We are not in Norway anymore...

Ok so it would make sense for me to start off this blog entry by telling you all how sorry I am for not writing sooner etc. BUT I am afraid if I do so, all of my blog entries will start that way in the future. It is hard to remember everything and find the time to write it all down when backpacking! I can’t imagine writing about EVERYTHING I saw in Spain, so for now I am just going to write about the first three cities that Zach and I saw on our adventure: Malaga, Seville and Granada.
Malaga: A lot of you might not know about the city of Malaga. I don’t blame you-it is kind of a dump. BUT it has a great beach. When Zach and I were planning which cities to visit, Malaga was where our plane from Oslo landed and though it wasn’t home to a lot of sights, we found a cheap hostel that was right on the beach which sounded VERY inviting (especially coming from the land without sun, Norway). However, when we got off the plane in Malaga it was not beach weather (to say the LEAST). It was cloudy, stormy and eventually very, very rainy. After struggling a bit to find our hostel (unlike Norway, nobody speaks English in Spain) we finally made it. We went down to the beach and it was nice except for the fact that there were sewage plants there and large industrial ships popping up on the shoreline all the time. It was super random.

Our hostel was great, though and the dinner that we ate there provided us with a way to meet a lot of people. We met Tatyana (California), Shea (Iowa), Lorelle and Max (Vancouver) and Marek (Maine). We had so much fun meeting them and actually had the chance to hang out the next day because it continued to rain. We tried going on a free walking tour, but when we went to meet our guide, Zach and I were the only ones without an umbrella and we definitely would not have lasted without one. To say it was pouring rain would be an understatement. SO…we ran back to the hostel, got some groceries and hung out under the veranda with Lorelle and Max. I can’t really remember what we were talking about but I just remember laughing a lot. Later that night, five of us went to the beach and had lots of fun singing, playing the guitar, sharing stories etc. Marek is officially one of my new favourite people. Trying to describe him would not do him justice, but let’s just say that he has made his way into my quote book multiple times. To give you a taste, one of my favourite lines from him was “Tobacco is literally wacko” (said completely seriously). Ahhhh so that was Malaga. Rainy, sort of boring, industrial beaches but….a lot of great people!
Sevilla: Sevilla was our next stop, and I was very excited as my friend, Sophia studied there for a few months and gave Zach and I a list of fun things to do! We walked from the train station to our hostel (which is always a joy in 32 degree weather with our backpacks on) and it took us about 45 minutes.
Unlike Malaga, Sevilla was VERY hot! Once we found our hostel, we were pleased to discover that it was in a prime location! It was right in the centre of old town and only a few blocks away from Sevilla’s very famous cathedral. After a quick siesta, we headed to the “Alcazar” (which I like to call Alcazam) which essentially is a Moorish castle built a very, very long time ago. There were beautiful gardens (complete with peacocks!) and Zach took about a million photos.






That night we went out for a lil’ sangria and beer. It was so cool to see everyone out with their families. Even little kids were out until after midnight. Spain definitely has a different energy from Norway and it was easy to see this in Sevilla. Spaniards are much less rigid in their schedules, spend a lot of time with their families, eat dinner at 9:00 and don’t go to bed until 3 or 4. For the youth, it’s more like 6 AM. Zach and I didn’t do too much partying because we wanted to be ready and rested for the busy day that was ahead.
We started off our second day in Sevilla by going to the main square next to the cathedral. While waiting to get tickets, we were approached by a guy who asked us if we wanted to go on a walking tour. We thought “why not”? and decided to follow him. He led us into this abandoned back alley and Zach and I started getting a little sketched out. SO…Zach let me walk next to the guy while he trailed behind so that in case I got attacked or “stabbed in the face”, he would have time to run. Fortunately, this was not the case and we eventually heard the voice of our tour guide for the next three hours. Medi was our guide-originally from Morocco and absolutely hilarious/wonderful. He took us around Sevilla, into Tirana and showed us a lot of things that Zach and I would not have had the chance to seen. Here are a few pictures…




We made dinner at our hostel that night and then to a traditional flamenco show. It was a very intimate setting and was very cool because there was live music and flamenco is a very different type of dance form that I hadn’t seen before. We were hoping to spend the rest of the night on the hostel terrace, but it was closed so Zach and I went outside, sat on the ground and people watched. Good times. I really, really LOVED Sevilla and I think it is definitely my favourite city in Spain. However, we couldn’t stay for too long because the next day, we were headed for Granada!
Granada: Getting from the train station to our hostel in Granada was pretty easy making us both happy and we were even happier when we walked into our hostel and saw Marek there! All three of us went out to eat, then for a beer and tapas. We just laughed and talked for a few hours which was really nice. I really hope that I see him again someday! We were tired that night so we just stayed in for the night and enjoyed our complimentary drink from the hostel bar on the patio. The next day, we got up early to go to the “Alhambra”. Thankfully, we ordered our tickets in advance so we didn’t have to wait in a long line to get in. The Alhambra is another Moorish palace and fortress complex. It was very cool to see and I would tell you more about it, but Rick Steeve’s (the tour guide that I carry around with me everywhere) would be much better at explaining it. It was cool to see, but it was very hot outside and we were tired by the time it was done.





