that led us past these awesome waterfalls.

Oh yes, there were cows blocking our scenic route as well.

Happy 50th Birthday!

2009-03-16T03:35:00.000-07:00

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.

;)

Around Karmøy

2009-03-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days where it really sank in - I'm in Norway, it's an absolutely beautiful country, and I'm so lucky to be here. This morning it was a typical cloudy day, but it wasn't foggy or windy - perfect for my morning walk to the beach. Afterwards we piled into the car and went for a drive around the island. (It was a short drive...we were back to where we started after an hour). The scenery here is gorgeous and full of history - I feel like these pictures don't do Karmøy justice, but I'll do my best.

This is Burmavegen, the road we took to go from the west side of Karmøy to the east. It was built by Russian POW's during the German occupation of Norway in WWII.

Can you see the snow covered mountains in the distance?

During our short hike, Ole Martin found two lonely flowers (blomster) amongst the rocks.

The cliffs at Skude, overlooking the North Sea.

An abandoned bunker where cannons were positioned during WWII.

I slipped during our short hike to the cliffs (of course).

Pike Place

2009-03-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

First off, it was absolutely GORGEOUS today! Sunny with a slight breeze, low 40s...it was awesome. Anyways, I was out on a walk by the harbor and I saw Akre's own mini Pike Place! Two fishing vessels had just pulled up and were selling their catch right off the dock...I'd never seen something like this before - it was pretty cool.

The view from the other side of the dock

Red Bull

2009-03-09T03:56:00.001-07:00

I have been searching high and low for Red Bull at the local grocery stores, gas stations, and convenience stores. There had been no sign of their existence in Akre, until I found this during a morning stroll. THERE IS HOPE!

Girls Night Out

2009-03-07T05:14:00.001-08:00

Had a great time last night with Iselin (Kurt's niece) and her friends - they were all awesome! We ended up going to a Piano Bar (similar to the bar in Vegas) in Skudneshavn. One of the highlights of my night was when the lady playing the piano played Hotel California!!!

Lovely ladies

Iselin, Tove and Hege

Walking to the Piano Bar

She rocked the piano all night!

Did you know?

2009-02-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

1. It's normal to eat lunch around 11am, and dinner at approximately 3 or 4pm. They have a 4th meal "kveldsmat" at 8pm or 9pm, but it's usually small - bread and cheese or a dessert of some sort.

2. There isn't any real "junk food" at the grocery store, (Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Doritos, etc), which is a good thing, I suppose.

3. I wholeheartedly agree with the Norwegian saying, there is no such a thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.

4. A common joke: When a stranger smiles at you in the street, they assume A. he/she is drunk, B. he/she is insane, C. he/she is American, or D. all of the above.

Skål! (Cheers!)

Værsågod (VA-seh-goo)

2009-02-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some random pics I thought I'd share...

Rocking out during a morning walk.

Venturing out in Haugesund last week.

Oh herro! Our dinner tonight...

random

2009-02-18T02:26:00.000-08:00

Random observations on Norway:

1. Everything in the grocery store is smaller than what you would find in the states. There are no tubs of margarine, gallons of milk, or big jars of mayonnaise. Milk comes in 1/2 liter cartons, soda comes in 1 liter bottles, and the mayo can only be found in the little picnic size containers. Apparently everything IS bigger in the states, sorry Texas. I think I prefer it the Norwegian way though...do you really need a huge tub of margarine? Or a big vat of mayonnaise?

2. Carpets in homes are nonexistent. It's all about tile or hardwood flooring. I'm a big fan of this, mostly because I HATE vacuuming. Vacuums are heavy, evil, and frankly, I don't trust them.

3. Good luck finding anything (aside from a few restaurants) open on Sundays.

4. They can curse on tv - no bleeps! Granted, there aren't that many shows that even have curse words, but still.

5. There are restrictions on how many commercial breaks a regular program can have. For your average 30 minute show, there will be one commercial break in the middle, and it will last approximately 30-45 seconds. I'm LOVING this. Dad - you wouldn't even have time to mute the commercials! By the time you locate the remote, wrestle it from Tara's death grip, and find the mute button, the show is back on!

Andreas Vilhelmsen

2009-02-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

Gangsta ride...

sunny skies

2009-02-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

If you click on the picture you can see an enlarged version...the snow covered rooftops in the background are my favorite!

