Moose!!!! (Or is it mooses? Or meese?)

This morning, I was checking my email when suddenly I noticed something dark and lumbering out of the corner of my eye. There were three female moose munching on trees right outside my window! Luckily I had my camera at the desk and I started clicking away. Unlike most other wild animals, the moose weren't frightened by me or the camera at all, and posed very nicely for me! Soon, I realized that it was time to go to Norwegian class but there were still three huge animals of unknown temperament in my yard. Good thing I'm very clever--I know that moose like apples, so I grabbed several from the fridge and threw them towards the moose as I raced for the car. Sadly, I throw like a girl and the apples fell about 30 feet short of the moose, and the creatures just stared at me in befuddlement, chomping on their twigs. I'm pretty sure I heard one of them mutter, "Crazy American!" as I sped away. I was about 5 minutes late to class, so I explained to the teacher (in Norwegian) that I was late because there were three moose in my yard and I was scared to leave the house. Except that I didn't know what the word for moose was in Norwegian, so I just said "moose." The word "moose" sounds the same as "mus" which means "mouse" in Norwegian, so the teacher thought that I was late to class because I was scared of three mice in my yard. Thankfully, I now know that a moose is an "elg", so at least next time I'm held hostage in my house, no one will think it was due to rodents!

Loule

On our last day in Portugal, we drove to Loule. The city was preparing for its big Carnaval parade and festival. Unfortunately we missed the parade because we had a plane to catch, but it was fun watching everyone getting the floats together and putting up the decorations. Loule is a beautiful city--there is a castle in the historic district! What more could you ask for in a city? The sidewalks are all paved in white and blue stones placed in intricate patterns. It makes walking in heels a little tricky, but it's so pretty that it is worth it! I loved the historic district with it's narrow streets and quaint shops around every corner. Our visit to Loule was the perfect way to end our vacation! Now it's time to dream of where to go next...Amsterdam? Stockholm? Rome? Prague? Actually, I'm going back to upstate New York on Sunday for a week--no, it's not very exotic, but it will be nice to see friends and family again!

Albufeira

We spent an afternoon exploring Albufeira--what a fun city! There is an old part of the city with traditional Portuguese architecture and charming, narrow streets and alleys. There is also a newer part with funky, colorful buildings and statues. The worms statue really cracked me up--the main part of the sculpture was on a rotary, but their little worm tails popped out of the medians further down the road. The beach in Albufeira is very nice and had some impressive sandstone formations which I felt compelled to photograph.

We ate lunch at a restaurant on the water and I believe it might have been the best meal I have ever had! Most restaurants in the area immediately bring out a tray of olives, sardine pate, bread and a local sheep's milk cheese--so yummy! I ordered a pitcher of sangria for us to share, plus grilled mixed fish and vegetable skewers. Kevin ordered grilled red mullet (I think solely because he finds the word "mullet" so amusing). There was a big grill outside on the patio where we were sitting, so we could watch our meal being prepared. Oh my, it was so good, I think I might have actually moaned aloud. Even though I was stuffed, I ordered a piece of fig and almond tart for dessert and we both got glasses of almond liqueur, another specialty of the area. Again, so good!

After "The Best Meal Ever," we waddled around the beach and explored the town more. We drove back to Vilamoura later that evening and strolled around the marina looking for a good place to eat dinner. Every couple of feet, there were random men trying to convince us to eat at their establishments. As soon as they heard us speaking English, they would plead with us to try their restaurants. We heard all about the amazing food we would feast on, and all the discounts they would give us if we followed them inside. Finally, in frustration, we started speaking Norwegian to each other, in the hopes that if we pretended not to speak English, we would be left alone. The main problem with our brilliant plan is that I only speak a little Norwegian and Kevin speaks a lot less than I do, so we basically just wandered around saying "nei", "tusen takk", "ja" and gasping. Yup, we're morons, but it did make the rest of the evening more peaceful. We ended up at an Italian restaurant but I literally could not eat a bite, I was still so stuffed from "The Best Meal Ever". I felt bad for the waiter--he seemed so concerned that I wasn't eating. I had to reassure him that my food was fine, I had just gorged myself silly a few hours ago and didn't have the good sense to go back to the hotel and sleep it off! We really had a fantastic vacation, but thank goodness it only lasted a couple of days. If we had stayed for a week, I'm not sure I would have fit into the airplane seat on the trip home!

