A few things...

Sunday, we hiked at Keiservarden. It was an amazing view.

We constructed some rock piles, they were all over- apparently, it is a Norwegian hobby. This hobby is called VARDE. Afterwards, we went on a scenic drive.

(Majvi in blue top)

(Bruce and Mason adding the finishing touches to our Varde)

Later that night, we went cod fishing on a boat that made its maiden voyage in 1916. It was 5 degrees celsius on the water and very windy. I wore a tank top, a t-shirt, 2 long sleeved shirts, a cardigan, a northface fleece, a rain jacket and another rain jacket on top, some gloves, a hat, and two hoods - I was still cold. It was a unique experience.

(MIDNIGHT SUN!)

We tried to fish but didn't really catch anything. THEN, we went to Bliksvær and had 2 units of beer and handfuls of shrimps.





Bruce wore mittens and Long John Silver was our captain.


Yesterday, we went to the aeronautics museum.
(Sven next to the BOMB!)
(decades of ejection seats )

... and then we went to Widerøe, Norway's #1 airline.

There, we were shown the crash test room where they simulate crashes and emergencies.
(Richard is good at evacuation)

Included in our tour were the control rooms where they monitor flights (340 flights every day), training rooms, and we also saw the huge garages where they make repairs.

(gettin' my repairs made)

A few things...

• Lots of cute guys work at Widerøe.

• Mayonnaise comes in tubes here, like toothpaste. buh.

• I ate like, 18 pieces of chocolate.

• I ate "fish balls". No, they're not the testicles of a fish.

• Richard and Wenche are really great, friendly, rotarian hosts who have been arranging wonderful activities for us, showing us around, and making sure that we are fed. They also are responsible for saving us from freezing to death when we went on the Faxsen boat ride. They packed all kinds of warm clothing and accessories for us to wear.

• Richard told me that when Norwegians bump into each other, they don't say sorry. If they bump very hard though or cause pain or break something or something like that, then they say it. I learned this only after bumping into him about 328, 437 times and saying "im sorry".

• Wenche knitted her own bathing suit and she swims in the ocean all year long. She's hardcore.

• Majvi is the niece of the Rotarian who was supposed to be hosting us, but she went on Holiday. Majvi is super nice and she likes to talk to Pooja and I and listen while we complain about our woes of America. She has been a gracious host and she makes a nice breakfast spread. She has been "teaching" us Norwegian words and phrases.

"Majvi, how do you say "how do you say"?" :)



Robert Smith, meet Nahn Nahnson.

Next blog: Work day at IRIS and Salstraumen, the World's Strongest Maelstrom!

Eurovision

Gratulerer Tyskland! Germany won the Grand Prix/Eurovision last night.

This is the Radisson BLU where we attended the screening and met some peoples. Since this was not a Rotary event, we had to spend our own monies on alcohol. That was the only low point of our night.



Liv and Rune (bottom) were the hosts of the party who are friends with Richard and Wenche (right) so they got us in for free.

this girl loved Mason and spilled red wine on my white sweater. HMMPH! the guy in the yellow hat (see also pic below)
made me an american flag. :)

This is Lars and Maia. She is from Florida but Lars is her father and he lives here in Bodø so she spends her summers in Norway. Lars is a handsome, orthopedic something or other and he diagnosed my calf muscle dent. Thank you, Lars.

And Tommy and Stefan were definitely my favorite part of the evening.



These guys were awesome. They taught me helpful, Norwegian phrases (bad words), and taught me some informative Norwegian customs, and bought my drinks. Really fun, cute, nice guys.

This guy, TV, SUCKS.

He invited us to an "after party". We walked there with him and he called NJ a dump or garbage can or something so I explained that we live amongst the corn and the tomatoes.
walking to "after party" at 3:30 am

When we arrived, it was super shady and there was 1 girl there (looked like she was on drugs) and a guy passed out on the couch. TV went upstairs with the girl. I told Mason it was bad news and we needed to leave but for some reason he took his shoes off so while we waited for him to put the shoes on, we took pictures of the house.

There was very ugly jewelry on display and a norwegian flag.

Then we walked home with Hilde, who ended up being a prostitute. The end.

Next blog: Hiking Svartvatnet and Cod Fishing Trip

Bodø: First Day

Two words: JET LAG

Quick post.

After we flew in, we had lunch and walked around the city with Richard and Chi, his dog. It took about 15 minutes to explore all of it. Bodø is the cutest.

Cool Guy Crossing

Right now, it is 2:00am and the sun hasn't set. It won't. I must get used to it.

I have my own hotel room!

Our hotel was one of 3 buildings that remained standing when Bodø was bombed on May 27, 1940.

We also went to Richard's Protestant church where he sings. It also survived bombing.

We will have a walking tour of the city tomorrow and I will learn more about this small, quiet town.

$200.00 = 1200 NOK = not a lot of $$



You can buy shrimps and fishes right off of the boats. Super Fresh.

Tomorrow night, we’re going out for the grand finale of EuroVision. It is like a country-vs-country version of American Idol, with all the country’s finalists competing against each other in this big Grand Prix idol. It's a huge deal here, especially since Norway is the host country this year. Bars are selling tickets for their Grand Prix night parties. Tomorrow, or should I say tonight, we are going to PARTY!

Sunday, we’re going cod fishing.

Expectations

My trip to Norway is just 2 weeks away! That being said, I thought that I would post a few things that I am expecting of Norway so I will be able to compare my expectations with what I actually experience when I return.

Thinking about it, I guess I really have no idea what to expect... except the usual: cold, snow, blonde people, fjords, viking stuff, oil, heavy metal, fish, wet, sun...

Since its for Rotary, I am expecting to see and talk to lots and lots of real old people. Old Norwegians. That might be a good band name.

Iv'e been told they've got "Beiber Fever" over there. I guess I'm also expecting a lot of pop culture.

I hope for the vocational aspect, that I am able to see some of the hydroelectric facilities and some of the wildlife of Northern Norway. Mostly, I hope to really, actually, learn something that I can use in my professional life and get a new job with. I want to see the World's seed bank and an oil rig.

I'm also looking forward to trying Norwegian foods and beers. I hope some of them are WEIRD!