On the way back, I bought some pants that make me look like a hippie but it’s fine, and we had a quick nap.

For dinner, we went to an Asian restaurant to have sangria/beer and…Chinese tapas. Super random, but the best sangria I’d had thus far!


We weren’t quite full so we ventured on over to another tapas bar and had margaritas. Mmmm…..they were delicious and they came with a great tapa!

For all of those who don’t know what a tapa is, basically it is like a little meal that comes for free with your drink. It was super random because the bar had a mid evil theme to it which was really weird...Then, it was back to the hostel! Granada was super cool and I would definitely go there again because it was a much bigger city than Sevilla, so I didn't get to see a lot of it.
Stay tuned for the next post on Madrid/Barcelona!
Sending love to you all!
A

Goodbye Norway, Hellooo Spain!

Hellloooooo blog readers!
I am writing to you as I fly from Oslo, Norway to Malaga, Spain. THIS IS CRAZY! Spain is the first stop on my European backpacking adventure and I am excited to see a new place and a different culture! But FIRST I need to tell you about my last week in Norway. My exams started at the beginning of May and lasted until May 13th. I’ve mentioned before that they are worth 100% of my course grade so…it is very stressful. However, it was easier to study for these exams because the weather wasn’t so nice. Even in May, it was still raining. Go figure. One day, however I did make it outside to do some hiking. I went hiking with four girls that I had never met before, but one of them was the sister of a good friend of mine from the U.S. She was studying abroad in Sweden, and was visiting Bergen with friends, so I decided I would be their hiking guide for the day. I led them up a paved road.


But the view was still great and it was so wonderful getting to know these girls from all over the country. I have really appreciated the chance to get to know “strangers” while I have been in Europe. Since my usual social circle is back in Canada, I have jumped at the chance to meet new people. I have become close with very distant relatives, met friends of a friend of a friend etc. and even stayed with people that I only had known for a few days. (But it was not sketchy, I promise). I suppose it is easier to bond with people when every person is seeking out companionship and connection. I hope I am able to have the same attitude towards “new people” when I return home. I am sure that traveling will also encourage this outlook, so that’s good. Speaking of traveling…let’s talk about it.
On Wednesday, my first traveling partner joined me in Bergen, Norway: Mr. Zach Sharon. Leaving behind the mountains and cheap prices of Butte, Montana, he flew for two days covering thousands of miles to FINALLY reach the much more expensive, mountainous city of Bergen, Norway. Though jet lag affected him for a little while, he quickly became a local. Well…not quite. Most Norwegians don’t walk around in basketball shorts and running shoes with a giant camera hanging around their neck. This is the version of Zach that I see most often…

It wasn’t long before Zach and I went on our first hike. We were planning on hiking Ulriken, but ended up at the top of some random mountain where there was graffiti, a low ropes initiative (aka the spiderweb), and a GREAT view!

Though we took a few falls on the way down (I have the bruises to prove it), it was a fun afternoon. Most of my days were busy with studying, and Zach would go take photos. Of everything. I thought my mother was crazy about pictures, but Zach takes it to a whole new level…but it is fantastic because then I don’t have to do it.
On Friday, I wrote my last exam and had the farewell dinner for all the exchange students. It was so much fun to see everyone dressed up, and I ate VERY well that night. Steak…potatoes…roasted vegetables…you get the idea. I am going to miss my friends from the exchange program so much! Especially my dear, Simone. We had a lot of laughs that night. Of course, I caught some of them on film.



On Saturday, Zach and I walked to the city center (parts of it we were greeted with pouring rain…), met up with my friend Mathilde and her boyfriend Kenneth and packed up my entire room! It is crazy fitting my entire life for the next 2 ½ months into one backpack. Not only is it crazy, but also heavy. Then…it was off to Oslo!
We were greeted at the train station by Ingeborg (Mom’s cousin) and her husband Odd. They drove us around town showing us the sights, and then let us roam around for awhile in the new part of Oslo, an area that I hadn’t seen before. We had dinner that night at their daughter’s (Hanne Sophia) house. It was a delicious, traditional Norwegian meal complete with smoked salmon, salted lamb, ham, bread, cheese, salad and of course, coffee. It was Zach’s first taste of Norway and judging by how much he ate…he liked it.
The next day was the day I had been looking forward to for a long time-Norway’s National Day! It was such a sight to see and it was a great way to end my time in Norway! Odd drove us downtown, and the streets were filled with people dressed in traditional Norwegian clothes waving flags, blowing horns, and carrying balloons!
We saw part of the parade, and then went to the castle to see the King and Queen.



