Stavanger, Norway

Javan and I arrived around 1 pm in Norway. We had a direct flight from Amsterdam and since it all seemed so simple and Javan was checking his bag, I figured I might as well check mine. BAD IDEA!!! I have a fear of checking bags, I never do so unless absolutely required and I remember why…especially when flying KLM. Well, upon arrival we wait, and wait, and wait for my bag. It never arrived. Turns out, it never caught the flight, or the next one. It finally caught the last flight over and was delivered to be at 12:30 am by the biggest burliest Norwegian I have yet seen. Most are tall and elegant and pretty, this one stepped out of the NFL including tattoos on his hand. He was nice though, and I did feel safer knowing he was guarding the hotel during the sinister hours.

The work day was pretty normal, but their hours of 8-4 with a 30 min lunch are pretty awesome. It is a combination of many of the great things I have learned throughout my experience in the corporate world. I miss getting off at 4 so it was great to have some free time in the afternoon to do things. It also helps that this country never really gets dark during the summer. Carean also met us in Norway so we did more culinary exploration. This is another country that isn’t starving and knows the finer things in life. They also know how to price gouge on EVERYTHING!! One evening I had venison, then the next we had fantastic Italian. On Wednesday night, June 23rd otherwise known as Midsummers Night, there was a special cruise offering. It went into the nearby fjord and underneath Pulpit rock. Next time I am hiking up to the rock and looking down. Javan and Carean didn’t want to go so I was on my own. As I was sitting there, a guy walked by with an NOV back pack. I figured he worked for the company and didn’t think much more of it. When he came back up for picture taking I started looking at him and thought he looked familiar. Turns out, I had a seminar with him back in October in Houston. It really, truly is a small world. This was the last place where I thought I would run into someone. When we arrived back on shore at 11 pm the harbor was hopping!! There was live music playing and people EVERYWHERE! I could have stayed out and enjoyed the party and atmosphere for a long time had I not needed to work the next day.

On Thursday, Javan and I headed to the oil museum after work. It was a great museum and very interactive. They had samples of crude oil from different parts of the world so you could compare, examples of rocks which make up the different formations in the ground, as well as all the different tools involved in drilling. Turns out, NOV even donated a driller’s chair. Javan drove it, I don’t know how his well drilling went, but he didn’t blow anything up. We did learn, though, that his ROV driving wasn’t too hot. They had a simulator of what it was like to steer an underwater remote operated vehicle and I can only imagine what the engineers in Houston are going through with the well a mile under the water in the Gulf. I give them props for doing what they have done. If it were left to me, that well would still be gushing full steam ahead and my ROV lost somewhere in Venezuela.

After the museum, we had sushi for dinner and Javan headed back. We were both heading back but somehow I got left behind and then left to my own devices. I found an ice cream shop then wondered the old streets of Stavanger. After getting back to the hotel at 9:30 pm I saw some big dudes in the lobby. I turned the corner and who is standing there giving autographs? None other than my dear friend Snoop Dogg. He had a concert the same evening that started at 9. Considering he was already late for it, I’m glad I spent my money on a fjord cruise rather than his concert. I heard today (Friday) he didn’t even do an encore and was a total of 1.5 hours late. Dang him…disappointing his fans. I am currently at the air port waiting for my flight back to Amsterdam where I will meet up with my German host parents Uwe and Andrea for a weekend of catching up and packing my life away. Maybe Snoop will be on my flight…he has a concert in Berlin next. Google told me.

A small town on the waters edge outside of Stavanger. This picture was taken aroun 11 pm. The advantage of living so far north.

A view from where our bbq was held. It was only accessible by boat and the guys were building a bon fire for after dinner.

A small harbor area and apartments in Stavanger


The Lysefjorden which is popular for hiking...

...mostly because it contains Pulpit Rock which is 1800 ft above the water. Next time, I'll be looking down from it.

Stockholm

After jumping on the train in Malmö and traveling through the beautiful Swedish country side that alternated between evergreen trees, lakes, and cute cabin/houses I arrived in Stockholm. My 2nd cousin Melanie met me took me to one of her favorite restaurants for a late dinner. Since I had family in the area, I figured I better take advantage of them while and I could and her and her husband were nice enough to let me stay with them. They have a wonderful place out on an island outside of the city. The island has about 20,000 people total so it is quaint, but large enough. Melanie’s husband also plays in a semi professional soccer league and they had a big game on Saturday with their local rivals. Melanie and I went first to Drottningholm Palace where the royal family lives and took a tour of the beautiful estate. Since they still live there, only a small portion of the palace is open for tours but you may wonder the grounds at will. We got lucky and had great weather so there were people laying out all over with feet in the fountains and boats on the water. There was a yacht pulled up to the dock by the palace so I would guess it belongs to the royal family, but I didn’t stop to ask anyone.

