Merry Christmas 2011

God Jul og et Godt Nytt år

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

We’d like to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our family and friends.  We’ve had a wonderful year in Oslo, traveling and enjoying our many visitors.  

Oslo continues to be a wonderful place for us to live.  Despite our best efforts, the Norwegian lessons haven’t caught on and we still use English almost exclusively. Our English church and the well-educated Norwegian public make it a non-issue. Jean has gotten involved in the expat community and has made good friends while playing Mahjong, knitting, and sewing.  Lucas continues to enjoy his work and co-workers. We started cross country skiing in January; and though Lucas takes to it more than Jean, we both hope to ski more this winter.

The rest of our free time we spend exploring Oslo and planning our travels.  We’ve been blessed to have many visitors this year, most of which we’ve been able show Oslo to before travelling on to other European locations with them. We started off the New Year in Spain with Lucas’ sister Erica and her husband Jud.  Then Jean went to Paris with a friend from Houston before we joined Lucas’ brother Matt and his wife Renee in Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro.

We then took an early anniversary trip to Greece over Easter which included a cruise through the Greek isles with a stop in Turkey. Afterward, Jean’s sister Sarah came to Norway and then they meet up with a friend of Sarah’s in Prague and Vienna before meeting Lucas in Budapest.   We spent much of the summer traveling around Norway with Jean’s aunts and uncle and other friends / visitors. Jean’s parent came in June and she joined them in London before we all toured Scotland together.

We finished up the summer taking weekend trips to each of the Scandinavian capitals before joining Lucas’ parent for a trip to Russia. It was a whirlwind year of travel and to top it off we took a weeklong trip to Kenya in November where we took a safari.

As the year comes to a close, we can’t help but reflect on how blessed we are to have had such opportunities.  The project Lucas is working on is moving along and he plans to see it finished sometime after we return to Houston on March 1^st. We look forward to the chance to reconnect with our all friends and get Peanut back.  If you’d like to see more pictures or hear more about our travels you can go to our blog at: http://ljhilliard.blogspot.com/. 

God’s Blessings and Merry Christmas!

Lucas and Jean Hilliard

MESSEPROMENADEN 7

Flat H0902

0279 Oslo, Norway

On our return to Houston in March:

3306 Garden Crest Ln

Houston, TX 77018

Copenhagen

Oct 21 we took a night boat to Copenhagen. On arrival we wandered all around the city, saw the little mermaid and had an amazing dinner.  The next day we visited two castles and some museums before boarding the boat to return.

Fredrikstad and Sweedish Shopping October 8

On October 8th we drove to the old fortress town of Fredrikstad about an hour south of Oslo. It was a fun little town but quite breezy.  Afterward we drove across the boarder to Nordby shopping center.  Nordby was like Sam's club for Norwegians who cross the boarder for relatively cheaper products.  The oversized chocolate was the most notable item for sale.

Russia September 24 - October 2

On September 24 we left Oslo with Lucas' parents for Russia.  Getting visas was a pain but once there we had a wonderful trip in Moscow, the Golden Ring, and St Petersburg.  Jean loved St. Basil's and we had a great guide in Moscow. The old churches on the Golden Ring were interesting.  The Hermitage was one of the best museum's we've ever seen and Peterhof was lots of fun but Jean enjoyed the Ballet the most.  St. Petersburg in general was more touristy then the rest of the trip but all of it was great.  For more details check out our trip advisor review

Lucas' Parents Visit September 16-24

Lucas' parents visited Norway on September 16th after spending a week in Prague, Budapest, and Vienna. On the day the arrived Oslo had all of its museum's open late and for free.  We took advantage by seeing the sites with them.  The next day we watch the Gator's beat Tennessee along with a fellow expat Rett.  Then then went off on a Norway in a Nutshell tour before return to Oslo for more site seeing.

