Updated cities visited map

My second blog post included how many cities I've pinned on Tripadvisors' map. Here is an update, but again they don't really have every city. Plus, I can't realistically remember every city I've been to, or through.

211.

Non-scientific study

I have done extensive research on something and keep arriving at the same conclusion - the more time I spend in an airport, the more money I spend. And there is a factor that probably doubles or triples this effect - being in an international airport.

Just for some clarification....I do not fall for the "duty free" crap. I know that stuff isn't really as good of a deal as they want you to believe. In part because I live in a state where I already don't pay sales tax on clothes, shoes etc. But even without the tax you may be paying more than if you simply bought the product at your local Target or mall. Especially cosmetics!

The draw, for me, especially in international airports are products I can't easily get at home. I just bought several boxes at the Amsterdam airport of stroopwaffels. A delicious, sweet waffle-like thing with caramel sandwiched between. There are versions available in the US, but these are better! (Yes, another non-scientific study.)

I also picked up two huge bags of Haribo gummy bears. (One for Andy, and one for my friend PMS.). The flavors available here are slightly different than what I've enjoyed in the US.

I spent lots of time looking at the liquors, but I know they are cheaper at home.

See previous post for my new solution to this shopping problem.

Airport lounges

For reasons I don't really understand, my status with Delta airlines entitles me to free lounge access abroad. I have to pay to enter Delta's lounges in the US, but I get in free outside of the US.

Today was the first time I've taken advantage of lounge facilities. It is mostly quiet in the lounge at the Oslo airport....just one guy gabbering on his mobile phone.

I can help myself to soda, water - still and sparkling, wine - red and white, beer, coffee, tea, and there is food too! Cheese, ham, cereal and yogurt.

And perhaps the best two parts - internet access and line-free toilets.

I like the lounge! It even feels a little spa-like. But....I'm not sure I would pay for it unless perhaps I had a long layover.

Another bonus -- the more time I spend in the lounge the less time I spend shopping. It is almost like I am being paid to relax in the lounge!

Rude and obnoxious tourists

I've heard many times that Americans are hated abroad because of their behavior and unwillingness to learn the local language. I resent that stereotype as an American, but I am about to make the same one about people from another country.

First...I traveled around Japan for two weeks. I found everyone to be very polite and helpful. The only behavior I encountered that was odd was how the people in Tokyo would stare at us. Perhaps they were judging? Or maybe just curious about us large blond people.

I've encountered many Japanese tourists in my last few weeks of travel. They are loud, rude and act as if they are the only people on the planet. I was physically pushed twice so one of them could get ahead of me in line. Do they realize or care about the reputation they are creating?

It could, perhaps, be said that Americans don't act differently abroad. If they are rude at home they will be rude elsewhere. And I do know plenty of loud and obnoxious Americans. But the Japanese tourists I've encountered are very different from the gracious people I met in Tokyo and other cities in Japan. Maybe their culture is so rigid at home travel is their escape from being polite?

Or is this all evidence of people struggling to understand people from other places, or people who look different?

Buses, trains and a boat

Also known as Norway in a Nutshell. This was the perfect tour with my parents. My feet don't hurt and I saw lots of Norway.

We were supposed to start on a train out of Oslo. Their train station is closed. The whole thing...not just some tracks. Weird. So we started on a bus that took us to a train.

While my feet didn't hurt, my arse does after sitting on a train for hours. Not a complaint. I saw beautiful country, quaint little towns and snow. Yep - lots of snow.

And lots of waterfalls which must be a result of snow melting. It is July so the snow must be melting.

We then got on a ferry, in the rain, for a two-hour fjord cruise. I love water. We had terrible visibility because of fog....or were we in the clouds?

Our adventure began at 6:30 am and we didn't get back to Oslo until 10 pm. Long day. Full day. The scheduling was very precise and I appreciate everything that was packed into a single day; but the most we had at any stop was 15 minutes. Most of the beauty and splendor had to be appreciated en route because there was no time for exploring any of the quaint little towns.

I can imagine doing a similar trip on my own sometime, but I will rent a car and drive the big parts of it so I have more flexibility. I would still take the Flam train and the boat though.

Voss, Norway

My great-grandmother Helena (see earlier family tree post) was from Voss. She left Norway at 18 for America. It doesn't appear as though Helena was her birth name, but was the one she adopted after moving country.

I am traveling with my parents, and this was the part of the trip my mom was most excited about.....even though she didn't really know her grandmother very well. Due to economic hardships my grandmother was given up for adoption as a young girl. My mom loved the woman who adopted her mom. Loved her very much, and was very close to her. My grandmother, who I loved very much, never held a grudge. Ever. She tried to maintain close relationships with her birth mother, and other family members.

My grandma always told me I look just like her mom. She might be right, but I think I have the personality of my other Norwegian great-grandmother - Kaja.

End of the additional family tree stuff....

We didn't spend much time in Voss, but it is lovely. Beautiful lake and picturesque mountains.