Vilamoura

These photos were taken in Vilamoura, Portugal. We stayed at the Dom Pedro hotel and the first 2 pictures are of the view from our 2 balconies. We had a ridiculously nice suite with 2 bathrooms! I think that is a brilliant idea--most of our arguments while on vacation are about the time it takes to get ready. (Kevin can be showered, shaved and dressed in about 10 minutes, I am never ready in under 45 minutes, and if it only takes me 45 minutes, most likely we will have to return to the hotel room moments later because I have forgotten my purse, sunglasses, coat...etc.) But with 2 bathrooms, we were able to get ready simultaneously, and Kevin only had to wait about half an hour for me each morning, ergo coffee and breakfast weren't delayed as much as usual, ergo Kevin was considerably more cheerful than usual! Seriously, hotels should start marketing 2 bathroom rooms as "marital harmony suites"--I think couples would pay extra for the stress-free mornings that 2 bathrooms provide!

Vilamoura is a very posh resort town--there are several golf courses in the town with plans to build 3 more in the works. The Vilamoura marina is really nice with many upscale restaurants and shops lining the water. The second two pictures are of the marina. There were tons of British tourists there and lots of the restaurants advertise "English Breakfast" to lure them in. We had no problem not being able to speak Portuguese--everyone spoke English perfectly. The area seems very nice and safe, if quite a bit more expensive than the surrounding towns on the Algarve coast.

Kevin and I were driving along and noticed a new condo development advertising model homes to tour. We decided to take a look--the condos were selling for 555,000 Euros, or $720,500. Way out of our price range, but we wanted to take a tour anyway, so we invented aliases and a cover story in case the realtor asked us any questions. (Yes, we are very lame!) I was "Ashley" and Kevin was "Jeremy" and we were looking for a nice vacation home close to the beach. The realtor asked how often we had been to Portugal, and I immediately started giggling because I can't lie to save my life. Kevin came up with some story about how he has been down to the area for business several times, and why Vilamoura captured his attention. Despite Kevin's uncanny ability to deliver lie after plausible lie with a straight face, I think the realtor realized we weren't Vilamoura material, and suggested we check out some homes in a little fishing village further down the coast--more bang for the buck! I wonder what clued him in--could it have been the little VW Polo rental we were driving? Maybe it was the sweater set I was wearing, purchased from Sears? I'm guessing it was most likely Kevin's crazy coif--you can see it for yourself in the last photo. Haircuts (and everything else) are really expensive in Norway, so Kevin is holding out until he goes to China in 2 weeks to get a long overdue trim at a bargain price. He makes me laugh, but maybe, eventually, all that money we saved over the years by not paying Norwegian salon prices will buy us a condo on the beach in Portugal...

Portugal Pics

We're back from Portugal safe and sound (and several pounds heavier from all the delicious food)! I have tons of photos and funny stories to post, but after spending the weekend drinking wine and almond liqueur and eating olives, cheese, pastries and buckets of seafood, I am feeling very lazy and unmotivated to do anything but nap. Here are a few tropical beach photos to tide you over until I gain the energy to waddle over to the computer again!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day! Kevin had a board meeting during the day, poor guy, but when he came home, I made him sage and feta pizza. Nam nam! I was so excited to be able to find pizza dough in the freezer section of the grocery store I forgot that finding sage with my very limited Norwegian vocabulary might be tough. I had to resort to sniffing the various pots of fresh herbs until I found the peppery smelling sage. (For future reference, sage is "salvie", and I'm sure the other shoppers will be pleased that I will no longer have to stick my nose in the produce to find it!) The recipe is so easy and so good:
Premade pizza dough
fresh sage leaves, torn
olive oil
garlic, minced
black pepper
feta cheese, crumbled
mozzarella

Mix a splash of olive oil with the minced garlic and a sprinkle of pepper, use a pastry brush to brush the mixture onto the pizza dough. Sprinkle the feta and the sage on the dough, then top with mozzarella. (Use as much or as little of the ingredients as you like, I am usually quite liberal with all the ingredients!) Bake pizza according to instructions on the dough. It's so good with a nice salad, even better with some chocolate cake for dessert!

I need to pack for Portugal now--it should be about 60 degrees Farenheit while we are there, so I think I'll leave the shorts at home. (I'm as pale as death right now anyway, so I'm relieved to not have to blind anyone with my ghostly white legs!) I'm planning to drink lots of wine and eat tons of seafood, so maybe I should consider bringing clothes will elastic waist bands only! I'm taking my camera, and will hopefully get lots of gorgeous photos--I'll share them when we get back on Monday! Adeus!

