Stockholm

30.05.2009 - 01.06.2009

Sweden: Stockholm



We had some SAS bonus points to use so we decided on a long weekend in Stockholm where we would be staying at the Hilton in the centre of town, close to the action. We were in luck, the weather was warm and sunny and there were people everywhere from all over the world. Another reason for the crowds was the Stockholm marathon that was to be run that weekend. We were not really interested in the marathon but we did watch a few minutes.



For those of you who have not be to Stockholm it is beautifully situated some distance inland and the city is on several islands connected by bridges, you can also take a ferry to some places. We walked a little through Gamla Stan (The old city) and decided that it was a bit too crowed so we walked to the Moderna museum that was not to far away and looked at some of the old building and bridges on the way before we entered the museum to explore for a while. We headed back to the old city where we found a great lunch bar with fresh salads, pasta and goodies, so we took food with us to sit by the sea in the sun like many others. After lunch we took a short walk up the shopping streets before heading back to the hotel, that evening we headed out to at restaurant in a area called Stureplan that was recommended to us an had a great meal to top of a great day.



In the morning we headed to the lunch bar and picked up a couple of salads before we took a ferry out to one on the islands that had the Tivoli and the Vasa museum. We did not go to the Tivoli but I did visit the Vasa shipthat sank on it's maiden voyage, this is well worth seeing as it's a beautiful sight. We took a lunch break before we continued on, we decided to walk along the water's edge and were surprised to see so many people and when several classic mopeds raced by we wondered what was going on. We soon found out that there was a classic event which included a classic moped race, car rally, and classic car show, this was unexpected and interesting to see all old cars. Now it was time to head back and relax a bit before we went out for dinner. That night we ate at another very good restaurant and had a great meal and then found a bar on Söder where we sat outside and watched the nightlife. The next day it was already time to head home.

England

09.04.2009 - 13.04.2009

England: London, Aylesbury



Neither of us had been to London for some time so we thought it was time to catch up with old friends we had met while diving and see some more of London. We found a hotel on Russell square, close to the tube station, which suited us very well as we used the tube a lot to get around. As we arrived late in the afternoon we relaxed in our room and took a stroll before we went out to an Indian restaurant called Quinlon which had been recommended to us by friends, they were right too this was an excellencet restaurant with good food, good service and good prices (compared to Norway). After the meal we walked around a bit before returning to the hotel.



The next day we took the tube to Waterloo station and a short walk to the London Eye but the weather wasn't so great, so we walked down the Thames to the Tate Modern, a very large museum with lot's of great things to see but it was a lot of walking. When we finished at Tate Modern we walked over the Millennium bridge and on to find some lunch, after lunch we walked around the hotel area where we found a nice shopping area with some good places to eat. Later that afternoon we met two friends (Robin and Jane) at a restaurant. We had met in Sharm el Sheikh while diving, this was great fun as we had not seen them in a few years and there was a lot to catch up on.



Sadly it was raining the next day so we headed to a shopping mall (it's very expensive in Norway so it's nice to shop a bit with some normal prices). It had almost stop raining by the time we were done so we headed to Chinatown to have a look around and had a great lunch at a Taiwanese restaurant. We decided to walk a bit so we headed to Leicester square and on to Covent Garden, the streets were crowded with tourists and Londoners, the tourists were taking pictures and shopping, while the locals were just trying to get on with their everyday life. After walking around Covent Garden it was time to head back to the hotel. That evening we took the tube out to Brixton where there is a really good restaurant called Saté, this is a little bit of a ruff area but the police were out and about so things were under control for the most part. We walked down the to very full and lively bar restaurant with great food and low prices. After the meal we decided to try one of the local pubs so we stopped at one that looked all right, Jorunn found a seat while I got some drinks. When I got back with the drinks Jorunn told me this, while I was at the bar a guy had come up to her and asked her if she wanted to shag (sex), she said she was with someone so he left, later to come back apologise. I was a bit shocked in the beginning but soon thought it to be very funny, and I guess quite a few women go to Brixton to get a shag...



We were off to visit with Lance and Crissy who live outside of London at Aylesbury, we had met Lance in Indonesia a few years back and had kept in contact over the years so a visit was in order so we could meet Crissy and catch up a bit. The train ride took a bit over an hour through the rolling green and rainy country side, we were met at the station by Lance and Crissy and the first stop was the local pub. We headed back for lunch at Lance and Crissy's house where we had an excellent meal.