Fjords of Norway

The fjords in fog look very much like most places in the fog. I can visualize and look online for better pictures because I'm sure the landscape is beautiful. I love jagged mountains and water. I love this type of scenery so much that it was the only thing I ever created during forced art classes when I was young.

I agree the fjords are a must see. Hopefully the weather will be better when I return.

These were some very food-motivated seagulls. They can catch bread when tossed at them! But, they are careful to not get too close to the ferry.

Lefse

Lefse is a Norwegian delicacy. Some describe it as a flat bread, but it is closer to a tortilla. But lefse is made with potato. My Norwegian grandma used to make lefse. I love it!

Most put butter and sometimes sugar on their lefse. I only like brown sugar on mine; so of course grandma would make special rolls for me....her only granddaughter.

I purchased lefse from a grocery store last night. It wasn't great, but it was lefse. I don't regret trying it, but I won't buy more.

Family tree

The older I get the more interested I am in my family tree. And I want to gather as much information as I can from my parents while they still remember. The short summary:

2 Swedish great-grandfathers
1 Norwegian great-grandfather
1 German great-grandfather

None of them were still alive when I was born. My father never met one grandfather and the other died when he was very young.

My mom never met either grandfather. One died when her father was a boy. Her other grandfather died when she was young, but she never met him.

2 Norwegian great-grandmothers
1 Swedish great-grandmother
1 German great-grandmother

All 4 of them were alive when I was born. My Norwegian great-grandmothers were Kaja and Helena (top picture). Kaja died when I was an infant. Helena died when I was in college. I met her once when I was about 5 years old.

Bertha (bottom picture) was my German great-grandmother. I remember her trying to teach German to me. She died when I was in high school.

Clara was my Swedish great-grandmother. She died when I was little. I have a picture of her holding me at my first Christmas.

My grandparents were all born in the US. None of their parents were.

Munch museum

Munch was a prolific painter. His most famous was the Scream. I think his paintings are dark and are indicative of a tortured soul. I see bits of other famous artists in his work - Picasso, Gaugin and Monet.

The museum has a larger collection of his work than I anticipated. And it wasn't everything.

On the plus side, we got in free because it was 30 minutes before closing time. On the negative side, that probably wasn't enough time.

In the book.

Viking ship museum

Skol!
This is in the book.

The outside of the building looks like a church. The inside is four large wings. Three of them have recovered or reproduced Viking ships. Way back in the day the Vikings were "kings" of ship building, and the waters in and around Scandinavia.


I would not have wanted to sail in these ships. I couldn't handle the trip. They aren't ships the way we use the term today. They were big (for the times), but toally open. No indoor space.

The museum also included artifacts recovered when some of the ships were dug up. Yes, dug up. They buried these ships with their captains as a large and ornate coffin. That seems like way too much work!

The museum did not have benches, but portable chairs you could carry with you and sit wherever you want. I loved the chairs! All museums should have these.

Oslo, Norway

New country! My homeland. I am very excited to be in Norway for the first time. I most identify with my Norwegian heritage.

I love water. I love cities on the water. I don't like sailing, but I guess I could if I lived in a city like Oslo.

I met my parents here. They arrived early ahead of a north European cruise. The timing was coincidence, and worked out perfectly at the end of my business trip.

London June 2011

I didn't spend much time in London, but my trip was longer than normal. My first work UK trip was when we had five or six clients to visit and I could see them all in four days. If scheduled correctly.

I spent seven work days visiting clients and saw less than half of them. I made it to eight or nine. All great meetings - training sessions. One very long travel day. I may have said this before but it bears repeating....this is a big little country.

Perhaps I am good luck because two new contracts came in while I was here. I didn't get to meet these new clients yet, but I am tentatively returning in October.

Take away

Take away is the British term for food to go. They even give you a discount on food and drink if you consume it elsewhere. Or....are they charging more to eat on their premises?

I went to a Starbucks this morning to buy a bottle of water. It was 20 cents cheaper for take away.

I'm not sure how aggressively they enforce this. I didn't stick around to find out.

I had excellent take away twice while staying in Crawley (near Gatwick airport and GovDelivery's UK office). The first was fish and chips. The second was chinese.

Quarter past

It is quarter past 10. I am sitting on a park bench in London waiting for a colleague.

It is 10:15! There are some British ways of saying things that I can't get used to. It is 10:15!

No theatre

I've been in the UK for more than a week now. I wasn't blogging much because it is a business trip...working long days, and because I've been here many times and will probably return.

This is my first trip to London in a very long time where I haven't seen any shows. I'm pretty sad about that because I love theatre. It just didn't work out this time. I could possibly go tonight but I've been sick since before I arrived aand I think I should rest because I am not going home yet.

Pictures

I walked by Parliament and Westminster Abbey this morning on my way to my last London meeting. I walked by dozens of people taking pictures. I wonder two things...

1. How many times has Parliament and the famous clock been photographed? There is no way to know for sure, but that number might be even larger than US's debt.

2. Why do people continue to photograph famous buildings when it is so easy to download pictures from the internet? Do they need to prove they were really there?

Since I don't own a proper camera I download lots of pictures from the internet - especially for this blog. I know I was there!