Jean's Birthday (Sept 10)

The day before Jean's Birthday we enjoyed a nice day at home. Lucas brought some amazing desserts from home for a local bakery and we grilled some steaks and white asparagus with a bottle of champagne.  They were some of the best steaks we've had since moving to Norway.

On Jean's birthday we went to see the Opera "The Magic Flute" by Mozart.  It was well done but the story was worse than we expected.  It was very chauvinistic ("A woman's doesn't have a purpose in life without a man"). From there we went have dinner at the Grand Cafe.  It was a nice meal with a great view but we both felt that the food the previous night was just as good.

Cousin Visit

Jean's cousin Jay came to visit the first week of Sept.  We had a good time showing him Oslo and he also got to take a Norway in a Nutshell tour.  Jay was one of the more adventurous eaters we've had visit.  he bought lots of fish and caviar while visiting.  Jay had lived in St. Petersburg, Russia and was able to give us advice for our trip to Russia.

1 Year in Norway

Today marks our 1 year anniversary of living in Norway.  Its been a wonderful year but we certainly miss the USA as well. Our chief regret has been not bringing our dog Peanut with us. Lucas has enjoyed his work and Jean has made friends in an Oslo expat group and has enjoyed all the travelling.

Helsinki and Tallinn August 19-21, 2011

This last weekend we took a trip to Finland and Estonia. We arrived in Helsinki late on Friday and despite our early start Saturday we missed our first ferry to Tallinn Saturday.  It worked out well though because we were able to a few of the sights in Helsinki before our afternoon ferry.  Tallinn was very pretty and we enjoyed our Rick Steve's walking tour before stopping for drinks and a wonderful meal.  The way back from Tallinn was interesting because the ferry was filled with Finns carrying / carting as much beer as they could back to Helsinki. 

The next day we visited the Finnish National museum, the Lutheran Cathedral, the Finnish Orthodox Church, and Market Square in Helsinki.  We then took a ferry out to Suomenlinna fortress for a walk and a museum visit.  It was another successful whirlwind weekend.

Overlooking Tallinn

Lutheran Cathedral in Helsinki

Jean's New Visa

When we first arrived in Norway, Lucas was granted a 2 yr visa while Jean was granted a 1 yr visa.  So, she had to go get it renewed.  It was a long process with lots of paperwork and waiting but after 2 months it is finally in her passport.

Stockholm, Sweden August 13-14, 2011

We had hoped to go to Stockholm since our arrival in Norway but hadn't yet had the chance and were running out of vacation so Saturday August 13th we woke up early for a quick weekend getaway. Highlights of our trip included sleeping in a cabin on a yaght in Gamel Stan, seeing the Sweedish open air museum Skansa (where Lucas got to touch a Lemer), and touring the palace. We were also able to visit the cathedral, city hall and lots of other museums.  After dinner Saturday, we listened to a Louisiana blues band in the cellar of an Irish pub.

Drøbak,Beach, and a Movie August 6, 2011

On Saturday we woke up early and drove to Drøbak.  It is a small coastal town on the Oslo Fjord. We first visited the small aquarium which was better than expected mostly due to how active the fish were while we visited. We also saw the largest lobster we've ever seen.

Next we wandered around the town looking at the shops,  Drøbak has a Christmas store open year round where we eventually bought a breaded Santa.  From there we started to walk down along the water. There was a lot of random sculpture work but we did see the bust of the Norwegian commander of the island Oscarsborg Fortress just off the shore.  While Lucas was trying to explain to Jean how the commander sunk the first major German vessel invading Norway the grandson of the commander appeared and told us all about it.  The sinking of the ship cost over 1000 German lives to be lost but allowed the Royal family and Parliament to escape the country before the invasion continued.

Afterwards we returned to Oslo to get ready to go to the beach.  When arrived our friends Tyler, Christine, and Rett were already there.  We talked on the beach and tossed a football around for a while before swimming out to a rock a ways off shore.  Tyler lost his sunglasses while there and we were sure they wouldn't be recovered but then someone arrived with goggles and just before he gave up, Tyler found the glasses.  We returned to the beach to cook our lunch and then get sun burnt.