After the palace tour we went to the soccer game where her husband’s team ended up winning. Everyone was in a great mood after that which always makes things more enjoyable. Saturday evening we headed into the city for a walk around Stockholm then eventually dinner at an American favorite, TGIF. On our way though, we...well, more I, saw a beautiful sight. It was a tall, muscular Swedish man lifting heavy building materials at a construction site. He had longish blond hair and was wearing a tank top with perfect jeans and boots. He had the look down. Luckily we got seated outdoors in eye shot of this beautiful creature working. Melanie and her husband had a great laugh over my entertainment with, what we call, “the sexy Swedish Viking man.” After dinner we went out and experienced a bit of the Stockholm night life and had a lot of fun. Those Swedes know how to get down and sing those 80’s songs!

My flight left late Sunday evening so Melanie and I took an enjoyable and slow Sunday. We had some great discussions about politics, history, family, and business. It was also neat because Melanie gave me a run down on the other side (my dad’s side) of my family that I don’t know as much about. We headed into town to do a bit more sightseeing but all we ended up doing was hanging out at the train station drinking wine and having a muffin. The conversation was just too good to pass up and it is always very enjoyable to have an intelligent conversation with friends.

I fly quite a bit, especially with the way my life has been going. I never get lucky. On the flight home I got seated in the exit row AND next to a tall, cute, Dutch banker who was 32. I had more intellectual conversation over politics, history, and books. I felt like I hit the male jackpot over the weekend.

In the city. Stockholm is basically made up of a bunch of small natural and man made islands connected by bridges. Don't fall in!

Melanie and her husband

The view from Melanie's porch. Since we had such great weather, we ate breakfast out here. When they moved in, they had a view clear out to the water. Those pesky neighbors!

Stockholm and the wonderful weather we had

The Royal palace in Stockholm

My Dream Worlds Have Collided

This weekend was a very enjoyable one. Kelly took the girls to the airport early Saturday morning, I slept in. Then we just relaxed around the house in our pj’s all day. It was a day that we needed after a busy week and in preparation for an early Sunday of sightseeing. Kelly Googled about Utrecht, or destination and found a castle, De Haar. We had to go visit it!! It is a real life castle!! I love fairytales. And this is where my two fantasies collided.

We actually saw this truck on our way out. But for stories sake, that detail isn’t important. Let my fairytale life begin:

I admit, I find a young guy driving a big truck a very attractive combination. A big truck, in my eyes, can make just about any guy attractive. Unless he is short, then he just looks silly. But either way, I like big trucks. It is completely shallow of me, and I recognize this. There are more important things in life, but I still can’t help but notice the big pretty trucks. This is where my life fantasies collide. Meet dream man’s vehicle:

His truck was parked outside of his (and my future) house/castle. I figured I better go in and find him so welcome to my future residence:

Don't worry, I'll be having plenty of large parties and there are a ton of guests’ rooms. I don't own it yet, so I couldn't take pictures inside but my dream room is there. It is pink. It’s meant to be. When you arrive after receiving a gorgeous invitation in the mail, or an extremely excited phone call from me, you will keep an eye out for the entrance gate. The parking is on your right. I’m sorry you can’t park closer, we don’t want the cars bothering the horses.

Please, mind the moat and don't fall in on your way across the draw bridge. If a child falls in, I'm sorry. I can't make any promises. I don't yet have alligators installed, but once it warms up, it'll be a given.

Welcome to my humble abode. I would like to thank you for taking the time to come visit me! If you woul like to stop by and see the horses on your way to the main house, they are on the left as you come over the bridge. There will be plenty of time for rides later, but if you can't resist (Karla) they are there for a pet. They love the carrots. You can find them in a bucket outside of their stalls.

Please enjoy your stroll up to the main house (on the right). One of my staff members should meet you at the gate to help you with your luggage. After you check in with one of my staff members, your room might be in the Chalet (on the left). We will notify you of any events that you need to know about. Until then, enjoy your visit!!!

My landscape teams work very hard. If you must wonder across the grass to look at my blooming rose bushes in the rose garden, please tread lightly. Otherwise, they would appreciate it if you would stay on the paths.

As you make your way around there is lots of water. In the summer months I'm sure I'll have a mosquito problem, but since the world is still frozen (as far as I’m concerned) it is not yet a worry. If you get thirsty on the way, there is a little snack bar area for you to grab a drink and enjoy the scenery. Just don’t drink too much, there is plenty of time for that later.