Our next stop was Waddesdon Manor, this is owned by the Rothschild (same as the famous wine), the Manor sits on a hill with beautiful gardens and fountain, the Manor itself is in an old world in England style favored by the upper class. There were a lot's of people there so we could not go in the house but we did get to visit the wine cellar which held hundreds of magnum bottles of wine from the Rothschild vineyards in France, some dating back to the late 1800's and on to present times. Sadly the time went very quickly and we were soon on our way back to London.

In the morning (after yet another terrible breakfast at the hotel, people were shopping first at the store to supplement their breakfast) we were off to the London Eye and were hoping for a little good weather, so we could get a good view of the city. The London Eye was well worth a visit but sadly we were unlucky with the weather, after this we headed off to the Saatchi gallery which was also a very interesting exhibition. The sun had come out when we came out so we found a little outdoor cafe in the area where we could eat and enjoy the sunshine. Time to leave jolly old London so we headed for the hotel to get ready for the flight home.

Sharm El Sheikh

24.01.2009 - 31.01.2009

Egypt: Sharm El Sheikh



We got a great deal that we could not refuse, a luxury hotel on the beach in Naama Bay, so off we go for a week in the sun and a little diving. My illness had slowly been getting better but with a lot of ups and down, so we thought we would try some more diving and see how things went. The hotel was great, even if it was a bit noisy in the hallways, with a huge breakfast buffet, very comfortable rooms, and the beach was a short three minute walk.



We only did two days of boat diving with Camel Dive this time and dived the following sites: Temple, Ras Um Sid, Ras Mohammad (Yolanda reef), and the Light house. The diving was a little disappointing this time and there was not that much to see, there was no current at all on Yolanda reef, or at the Temple, due to a dive course we tied up a bit away from the dive site so most of the dive was over sand (not much on the fish side so I will not write about it). I guess we've been diving so many times in this area that it's time to go somewhere else.



The days were sunny and warm so we spent a lot of time on the beach, we also spent a day at Shark's Bay where we did some snorkeling and watch the camels on the beach. Our evenings were spent strolling on the promenade, eating and a trip or two to the Camel bar, time went very quickly and we were on the way home again.

Croatia

06.09.2008 - 18.09.2008

Croatia: Split, Brac (Sutivan, Bol), Dubrovnik



Next trip is Croatia, my father and stepmother bought a flat in the city of Sutivan on the island of Brac and we thought it would be nice to go visit them and have a look around as we had not been there before. We flew into Split where we had a quick lunch before we caught the ferry to the island of Brac. The ferry docked at Supetar, then we went on by taxi to Sutivan. Sutivan is a sleepy city which faces towards Split with a town built up around the harbor area, my Father and stepmother's flat was a short 10 minute walk to the centre of the city and about 100 meters from the beach. The beach is a small area with small pebbles to lay on with crystal clear water which is refreshingly cool in the 30+ degree weather. It was nice to be so close to the beach with not too many people and close enough to the flat that it was only a short walk to get some lunch. In the evening we ate at one of the restaurants in town or made dinner in the flat and took walks in the pleasantly warm evening air.



We rented a car for a day to see a little more of the surroundings, we first drove over winding small roads doted with small villages hanging on the hill sides until we reached the city of Milna, a small village with a good size harbor for sailboats, which there were many of. We took a break for a swim as it was very hot and at the same time had lunch before driving on to Bol. To get to Bol we first had to dive narrow roads for a while and then a very steep winding road to get to the city. As we were going to stay there for a few days we found a place to stay and then we had lunch and and wandered around town until my folks drove back to Sutivan.



One of the reasons for going to Bol is the diving which was supposed to be interesting, the problem was that I had been in the hospital several time due to extreme dizzines spells, with a possibility of Menieres disease, this was not good for diving but I had been feeling a bit better so we thought we would try a few dives and see. In Bol we dived the following dive sites: shore dive at Big Blue dive centre, Pigeon cave, and Smociguzica on Hvar island. We saw seahorses, octopus, blennys, sea bream and a few nudibranch. I had no problems diving but we thought it would be safer to take it easy, so we only had 3 dives. Bol was a small, touristy, but fun city with plenty of restaurants and bars and a very long walkway that went on for miles along the beach. One of the big attractions is a beach area called Zlatni rat beach that stretches out into the ocean in a wedge shape or spit, where large boats with day trippers would be dropped to relax on the beach.

Video of a seahorse:


We travelled by bus back to Sutivan which for me was the worst ride ever, the roads were very winding and it was hot so I was queasy the whole trip. When we reached Supetar I had to lay down for half an hour before we could travel on to Sutivan where it took another 2 hours to recover. We enjoyed a couple of more days in warm weather in Sutivan before it was time to move on. We deciced to overnight in Split to have a look around and catch some of the sites. It has an old part of the city with the usual crowds of tourists, but it's still a nice city.



