Category Archives: Travel

cross-cultural living, Travel

The last SIX days…

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We are definitely in countdown mode, as we prepare to go ‘home’ for the holidays!I kicked off our Saturday morning by introducing our boys to Neil Diamond. They thought I was a bit crazy, but it was fun singing America!

We are about two-thirds of the way through our packing. I’m struggling a bit as I look at the forecast and see the really warm temps, knowing that we’d already packed away our summer clothes! But we’ll manage – or we’ll shop a bit!

So I apologize that we aren’t totally engaged on the blog right now. We are busy finishing up things here before saying ‘see you soon’ to everyone on this side of the ocean.

But we’ll be back soon, with observations on our first time back in the states as a family in more than three years!

cross-cultural living, Travel

Throwing the Shock in Reverse

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Those of you that have been hanging out with us for a likely remember that we’ve written a bit on the blog about culture, and adapting to life in a new country. Things we’ve learned and experienced as we journeyed across the ocean. Differences in Norwegian & American culture. Things that were strange or difficult for us. Things we love about this culture and country.

Things like…
Our “What’s It Like” series (here)
Our “Christmas Cheer” series (here)
The boys’ school experience (here)

Yeah, three years of learning and being challenged, feeling frustrated at times, and at other times quite encouraged, struggling to understand differences, working to find substitutes for things that were once normal for us, finding balance in a new routine, and so much more.

We have grown to love life in Europe. It has become home. Then again, we’ve also learned that the idea of home has greatly changed. There is no longer that one place that is home for us. Instead, it’s a feeling, and it’s more about who than where.

But now it’s time for a bit of reverse culture shock… the Dove family is embarking on a visit to our other home! We’re headed to America soon (in 15 days, to be exact), where we’ll be spending the holidays with family and friends, doing a bit of work, and relaxing a bit as well.

Zack and I have each been back to the states once. But our boys have not been there in over three years. Needless to say, they are a bit excited!

We are excited as well – and maybe a bit apprehensive. Three years is a long time. And we’d be lying if we said this time and experience has not changed us.

Two months in America – this is going to be interesting!

So stay tuned to see just how much we’ve changed – and how much the world and life we left have gone off and changed on us!

cross-cultural living, Travel

How High?!?!

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It really is a shame how little we have seen of this beautiful country after 2 1/2 years here.

 

We did manage to expand our horizons this past weekend. We have now explored a good bit more of at least the southern part of the country.

 

As we made our way to Stavanger last Friday, we stopped about an hour outside of the city to experience one of the more iconic hikes in the area.

 

 

Preikestolen – or Pulpit Rock – is something I’d seen in pictures before moving here. But pictures pale in comparison to the reality.

 

 

Standing nearly 2000 feet / 600 meters above the Lysefjord, this rock formation is impressive… and a bit scary!
Preikestolen / Pulpit Rock

It took us just under 2 hours to make the walk to the top. And it was amazing.

 

We highly recommend this hike!

 

Here is a video from our weekend in Stavanger. The first 6-7 minutes will give you a glimpse of our Preikestolen experience.

Tips for Preikestolen:

  • Wear good shoes. While the path is fairly wide, it is also very rocky. Careful measures have been taken to ensure that all the foot traffic (200,000+ visitors annually) don’t destroy the area.
  • Take water with you. And pack a lunch. There is no hytte/kiosk/snack bar at the top. We took a couple of Camelback-style backpacks, several packs of nuts, and sandwiches. There are quite a few spots along the way where you can stop and rest when needed.
  • Start early, or start later in the day. Mid-day hikes mean more traffic, and more of a queue. We arrived just after 2:00 and the majority of the traffic we encountered was from people descending the mountain. We also went on a weekday, thinking that weekends might be more crowded.
  • Most of the websites suggest hiking from April to October. Otherwise, you might encounter some additional weather challenges.
  • You can read more on Visit Norway’s Preikestolen page.
Travel

Jolly Old London Town

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Coming back around to the last post about Anna’s (my niece) recent visit. The last stop on our trip was London.

In December 1993, when I was a junior in high school, I had the opportunity to visit London on a school trip. There were a couple hundred of us on the trip, including my sweet friend, Kristy. Little did I know that a few years later, she would become my sister-in-law! It was a great trip and we both fell in love with the city.

See the 3 faces in the background? 🙂

So what a cool thing that just over 20 years later, I had the chance to take my niece to London! And even better: Zack and the boys joined us on this leg of the trip. It was William and Daniel’s first time in London as well.

