Friday, November 14, 2008
Final Day
It's my last night. I had my final dinner and final Tau. Now I just need to pack and go to bed. Yesterday I finished cleaning out my apartment. It was a little sad because I was just getting used to it. I'm ready to go home though. Work was crazy today. I was in meetings and writing emails all day, and as expected, I didn't get done. I will be finishing up this weekend, in Houston.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Almost done
Well, it's my last week. Work has of course been extra busy. I have an impossible stack of things to complete. Probably only the top most ones will get done.
Last weekend we went on our final hike. It was the only hike we went on as a team. The hike was up a giant waterfall called Manafossen. Robert and Ashim only made it part way, but Spencer and I kept going. Eventually we came across a herd of sheep that were being taken home by their shepherds. The sheep share the trail with hikers. We had to cross paths and the sheep didn't really appreciate us being in their way. We worked it out, but eventually Spencer and I had to turn around and go back the way we came. We soon caught up to the sheep and were forced to hang back with the herders. I think we can officially say that we herded sheep now. That's a real Norwegian experience.
I discovered recently that certain hikes have special pins associated with them that you can purchase. This hike was one of the them. So I will have a pin for Preikestolen and Manafossen. That's the kind of souvenir that I like.
This week some of our coworkers are in town for a different project. I've been going to dinner with them some. Tonight I met up with them and one of the local staff at a restaurant/bowling alley. We bowled. Bowling here is just like in the US. The animations on the screen are the same and even the balls are in pounds instead of kilograms. The shoes are European sizes though, which was a challenge. I'm happy to say that I got my first international strike, and I bowled a respectable 146.
Two days of work left and then I'm out of here. Time to get back to packing and cleaning the apartment.
Last weekend we went on our final hike. It was the only hike we went on as a team. The hike was up a giant waterfall called Manafossen. Robert and Ashim only made it part way, but Spencer and I kept going. Eventually we came across a herd of sheep that were being taken home by their shepherds. The sheep share the trail with hikers. We had to cross paths and the sheep didn't really appreciate us being in their way. We worked it out, but eventually Spencer and I had to turn around and go back the way we came. We soon caught up to the sheep and were forced to hang back with the herders. I think we can officially say that we herded sheep now. That's a real Norwegian experience.
I discovered recently that certain hikes have special pins associated with them that you can purchase. This hike was one of the them. So I will have a pin for Preikestolen and Manafossen. That's the kind of souvenir that I like.
This week some of our coworkers are in town for a different project. I've been going to dinner with them some. Tonight I met up with them and one of the local staff at a restaurant/bowling alley. We bowled. Bowling here is just like in the US. The animations on the screen are the same and even the balls are in pounds instead of kilograms. The shoes are European sizes though, which was a challenge. I'm happy to say that I got my first international strike, and I bowled a respectable 146.
Two days of work left and then I'm out of here. Time to get back to packing and cleaning the apartment.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Aquavit
Tuesday I went to the Stavanger Archeology Museum. It's located a few blocks from my apartment. It's strange because it's right in the middle of my neighborhood. Along the way I saw some guys fighting with swords. I assume they were vikings. The museum was interesting, but was lacking. I expected to see more references to vikings and old Norse Gods and religions. Strangely these things were largely omitted. There's plenty of mention of Christianity though. It's almost like they're ashamed of their old ways.
Yesterday we had a team dinner with some of our coworkers. It was fun. Of course when Norwegians go out, they really go out. To make a long story short, I should have avoided the wine. The interesting part was we all had shots of a liquor called Aquavit. The theory behind this stuff is that it's made here, then put on a boat and sent to the equator. Then it comes back here on a boat. Then they do it again. Then they drink it. I'm sure there's good reason for it, but considering that it's still rotting my gut, I'll just stick to beer from now on.
Tonight I walked around town and finished up some shopping. I didn't really feel up for much else. However, since I only have 9 days left in Norway, I decided to treat myself to a fine meal. When I went into the Burger King, I noticed several interesting things. Since I worked at BK for a few years in high school, I was interested to compare it to my own Bloomington store. Thus this was really an educational endeavour. The first thing I noticed is that they take dollars, euros, and pounds. It's the only store I've seen that does that. The second thing was that the kitchen looked just like my old store. Right down to the blue and red thongs. Thirdly, a black woman appeared to be running the store. She was working the sandwich boards. She must have been American because she was using short and concise English words to order her Norwegian staff around. I really wanted to know how she ended up working at Burger King in Stavanger. Maybe Burger King sends its all-star employees around the world to make sure it's run their way. Anyway, of course when I got home I discovered that the girl ignored my order of no sauce. So the sandwich was deposited in the trash can. I guess I have to go back now.