That night we invited everyone over to watch a movie.  We were all tired and sun burnt but we had a good time and enjoyed the drinks Christine made.

Hanging out with Jud August 5, 2011

On Friday,  we hung out with our brother-in-law, Jud, via Skype.  Back in December, we joked around that we should drink and watch a movie together via Skype sometime, so we finally did.  We watched Green Hornet, which was not very good.  It took a while to get our movies synched up but it was nice to catch up with Jud.  

Lucas's Birthday Weekend July 30-31, 2011

We had a 2 day whirlwind vacation planned starting early on Saturday.  We first went to Eidsvoll Manor where we were given a private tour of the home where the Norwegian constitution was signed.  We learned some interesting facts about the process and the Danish Crown Prince who was at the manor waiting patiently to be elected their king.  Sadly once the elected the Swedish put at end end to his reign very quickly. It was more than 90 years before Norway would have its own king again.

From there we went North to Lillehammer and visited to former Olympic site. We toured the museum which had a good exhibit on all the modern Olympic games ever held and then watch a video about the Lillehammer games.  The pride that the Norwegian have in their games was quite evident.  Afterwards we left Lillehammer and drove up towards Lom.  On the way we stopped at a nice road side picnic area where we had lunch.

In Lom we toured the stave church and listened in on a tour. The church was a popular stopping point for the middle ages pilgrimage to Trondheim.  Lom seemed like a nice town but we quickly left to continue our trip towards the Lustrafjord.  The road quickly be came much steeper and we climbed to the highest mountain pass in Norway where everything was snowy and very rustic.  We stopped for photos a few times on the way.  Upon reaching the top of the pass we started the very steep drive down the Mountain.  At time the road had a grade of 10% and we had to break often to make it down the hill.  The brakes were smoking a bit we we arrived at the bottom. 

Next we proceeded around the northern tip of the Lustrafjord stopping the Dale Church along the way to our camp site.  We found the cabin without any trouble and were excited to see that it was only a few feet from the water.  We went into town to get a pizza for dinner and then enjoyed it outside our cabin while reading our books and watching the sunset.


On Sunday we woke up early and drove to Jostedalen / the Nigardsbreen glacier. We got there in time to make the first glacier hike. However Lucas felt we were cutting it close so we hiked quickly to the glacier from the parking lot instead of waiting for the boat that takes you half way.  It was a mistake as the trail was very rough and the boat moved quickly.  However, we made it on time and had an enjoyable hike on the glacier.  The highlight was going through an ice tunnel.

We made it back to our car and started the 7 hour drive home.  Most of the drive was filled with beautiful scenery and it included a ride across the fjord on a ferry.  Traffic wasn't too bad but there were long stretches of gravel which slowed us down quite a bit.  Right before we got to Oslo, we ended up driving by Utøya island where the terrible shootings of the previous week ocured.  In the end it was a wonderful trip and our only regret was that we didn't have longer to enjoy the fjord.


On a side note, this is our 100th post!

Lucas's 28th Birthday July 28, 2011

Last week we celebrated Lucas's 28th birthday. After work, Lucas quickly came home and we headed to Huk beach. It was rocky but nice. Water was freezing but Lucas went in (Jean went in a few days later) and swam in the fjord!

After, we came home and ate the homemade from scratch "key" lime pie that Jean made. It was good but not as fluffy as we were used to.

Rose Memorial Service July 25, 2011

Monday July 25, there was a rose memorial service for the victims down at Aker Brygge.  It was supposed to be a march but due to over 200,000 people showing up for it the march was cancelled.  There were speeches by the Crowned Prince and Prime Minister among others and musicians played songs.  Luckily one of Lucas's coworkers, Eric, went with us and translated most of it.  Afterwards, people put their flowers all over the city. 

