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.
 

Clark Aunts June 16-22, 2011

Jean's aunts (Jean G and Kathy) came to visit in June.  They were really excited to be here and we had a great time with them.  Jean showed them all around Oslo before they did an Oslo pass to see the museums.  Jean G bought a small stuffed troll (grandmomma) for her granddaughter, Elise.  We had fun taking photos around town with it and managed to weird out some people in the process.

Click here to see more photos.

Vigelands Park

Akershus Fortress

Stavanger, Norway June 11-13, 2011

4 days after we came back from our Great Britain trip, we took a night train to Stavanger.  Lucas had Whit Monday (June 13 off), so we decided to take advantage.  Christine & Tyler Russell, along with a coworker of Tyler's Kayta, also came for 2 days.  When we arrived, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and went to go climb Preikestolen.  Preikestolen (or Pulpit Rock) is a massive cliff in Norway that towers 604 meters (1982 feet) in near vertical drop over the ocean.  It was a beautiful and trying trip up but well worth it.

Hanging over the edge	The Group at the Top

Sunday we took the Lysefjord cruise.  It was a beautiful, windy trip.  We saw Preikestolen from the bottom, drank from a waterfall, and saw goats.  After, we went to the oil museum.

Preikestolen from the bottom

Monday we walked around Stavanger and took a bus to the Three Swords monument.  This monument was unveiled by King Olav in 1983 and commemorates the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872, after which King Harald Fair Hair united the three districts of Norway into one kingdom.  The swords stand for peace and unification.

Scotland June 2 - 6, 2011

Scotland was beautiful.  We saw Edinburgh, Stirling Castle, St Andrews, Inverness, Loch Ness, Oban, and the islands of Staffa, Mull, and Iona.  Jean really liked seeing the hairy coos and puffins.

Click here to see more photos.

 

Loch Ness

Staffa

England May 28 - June 1, 2011

Jean and her parents left on Saturday May 28th for England.  They stayed with Tenth's new senior minister's old secretary, Geraldine.  She was a great hostess.  We saw a lot.  Including Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.  We all went out to dinner and see Stomp on our last night.  It was a great show.  After London, we saw Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Oxford before picking Lucas up in Liverpool and heading to Scotland.

Click here for more photos.

Infamous Guards

Big Ben

Stonehenge

Clark Parents Visit Norway May 17 - 21, 2011

Jean's parents (Marion and Ginger) came and visited Oslo before we went to Great Britain. We showed them around Oslo, feed them fish, set them to the fjords, and froze them in the Icebar.

Click here to see more photos.

     Icebar

   On top of the Opera House

Katie Hirschheim Visits May 18-25, 2011

Between Jean's uncle and parents, we had Katie Hirschheim (a friend from Houston) visit.  She and Jean went all over the city and got giant, delicious ice cream cones.  We sent her to Bergen and the fjords one day, unfortunately it rained a lot.  Bergen is the Seattle of Norway so the rain was not unexpected.  After her visit here, she meet her parents in Amsterdam.

Vigelands Park