To Go of Not To Go

So some time in January or even February we heard that Megan J and Eric (friends of ours) were going to be in Vienna for a weekend in March.  Initially we were not planning to meet up with them as we had a large holiday planned a couple weeks later.  Well after discussions and other circumstances we decided to go anyways.  And boy are we glad we did!

Now I could tell you about the sights we saw, but that would mean that we had a good tour guide (Megan J).  Just kidding.  What I can tell you is that it was a trip that we will always remember.

As some of you might expect the two Megan’s got talking and nothing would stop them.  So Eric and I would stop and see how far they would go before turning around to see where we were.  If we were really cruel Eric and I could have turned around completely and left the two of them on there own…

Some of the best things we remember about the trip are:

1)   The baguette with a bratwurst inside!

2)   Walking around with beer, then stopping for a beer, and then Starbucks.

3)   “Stop I need a picture!” When in fact we actually wanted a picture of the odd/strange person behind one of us.

4)   Being hung over (or three of us at least) watching the Lipizzaner Horses and taking illegal photos.

5)   And the BEST meal of all time…SNAILS.

All we can say is thank you to Megan J. and Eric for making the trip a special one!!!

Baguettes, Brats, and Beer!

Amazing mustache.

Girls on the elephant.

Guys turn.

Beer!

No backflip was accomplished...they only jump.

Group photo.

Vinter & Vår i Norge

Sorry for the briefness in this first update...I will put more information into some of our trips/excursions.

The winter here in Stavanger was unique for both of us.  There was very little snow, lots of ice, rain, and wind, and fairly warm.

For Christmas we just stayed here in Stavanger by ourselves.  We had a very funny tree, nice and full at the bottom and top with a bare spot in the middle.  I loved it and Megan made fun of it!  Not having family here with us was weird but we made up for it, in a way, with the wonderful application called Skype.

For New Years we went to Hovden, Norway for a weekend of skiing with some friends.  The skiing here is completely different then what I was used to… Here you have shorter runs and predominately t-bars, with very few if any chair lifts at a ski resort.  With that being said, skiing here is still just as fun and you get a better leg work out!

After skiing Erica and Thad (our friends) and us went back to the cabin we rented ate some chili, drank some beer, and then found a place in town to drink more beer before midnight.  Well at about an hour before midnight all the celebrations started.  The only to describe the amount of fireworks that we saw is to take a 4^th of July Celebration and multiply it by at least 10.  Everywhere you looked fireworks where going off.  What an unbelievable sight!!!!

As for the spring…well it was nice and very busy for us.  I was working on finishing my degree while teaching swim lessons and Megan was busy working away.  The weather during this time was extremely unpredictable…snow one day and sun and warm the next followed by heavy fog.  You never knew what to expect!

First snow of the year (2011).

Our Christmas Tree.

Small boat coming in from the fjords.

One of the many wonderful view around town.

Up in the mountains...standing on a terminal moraine.

Heaviest snow of the year...about 3.5 inches

2 Swords Monument on a wonderful spring day.

Updates Coming Soon

We know we have been slacking at updating our blog...but trust us updates are coming soon.  In the mean time enjoy a nice little video that describes Norway almost to the "T." Even Norwegians have to agree (partly because it is made by a Norwegian)!

 This Is Norway

Better Late Than Never

As many of you can probably already guess, life has been non-stop go go go for both of us and we’ve finally found some time to sit down and write this long over due update. To begin let me go back a little ways to Thanksgiving, Megan’s Birthday, and Mini-Honeymoon trip #1 (also known as Copenhagen)…

We decided to take our first European trip to Copenhagen, Denmark during Thanksgiving weekend. It was our Mini-Honeymoon #1, Thanksgiving, and Megan’s Birthday all rolled into one! The trip started out in true Griswald Family (The Vacation Movies) style:

·      30 minute delayed flight from Stavanger

·      Running through Oslo airport (layover was originally only 50 minutes, that is if the plane was on time)