We were now on our way to Dubrovnik so we hopped on a bus for a four hour journey, I decided to take some medication after the last bus ride and lucky so as the lady behind me was throwing up for about an hour off and on. As we drove on we had to cross a small area of Bosnia Herzegovina and we had to show our passports, well when he got to the border Jorunn could not find her passport, WHAT! after searching everywhere the custom official gave up thinking this is just another dumb tourist, as we drove on Jorunn remembered that she had put it in her backpack which was in the baggage compartment, why it was there, who knows. In the end we made it to Dubrovnik and as soon as we got off the bus we were mobbed by people trying to rent us a place to stay, we finally chose one that was close to the old city as there was a lot walking to be done.



What I forgot to mention was that while in Split the weather had changed and by the time we got to Dubrovnik we had gone from 30 degrees to a windy 18 degrees which made it a bit chilly in the day time and even more so in the evening. Our room was not that nice so we spent a lot of time sightseeing in the old city, which is amazing, and it would take me ages to describe so follow the link for all the facts. We did a lot of walking in the city but we also walked the top of the wall that circled the city and many fantastic things, around the corner from our room was a tiny little harbour where those who were brave could also swim, but the best thing was that it was out of the wind and a great place to relax in the sun. After several days in Dubrovnik with it's overcrowded streets filled will tourists it was time to head home to plan our next trip.

California

14.06.2008 - 27.06.2008

The U.S: Los Angeles, Colorado Springs



It's been 30 years since I graduated high school and I thought it would be nice to head back to L.A. and catch up with old friends and see what has happened to the old neighbourhood. I arrived in L.A. in the evening and as I reached passport control I heard the loud thumping of an angry person and hoped I would not have to meet this person as it usually means problems, just my luck, I put on my best smile and walked to the counter and hoped for the best. The lady behind the counter barks out the standard question "what is the purpose of your visit to the U.S. of A". Still smiling and thinking this is going to be a long night, I look at the tired and angry woman and answer "I am going to my class reunion as it has been 30 year since I graduated high school". At that moment she stops what she's doing and looks at me, but then her face melts into a smile and she starts laughing and say thank you have just made my night I was really getting into a bitchy mood. As we talked she told me that she had just been to her class reunion and every time she thought about it it made her laugh, so with a stamp I was on way and as I looked she was still smiling and I was wondering how my class reunion would be.



I stayed in a hotel very close to airport as I was flying out the next day to visit my brother and his wife Theresa in Colorado Springs for a few days. I took a shuttle to the hotel that night but soon found out that it was faster to walk so the next day I walked over and then asked were my airline was located and was told it was on the other side and that I should take a shuttle as it was some distance away and too far to walk. I knew the airport was U shaped from living so many years in L.A, so I walked four minutes before I arrived at the airline desk. I was met by a long line of people and after I got to the front of that line I was told to go stand in another line as my passport was not excepted by the check-in machine, when I had checked in I join another line of 50 people to check my boarding card and then joined the next line where I had to empty my hand luggage, take off my shoes and have a body search, oh joy how much fun can you have, in all it took one hour and fifty minutes so I was lucky I was very early.



I arrived in Denver after a pleasant flight and walked out into the passenger greeting area expecting to see my brother and Theresa and found no one that I new knew waiting for me, so I looked around a bit and still no one, then I thought they are probably just a little late and will be there soon. I waited and waited, which to me seemed to be a long time but really was not that long, then to my relief I saw my bother who then explained that they had been sitting up there waiting but had not seen me (faster than a speeding bullet) and there were lots of other people waiting also. After our happy meeting we started our drive back to Colorado Springs but first we made a short stop at one of Theresa's sons where I met his wife and their pretty little daughter before heading off again. When we arrived at the house it was time for a rest as I was a bit tired due to an illness I got last year (lot's of dizzy spells, queasiness, vomiting, extreme tiredness, tinnitus and partial loss of hearing on the left side), so I was trying to rest as much as possible.



Now on with the adventure, after a good night's sleep I was ready to look around, I had been to visit a few years back and it is always great to spend some time with my brother and Theresa and see the beauty of the high planes (over 1800 meter above sea level). My brother had taken some time off so we spent most of the day touring the area, the weather was a bit rainy but survivable, our first stop was the Garden of the Gods, a magical place made up of red rock that reach out from the ground so that they seem almost out of place, towering pinnacles, large walls and large boulder that look like they could roll away at any time. Because of the rain there were less people so it was very quiet and we could hear the wild animals going about every day business of survival. After a nice long peaceful walk we drove around the park for a while also visiting the visitor centre to find out more of the history of the area and the wildlife.