Yesterday we had a team dinner with some of our coworkers. It was fun. Of course when Norwegians go out, they really go out. To make a long story short, I should have avoided the wine. The interesting part was we all had shots of a liquor called Aquavit. The theory behind this stuff is that it's made here, then put on a boat and sent to the equator. Then it comes back here on a boat. Then they do it again. Then they drink it. I'm sure there's good reason for it, but considering that it's still rotting my gut, I'll just stick to beer from now on.
Tonight I walked around town and finished up some shopping. I didn't really feel up for much else. However, since I only have 9 days left in Norway, I decided to treat myself to a fine meal. When I went into the Burger King, I noticed several interesting things. Since I worked at BK for a few years in high school, I was interested to compare it to my own Bloomington store. Thus this was really an educational endeavour. The first thing I noticed is that they take dollars, euros, and pounds. It's the only store I've seen that does that. The second thing was that the kitchen looked just like my old store. Right down to the blue and red thongs. Thirdly, a black woman appeared to be running the store. She was working the sandwich boards. She must have been American because she was using short and concise English words to order her Norwegian staff around. I really wanted to know how she ended up working at Burger King in Stavanger. Maybe Burger King sends its all-star employees around the world to make sure it's run their way. Anyway, of course when I got home I discovered that the girl ignored my order of no sauce. So the sandwich was deposited in the trash can. I guess I have to go back now.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Keith Goes to Norway
Keith just left Norway yesterday. It's time to catch up on events. We got back to Norway early on Sunday, so we had most of the day to do things. We went to lunch and then went to the Petroleum Museum. It was really good. I'm not just saying that because my company sponsors either. It has a 3D movie and some really elaborate exhibits.
During the week Keith spent his time running and walking around the town. At night we generally went out to eat and then to bars. We tried to bowl one night but all of the lanes were reserved. There was no one bowling though. It's a common theme of Stavanger.
Keith was lucky in that most of the week had great weather. It was cold, but there was no rain and the skies were clear. It did rain the first few days so he didn't miss out.
Last weekend we ran a half marathon. Keith filled his goal of running an international distance race. Then on Sunday we hiked up a mountain. The weather was perfect for hiking and we got some great views of the countryside.
That's it for Keith's tour. Only two more weeks of Norway.
During the week Keith spent his time running and walking around the town. At night we generally went out to eat and then to bars. We tried to bowl one night but all of the lanes were reserved. There was no one bowling though. It's a common theme of Stavanger.
Keith was lucky in that most of the week had great weather. It was cold, but there was no rain and the skies were clear. It did rain the first few days so he didn't miss out.
Last weekend we ran a half marathon. Keith filled his goal of running an international distance race. Then on Sunday we hiked up a mountain. The weather was perfect for hiking and we got some great views of the countryside.
That's it for Keith's tour. Only two more weeks of Norway.
Amsterdam
To catch up, two weekends ago I took a side trip to Amsterdam. The plan was to meet up with Keith in Amsterdam for the weekend, then both of us would come back here to Norway.
The trip began with Robert kindly dropping me off at the airport at 5:30 AM. I traveled my way to the Netherlands with no problems, and trained into the city. Keith, per his usual style, booked an excellent hotel. It was right across the street from the train station and a block away from the hot spots of the city.
The plan for the day was to walk in the footsteps of Rick Steve. This included a walking tour of the city, and stops at several museums. One of the interesting things about Amsterdam is that it's clearly a city built on trade. There are shops all along every street, and at least one McDonald's per block. Another interesting thing are the bikes and the trolleys. The city was designed for bikes with special bike paths going everywhere. Unlike Norway, where pedestrians are king, bikes rule the road in Amsterdam.
We went to three museums. The first was the big, famous Amsterdam museum. Ironically I can't remember the name. It was under construction, but they moved their best stuff to the open part. It consisted mostly of Rembrandts. The second museum was the Van Gogh museum. That museum was somewhat disappointing. It was missing some of the more famous works, and really, I just don't get the guy. The third museum was more of a historical museum about the rise of Amsterdam. This was the most interesting. Probably because I find history somewhat more interesting than art. Unfortunately this museum defeated us and we weren't able to make it through the whole thing before it closed.