Uno & Monopoly

2009-02-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today I busted out the Uno cards and challenged Ole Martin to a duel. I finally surrendered after Ole Martin was beating me, 4 games to 3. He was declared champion, but I am contesting it - we were playing with quite a few new rules, so I haven't quite decided if it was a legitimate win. I'll keep you updated. Shout out to BShan - these cards were a great gift - thanks again! Andreas had gotten ahold of their old Uno deck, and they were consequently destroyed. Ole Martin was stoked to be able to play again...come to think of it, maybe that's why we ended up playing 7 games. :)

We all played monopoly later on. Everything was in Norwegian, so it was very interesting..I was definitely at their mercy. Ole Martin won, again. I'm sensing a trend.

sledding!

2009-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

It snowed about 6 more inches yesterday...the scenery was beautiful this morning! I've always planned on living in San Diego permanently, but I'm not so sure now...I'm loving this winter season!

My new background, holla!

Ole Martin and I went sledding on the hills behind their home...

Loving the snow covered street!

Making my way down the hill!

It was a gorgeous day...

daniel vilhelmsen

2009-02-05T12:37:00.001-08:00

He's quite the charmer!

It's snowing!

2009-02-04T01:52:00.000-08:00

It snowed all day today! My first time ever having a legitimate snowy day! :)

Stavanger

2009-02-04T01:20:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Anne, Daniel and I drove/took a ferry to Stavanger, one of their bigger cities. (I use the term "city" lightly. Stavanger has a population of about 200K). We went to Ikea and then to their local shopping center, Kvardard - I don't remember how it's pronounced, so I can't help you out. All I know is that it has two distinct R sounds, and I can't really do those. When I try, it just sounds like I'm trying to hawk a loogie.

It was nice to see the hustle and bustle of a busy city...

Downtown Stavanger, by the harbor

Downtown Stavanger

I liked the vine snaking it's way up the front of the building...

After we got back, we cruised around the old harbor in Akrehamn, just after sunset.

American music

2009-02-01T01:15:00.000-08:00

So one of the things that has stuck out to me so far since I've been here (a week, already!) is the popularity of American music . They play a mixture of Norwegian and American music on their radio stations, but it's definitely an 80-20 blend. The first morning I was here, we sat in their kitchen chatting, when The Killers' new song, Human came on their radio. I was sort of shocked, because that was the last thing I was expecting...later on that day I was flipping through their channels and came upon VH1! It was in English, and the Killer's video for Human was playing...I'm pretty sure that song will forever remind me of Norwizzle.

Every time we get into the car, Kurt and Anne sing along with or bob their heads to American jams...I'm talking Akon, the Killers, oldies by Mary J. Blige, 80s rock music (Kurt's favorite) and on and on. I don't know why but I just can't get used to it, and it makes me laugh every time.

It's a nice reminder of home...just like my calendars that I put up today! Trace and Kath - thank you again - they always put a smile on my face :)

L-dog - I hope you can see 3 of the Sookie Stackhouse books on my nightstand. I just finished #7 last night and need to order #8 on amazon. I wonder how long it will take to ship to Norway...

M - I've been doing the Rubix cube at least once every couple of days to make sure I don't forget...I almost forgot the Super Down when I tried to do it the first time I got out here!

And yes mom, Floppy made it out to Norway with me...there was no way I was leaving him behind! :)

Tjosvold øst (CHOOS-vold OO-st)

2009-01-30T02:06:00.000-08:00

I brought my camera with me on my morning jog and took a few pictures of their neighborhood, Tjosvold øst. It was a gorgeous morning, very sunny with a cool crisp breeze. I'm thinking it was around 30 or 35 degrees...

Karmøy's crest

I still get some of my San Diego sunshine! :)

Can you see the North Sea in the background?

One of the routes I take on my jog...

Ostrich, anyone?

2009-01-29T13:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been lagging! Today it was cloudy and chilly but no rain! I looked at the weather for San Diego this morning and saw nothing but sunshine for the whole week. I am just a wee bit jealous.

After hanging out at the house for a little while, we bundled everyone up and went on a trip to Haugesund (pronounced HOW-guh-soond), which is nearest city on the mainland. It was about a 30 minute drive... (tangent: in Akrehamn, pronounced OO-kra-ham-men, there are only 2 street lights - there are usually roundabouts where you would imagine a traffic light should be. Kurt thinks that the roundabouts actually cause fewer traffic jams and accidents...I'm not completely sold on that. Although I do think that their low speed limit might have more to do with it - around the town on the main roads the speed limit is 50-60 km/hr, which is think 30-40 mph.)