Viking Burial Mounds and The World's End July 23, 2011

The day after the attacks on Norway we woke up to hear the casualty numbers were far worse than we imagined. Since they were still suggesting people stay away from downtown and there was only so much watching of the news we could handle we decided to take a drive into the country.

Our first stop was at Borre National Park.  It was filled with Viking burial mounds and was the first national park in Norway.  We took a nice stroll around the park and down to the water before returning to the underwhelming museum.

Next we continued past Tønsberg south to Verdens Ende. It was a neat collection of small smooth stone islands at the southern tip of an island. We went hiking out island to island until it started to pour rain. Eventually we made it back to the car soaked through.  We bought a small meal and went home, stopping at a mall on the way.

Tragic Day

Our thoughts and prayer are with the people of Oslo today after the terrible shooting and bomb attacks. Thankfully we are both okay and to our knowledge no one we know was injured. The bomb went off in downtown Oslo near Lucas's office.  It was very surreal, and at first no one wanted to believe the explosion was intentional.  However, we instantly know something seriously wrong as the loud explosion gave off a large plume of smoke and could be felt for miles.

Just after the explosion, paper debris floated down out of the sky onto Lucas's office building which was roughly 600 meters away.  Avoiding the main parts of downtown, Lucas made it home about 2 hours after the explosion when we learned of a further shooting attack on an island near Oslo.  Hopefully the attacks today will not be repeated and Oslo continue to be the safe wonderful city we enjoy.

Driver's License

Lucas received his Norwegian driver's license in the mail today.  He had to take some expensive lessons and an hour long test but it was worth it since he needed it to continue driving after July 12th. So now we can continue to take our car on trips on the weekends.  We've already got a trip planned for Lucas' Birthday next week.

One additional note about the license, it doesn't appear to expire until 2083!

Dinner, Palace, and Harry Potter July 16 & 17, 2011

This weekend we had dinner with one of Lucas' co-workers (Paul) and his girlfriend (Cesilie).  We had a really good time getting to know them and enjoyed a great meal.  They sent some books home with us that we are excited to read as well.

On Sunday we went to tour the palace.  It is much smaller than many other European palaces but the interior is similarly ornate, Jean especially looks forward to the day she can stay in the guest suite.  On Sunday night we went to see the new Harry Potter movie, which is also the last one.  It was good but we had heard such wonderful reviews we had expected even more. Some things seemed changed from the book arbitrarily but we won't get into details so as not to spoil it for anyone.

About to watch Harry Potter

At the Palace

Baerums Verk, Museums of Architecture and of Comtemporary Art July 9-10, 2011

This weekend we had planned to take a long day trip to Tonsberg but since Lucas was sick most of the week we decided to take it slow and stay close to Oslo.  On Saturday we drove to Baerums Verk, an area just outside of town where they used to have an iron works.  We saw many sculptures and shops and wandered through the mall.  Afterwards we drove around eastern Oslo for a while before stopping at Tex Burger for lunch (which was okay) and then returning home.


On Sunday we went into town to visit the Architecture and Contemporary Art  Museum. The architecture museum was very small but interesting.  The contemporary museum once again showed us that we don't have an appreciate of modern art.  Afterwards we bought ice cream and cherries on the way home.

The shirt was to remind us how hangers are used

This is art

Dog Sitting June 25 - July 7, 2011

 A friend of Jean's, Brigita and her husband Vier, went to France and we watched their dog.  His name is Malacis (pronounced Mala-tis or little guy as we called him) and he is a Miniature Pinscher.  He was an extreme cuddler and loved to be under blankets.  It was nice having a dog around again but we definitely don't miss walking him and picking up the poo.  

July 4th Celebration at Frogner Park on July 3, 2011

Even though we live in Norway, there was still a Independence Day celebration, just a day early.  The American Coordinating Council of Norway put on a celebration at Frogner park.  There was food, entertainment, games, and raffles.  Our friends Tyler and Christine won a 36hr cruise to Germany!  It was fun and surprising to see how many Americans live in Norway!