Amsterdam is basically a giant circus. Literally. There was actually a carnival setup right in front of the royal palace. I road a ride. Of course that's just the beginning. The streets are packed on a nice day. It's kind of like Mardi Gras without the beads and parades. There are street performers, vendors, fresh air urinals, and plenty of debauchery. Speaking of which, there is also the red light district and the coffee shops. It's basically what you would expect. We toured the area but it was largely an educational endeavour.
That's about it. It was a full day of Amsterdam. I would definitely like to go back and spend a little more time.
The trip began with Robert kindly dropping me off at the airport at 5:30 AM. I traveled my way to the Netherlands with no problems, and trained into the city. Keith, per his usual style, booked an excellent hotel. It was right across the street from the train station and a block away from the hot spots of the city.
The plan for the day was to walk in the footsteps of Rick Steve. This included a walking tour of the city, and stops at several museums. One of the interesting things about Amsterdam is that it's clearly a city built on trade. There are shops all along every street, and at least one McDonald's per block. Another interesting thing are the bikes and the trolleys. The city was designed for bikes with special bike paths going everywhere. Unlike Norway, where pedestrians are king, bikes rule the road in Amsterdam.
We went to three museums. The first was the big, famous Amsterdam museum. Ironically I can't remember the name. It was under construction, but they moved their best stuff to the open part. It consisted mostly of Rembrandts. The second museum was the Van Gogh museum. That museum was somewhat disappointing. It was missing some of the more famous works, and really, I just don't get the guy. The third museum was more of a historical museum about the rise of Amsterdam. This was the most interesting. Probably because I find history somewhat more interesting than art. Unfortunately this museum defeated us and we weren't able to make it through the whole thing before it closed.
Amsterdam is basically a giant circus. Literally. There was actually a carnival setup right in front of the royal palace. I road a ride. Of course that's just the beginning. The streets are packed on a nice day. It's kind of like Mardi Gras without the beads and parades. There are street performers, vendors, fresh air urinals, and plenty of debauchery. Speaking of which, there is also the red light district and the coffee shops. It's basically what you would expect. We toured the area but it was largely an educational endeavour.
That's about it. It was a full day of Amsterdam. I would definitely like to go back and spend a little more time.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A First
Today Chris left. He's probably somewhere over Greenland right now. It's kind of sad and quiet here now. It won't be for long though. Saturday I fly to Amsterdam to meet up with Keith. Then on Sunday we're coming back here and he's hanging out for a week.
Today was a first. I got my first international haircut. Conveniently the shop is right next door to the apartment. They did a good job for only 3x the price as the US.
Today was a first. I got my first international haircut. Conveniently the shop is right next door to the apartment. They did a good job for only 3x the price as the US.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Preikestolen and things
Chris and I are watching Norwegian "The Hole" right now. It's exactly like the US version, right down to the ridiculous silver jump suits. The only difference is the language. Not understanding what they're saying is actually an improvement.
Last weekend on Saturday we got up late, then spent the day driving around South of Stavanger. We went to place called Kavadrat. It's a Norwegian mall. The malls here are just like in the US except the hallways are much more narrow and the shops are smaller. Clothing and dishware stores make up 90% of the stores. Malls are popular here. The place was packed.
Sunday we got up early to go to Preikestolen. We had to put the car on a ferry to cross the fjord to Tau. That was a new experience. We got there early and starting hiking. At first the weather was good, then the rain started. It wasn't really suppose to according to my trusty weather website, but it did anyway, all the way up. We were wet, but at least the hike was scenic.
The disappointment was when we got to the top. The fjord was completely covered in fog. There was basically no view. So we hiked down. Of course it cleared up...then rained again. It was a wet day. I will invest in some waterproof pants and hiking boots when I return to Houston.
Last weekend on Saturday we got up late, then spent the day driving around South of Stavanger. We went to place called Kavadrat. It's a Norwegian mall. The malls here are just like in the US except the hallways are much more narrow and the shops are smaller. Clothing and dishware stores make up 90% of the stores. Malls are popular here. The place was packed.
Sunday we got up early to go to Preikestolen. We had to put the car on a ferry to cross the fjord to Tau. That was a new experience. We got there early and starting hiking. At first the weather was good, then the rain started. It wasn't really suppose to according to my trusty weather website, but it did anyway, all the way up. We were wet, but at least the hike was scenic.
The disappointment was when we got to the top. The fjord was completely covered in fog. There was basically no view. So we hiked down. Of course it cleared up...then rained again. It was a wet day. I will invest in some waterproof pants and hiking boots when I return to Houston.
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