Imag-ine that

More Pictures from Norway:

Ski Jump of Death





Happy New Year

On the 4th Day there was....

So the next 2 days of my trip sort of have blended together a bit. I know that one day we went into Fetsun again and Lisa used some of her Christmas money to buy a really cool watch, even if it is D&G lol. Then she and I went back into Oslo and did a tour of the city which was great. We saw the palace where the king and queen live and went to Vigelandsparken, which has a load of famous statues and some beautiful views of the city. We went to the Opera house on the water front. Lisa's brother actually did some of the electrical work on the opera house and got a piece of the roof as a souvenir, which is pretty awesome. We had to keep finding places to go in and have a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate to warm ourselves up since it was yet again -18 or -19 C (-1 or -2F). Then her dad took us around the next day and we saw the new ski jump that they are building for the Olympics or some world sporting event that they are having in Norway in at some point. I nick-named the ski jump, "the ski jump of death" the picture doesn't even begin to do justice to how monstrous the thing really was. I am sure that you could see your life pass before your eyes about 10 times before you actually made it to the ground after jumping that thing. I am fairly certain that you could also pass out and wake up again and you still wont be back on earth. There was another not so scary ski jump which Lisa's dad called the "ladies ski jump" hehehe. Then we went home and the next day I got on a plane and went back to the UK and to essay writing =( I miss Norway a lot though. It was soo beautiful and I hope that I get the chance to go back there some day.

Pictures:

Three is a magic number

On the third day it was party time, New Years Eve. Lisa drove us into Oslo to stay at her friends house, her old flat mate Charlotte (pronounced Charlotta). There were about 8 of us there for dinner. All of us single ladies, celebrating our good fortune over the last year. The food that Charlotte made was delicious and the dessert was even better!

Later that evening some more of Lisa and Charlotte's friends came over and we all had a great time, listening to music and chatting. When it came to midnight we all went outside in the snow and lit sparklers and watched fireworks go off around the city. Just another thing that I had never seen in my life was an entire city throwing fireworks. We were completely encompassed by them. No matter where you looked there were fireworks all around you. I could have watched them for hours, if they had gone on for hours.

The rest of the evening was great. We had wine and champagne and played charades in Norwegian (I started learning Norwegian from Lisa over the week that I was there. I know a few works and phrases, not much but it's a start but this didn't really help me. I just shouted the words in English instead). The next morning, or rather afternoon, I think we woke up around 2PM but to be fair we didn't get to bed until after 4AM so... really it isn't that terrible. Charlotte had already cleaned most of the house by the that time and had made us breakfast. She is an amazing girl, just classic. Anyways, we left Charlotte's at about 4PM because in Norway there is a 12 hour rule for drinking and driving. You must wait 12 hours after consuming alcohol to legally get behind the wheel of a car, pretty smart actually. We got back to Lisa's around 4:45 or 5 ish and then had dinner and that was really it.

Pictures below:

The Second Sun

The second day we still were a bit sleepy and so enjoyed another wonderful late morning. Her parents made us breakfast and we all sat down together. They both speak beautiful English, though I think they were a bit hesitant at first. I can't even begin to say how thankful I am to them for letting me visit. They are wonderful, just as Lisa is.

On this day, Lisa took me a bit further, into the city just next to her village called Lillestrøm. We walked around and she showed me their immaculate Christmas decorations, even though it was after Christmas (who doesn't love Christmas decorations though, really?). We stopped off for a cup of hot chocolate and tea at a local coffee shop.

She took me out to the Fetsun Lenser or Fetsun Logging area. Its no longer in use but I think I got the best pictures of my entire trip here. The steam was coming up off the river and it was the most beautiful place I have seen. It is like a postcard and hardly seems real. After turning into human ice sickles standing around lenser taking photos for about 30 minutes we decided to find our way back to her house.

That night we watched Dylan Moran's stand up comedy act and had loads of chocolate. =) yum yum!

Fetsun:

Fetsun Lenser:

At First Sight

My first day in Norway, Lisa and I woke up rather late. We made it back to her parents house in a village called Sorumsund about 45 minutes outside of Oslo, at about 1 AM since my flight got in so late. Lisa decided to show me around the town that she grew up in and we had loads of amazing photos that came out of just a short walk, no more than 10 minutes from her house. It was extremely beautiful but also freezing cold lol about -18 or -19 C (-1 to -2 F). I had toe warmers in my boots to keep my feet from icing over.

Here are some pictures of our little trek out into the village:

Lazy Bum...

Leaving Bristol

So, as promised and after a hideously long delay here is a synopsis of what I have been doing since my birthday. Once again, sorry it has taken me so long to get to this. And thanks Jim for staying on my case lol.

My birthday was great. A few friends and I went out on the town. My friend Ros and his brother came in from Portishead, there was also my friends Dave, Big C and Karen, all from other countries who stayed in Bristol for the majority of the winter break. We went to a few bars, drank loads, and a good time was had by all.

The next day I woke up with some difficulty and did my washing and packed my bags so that I would be ready to get out the door the net afternoon on my way to Norway. I left my flat and caught a taxi over to the train station. Took the train all the way into Gatwick Airport. (141 miles 2 hours and 23 minutes). It took me about 2 hours to check my bags in and get through security, ridiculous. Then I had about 1 1/2 hours to just tool around the airport and do some reading for my essays that were to hang over my head after I got back.

All the flights going anywhere near Norway were being delayed from the time I got to the airport and until after my flight had left. Weather was supposedly the reason and when I arrived I understood why. My flight however, was only 15 minutes late, where as the others were being delayed by hours or cancelled entirely. So, I felt very fortunate at my luck.

When I arrived in Oslo, the capital of Norway, it was about midnight (hour time difference from Norway to England) and it was a balmy -25C outside. For those of you who don't work in degrees C that is about -13F. So...it was a bit cold =) It is the first time in my life I have ever seen the air have ice crystals in it. It wasn't snow. The air around me was actually frozen it was so cold. It is really something that you should see. Everything around you shimmers. It's like walking into a room filled with tiny microscopic prisms that are floating around you. It was truly an amazing sight and just the beginning of beautiful things to see in Norway.

At the request of some, to keep these entries short I will end this one here and post them in small groups. (Love you Kristin)