Another Reason to Love Norway

One of the best things about Norway is the sense of community here. I have never seen a "No Trespassing" sign anywhere, and people are welcome to walk or ski across farms and through back yards. There seems to be a generosity and willingness to share with others that I really appreciate. The pictures above are of a little wooden cabin along a skiing/hiking trail in Eiktunet. Some pensioners got together and brought this cabin into the woods and stocked it with mugs, fresh water, coffee and a coffee pot. Anyone passing by can just go in and make themselves a hot drink. There is a little table inside and also a couple of picnic tables outside where people can relax and chat. The pensioners also put up 2 bird feeders stocked with seeds--all the chirping birds make this a very pleasant place to rest after a long day of skiing or hiking!

Small World

A new student joined our Norwegian class today, and guess where she is from? Iowa!!! What a small world! She isn't a Hawkeye like me, she is a Cyclone from Iowa State University, but I think we can handle the rivalry amicably!

More Snowy Goodness!

Yesterday, Kevin and I were supposed to go cross country skiing with some friends, but they ended up cancelling because they thought it was too cold. We were disappointed, but we really wanted to go anyway so we bundled up and headed out. I think our Viking transformation is almost complete, if we are able to brave the cold to ski when others huddle inside by the fire! As Kevin said, in our special little brand of pidgin Norwegian, "We out-Norsked the Norskers!" I'm glad we decided to go--it was amazing! Kevin had been cross country skiing years ago in college and I had never gone before. I love to downhill ski, and I generally manage not to fall too much, so I thought, "How hard can it be to ski on flat ground?" The answer is "Very!" I used muscles I didn't even know existed and I had a tough time getting those muscles to cooperate with each other! I even managed to fall a couple of times--I'm still a little puzzled about that, we were on flat ground! Uff da! Even though I was frustrated at times, I had such an incredible time. All the trees were coated in silvery snow, we had a lovely view of Lake Mjosa below, and we almost had the trails to ourselves. Although the weather was very cold, after a few minutes, I was sweating and ready to remove some layers. I think we only skied about 3 or 4 km., but by the end, I was really shaking from the effort. I don't think I have ever been so ravenously hungry, so we feasted on smoked salmon in lompe and Norwegian pancakes with raspberry jam when we got home. Yep, with every day that passes, we become a little more Norwegian!

Gorgeous Day

We had a fantastic day of skiing--I'll write more later, but right now, I am stiff and sore and soooooo tired. Here are a couple of photos of our day. The top photo is the view from the top of the hill at Eiktunet down towards Lake Mjosa. The other two pictures are of us bundled up and ready to enjoy the snow--the weather has become rather frigid lately, but as the Norwegians say, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!"

Skidag

Next Friday, there will be no Norwegian classes--the Learning Center is taking a school-wide "ski day". There will be sledding and skiing and refreshments--I would like to go, but we will be travelling to Portugal that day. I know I have said it before, but I love my Norwegian class. The administration really tries to make it fun by getting us out of the classroom from time to time. We have held class in the school kantina, where we spent the time conversing in Norwegian over coffee. We have gone to a movie, and now a ski day. One of our teachers is going to start teaching us Norwegian fairy tales--yay! I can't wait to learn more about trolls!

I'm not too disappointed to miss the skidag, because first, we're going to Portugal! It will (hopefully) be warm and sunny, and I have heard the scenery is beautiful, the food is fantastic, and there are lots of spas in the area--hello, massages! Second, we are going cross country skiing tomorrow with some friends. I have never been before, but I am really excited to try it. If we aren't completely frozen and sore tomorrow night, we might go back to Halfjell for more downhill skiing on Sunday. The weather has been perfect for skiing lately--lots of fresh, new, powdery snow! Hopefully I can take some nice, snowy pictures tomorrow to share!

A Few Oslo Photos

I don't have too much to write about today. Everything is fine, I'm going to class and learning Norwegian (then promptly forgetting half of it as I walk out the classroom door), enjoying the snow, taking care of the beasties... nothing exciting or blog-worthy. Instead, I'll post a few pictures I took in Oslo last March. The first is a view from a hill looking down towards Oslo and Oslofjord. The next two are of the Holmenkollen ski jump. The jump was used in the 1952 Olympics in Oslo, as well as in yearly ski contests and championships. I love to ski (albeit very badly) but I can't imagine looking at that monster and thinking that maybe it would be a good time to tempt death and plunge over the edge (though I would love to watch other brave souls in action). I hear that there are some magnificent views from the tower--I'm a little nervous of heights, so I think that just going up to the tower and peeking out is all the "extreme sports" I could handle!

