a night with the Angels and Dodgers

Hans and Amy, Dodgers fans.

Caleb and Heidi, Angels fans.

The field. And a small idea of just how far away we were sitting.

Mom and Dad ... Dodgers fans in Angels gear.

a few more hats

I know I know, like I need more hats ... but they're such easy things to make! All three of these were finished while we were in Europe. It was easy to take a few knitting needles and a couple skeins of yarn. And we had enough down time (on planes mostly, but even some time spent lounging around our hotels in the afternoons) that I was glad I had the distraction.

This is my first "man's hat." Its Caleb's. He never wore it, but not because he doesn't like it, he just never got cold enough.

This is my new favorite hat. Finished on the plane on the way to Dublin.

New favorite hat on me, finally worn for at least as long as it took me to take a few pictures.

This is perhaps the most boring hat to look at, but super comfy and it was easy to make. I think I got the most use out of this one while we were gone. (Please forgive the "evil eyes" in this picture. Its hard to frame pictures of yourself.)

I don't normally endorse beer .....

But have you SEEN the Dos Equis commercials?!! They're hilarious. In my current favorite one (not the one below) he says, "It's never too early to start working on your obituary." So true Most Interesting Man. So true.

Happy Birthday Julie!!

pictures posted

We've finally had the chance to upload pictures from our trip. If you're interested in an overview of Dublin, Oslo, Bergen, Prague and Vienna, take a look! Click on the picture above, here, or on the Europe 2008 link in the Pictures list on the right.

finally a few pictures

Well, we're finally home. Its crazy how fast the last 17 days flew by. Feels like just a wink of the eye, a snap of the fingers, a bullet train in Japan (sorry, I was running out of metaphors ... and I'm still on some kind of Europe time, which means my body feels like its 1 or 2 or 3 in the morning right now (depending on if I'm on Dublin, Prague or Vienna time), and I sat on a plane all day and watched 3 1/2 movies, and subsisted on airplane food (which actually wasn't that bad) so my brain is a little bit mush ... please bear with me).

We arrived home about 2 hours ago, and since then we've started laundry and unpacked a bit ... which was easy, since most everything got thrown in a pile on the kitchen floor waiting for its turn in the washer (yes, our washer/dryer is in the kitchen). And now the thing we're most anxious for (besides sleep, which my eyes are starting to demand rather loudly, but so far my brain has had the strength to deny) are pictures. We want to see our pictures! I've only had a chance to download the ones that were still on my camera from Prague and Vienna, so those are what you'll see below. And its only a few ... there will be more to come soon. You might not be as anxious as I to flip through them, but flip through them you will. And you will enjoy them.

See how tired I am? I'm starting to demand you enjoy my pictures from Europe. Perhaps now is a good time just to put the pictures up, and let the blog rest until tomorrow, when it can be approached with more alert and less aggressive behavior. Its the jet lag, I tell ya. I promise to be more amiable tomorrow.

Caleb and Heidi self-portrait, a square in Prague behind us (unknown Cathedral ... known Square, but at the moment my brain can't remember which...)

Caleb and Heidi in Prague, the city behind us. Isn't it pretty? (Yes, I got a bit sunburned ... hadn't counted on such warm weather, but we sure enjoyed it!)

Caleb at Shonbrunn Palace in Vienna. We actually really enjoyed our time in Shonbrunn, despite the apparent look of irritation on my husband's face.

Another self-portrait, this time in Laab im Walde, the small village we stayed in outside Vienna.

the last day

Today was our last day of sightseeing. Its weird that 2 1/2 weeks should go by so quickly. But oh the things we've seen and done! It has truly been a fantastic trip. I can't wait to share more pictures with you all soon. Tomorrow is a travel day ... first a 4 1/2-hour train back to Prague, a quick lunch somewhere around 3:00, then back to the hotel for the rest of our luggage, then a taxi to the airport, then a plane to Dublin, and hopefully by 11:00 we'll be settled in for the night .... only to wake up early to go back to the airport to board a plane for an 11:05 departure for Los Angeles. I think by the time I board that plane, I will be ready to go home.

However, we leave Europe with some fantastic memories. We sat in an Irish pub eating lamb stew and watching a soccer match with the locals, we hiked hills in Norway and saw Viking ships, we listened to a string quartet concert in Prague and had Winderschnitzel in a Viennese home. What a trip.

I promise to share more later, but right now our spaghetti dinner is ready!

norway won't let us go!

OK, we did finally get out of Norway ... but it required one trip into the sky, only to turn around when a previous problem that had already delayed our flight by 2 hours cropped again and the pilot had to turn around and return to Oslo. Much later, after a free lunch and much lingering about talking with other passengers, we finally boarded another plane, at the same gate that they had told us NOT to use just half an hour before, and were finally in the skies bound for Prague. We arrived here about 5 hours later than we were supposed to, definitely a bit worn out. But hey, if you ever need a detailed account of the Oslo airport, we can give you one (that includes the tarmac and various aircraft).