It was fun showing them some of Zack’s and my favorite places, and discovering a few new ones as well.

Of course we saw all the obligatory spots, like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Thames…

And the original Hard Rock!

As HP fans, we also made a stop at Platform 9 3/4!

 

We only had two full days, but we managed to see a lot. On the second morning, Anna and I went to Tower of London.

 

And the boys took a tour of Chelsea’s stadium.

Of course, there was also coffee!

 

 

We took the Tube to Notting Hill, which is now one of my favorite areas in London. Love this area!

The antique store used in the movie Paddington Bear

 

William Thacker’s (Hugh Grant) travel book
shop from Notting Hill

 

The Blue Door to William Thacker’s flat in
Notting Hill

 

 

 

A quick stop on Baker Street…

 

Total tourists on Abbey Road

 

 

And we finished off our visit at a great Fish & Chips restaurant in Notting Hill.

 

 

 

Travel

A 36 hour Stockholm tour

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Anna and I had a little more time in Stockholm than we did in Oslo (see One Day in Oslo). I have been to Sweden’s capital twice before, but each visit was with a local. Navigating the trip myself proved a challenge, but we managed to see a lot.We had about 48 hours in Sweden’s capital. We opted for the 72 hour transit pass. They offer a 24 hour pass as well. The 72 hour pass is double the price of the 24, and covers the majority of Stockholm’s public transport. It does not include the Arlanda express train. But if you aren’t in a significant hurry, you can use your pass to get to the city center. Simply buy the passes at the visitor center just before exiting there airport, take the red 583 bus from Arlanda to the Märsta station (a commuter train station). Then take a commuter train to Stockholm Central.

Once we dropped out bags off, our first stop was Gamla Stan, the old town. The winding streets and colorful architecture are quite charming.

A couple of streets are especially geared towards tourists, so it’s easy to find a souvenir or a bite to eat. We enjoyed a meal at Burrito Bar.

 

 

We also walked down the river and over to the city hall. There are beautiful views to be seen from there!

 

After travel and a lot of walking, we were tired. So we headed in for the evening.

We didn’t have perfect weather on our full day in Stockholm, but it was definitely bearable.

Our first stop was, of course, for coffee! We started out at Drop Coffee, my favorite in Stockholm.

 

 

Then we made our way to the Wasa museum. If you have time and money for only one museum, this should be the one. (read more here)

We spent a good bit of time exploring the Wasa. Then we headed back into the main part of the city for lunch at Kungshallen. I love this place because it’s kind of like a food court, so everyone can pick what they want to eat. And I love that they have great Indian food (yeah, I might have a bit of an addiction to all things curry…)

After lunch, it was back to Gamla Stan. We found the narrowest street (photo op!),

went in the German Church,

and walked to the palace.

 

Then we headed for my other favorite coffee spot, Johan och Nyström.

 

At that point, the rain arrived. We had seen most of things we wanted to see, so it wasn’t the worst timing. But one thing we had not done was explore the underground stations.

Stockholm is known for having interesting stations, very random and artistic. So we made several stops before heading home for the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel

The Graduate: a European Tour

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Two weeks came and went, and before I knew it, I was driving my niece back to the airport.

 

Anna made her way back to the states on Wednesday. Based on my own experience and the occasional iMessages we exchanged, it was one of those days that seemed it would never end.

But now that she is back home, I want to take a little time to show a bit of what we were up to.

 

Her grandparents were gracious enough to help out with plane tickets and passport to get her here, and we really appreciate it.

 

And once here, we found some low-cost airfare so we could show her a few of our favorite places.

 

For the first week, we spent time in our city, as well as Tønsberg and Oslo. After that, she and I had another day in Oslo, before flying to Stockholm for a couple of days, and then to London for the weekend.

It was a great trip, and I look forward to sharing a bit more about it in the coming days.

 

Travel

One Day in Oslo

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As I took the bus from the city center of Oslo out to Bygdøy, the island that is home to several well-known museums, I struck up a conversation with a lady from Florida. She was spending the day in the city, along with her husband, 13 year old son, younger daughter, and mother, as a brief stop on their European cruise. She asked what I considered the must-see spots if you only have a day in the city.

 

Ironic she would ask this, as I was doing just that: showing my niece my favorite spots in about 10 hours.
We purchased 24-hour transit passes, to help us make the most of our time. If you plan to use public more than twice in a 24-hour period, it makes sense to buy this pass.