Speaking of extreme sports, Oslo isn't the only place to risk life and limb for an icy thrill. My own home state of Iowa is becoming known for frozen silo climbing. If you want to learn more about the lunacy among the corn fields, click here: http://www.redding.com/news/2007/jan/14/climbing-grows-on-spires-of-ice/

Reincarnation

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I really miss American TV! I know there are far worthier ways I should spend my time, but sometimes I just want to veg out on the couch with a Diet Coke (not a Coca Cola Light), a big bowl of popcorn, and watch "Saturday Night Live" or "The Daily Show" or "Oprah" or "Ellen" or one of the many, entertaining, fluffy sitcoms that I used to love to watch. There are a few shows I can still get in Norway--Tuesday nights, if I'm willing to stay up late enough, I can see Gray's Anatomy and King of Queens. On Wednesday nights, Gilmore Girls and Ugly Betty are on. Jay Leno and Conan are on CNBC every night, but after my bedtime.
Instead of just accepting the fact that we won't be able to watch our favorite shows most nights, Kevin and I obsessively flip, flip, flip through the channels, sure that we will find something mindless and amusing and in English. Unfortunately, Norwegian television is pretty educational. (It is unfortunate when you just want to veg. Obviously educational programming is far superior to trash TV, but sometimes, trash TV is all I want!) We get several news networks, including CNN, BBC news and Al Jazeera. We also get several Discovery channels, Travel channels, cooking channels and Animal Planet. Last night, we finally surrendered the hope that we might find "The Simpsons" and started watching a documentary about humpback whales.
I remembered a comment that Kevin's grandmother once made. She said if there is such a thing as reincarnation, she would like to come back as a seagull and poop on the heads of everyone she didn't like! I told Kevin that I think I would like to come back as a humpback whale. They're huge, so they probably don't have to worry about predators, they're endangered, so people aren't allowed to hurt them, and they get to swim and sing and breach in the ocean all day--what a life! I asked Kevin what he would like to come back as, and he replied, "A crow, because they use tools." Hmm, I think someone is really missing Lowe's and the Home Depot! Of course, I couldn't just accept this answer to my hypothetical question, so I tried to convince him that he should come back as a humpback whale too, and then we could swim around together. He said, "I vowed til death do us part for this life only, I'm not signing up for another round of crazy in the next life!" I'm kidding, he didn't actually say that, but he did give me a look which was not too difficult to interpret! In the end, he was a good husband who humored me and said, "Okay, we can be humpback whales and swim around together." After 6 years of marriage, he has learned well! His response kept me quiet and happy and he was rewarded with another 10 minutes of un-interrupted TV viewing enjoyment!

Sunday Walk

Kevin, the dogs and I went for a nice, long walk this afternoon. The weekend has been gorgeous--bright and sunny and not too cold. We walked partially on the ski trails in the forest and partially through cute little neighborhoods. I noticed the anti EU grafitti as we passed under a bridge--usually people who deface public property with spray paint don't bother with those little niceties like an i dotted with a heart!
We met several friendly people along the way, and apparently "Lassie" is a worldwide phenomenon, as Kermit the Dog was oohed and aahed over and called Lassie several times. He answers to Lassie as well as Kermit because that's what everyone calls him as soon as they see him. He even played the part of Lassie for a humane society fundraiser in New York--the local theater held a screening of the movie, and Kermit posed for pictures with his "public". Unfortunately, our collie is much more likely to knock Timmy over backwards as he bounces around like a maniac than to rescue Timmy from a well!

Our Ski Trail

Yesterday, Kevin got home from work a little earlier than usual, so we decided to use the extra time to take the dogs on a nice long walk. We are very lucky to have a ski trail/hiking trail that crosses our driveway, so getting out and enjoying the forest is as easy as stepping out of our house. This is the same trail that Kevin hikes to work each day, and it is lit up until about 10 p.m. each night. We enjoyed a peaceful walk, until Honey planted herself in the middle of the path to gnaw at the ice between her toes. That's usually our sign that the dogs have had enough of the cold, so we headed back for dinner. Kevin decided to cook, so I was very happy--that man can do some amazing things with potatoes! Mmmmm! Hopefully this weekend we will have more opportunities to enjoy the snow and relax together.