If I don't have anything going on, I will try to meet you at the main gate. If not, please proceed across and up towards the main entrance.

Welcome!!! I'm so happy you were able to find it! I hope the gardens didn't offer too much trouble. If you are still frisky though, there is a hedge maze out across the way. Maybe we can head out there later, or you can just send the kids. It'll keep them busy for hours!

I hope you enjoy your stay here!! There will be plenty of food and fun. For the dancing, there will be a personal hair dresser to help the women with any makeup and hair up-dos needed. Don't worry about heat and water. My future home is completely up to date with running water since the early 1900s and radiant heat. If you don't see a radiator in your room, don't worry, its under the floor. The previous owner, Hélène de Rothschild thought ahead and didn't want to trouble visitors with their unpleasant appearances. I thank her for her forward thinking.

On Sunday morning there will be a church service. You may attend if you like, but not required. It will take place at the small chapel out back around 10am. It will be followed by tea in the main hall and lunch shortly thereafter in the dining room. Please, respect the occassion and dress appropriately.

If the weather is nice, there will most likely be some tables set up in the front of the entrance, to the side of the chapel. From here we will be able to enjoy the scenery and the beautiful pond. I hope you don't mind the fresh air.

I hope you have all enjoyed your visit. Please don't overstay your welcome, as nobody likes a mooch. If you don't leave, i'll have my prince husband drive you out with his big, giant truck. We don't want tire marks on the grass. We ask for your consideration. It was such a pleasure having you all and can't wait for your next visit. Until then, please don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I am not going to ruin my fairtale dream life by recounting the total, actual history of the place. If you want to burst my bubble, click HERE for the website.

Thanks for stopping by! Tomorrow, you can hear about the near by town of Utrecht, where we get all of the provisions needed for hosting such a glorious stay.

Just Another Day

Today has been quite uneventful. I have been pretty busy at work, which is nice and there doesn’t seem to be anything too catastrophic going on anywhere nearby or in the news. Kelly continues to blog about her fun trip to Germany and I continue to be jealous when I read about it.

Jillian’s workout kicked my butt yesterday. It was very tiring, and I am sore today - my calves mostly. I’m sure Kelly had fun watching me work out in our “dining room” area. I’m pretty sure I asked her to put me out of my misery a few times. Oh well, no pain no gain, right?

Tomorrow I plan on heading down to Rotterdam to visit Erik, Mark’s real Dutch brother. I guess we’ll be hitting the town tomorrow evening and hopefully I’ll be able to con him out of a tour on Saturday. Kelly has 2 friends arriving on Saturday as well. I guess they/we will tour Haarlem on Saturday then we were thinking about trying to go to Den Haage (The Hague) on Sunday. Kelly and I haven’t been either so it will hopefully be a good adventure. They have a jam packed schedule for the week they are here. I would too if I was in their shoes! I’m glad we can help facilitate people’s tour of the continent  Kelly’s mom will be here next Monday as well. I can’t wait to meet her. I’ve obviously heard so much about her and she seems like a really neat person. It will also be glad to have a mother figure around. Mine is a bit harder to pin down.

I guess we’re getting a new floor in the office building. I’m not exactly sure how all this works, but apparently, we’re sinking. So they are going to jack up the building and put stuff underneath to stabilize the floor and make it all level again. We also get new carpet. The downside to this, all of the furniture has to be moved off the 1st floor. That is a lot of equipment. They are going through bookshelves and cleaning out cabinets in what I’m guessing is an effort to make them light and get rid of old stuff. In New Mexico the ground is so hard, it generally doesn’t move. Apparently, since Holland used to be underwater, the ground still shifts and sinks. Lucky country.

I am also starting to make friends. I answer the phone when our co-workers are out. It generally rings about 45 seconds after they step out of the office. People are slowly getting more and more used to having an American answer, and even asking me questions about how I am still liking my time here and job. I get excited about any friends that I can find! Baby steps.

Inventory Time!

Today and tomorrow we are doing an inventory at work. I enjoy inventories because everyone is talking and working together and I think it is a good opportunity to get people out of their normal element and to open up. I also can't count so it opens the door for jokes and laughs. Even if they are at my expense, I'm glad when everyone is having a good time.

We got a new car today, it is another Opel. We really like the Peugeot that we had for a day but it was a standard and I don't believe they trust us. This new one is black, not light blue like the other. Maybe we'll blend in a bit better. Poor Opel. We’re going to have to give this one a new name. Maybe we will get creative.....

