Category Archives: Travel

Travel

Road Trip: getting there

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While travel throughout Europe is generally quite easy, Norway isn’t exactly the easiest country to navigate from. Most trips require either a plane ride (so thankful for inexpensive local airlines!), or at the least a ferry to get you going.Our recent road trip to Germany began with a ferry ride. We drove just south to Larvik, and took the ferry to Hirtschals in Denmark. It was an early morning for us, leaving the house just after 6:00. The ferry journey was almost 4 hours, but a sweet friend gave us free tickets that included reserved seats.

What’s even better is the seats were like business class seats on an airplane, comfy and with lots of space. Complete with personal screens for television and movies, free headphones, and complimentary self-serve snacks and drinks: it was a treat! Add to that some cool duty-free shops to explore, and those four hours went by rather quickly.

Made it to Germany!

The idea of getting to drive through a new country (first time in Denmark!) was exciting. The reality? Not so much. While the speed limit was a bit higher than Norway’s very conservative 100 or 110 kph, there was very little to see along the way.

Once into Germany, we still had quite a few hours ahead of us. Of course as I mentioned before (see post here), Zack enjoyed finally getting to drive on the autobahn. But still, a lot of driving will wear you out!

Our first stop was Dusseldorf, and we arrived at the hostel around 9:00 at night. We were exhausted and glad to have finally made it.

Travel

Autobahn

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Leaving Denmark and entering Germany

That’s one more check off of Zack’s bucket list!

Our recent trip to Germany was by car and by boat. We drove to a neighboring city, took a ferry from Norway to Denmark, then made our way south and into Germany.
And driving in Germany means taking the autobahn (German highway). While many sections have speed limits, you do come across quite a few stretches where there is not an official limit, only a suggested speed of 130 kmh (@81 mph).
It is surprising how quickly a car can sneak up on you from behind – you’d best be using your rear view mirror! Zack found a couple of more open areas without much traffic, and proceeded to see what our little car could do. We saw 160 once, and then resumed our position among the ‘lesser automobiles’ in the center or right lane. Often we could feel our car shake a bit as a Maserati, Porsche, Ferrari or other high-end vehicle would speed past.Have you ever driven on the autobahn?

What is something on your bucket list that you hope to accomplish soon?

Travel

Coming soon

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Just returned from eleven days in Germany. So many posts on the horizon, if I can find the time to sit, process, and write.

For now, here are a few photos from the past couple of weeks, to tantalize your taste buds. (Hey C – mission accomplished!)
Travel

A quick getaway

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Thanks to the kindness of some really sweet friends, we spent a couple of nights last week at a hytte/cabin just a couple of hours from home.

It was nice to get away and disconnect a bit. And when I say disconnect, I mean it. No running water, no electricity. But what a charming place with beautiful views, cozy interior, easy access to great hiking, and lots of peace and quiet. We enjoyed laughing together over a made-up game, picking berries, grilling dinner outdoors, and going on a long hike. I was especially proud of the guys. They made it to the top of Reskjemnipa – 717 meters (2352 feet) above sea level! (I made it about two-thirds of the way and then waited for them!)
A couple of photos on the way there…
Relaxing on the porch
Cool waterfalls on the hike
Amazing views
Look how high they were!
On the way back down
Beautiful sunset to end a nice getaway
And once back home, we enjoyed the fruits of the boys’ labors by indulging in homemade blueberry muffins!

 

Travel

Our neighbors to the East

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We are enjoying a short visit to Stockholm. We are spending some time with colleagues, and being tourists as well.
I’ll write more later, but here are a few pics from the phone for now. What a fun city!
The Nordica museum is cool. We visited it last year. If nothing else, it’s worth it to check out the beautiful architecture.
We are always looking for free things to do. The Vasa Museum was not one of them. But if you are going to pay for only one thing, this should be it. Very cool.
One of our favorite things to do in a new city is simply strolling up and down the streets. So many beautiful things to see, and especially on a very mild summer day.
Of course we’ve been checking out coffee shops. Drop Coffee Roasters knows their stuff. Highly recommended.
Another gorgeous view.

 

A kid-free night, thanks to our colleagues! We walked all over Stockholm for a long time. We really enjoy the small streets and shops of Gamla Stan.

P.S. The bracelets are from Agapao Inc. You can check them out and learn more about #loveinaction at http://www.agapaoinc.com.

And you can buy these and other cool Agapao Inc items at http://www.agapaostore.com.

Norway, Travel

Exploring a new part of Norway

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Two weekends ago we attended a conference in Hovet, a village in central Norway. It is always fun to get to check out new areas of the country, and this is the farthest we’ve traveled (in Norway) as a family so far.The area is home to some ski resorts, but the snow is melting so most everything was closed for the season.  But it was still a beautiful setting and we enjoyed getting to explore it in the afternoon between meetings.

This was our home for a weekend –
a really cool two bedroom cabin.

 

The view from our back porch

 

We took this one somewhere along the drive.

 

Out for an afternoon walk

 

A ski jump built in between two cabins!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day-to-Day, Travel

Reunited: back on the same continent!

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About 2 1/2 weeks ago, Zack boarded a flight and headed for Atlanta. There were a number of reasons that this was the right thing to do, and the right time to do it. I’m really glad that it worked out for him.For 17 days, he’s been able to spend time with his family (and some of mine), connect with some stateside partners, help with some practical things, and be there for the birth of his nephew. I think this visit has been really good for him, especially getting to spend some quality time with his mom and dad.

But with all of that said, can I just say how excited I am that he will be home with us later today? It has been quite an experience for the three of us still in Norway. I have a new and overwhelming appreciation for single moms. Seriously. How do you ladies do it? I’m not even working full time and I still feel like I’m barely keeping things running!

The boys and I have had fun, with some challenges mixed in. But we are definitely ready to get back to our normal craziness, instead of this unfamiliar extra-craziness!

Can’t wait to have him home tonight.

Travel

Spania: a quick trip to Malaga

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We just returned from a conference in Malaga, Spain. Sunshine, temps around 15 – 18 C. Yeah, almost like Norwegian summer.We didn’t have a lot of time outside, as most of our days were filled with meetings. But we managed to take advantage of the breaks and explore a little bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a bit of Norwegian practice for myself, I have decided to occasionally include the Norwegian translation of a blog post. (Thanks to sweet friends here for helping me with my grammar!)

Vi er nettopp kommet tilbake fra en konferanse i Malaga, Spania. Det var sol, og circa 15 til 18 grader. Ja, nesten som norsk sommer!

Vi fikk ikke så mye tid ute, på grunn av mange møter. Men vi utnyttet pausene og utforsket litt.

cross-cultural living, Travel

Nordic Life: Langrenn

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This past weekend we experienced something that is very common and popular in Norway this time of year: cross-country skiing (langrenn).Our friends invited us to a cabin for the weekend. It was a good time of getting to know each other better, relaxing, eating lots of good food, and skiing.

Okay, more falling than skiing. But either way, it’s quite a workout!

We had fun, and I think the bug has bitten. We are working to get all four of us outfitted with skis so we can begin doing this on a regular basis.

And I have to say that if we are all still friends after the weekend, that’s saying a lot about their patience! They were great teachers, and we are very appreciative of their hospitality and support. And when I say support, I mean that in multiple ways: from encouraging words and pointers, to getting us up and down hills – literally!