Our next stop is at the very nice town of Manitou Springs at the base of Pikes Peak, the mountain is 4032 meter high I was at the top last time I was here and it is very impressive with mountain goats running around, to get the top you have to take the cog train up the very step sloops (There is an annual run up and down the mountain, my brother likes to run this race but only the up part so far). The town of Manitou is a pretty place with buildings in a western style from the days gone by with lot's of hand craft stores, bars, cafes and restaurants, and after a walk around and some lunch we headed home.

My brother really is a tourist guide so that I make the most out of my stay, next stop is Breckenridge, a ski resort in the Colorado mountains, to get there you have to drive through high plains that are surrounded by snowy mountain tops with grassy plains in all direction where buffalo still roam but not in the same numbers as in the past. The town of Breckenridge is at the bottom of a very popular place for skiing and hiking, it's a pretty town with lots of shops, restaurants, friendly people and even a Scandinavian store with some rare goodies for those that have not been home for a while. We walked around town enjoying the warm sunny day, did some shopping before we drove to see a bit of the area and some of the enormous houses they have there before we head back to Colorado Springs (I really like Breckenridge, it's so peaceful there).



One evening I was taken to a real working ranch for a western BBQ, the area had been made to look like a small western town with horse shoeing, examples of how people lived in the old days and some small shops, as we walked along the path we climbed up the lookout to get a view of the whole area before heading back for some food. We found our seats at the picnic, waiting for our turn to go to the food lines where we found corn bread, BBQ beef or chicken, potatoes and dessert. After dinner it was time for the show, we had a real country western band that played and joked for an hour or so, in all it was a really good night with good food, good company and good entertainment and a nice way to spend the evening.
All to soon it was time to leave after having such a great time with my brother and Theresa, I flew back to L.A. over the Grand Canyon, which is a fantastic site from the air.

After landing I headed to Marina Del Rey where I would be staying for the rest of my stay. I chose Marina Del Rey as I liked the area and it was very central to all the things I wanted to do and see while I was here. As my illness played a big part in my plans I had decided that I would rent a bicycle and bicycle along the coast north and south and to the house and the restaurant that we once owned, driving was out of the question. For those that do not know I lived in L.A. for 20 years so there is not a lot I have not seen here and the bicycle path along the coast is really a great way to get around and you do not have to fight the traffic and parking spaces.



I rented a bicycle by Venice pier and headed north for my first stop, Venice Beach , most people have heard of Venice Beach where lots of crazy things happen. In the old day Venice was the home of those that had nowhere else to go and Vietnam veterans that were a bit spaced out after the war, so anything could happen, along with street artists, a skate park, basket ball court, bargain shopping and muscle beach. Things had changed a bit over the years, the street sellers have mostly moved into shops with four walls, there were more drugs and alcohol, more people, lot's of tattoo shops and you should be careful of what you take pictures of, a lot of the unusual people there want money if you take a picture of then, or else they will start shouting at you in many colourful ways.



After my stop on Venice Beach I pedaled on to Santa Monica , my first stop was at Santa Monica pier where there is a amusement park, lot's of games and restaurants, so I took a quick look around and headed inland. Leaving the fresh salt air behind and soon to find out that things had changed a little, first was that they were tearing down the shopping mall and the second was a nice surprise, the old walk streets had been rejuvenated and where now full of life again with lots of new shops, restaurants and entertainment, the trip back to the hotel was great and I would do this trip again before I left.



I was a bit nervous about the class reunion as I had not seen these people for many years and had not lived in the U.S. in a long time. My friend Jeff, who I have known for many years and was part of the gang, met me at my hotel where we caught up on old times and got ready to go to the party. As soon as we got out of the car we started meeting people, Lisa was the first person we met when we parked next to each other and then came one after another of semi familiar faces, we got name tags with our old pictures on them and our names from high school and then we entered the area were pictures were being taken and then to meet more people. Some people had changed a lot and some not at all, but I know why the lady at the airport had laughed, skinny people had gotten fat, men who once had long hair were now going bald, some married with lots of kids, some looked very old and some had passed away and there was even a hip surfer dude that owned several beauty saloons.

All in all it was lot's of fun and very interesting, there was a bar and dance (not much of that as everybody was busy catching up). They also gathered up all the people who had gone to school together the most amount of years, and there were a few. In a way I felt a little bit of an outsider as I have lived outside the country so long, the party must go on, at one time they stopped the music to find out who had traveled the furthest to get to L.A, I thought for sure I would win this, so when they announced the name of the winner it was not me it was a girl living in London!!! With the help of Jeff we got the attention of the speaker and told him that I came from Norway which caused a bit of a chaos so we both got a prize (still wondering if they knew who came furthest). It was hard to keep track of all the people I talked to and time went very quickly, some decided we would carry on so we all met at a large hotel down the road that was open late and stayed to early hours.

