LIFE

We finally have signs of life other than moss and weeds. This patch of flowers reminds of Texas bluebonnets--fields of blue that look like a lake from a distance (J said the same thing).

One Year

J and I arrived in Norway one year ago today. It has been a year of adventures, both exciting and frustrating. Kim reached her one year mile stone on March 1 (actually Feb. 29). We are looking forward to all that is to come.

Break Out The T-shirts

Wow! The temperature finally smashed the 60 degree (16 C) barrier today. Back in Houston this would mean adorning at least a light sweater or jacket, in Norway not so--break out the t-shirts (and shorts for others).

Winter Journeys

Europe has several airlines that offer low rates making travel across the continent quite affordable.  Having time off of school paralleling American Thanksgiving we jetted off to London.  Our stops included Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey (I had to drop something at Isaac Newton's burial location), The London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Harrods Department Store, Stamford Bridge Stadium (home of the Chelsea soccer team) and two shows ("Stomp" and "Billy Elliot").  We also got experience a ride in a double decker bus (the real kind, not the on-off tourist bus), a traditional black taxi and The Tube.

Thanksgiving Dinner was disappointing--we were told about this nice family friendly Italian restaurant which turned out to be a pizza joint with terrible service.  The food was not bad, but we were to frustrated to enjoy it.  We did make up for our misfortune by having wonderful meal the following night.

A few days after Christmas we were off to Copenhagen, Denmark.  Two of our days were spent at Tivoli, one of the world's oldest and most visited amusement parks.  This park remains open much of the year regardless of the weather--just dress well and away you go.  One of the strangest sights we saw were what looked like the round charcoal grills used for barbecues.  These "grills" were spread about the park with glowing coals to warm yourself up--no nets, screens, warnings, etc.  We also visited Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Guinness World Records and Experimentarium (a fantastic science center that is totally hands on).  Our hotel room had a view of nightly fireworks from Tivoli.

We are very thankful that we have such great opportunities to travel.  Travelling allows you to see, experience and understand the world more; and at the same time appreciate where we come from.

London icons--Big Ben, Parliament, London Eye, double decker bus and nose of little black taxi.

Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

London Eye

Tower of London

Tower Bridge (not the London Bridge)

Stamford Bridge Stadium

Harrods Department Store

Piccadilly Circus

The London Underground aka.The Tube

Experimentarium--Copenhagen

Guinness World Records

Ripley's Believe It Or Not--Picture made of toast.

Tivoli--Copenhagen

Tivoli--Copenhagen

Tivoli--Copenhagen

First Guests

In early October (2012) we had our first guests.  The church we found was hosting a conference and a couple from the worship team stayed at our house.  Mike and Bethany were from Detroit.  What a blessing it was to have "familiar faces."  We had such a good time that they extended their visit.  During the day Mike and Bethany were able to do some travelling and enjoy some of the sights of Norway.  In the evenings we laughed, shared stories, stayed up late, jumped on the trampoline, and spent time spoiling Joshua.  These wonderful guests were just the scratch we needed for our itch.

Travels

With continental Europe at our doorstep we have had the opportunity to do some travelling.  The summer of 2012 took us to Germany (Perlin, Berlin, Hamburg) and Italy (Pisa, Cinque Terra).  In Perlin we got to stay with one of Kim's high school class mates and his family.  Perlin is located in the former East Germany.  From Perlin we took a side trip to Schwerin to visit the castle.  Berlin is one of our new favorite city--so much to do and see; history, art, culture, music, sports, you name it they got it.  Our stops included the Victory Tower, Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, TV Tower, Berlin Cathedral (aka Berliner Dome), The Reichstag, The KDW Shopping Center, House of World Cultures, Charlottenburg Palace, Bellevue Palace, Jewish Memorial, sights and sounds of the city bus tour, Olympic Stadium, and several embassies.  The great weather continued in Hamburg.  The revitalized warehouse district houses many theaters, museums, Miniature Wonderland (imagine train sets covering three basketball courts),  The Alster Lake area is surrounded by prestigious homes, a university, parks, and food and tourist shops.  We stumbled upon the Magnum Ice Cream Lounge and a restaurant that serves potato dishes (you can do more with potatoes than boil, fry, and bake--many other delectable dishes including deserts).  Stops in Hamburg included City Hall, Miniatur Wonderland, several churches and parks, and just enjoying the weather.

Rusty and his family

Schwerin Castle

Victory Tower--Berlin

Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall

One of many bears around Berlin

Berlin Cathedral

Berlin Cathedral

Berlin Cathedral

The Reichstag--Berlin

Brandenburg Gate--Berlin

In the streets.

Olympic Stadium

Berlin TV Tower

Berlin TV Tower

Minatur Wonderland--Hamburg

Boat Tour--Hamburg

Boat Tour--Hamburg

Our favorite potato restaurant--Hamburg

Magnum Lounge--Hamburg

Hamburg

Soviet Sub--Hamburg

Canals of Hamburg

The "Dancing Towers"--Hamburg

August took us to Pisa, Italy.  The first stop was the Tower, Cathedral, and Baptistry with detour of the greatest gelato we've ever tasted.  Day trips included the beach at Viareggio, Cinque Terra, and La Spezia.  Viareggio has miles of beaches and the water was clean, clear, and pleasant temperature.  Cinque Terra is a UNESCO World Heritage sight consisting of five villages perched in the cliffs along the Mediterranean Sea.  The streets are steep and narrow.  You may hike between the villages or take a boat taxi.  The area is positively gorgeous but not the most kid friendly (i.e. mom and dad wanted to relax while the younger one wanted to do stuff).  La Spezia was a city we transferred trains in to get to Cinque Terra but also ended up on a day trip.The scariest/funniest event occurred when we seeking to enter the naval museum but were told by a navy official that this was restricted space.  When we told him our plight he kindly directed us to our destination.  It was a joy finishing our summer holidays with summer weather (Norway was in the grips of one of the coolest wet summers in recent history).

Tower of Pisa

Cathedral of Pisa

Baptistry

The BEST Gelato

Viareggio

The villages in Cinque Terra

Naval Museum in La Spezia

Naval Museum in La Spezia

Streets of Pisa

Warm and happy travelers.