Anyways, back to my story. Both Kurt and Anne were telling me that this was one of the bigger malls in their area, so I was expecting something around the size of UTC. Wrongo. Don't get me wrong, this place was pretty cool (although the only store I recognized was H&M - holla!), but it definitely wasn't as big as I was thinking. The first floor had maybe 10 stores, including a huge grocery store that took up almost 1/4 of the floor. The second floor had maybe 15. They had a great toy store that Andreas loved, and a couple of electronic stores that we could barely pry Ole Martin (pronounced oo-le MAK-tin) from. Definitely a place I will be visiting again.

We got back too late to make dinner, so Kurt stopped by this place down the street called Strutsfarm...which serves ostrich! I was a little hesitant but I figured, why not!? It actually reminded me a lot of carne asada, and it wasn't too bad...I will admit that every time I took a bite I thought of either the Roadrunner or those ostriches Kathy, Jill, Tracy and I fed at the ostrich farm in Buellton. :(

Tracy feeding the hungry ost...(Jill, Trace, Kath - can you believe that road trip was almost 3 years ago?!)

Hopefully not it's relative :(

An ode to Norwegians...and ketchup

2009-01-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

The saga continues. Tonight we went to at a local pizza place, Dolly Dimples, where I learned four intriguing things about Norwegians.

1. Their pizza is insanely expensive. A single large one-topping pizza was $35 USD!

2. They serve their pizza with a sort of Tzaziki sauce, which was an interesting pairing. Verdict?............thumbs up!

3. They provide a special seasoning to use on your pizza which is absolutely divine! (Think Red Robin's seasoning plus a little something extra).

4. The majority of Norwegians put KETCHUP on their pizza!!! I know I'm the resident ketchup fiend, but it has never occurred to me to put it on pizza! I was emboldened by the look of pure bliss on Ole Martin's face, and decided to give it a go. Verdict?................thumbs down. But hey, had to give it a shot!

Moseying along

2009-01-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

Today we bundled up and took a nice walk around the town. We made a huge loop (in the 35 degree weather, I'd like to add) from their front door through their neighborhood, to the harbor, downtown area, and their main shopping center. Although it was cold, it was very sunny and it almost felt like San Diego. Almost :). I loved the small town vibe I got from just walking around - everyone that crossed our path smiled and was very polite...I could get used to this. I will admit that at the end of our 2 hour walk, I couldn't feel the tip of my nose nor my bottom lip.

Smalavegen 35

The view from my room (my fave part)

Houses on Akrehamn harbor

The Vilhelmsen family

Akrehamn, Norwizzle

2009-01-24T14:04:00.001-08:00

Goo dag!

After waaay too many hours of flying I made it to my final destination - Smalavegen 35 (pictures are on their way). Note to self: If you have a connection in Oslo and have checked baggage, you have to pick up your baggage and recheck it on your next flight. I almost missed that memo.

Kurt and Ole Martin (below) picked me up from the airport in Haugesund last night around 9pm. It was so cute - Ole Martin was holding up a sign that he made (and they spelled my name right, Paul).

Kurt and Anne are very nice and accommodating, Ole Martin loves his video games, and Andreas and Daniel are bundles of energy. They're sleeping right now, so I'll post pictures later. I spent a today sharing pictures, unpacking, and getting to know the family. I was really surprised at how well Ole Martin speaks English - he's only 10!

My room is great - I have a terrific view of the field behind the house as well as the mountains to the East. Kurt said that during the summer there are sheep that graze the field behind their house...I really hope I catch a picture of that one because I find it fascinating and pretty hilarious. Who would have thought?

Stay tuned...

Packed and ready to go!

2009-01-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

It is finally that time! I've spent the last couple of days running around like a chicken with its head cut off - running last minute errands, packing my life away for the next year, weighing my luggage to make sure I'm under the acceptable limit, trying to maintain my sanity, etc. At long last, I was finally able to sit down, kick my feet up, and create my first blog. Victory is mine!

I've included a before and after picture for your enjoyment...I still can't believe I managed to fit everything into 3 suitcases.

Insanity.

Success! (with the help of my trusty aid Sheba...)

My journey starts tomorrow at 5pm: I have a 10.5 hour direct flight from LAX to Heathrow, a 3 hour flight from Heathrow to Oslo, and finally a one hour flight from Oslo to Haugesund. I arrive in Haugesund on Friday at 9pm Oslo time, 12pm PST.

I'm going to miss you all so much - thank you for everything (pub golf, surprise farewell party, all of the gifts)...you guys are awesome!

~britt

test

2009-01-20T00:23:00.000-08:00

lloyd...petey didn't even have a head!