Zach and I waved to them, and they waved back so…it was pretty awesome. In all the chaos, we lost Odd but eventually met up with him and Hanne Sophia for lunch. Zach got some fantastic pictures, but unfortunately the format of them does not work with my blog. I got a GREAT picture of the cutest family EVER, though. It was sort of hard to see their faces, but...you get the picture.
It was such a beautiful day so we went t Vigeland’s Parken. This was the place I went to in February with all the statues and it was so nice to see it in the Spring without all the snow!


Our last meal in Oslo was at Ingeborg and Odd’s other daughter’s house, Maria. We had shrimp for dinner, and it was a bit of a new experience. The shrimp were in this giant bowl, and we were instructed to rip the heads off, then the tail, and then the hard shell surrounding the middle. Everyone else could do it in 3 seconds flat, but Zach and I took about 30 seconds per shrimp. I got better towards the end, but it was still difficult to get rid of all the eggs that were attached to fish. I am making this sound really gross, but it was actually delicious. After peeling the shrimp, you eat it with bread, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Again, Zach and I both ate a lot. Maria and Lars were so much fun to talk to. They had both studied abroad so they spoke very good English. After 5 hours, we headed home and packed for today. We had a wonderful breakfast this morning (that I think will keep us full for the next few days :) and now we are headed to Malaga, Spain! Like I said earlier, I am excited for a new culture, but I know I will miss Norway and Scandinavia in general. It was such a great adventure studying abroad, now it’s time for a new one-backpacking style!! I will keep you posted on this diva’s adventures!!
Bye for now!
A
P.S Sorry that I couldn't upload that many pictures, but my computer is not being cooperative right now!

Mumsie & Me: Drammen, Fagernes and Bergen

Alright folks, it has been awhile since Mom left, but I never had the chance to finish writing about our adventures! So, I am now going to take a little break from studying to update you all. Better late than never, right?
Ok, so after our adventure in Prague, Mumsie and me headed to Drammen, a very small town outside of Oslo where here cousin, Geten and her boyfriend, Nils live. Whenever I tell a Norwegian that I spent some time in Drammen over Easter break they always give me a confused look and say "WHAT would posses you to go there?". I guess I didn't know how small it was, but it was great to see Geten and finally meet her three daughters. The last time I saw Geten, I was 9 years old. I remember going to her farm and picking strawberries with my sister and cousin (she lived and ran a strawberry farm). I ALSO remember there was a train track near by that Geten forgot to mention, and when I heard the sound of the train, the three of us girls just ran for the hills because we didn't know where this loud sound was coming from! Anyway, this was my memory of Geten and getting to see her again was a great delight. Two of her daughters now live on the farm, so we were staying with her in the "city". Our first night there she served us the traditional meal of salmon with boiled potatoes. It was delicious, of course. The next day, we went to see the famous new ski jump in Oslo, Holmenkollen. Neither Nils nor Geten had been there so it was a new thing for them too!




Our main adventure for the day was going to see Geten's sister (my mom's other cousin), Ingrid in Oslo. We had tea and lots of great sweets to eat (which of course, I was happy about). Geten was also determined to force me to use my Norwegian, so I did as best as I could and we talked for a few hours "på norsk". Needless to say, at the end of the visit my brain was very tired. I am also very grateful to Ingrid because she offered me and Zach (my soon to be travel partner!) a place to stay for the 17th of May (Norway's national day) when we will be in Oslo. I'm excited to see that part of my family again before I leave.
Then, Geten made us dinner. It was an interesting meal. It was raw herring, with boiled potatoes (those Norwegians love their potatoes) and sour cream. Mom really enjoyed it. I know my Dad would've LOVED it.
One of our main reasons for going to Oslo so that we could a make a day trip out to visit my Dad's Dad's cousin (?). I think that's correct, but I'm not sure. Either way, he is a lovely man named Kolbjørn. His daughter and her family were staying at their cabin up in the mountains (commonly referred to as the "hytta" in Norwegian) so we spent the day soaking up the sun on the deck of their little cabin overlooking the beautiful landscape of Norway. Kolbjørn had two grandsons that were wonderful to talk to, especially the eldest, Joakim. He was thirteen and spoke nearly perfect English. He was very interested in traveling so he knew a lot about North America and is also loves music so him and I had a lot to talk about. After lunch, I saw the two boys were playing with a bow and arrow that they had made. They invited me to join in, and I did my best, but I eventually gave up and just started to throw a large stick instead.