I felt sorry for Jeff when he left in morning as he was off home to get ready for a party for his daughter who graduated and would soon be off to university. I was not doing very well in the morning, dizzy and queasy and not only from the alcohol, but after a long night's rest things got much better. After my recovery I continued my bicycling, this time heading south to El Segundo, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Hermosa Beach, these places hold lots of memories so I spent the whole day on this trip. I stopped at a couple of piers to get out over the water to smell the sea air and where I could hear seals barking in the distances. I really enjoyed the bicycling so close to the water it was very relaxing and I wish there were more places like this.



I have two really good friends living in San Fransisco so Jeff and I took the morning flight there so we could spend some time with them and hear how life was going. First I have to tell you about the flight, John Wayne airport was built in Orange County but you have to take off over Newport Beach which is where a lot of people with money and influence live, so what does that mean to us you may ask, well let me tell you, this means that the plane has to take off under full power as fast as possible (sometimes the rear end of the plane scrapes the ground), climb up as high as possible as fast as possible and then cut the engines to the lowest possible setting until we are out over the ocean and then fly like normal again. When the engines cut to low one of the cabin crew got on the intercom and whispers "would everyone please be quiet we are flying over the rich people" after that whole plane was laughing and people seemed more relaxed.



We were met by our friend Alan, who I had met now and then in different places in the world, for a happy reunion and we soon drove off to meet Doug who had a surprise for us and was waiting there. Doug looked the same except he was a bit older but in excellent shape, we entered a large building we soon found out that it was a Saki distillery, we first walked around and learned a bit about the history and then how they made sake in the old days. After the history lessen we had a tasting of about ten different types of sake and what type of food we would eat with what, all the food talk made us hungry so we ate at a restaurant by the sea and got caught up on what we have been doing over the years. It was almost time to head back to L.A. so we stopped off at a coffee shop to talk a bit more before we headed to the airport and sadly left my friends behind.



I stayed overnight with Jeff and his family in Orange county and the next day he dropped me off at the hotel, I spent the rest of the day doing some shopping (really hard to get around without a car, it's hard to find taxis and it was hard to figure out were the buses go) and later walking on the beach. My last day would be a trip down memory lane, I once again rented a bicycle and set off to the area I once called home. The first thing I noticed was how much had been built in the area, gone were all the open fields where we walked our dogs and played, now there were houses everywhere and more traffic than ever. As I journeyed on I found another area where they had built a large shopping mall where there had been bean fields before. The closer I got to my old home I saw the changes but as I started down our old street things started things looked a lot like they used to (except for one of the areas that had been vacant fields), even the house looked the same. Then I headed to the Little Inn (the restaurant that we own for many years) which had not changed much at all so I went in and had a quick look around before having lunch at the local pub (Tower pizza).

On the road back to the hotel I had time to think while I looked at all things that have change it hit me that this was not my home any more and I do not really belong here like I used to, now I was just another tourist like so many others, yes it was time to go home where I belong. It will be sad to leave my friends but home is where my heart is, I will continue to travel and find new adventures.

Copenhagen

06.09.2007 - 08.09.2007

Denmark: Copoenhagen (København)



It has been many years since either one of us had been to Copenhagen so we planned a long weekend to find out what was new, we chose a hotel in the centre of town within easy walking distance of most things and the rest by buses that were close by. The temperature was mild but sunny which was great for us as we walked a lot, in streets with all the shops, the Royal Place and down to the main harbor where we sat by the sea for a bit. That evening we ate at an Australian restaurant that we had heard about that served excellent food and wine. We ate crocodile, emu and other tasty items, we also had a really good waiter from Australia who made the evening a huge success.



The next day it was time for a boat tour, there are many low bridges here so the boats are very flat and hold up to 30 to 40 people at a time. It was a very pleasant trip and a great way to see the city from a different viewpoint. Some of the places we went to by boat and by foot were Christiania havn, The little Mermaid, Gefion fountain, The Royal Danish Playhouse, The University of Copenhagen botanical gardens to name a few of the places of interest. That night we ate at the Tivoli and walked around a bit but did not find it that interesting, they did have a short play with music and dancing that we liked and believe it or not they had an aquarium and of course we spent a bit of time there.



The last day was a bit rainy and we had a later flight so we went to the movie as we have done in many places around the world and after a quick meal we were off for home.