Off to see the wizard!

Ok, so maybe not the wizard – but it’s gonna be pretty awesome anyway! We’re full speed packing and getting the house ready so we can leave for vacation!  Turkey here we come!

I did something astonishing! I went to the IT Svc desk before I left work today and asked them to turn off the auto synchronization for my work email on my phone (yes, I could have figured it out myself, but it’s so much easier to just say “here, fix it!” 😉 ) That inbox has updated every 15minutes every day for the past year and a half. Evenings,  weekends, and vacations it has ticked along. Normally I don’t mind it, it’s extremely practical. However, right now I need a break from it – a real break. Seeing the number of emails ticking upwards…32…34…39… is just going to stress me out. It’s a constant reminder of stuff that needs to be done.

I will have my cell phone for regular calls & texts, but other than that I will be entirely technologically unavailable. Can I handle it? I’m a total computer/internet nut. You might have noticed 😉 I will attempt to steer clear of the internet café at the hotel. James and I are both leaving our laptops behind. We are going to be less available! It’s almost like having to leave my security blanket behind. It’s such a huge part of my life. It’ll be GOOD for me to be without ( – at least that is what I’m telling myself). 

So bye bye friends! I will surely miss you! When I post again – about a week from now – I will have sooo much fun stuff to tell and awesome pics to show! So stay tuned!

Have a fantastic week everyone!

Two summer songs for you to enjoy! One in Norwegian and one in English 🙂

Lovin’ my new sheets!

There are just fantabulous sales these days, and that’s a good thing for my wallet when I’m finding myself in severe need of some retail therapy! A favorite purchase (50% off – gotta love it!) was new down comforter covers for our bed. I wanted something light and summery that would go with the “cappucino” (fancy word for dark beige?) colored curtains. I brought them home, washed them, and put them on the bed the same day! Patience escapes me in certain instances 😉

 

I look at them and realize that my grandmother would probably have chosen the exact same pattern in the 1960’s! No? Check out these vintage sheets that look a lot like some my grandma used to have (although hers were in an orange/brown color scheme):

 Are they ugly? My new ones that is. Some might think so, but I fell in love. They’re called “Miss Shanghai” and I suppose they have a bit of an Asian flair to them. The pattern is subdued by the muted colors. The blue background reminds me of childhood summer days in a vacation home in Sweden, and the big floral adds a little spunk.

This falls into this category – as mentioned in “about me” – I like it, and I honestly don’t really care if you don’t. It’s of course fun if you do, but at the end of the day I’m the one who has to see it and sleep in it, and if it makes me happy then yay for me!

A whole ‘nother story is: why do I assume that others might not like it? Why does that enter my mind? Seems I still have some growing up to do in the “I don’t care what other people think” department after all…

Dinner on a palm tree island

Living in Scandinavia you don’t see a whole lot of palm trees or exotic plants. But there is ONE place that you can go and feel like you’re on a tropical island. It’s a restaurant on an island in the middle of the fjord, about 20min boat trip from Stavanger. It’s called Flor & Fjære. It’s the northernmost palm island in the world and it’s spectacular. A company my husband is working for was having a summer party at Flor & Fjære (also available in English – check out the gallery of pictures!) and we were invited. The weather was absolute perfection and it was just the perfect day for a trip to the “garden of Eden”. We’ve been there several times before, but never on such a glorious summer’s day. 

You can see perfect pictures on their website. I wanted to share some pictures that I took in the evening.

22:00 (10pm)

Look at this garden at 23:00 (11pm):

 

A broader view of one section.

Palm trees

The sound of rushing water behind me

The husband & wife

What does it look like in sparkling sunshine?

40 different types of palm trees, lemon, eucalyptus, olive, fig, and banana trees… cypresses, grape vines, summer magnolias, cactuses… the list never ends. The miracle of this place is that NOTHING used to grow on this island. Not a single tree. On the other side of the island it’s still like that. Completely barren land. On the website you can click on “history” and read about how the island came to be. It involves a stroke of genius, a little madness, passion, and the need for a place to rest.

 

When they come cruisin’ in

Some of the biggest cruise ships in the world visit Stavanger on a regular basis. My office window faces the harbor (look at pic #2 below, my office is next to the yellow building in the picture) and I’m still amazed that ships that size can dock so close to the city. Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 have both been by this week. This a shot from when Queen Elisabeth 2 stopped by (not sure when this pic was taken):

 

And this is a shot of another one of her visits:

Costa Mediterranea likes to stop by throughout the summer months:

The city crawls with cruise-tourists, and they are all equally amazed that when the ship has docked they can walk off the landing and be standing in the center of town. There are no shuttle buses or boats required because our little harbor is incredibly deep. It’s quite a sight to see them, sometimes 3 at a time, towering over the town.