Stunned by Generosity

Really, I am. I can't believe how generous everyone has been on our trip. Nina and Leif GAVE UP THEIR BEDROOM for us for two weeks so we could sleep in their bed -- this required them to sleep apart! They rolled out the red carpet for us. It was beyond wonderful. 

We arrived in Copenhagen last night, and our friend Christine has rolled out the red carpet for us too! It's amazing. I feel like we're royalty. Our friend Dennis who lives near Copenhagen but technically in Sweden, is COMING TO PICK US UP for dinner at his house. He and his wife Charlotte had Baby Ebba in March; I'm so excited to meet her. 

We're off to town today to get Pete some flip-flops -- it's going to be very hot here today, so we gotta keep the toes cool. 

Not Your Ordinary Vacation Dilemma...

We're trying to figure out if it's OK for me to eat reindeer. I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new foods and ordinarily (read: non-pregnant) would be all HELL YES. But then someone (Pete? Nina?) said "maybe not because of Chernobyl." Oh yeah. Norway is somewhat near Russia. Right. 

And now I'm all freaked out about it. Leif doesn't think I should. I don't know if I should; Nina is pretty sure it's ok. I found this tonight and am concerned; it says the meat shouldn't be consumed for 40 years. Crazy, isn't it? I think I'll just have my brown cheese and wasa. 

Solstrand

There's this fantastic place called Solstrand, near this town called Oss (I think). We went there yesterday for the most magnificent brunch, then walked around the grounds and sat in the sun. It was my favorite day in Norway so far. It was so delicious and indulgent, on so many levels. In this video, Pete talks to me in Norwegian, and I think he said something like do you want to come sit by the shoreline? And I answered: Ja takk, which means something close to Yes Please.



Baby Girl Hansen, btw, is kicking harder and harder these days, but not yet hard enough for Pete to feel it. Though Nina felt it the other morning; I suspect that was because she knows what to feel for. I'm 23.5 weeks pregnant, swelling like a puffer fish, but am excited every time I feel her move. Last night I think I may have felt her turn over which was pretty fun.

We stopped by a restaurant to see some friends of Pete's; we didn't know we were crashing on a bachelor party. I offered to be the stripper, which I thought was very kind of me. :) What's most stunning about this party is the bill for the 6-7 men: $1600. Dear God. They had dinner, and many drinks but $300 a person? God. One of them, poor guy, was despondent after paying his share. I have to say, I would have cried in the bathroom if someone told me I was going to have to pay $300. (I had a $6 cup of hot tea, myself, and Pete had one $6 beer). 

Anyway, here's a quick shot of the party. 

We're Having a Great Time!

I'll post pictures tomorrow; it's 1:34 a.m. and me tired! 

New pics

You'll see the pram pictures are up. I find these fascinating because 1. people's cars are like little toy cars here. I mean we're in Northern Europe -- get it? 2. These strollers are like SUVs. They're HUGGGGE. I'm wondering if people just walk a lot in this area; I suspect I might be right. 3. These strollers START at $1000. Craziness.

Waiting for the Bus

Enjoy!

Hump Day Update!

(Yes, we have our luggage)

We're just getting going on our day here, it's Wednesday morning. We're 9 hours ahead of Pacific time, and 6 from Eastern, so that's why it looks like I'm writing in the middle of the night.

For breakfast today we had the same as every morning: påleg (pronounced paw-leg) with breads and rolls. Påleg means meats and cheeses; I'm so in love with the brunost (brown cheese) that I'll be smuggling some home. I have to say I don't miss my cereal and conventional breakfast. It's fun to try new things.

I'm almost over my jetlag, but have picked up some kind of cold; Nina too. We're doing some low-key activities today so we don't get worse. I'm also planning on wearing socks and not going out with wet hair -- apparently those things matter. :) Tonight we're going over to his brother's house to see his flat and hang out. We're going to see his grandmother on Friday; we brought her a present from the US we hope she likes.

Norway is so very beautiful; I absolutely love it here. It's so scenic and lovely. My only wish is that things weren't so expensive; it has redefined vacation for me in a way. Growing up, vacation was a time to go out to eat and shopping -- especially on our annual trips to Florida. Other trips for different, but our summer vacation was always Florida, and we always lived it up. It's not like I *need* to be spending money or anything, it's lovely to just hang with Nina and Leif and Ole Morten and Mormor as well. It's just different, that's all.

Pete and I went to a baby store yesterday and test drove strollers and looked at car seats and such. The Bugaboo stroller, which we've been looking at in the States, cost about $900 there. Here, it's $1,600 and it's very rare to see one on the streets -- most of the time I see the other, FAR more expensive strollers. And we thought we were insane for considering the $900 one!

We'll post some pictures tonight.

Update and a Special Treat for you

My MIL should go on Star Search, don't you agree? She's the best spokesmodel ever. Yes, I know the video is sideways. I have no idea how to fix it. Tips appreciated.

I Make the Most Attractive Faces on These Things

You know it!

And credit for the "panoramic view" goes to Pete. You're welcome!

Oh, and pictures of the trip so far are HERE. Witty captions no extra charge. 

In case you were wondering...This is What Hot Looks Like...

These are my father in law's jeans and the cami I've worn since Wednesday.

SØTTENDE MAI FEIRING

Today is Norwegian Independence Day; we went to a parade and had a lovely lunch/dinner here at Pete's parents house. We're getting very spoiled here; fantastic food, lots of naps and lots of love. I finally got to meet Pete's grandmother today -- they're very close and it was great to meet her. She gave me a gorgeous purse that's fittingly, gold. :) It's very late here, we just went to see the fireworks and I'm waiting for this video to upload to You Tube. 

Luggage update: We might have it Monday. All four bags are in Oslo. Phew on that. I'm expect to get slightly crankier each day without them. Sigh. 

Another Update!

Here's the friggin video, finallyyyyyy!

The food is freaking fan-tastic. Very healthy, with lots of grainy breads/crackers and the most amazing cheeses and pates, fruit, etc. I'm a huge, huge fan of pate lately. This is not helping with the bloating. But Nina let me borrow her compression stockings for my still-inflated feet (too bad they don't come in full body size) and thankfully clean underwear, since our luggage is still in Oslo. There's a strike at the Bergen airport so our luggage is in storage and "they're doing what they can" and hope to have our bags to us in 2-3 days. All the stores are closed today and tomorrow for the Norwegian Independence Day celebration. 

It's great to see Pete's parents and we saw his brother for a very few minutes today. We went to a soccer match and the Bergen team, BRANN won. Fun!

Initial Observations

1. Button to flush toilet = freaking huge. Like HUGGGGEEE. Like nearly the size of the toilet seat.

2. Light switch = about the size of two quarters. Seriously. I guess flushing is really important! 

3. I used hand cream as hair product last night. I'm not kidding. It was L'Occitane from the duty free shop. 

4. Feet are better. 

5. I can understand a lot of Norwegian, and am speaking in some kind of hybrid I like to call Norwenglish. It goes a little something like this:

Tusen Takk for everything! = Thank you for everything! 

We are HERE!!!

It took 30 hours, I had a panic attack on the plane and my feet look like they've been inflated by a bicycle pump, but we are in Oslo. Our luggage didn't make it -- we took an offer to bump our flight for $1,000 (total) in vouchers, and hope to be reunited with our luggage tomorrow. But we are here. 

T-Minus 8!

Eight days until we go to Norway! We're so excited! My mom just came to visit and I've got a really awesome set of clothes to wear -- I probably should visit DSW this weekend for some more casual shoes. Yes, this is the top of my priority list: looking cute while feeling huge.