 

From Oslo S, we took the 30 bus towards Bygdøy and got off at Vikingskiphuset. The bus stop is a 2 minute walk to the Viking Ship Museum entrance.
This is my favorite museum. Not overly large, but really cool. One of the ships was originally discovered in our city, Sandefjord, and another discovered in our neighboring town on Tønsberg.
We took the bus back towards the city. We exited at Aker Brygge and walked over to Karl Johans Gate.
Lunch was at Deli de Luca. With locations all over the city, I really love this place. I have yet to order anything I didn’t enjoy. Sandwiches, calzone, wraps, salad, dessert, ice cream, drinks, coffee. And I especially like the Karl Johans location. Indoor and outdoor seating, just across from parliament, and great people watching!
After lunch, we took the trolley to Frogner Park and the Vigeland sculptures. Also known by many as ‘the naked statue park’. The statue exhibition is extensive and impressive. There are almost always bus loads of tourists milling about. In the summer, the massive green space plays host to hundreds of carefree locals and tourists, enjoying the sun, a picnic, biking and exercise. Anna and I took time to explore more of the park than I ever have before. And even so, I still have much left to discover on future visits
We took the trolley back to Aker Brygge, where we walked around a bit, took some photos of the fortress, and then stopped at Espresso House for a cold coffee (it was really warm in Oslo today!!).

 

We checked into our hotel (CityBox Oslo is a great budget-friendly, no frills hotel in the city center), and then set out for another stop. A critical stop, in fact, in my quick must-see Oslo tour. Fuglen is our favorite cafe in Oslo. I will be writing about it on the coffee tour soon, but suffice it to say that it is on the top of our cafe list!

 

After coffee, and some really bad walking navigation on my part, we grabbed a pizza at Dolly Dimple’s. From there, we walked to the palace for a few photos, and then strolled the full stretch back down Karl Johan’s.

 

We finished up the evening walking up to the top of the Opera House.

 

If you have more time, I can recommend quite a few other top spots. But this tour seemed just right for us: we managed to squeeze in some shopping here and there, and never felt really rushed. We had a great day!

Travel

Heading Home

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My bags are packed and I am now just awaiting my ride to the airport. A couple of flights, with a long layover sandwiched in the middle, and I’ll soon be back with my three favorite guys.

We have some guests visiting from the states, and they’ll arrive this afternoon. I look forward to welcoming them tomorrow, and giving them quite the introduction to Norwegian culture as their first full day in Norway will be 17.mai, Norwegian Constitution Day.

Enjoy your weekend!

Travel

Girl Time

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I love living in a house full of boys. It is a great life. And if you know me at all, you know that I’m not a super girly-girl. I’m pretty low maintenance.

 

But every now and then, it’s nice to have a little time to be with other ladies, to learn from each other, and to relax a little as well.

 

This week I’m attending a ladies conference that our company offered. It has been a great opportunity to learn, to be encouraged, and to be pampered a little.

 

Here are a few pictures of my time so far.

 

 

 

Travel

Simply Beautiful

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Simply beautiful. Those are really the best words I know to use indescribing the place where true conference was held third past week.

Of course, you know I can’t stop with only two words to describe a place!

 

Rick and Mary Beth Holladay are a couple whose lives just ooze with creativity and hospitality. You get a glimpse of this the moment you set foot in The Art Factory in Kandern, Germany.

 

But the initial impression does not do justice to what we ultimately experienced. The pair has transformed an old abandoned tile factory in a small German village into a place of beauty. They have done and continue to do numerous renovations and improvements.

 

The building is home to several apartments that are rented out. The Holladays live there as well, and have a number of bedrooms that can be reserved.

 

Think of the coziest shabby-chic B&B possible. Add to that endless antiques, projects that make what I see on Pinterest look like child’s play, beautiful art, and the opportunity for art courses, small events, and open mic evenings, and you might get a slight idea of what lies within this monstrous yet cozy building.
And I didn’t even mention the incredible meals that Mary Beth prepared for us.
Of course, with a kitchen like this, I think I would want to cook all.day.long.

 

I would be remiss to neglect the town of Kandern. Quaint and simple, it has all you need and not a lot more.

 

Local shops bring beauty. The town eiscafe (ice cream shop) can’t be missed.

 

And there also a number of nice walking trails to explore.

You can read more about The Art Factory and the Holladays at www.artfactorykandern.com