After some more visiting, Kolbjørn was nice enough to take us on a mini tour of the fjord and show us where his relatives had lived. But then, we had to head back to Drammen for the night. We were in the bus just as the sun was setting, and I was able to get some pictures on the way. In reality, it was 100x prettier but...I tried my best to capture what I could.



The next morning we left relatively early for Bergen. When we got back into town, the sun was shining, the city center was full of people, but I was so tired and just wanted to get home. The one plus about having to wait for a bus (for 45 minutes) was that I saw the cutest couple ever!!! They were sitting on a park bench, sharing some lunch and basically...were just the most adorable two people in the world. DON'T WORRY-I TOOK PICTURES.



AM I RIGHT?!?!? Yes. I know I am. They were just so fantastic. I wanted to get closer to take pictures, but then I thought it would seem creepy. I tell myself that taking pictures from 100 ft. away makes it okay. When we got home, Mumsie and I relaxed and enjoyed the idea that we would be in the same place for a week.
Our Easter Sunday was spent at a Norwegian church (loved it!) and of course we had a great Easter meal: a hot dog from the gas station. Seriously-nothing is open on Easter Sunday. I WILL say that it was a delicious hot dog. Oh yeah, and we also put bunny ears to celebrate the holiday. Please don't be jealous of how cool we are.

Throughout the week, Mumsie and I just spent our time in the city center, walking around, getting my bangs cut (which was a disaster, but I'm beginning to accept the fact that I look like a 7 yr. old) and just enjoying each other. We also treated ourselves (and by treated ourselves, I mean Mom treated ME) to a movie with the beautiful Simone!
We went and saw "Water for Elephants" which was so great! Mom also took Bernhard, one of my closest friends here out for dinner



Mumsie and I's final adventure together was doing the famous tour "Norway in a Nutshell". It consists of train rides, boat rides, bus rides and generally a lot of transportation. I know it doesn't sound that amazing, but the scenery is what makes the trip so great. Thus, I will not put my trust in the pictures to express to you the greatness of this trip. I will say that this tour made me realize how much I hate tourists. I was constantly finding them similar to chickens with their heads cut off. They are always panicked, and too busy taking pictures of every. single. thing that they don't even take the time to appreciate the beauty around them!! So...when they were busy taking pictures of the fjords, I was taking pictures of them.

Anyway, the tour started off with a train ride from Bergen to Voss. There, I met a troll.


Then, the busy took us from Voss to Gudvangen where I met my dad's ideal mate for me: a Norwegian viking who I'm SURE is Lutheran...


The highlight of the bus ride were the "hair pin turns" that were just opened that day. These turns allow you to be drive right from the top of the fjord down to the valley. There were also very pretty waterfalls on either side. Again, the tourists took about a million pictures because apparently they had never seen a natural water source before.



The boat ride was fantastic and of course, Mom got some great pictures. In between pictures, Mom was able to carry a conversation with this (somewhat crazy) couple from Texas. They were originally from New Jersey and were having a little trouble guiding themselves on the tour. Mom took them under her a wing, and man-my Mom is really able to talk to anyone. I finally understand where I get my visiting skills from (not that I thought I thought for a SECOND I got them from my dad...). Anyway, this lady got so comfortable with Mom she was taking out photo albums, talking about her daughters divorces etc. etc. Oh and also-her husband didn't say a thing the whole time. Literally. The whole time. Anyway, Mom and I had so much fun. And our new friends even captured a candid laughing moment...





Then, in Flåm, we had some soft is (soft ice cream) and I met yet another troll.


Then, it was time for the authentic open-air train. It was really old and was super slow but it was an experience!



Then, it was back on the normal train and back to Bergen. We spent the next day packing (which could be an entire blog entry on its own), but eventually we got nearly all of my stuff into the suitcases and Mumsie left the next morning at 4:00 AM. I was very sad to see her go, but I WAS excited to get my bed back. ;) It was so amazing have a full three weeks alone with my Mom. I don't think that has ever happened before. Not only did I get to see her, but we got to share in some adventures together that I will always remember. (I don't think anyone will be able to fully understand the craziness of that musical theatre show in Prague...)
Anyways, I love her. Loved the time we had together and am so thankful that she is my Mumsie!! Love you always ya lil'cutie.
Now it's back to the books!
Sending love!
A