·      Missing the last Copenhagen connection for the night and being rescheduled for the 6 am flight the next day, thus making an unexpected free night stay in the hotel by the airport

·      Celebrating Megan’s birthday a little early with some duty-free wine and our free 500 NOK food/beverage vouchers

·      Sleeping through the wake-up call and all alarms and waking up at 6am by sure luck

·      Missed flight #2, miraculously got rescheduled for the 7 am flight free of charge, and finally made it to Copenhagen

Once we got there things got much better.  We were able to check into our room right when we got there so we didn’t have to haul our stuff around for the day.  That first day we did a bunch of shopping, as we didn’t feel like doing all the sites after our flight fiasco.  The second day of our trip was spent viewing the sites.  I feel like we saw just about all of them without having to take a bus, train, taxi, etc.  That night we went to Tivoli Square for the Christmas market, which turned out to be a blast!  With this year being our first away form families we had very little, if any, Christmas decorations, so we bought numerous ones during our trips at the various Christmas markets.  On the third and final day we relaxed, enjoyed more of the good food and pretty much bought all of our Christmas presents to each other.  Luckily on the way back we were able to make our flight on time, and enjoy a Starbucks coffee.

Sorry for the delay....

First off let me apologize for the delay in not updating our blog.  Between school (me), work (both), and traveling we have had very little free time.  Also, information about our “Megan’s Birthday Trip” can be found in another post.

With that being said, what has all happened here….

One weekend we drove out to Brykedal, and the candle factory.  It was a beautiful drive in the mountains.  To get there you cruise through some of the most breathtaking U-shaped valleys and along some amazing lakes.  On the way out there the sun was trying to peak through the clouds but was struggling and on the way back there was a slight rain.  Once we got there we bought tons of candles and had a traditional Norwegian meal.  I had a meatball dish (I can’t remember the actually name) and Megan had a fish dish.

When we moved here we needed phones and we figured we wouldn’t be using them a whole lot.  At that time we decided to get pay-as-you-go phones.  The problem was they were unreliable at times.  So we decided to upgrade and broke down and bought iPhones.  After much research we discovered that if we buy them here unlocked we can use them even when we travel to other places (with a SIM card of course).  So, needless to say, birthday presents came early this year.

Since, most of the vacation time was used on the wedding we are staying here for Christmas.  While on “Megan’s Birthday Trip” we actually bought most of our gifts for each other, as it was slightly cheaper there.  We still bought things here but we won’t know what until Christmas.  We baked cookies that are familiar to us:  pizzelles, moons or Russian teacakes, peanut butter balls, and pfeffernusse. If we where to do a “typical” Norwegian Christmas we would decorate our tree on the 23^rd, but we already bought and decorated ours from a boat that brings them into the harbor from up north.  On Christmas Eve we would open all of our presents with family and eat a dinner consisting of ribbe, julepølser, pinnekjøtt, lutefisk, kålrabi, potatoes, sauerkraut and more.  We actually had all that at Megan’s company Christmas party (minus the lutefisk).  Since my birthday is Christmas Eve instead of trying to fight for a reservation at a restaurant or try to cook some of these foods, we are celebrating my birthday a day early by going to a local restaurant where we can get such foods again. Here is a link to find out more about them Norwegian Christmas Food

Also if you want to come visit, right now all you need is a suitcase full of real butter and you could sell it to get your ticket paid for.  All joking aside, this is a problem here this year.  Norwegians in general started a low carb, high fat diet just before December.  Combine that with milk production decreasing in Norway, you get a butter shortage.  The country has tried to import butter, but no one will unless we lower our taxes.  So, we just have to deal without butter or we have to risk our lives against elderly women….

Just as a final side note, I passed my driving test as well.  So we are both licensed to drive until we are 100 in Norway!

Canons by the lookout tower.

The lookout tower.

Harbor at night.

The local school in Sentrum.

Having fun...

I want one...

Drive to Byrkedal.

Drive to Byrkedal.

Watching guard over the farm houses next to the candle factory.

One of the many beautiful lakes...wish the sun was shining...

One of the lakes.