Kelly likes to live vicariously through me and my single life, but I get to enjoy her benefits of being in a relationship. Today her boyfriend sent her a dozen roses and white lilies for Valentine's Day. Now I get to enjoy fresh flowers in the apartment. They are so pretty! Kelly has pictures of them on her blog; I didn't think it was appropriate for me to put up pictures of her flowers. :)

C. who flew in from Aberdeen to help with the inventory has been up since 3am today so she wants to leave shortly. She is staying at the hotel next to our apartment so we told her we have no problem giving her a ride. We are also debating about our possible dinner options tonight. There are still so many!

Hope everyone has a good day!!

Where's the Love?

Today is an exciting day. It is the day that Kelly and I head to Paris!!! As you American based people are reading this, Kelly and I will most likely be there, looking at the Eiffel tower. I’m sorry to rub it in, but we are SOOO excited. We are both packed and ready to go!

On another bright note, I finished my boring book. I hope the movie is better because I have no idea why anyone chose to make a movie about this book. Maybe it’s because the book reads like one of the really boring movies I don’t like. Maybe that’s why I don’t like the book. Maybe I’ll just save myself the 2 hours and the money and never see the movie. I am that bitter about this book.

On a less bright note, I found out my mother doesn’t read my blog religiously. I know she has a busy life and is constantly on the go, but I spoke with her last night and she said she hasn’t checked it in over a week. No wonder she had no idea what I was up to. Granted, she does get more “up to date” info via BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and I try to send her pictures, but I don’t give her that much info. I figured that my mother, the reason I started this blog so she could have all the details of my life that she craved, would read my blog religiously. I was dreaming - a sad day to the daughter’s ego. We shall see how long it takes before I get a BBM mad at me for making this post. It’s a challenge Mom!

Kelly and I have this amazing little pizza place down the street from our apartment. I have mentioned it before, New York Pizza. It was our first dinner in Holland. Comfort food. It’s also right on the way home, cheap, and fast. I was a bit grumpy last night by the time we left work so we stopped and got a pizza and a bottle of wine for dinner. The wine was slightly disappointing; more of a college day’s cheap wine than anything else, but the pizza was, as always, great. I love spicy foods. I even brought my habanero sauce with me from Mexico to make sure that I had spice in my life. This pizza, my favorite I’ve decided, has spicy chicken and jalapenos on it. I also enjoy jalapenos just a bit more than I used to because I have now been to the capital of the jalapeno pepper, Xalapa or Jalapa, Mexico. Since pizza is also a great leftover food, I brought it for lunch today. Yummy pizza! For all of you that haven’t caught on, I’m definitely NOT starving over here. Don’t worry.

I can’t wait for my next (several) post(s) because it will be about our trip to Paris. I hope to take lots of pictures and will do my best to put as many up here as possible! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Picky? Me? Never!!

This morning has gone by quite fast compared to some other days, but the learning curve is still hitting me. Richard asked us to run a report, and we got half of it done, but I’m still trying to figure out the other half. I’ve reached out to resources who know more than I do, so I hope they have the right answer.

While we have been working on this though, Kelly and I had an interesting talk which led to a mini “lecture” by Kelly to me. The message: Love comes in all shapes and sizes. She has caught on to how picky I am with the gentlemen species. Luckily though, Kelly is very patient with my idiosyncrasies and hasn’t lashed out or thrown anything at me. I hope I don’t drive her to that point.

I have also already mentally used all of my allotted vacation days. I’m sorry family, I won’t be home much for the 2010 holiday season but I will have attended a few weddings and seen a vast majority of Europe. I figured if I warn everybody now, nobody will be upset then. Right Mom?

Kelly and I have reached a new level of “Dutch-ness.” We walked to the store yesterday evening in the cold, nasty rain. Complete “Dutch-ness” will be when we ride our bikes. We talked to our manager (Richard) about the easiest way to get a bike and apparently if we were real Dutch, we would steal one. He figured out we weren’t very comfortable with that so he said he would ask around and see if they could “find” us some bikes to use for awhile. Who knows what they will come up with, but it will be fun to explore the town via bike!

I'm In Love....With Chandeliers!

Another georgous picture of the Amsterdam train station (with snow flakes). I love the Leipzig train station, but this one takes the cake externally. I love the inside of the Leipzig train station, but this one is so pretty!!!

I loved this stair case! We went to the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, it is in the red light district, and now surrounded by women in windows and coffee shops. They wern't pretty women in windows either. Kelly and I were a bit taken back by the view. They also had a crazy art show/display going on in the church. Definitely a wierd atmosphere. Not my favorite.

I did like this grave inside the church though. Rembrandt's wife, Saskia, is burried in this church as well, but due to renovations, we couldn't see her stone. A bunch of Amsterdam seems to be under rennovation.