 

Road Trip July 2, 2011

Because we bought a car with no winter tires, we are going to make the most of the summer by taking various road trips around Norway on the weekends.  Saturday, we took our first one.  We went to the silver mines in Kongsberg and the largest Stave church in Norway, located in Heddal.

The silver mines were in operations for roughly 300 years.  We toured the King's mine which is the biggest mine in the area.  To get into the mine, you boarded a mining train which takes you into the mine.  The deepest part is 560 meters below sea level.  Our guide took us around the mines, explaining briefly how the mines worked, safety, etc.

Our next stop was Heddal Stave church.  This is the largest one in Norway.  A Stave church is a medieval wooden church made with vertical planks.

Transformers Date Night July 1, 2011

Even though movie tickets are almost $20 a piece, Jean convinced Lucas to take her to go see Transformers 3.  Before the movie, we had dinner at Mucho Mas, which is apparently one of the better Mexican restaurants in Oslo (a list that includes TGI Fridays).  We both had burritos, they were good but not like Texas.  Lucas did rave about the black beans on his.  The movie was great, a vast improvement over Transformers 2.  Even though Jean felt a little like a "stupid American", she still wore one of her Transformers shirts.   

Saying Goodbye to Melissa and Pam June 22, 2011

One of the hardest things about meeting other expats, is saying goodbye to them when they leave.  Jean has become involved with a group of women from the ICON (International Club of Oslo Norway) meetings she's attended.  Two great women, Melissa Tison and Pam Miller, are leaving this summer so the women got together to say goodbye.  We had great tapas, sangria, and amazing cake.

Jean & Melissa

Brigita, Pam, Melissa, Christine

Longest Day of the Year

We made a post about the shortest day of the year so we figured we should make one about the longest day as well.  The sun officially rose at 3:54am and set at 10:44pm on June 21. However because of the sun's circular arc it is never far below the horizon (if we were at the north pole it would circle our heads like a halo).  As such it doesn't ever get really dark this time of year.  This photo was taken from our balcony around 11pm.

Sognefjord and Bergen June 18-19, 2011

While Jean G & Kathy were here, we all decided to go to Bergen by way of Sognefjord.  You take a train from Oslo to Myrdal, another train from Myrdal to Flåm, and then a boat all the way to Bergen.  At least, that's how it was supposed to work.  The Thursday before we left, there was a huge train fire that shut down the middle and most beautiful part of the train trip.  So, we had to get off the first train early and take a bus to Flåm.  Jean G got a little sick on the bus but it all ended up okay and saved us $50 each.

Sognefjord is Norway’s longest and deepest fjord, extends more than 200 km inland to the foot of the Jotunheimen mountains. This area is said to be one of the most beautiful travel destinations in the world.  And beautiful it was, as well as windy!  We were on the boat for 5 hrs.  Upon arriving in Bergen, we had pizza at Peppe's and then Kathy, Lucas, and Jean H rode the funicular up a mountain.  It was a beautiful view. We watched the sun somewhat set at around 11:30pm.

 
The next day we woke up to tour Bergen. We started at the old fortress area where we were given a good private tour of Hakon's hall and Rosenkrantz Tower.  Next we wandered around the Hanseatic Quarter before taking a guided tour of that area as well.  The Hanseatic league was a group of German traders who operated in Bergen for over 350 years.  We learned about their life style and the fish trade on our tour.  Afterwards we had lunch in the fish market before going to the train station.  We hoped that the problems on the track would be fixed but sadly they weren't and we had to endure an even longer, more nauseous bus ride on the way back to Oslo before finally arriving at about 1am.  Since it was June 19th is was almost the longest day of the year and though the sun had set, the sky was still very bright as we walked to our apartment from the bus stop.