On such a note we arrived in Prague. It was too late on Thursday to do any sightseeing, which turned out to be OK. Uncle Bob was right, Prague can easily be seen in two days, which is what we have done. It certainly is a beautiful city! If it weren't for the huddled masses who also decided to join our vacation, our time here would be perfect. Literally, at times it feels like Disneyland on New Year's Eve, less walking and more being walked as the crowds force us along.

This morning we bought tickets to Vienna, and we leave tomorrow morning on the 10:23 train. We're very much looking forward to going, being as how I speak a tiny bit of the language (unlike in Norway and Czech), and we're staying with friends! Well, friends of family anyway, and that's basically the same thing. We're looking forward to a home-cooked meal and a chance to tell someone else about all our adventures. They have been many!

Every time I get a chance to write something here I wish I had much more time. I haven't even begun to share about what a great time we had in Bergen! But I suppose it will have to wait. As will anything about Vienna, I'm sure. We can't hardly believe how quickly the last two weeks have flown. We'll be heading for home in just a few more days! We look forward to relaying so much more about our trip. I'm afraid you'll just have to wait until then.

Hope all is well with each who reads these unedited words of mine. We'll be seeing you soon!

city by the sea

Well, we've arrived in Bergen, Norway. This is perhaps the most beautiful little town I've ever spent time in. I wish I had pictures to share, but I don't at the moment. You'll just have to wait.

Our two days in Oslo were wet and rainy, and as I said before most of the city was shut down half the time we were there. But it was enjoyable to just wander the streets, and we even took long naps, which was nice (it can be tiring walking all day every day).

On Saturday we hopped on a train in Oslo that bore us all the way to the other side of Norway. It was a gorgeous train trip! It wound its way through picturesque village after village, with green hills and rushing rivers. As we made our way up in elevation we eventually reached what Norwegians consider a great height, nearly 2,000 feet above sea level. However, at that height we get what in America we have to be at 10,000 feet to see! There was deep snow covering EVERYTHING, and people out cross-country skiing and enjoying the winter wonderland. It was spectacular. We then descended back down toward Bergen and the sea, through more beautiful green countryside too beautiful to truly describe. Hopefully we're getting some pictures that will do it a little bit of justice.

On arriving here we went to our hotel and found it to be ... well ... a hovel. OK, it wasn't that bad, but the sticky linoleum floor and the dirty couch and the twin beds and the white walls didn't exactly exude romance and relaxation for our 5 nights here. Soooo, we found our way to the tourist center and decided to pay a little bit more and found another place in town to stay. And oh, what a difference a few dollars can make! We've ended up in a full apartment, run by a Norwegian couple, complete with a kitchen, a bedroom and a living room for relaxing. Its wonderful! We were pretty excited.

Well, there's much more to share, but not enough time or space to say it. So I leave you with this ... We will now be able to truthfully answer "yes" to the question, "So, have you ever eaten Fillet of Reindeer?"

More later!

we're sorry, Oslo is closed

Turns out Norway observes some version of the May 1 holiday, and we awoke this morning to a city mostly closed, save a few 7-11s and some restaurants. We weren't too bothered by the shut down, it gave us a chance to wander the city in relative peace, as there were few people out as well. We saw the city hall, the palace, and walked down by the harbor. Tomorrow we'll take a boat from the harbor across to the peninsula to the Viking museum. We WERE going to do that today ... but it was closed, like everything else.

Near the harbor sits a 700-year-castle built by the Vikings. We spent some time touring that today, as the grounds were at least open to walking around. That was pretty cool.

Norway is a beautiful country. Yesterday we unknowingly flew into an airport an hour and a half from Oslo. We had to take a bus into the city, which at first was a little annoying, as we'd already had a somewhat trying travel day (I will soon publish my list of reasons NOT to fly Ryan Air ... ever). However, the bus took us through beautiful Norwegian countryside, and our irritation soon abated (soon to be found again on arriving in Oslo, where people wanted to be helpful, but weren't too informative, resulting in a 2-hour endeavor to find our hotel ... just a few minutes' walk away).

One of the towns we passed through on our drive to Oslo was Stokke, the same name my sister is soon to take on as her own when she marries. Hans and Amy, it was perhaps the most picturesque little town I've ever seen, complete with an old fashioned church and steeple sitting on a green hillside. You must come here some day and visit the land and town of your namesake.

Tomorrow we do a little more touring, and then Saturday morning we get on the train to Bergen. We're very much looking forward to seeing more of the Norwegian country. This is truly a beautiful country.

More later! (And sorry, no pictures of me with bad hair today. Maybe later.)

OH, and the knitwear here is truly amazing.