Kelly bought a book about Amsterdam online and in it it has great walking tours, which is what we did today. It took us all over the older part of the city, and has step by step of where to go and what you will see. There are several options and we did the Old Center tour today. We plan on going back and doing another one tomorrow. We also realized that the lawyer's office we went to tomorrow is in a prime location. NOV must be paying big bucks....they are located on the Times Square of Amsterdam. Impressive.

In the above picture, I just really liked all of the buildings. The Dutch architecture is so pretty and quaint!

More neat buildings along the canal. This is the beginning of the red light district and by our Museum Amstelkring. Maybe when the weather is better, we eneded up getting snowed on today, we will do a canal boat tour.

This is the Huis aan de Drei Grachten (House on 3 canals). It is Dutch Renaissance style with the wooden shutters dating back to 1609.

This is a house in Begijnhof which was originally a cloister for devoute women in the 14th century. These women were devout catholics who didn't want to join a convent, but wanted to be faithful. When the Protestants took over in Amsterdam back in the 1600's they ignored the area primarily because it was so private and mainly women. They had their own church, which was eventually converted to Protestant Reform so then the women must rely on house churches. To this day, the community is larger, but it is still only rented out to women. The above house is the oldest house in Amsterdam (built 1425)and one of two timber houses that still remain. The rest were burnt down in the great fire. Amsterdam had 2 big fires. The first was in 1421, and the second was in 1452 where 3/4 of the city burnt down.

This is a picture of the court yard in the Begijnhof. All of those houses is where women live today. There were little bars that said "For Residents Only." I would live in the area!!

This is the chapel in Museum Amstelkring. It is a hidden chapel in the attic of 3 canal houses that were purchased by a weathly merchant. The church was constructed in 1661-1663. It served as a Catholic church during the time when the Protestants outlawed catholicism in 1578. It is still, more or less, in its original state. The government officials turned a blind eye on the house churches as long as they were not recognisable on the outside. The church was in use until 1887 until its successor Great St. Nicolas Church was opened. A group of people banned together to save it and they helped gather artifacts for the display there. Since 1888 the church and house banned together to form the musuem that it is today. It is still used at Christmas, for weddings, and the first Sunday of the month in the winter.

This is another one of the rooms in the hidden church. It is referred to as Our Lord in the Attic, but initially known as "Het Hart" (The Heart), most likely after the merchant, Jan Hartman, who had built it.

This was the fire place in the Parlour, which was the best room in the house. It is the room where the Hartmans entertained their guests. The room has been refurbished to appear much like it would have during the 1660s, in Dutch classicm.

This was the room where Jan Hartman and his wife lived. The cabinet was painted by Frans Francken II with scenes from the New Testament parable of the Prodigal Son.

This was the 19th century kitchen that was built in 1888 in the middle of the house and is not as antiquated as it looks. The kitchen looks old because of the historical materials that were used to build it that were salvaged from demolished buildings in the neighborhood.

This is the view from one of the windows upstairs in the chapel area. One side of the building had views of the Oude Kerk (seen here) and on the other side you could see St Nicolas's Church. The other side was closed for renovations, as was many parts of the house, so that picture is not available. Many of the artifacts and paintings where also put away due to the restoration which was slightly dissapointing.

During all of this walking Kelly and I got hungry so we stopped at one of 500+ Argentianian steak houses around the city. Those people know how to cook a steak! It was great!! After a bit more walking, we got back into the Dam Square where all the action, and people, were. It was so crowded! I'm glad we started out early because we didn't have any crowds anywhere up until then. We had a slice of cake at Cafe Luna which was a treat. We made our way to the square and decided we wanted to take a tour of our future home, the Royal Palace of Amsterdam.

The exterior of the Palace was all covered in scaffolding due to more restoration...but the little model inside made the exterior look amazing! It is one of 3 locations that the Queen has at her disposal for use. She chooses to live in Den Haag, but uses this palace for official state functions such as state visits, the Queen's New Years party and provides the setting for royal announcements and prizes. A history of the palace can be read here.

The real beauty of this place was its use of chandeliers. They had them in EVERY room along with lining the hallways and in foyers. I was ready to move in! Here is a picture of the BEST chandelier in the place. We wern't allowed to take pictures there, or else this posting would be 2x as long. I was taking notes for my future house. The Dutch know how to do chandeliers! The even have them in lights on the streets. It's beautiful!

I am tired and believe it is my bed time. I need to rest up for another day of walking tours tomorrow! I don't think the weather is going to be any better though. Maybe we'll get lucky!