Since my last blog (I'm realizing now just how long it's been!) I've been to France, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and all over Germany--we just got back from Munich today. To save y'all from having to read a ridiculously long blog entry, I'll split this into two. For this one, I'll just give you the Reader's Digest version of my spring break.
I started out in Paris with my friends Meghan and Hailey--we took a late train out of Munster and ended up getting into Paris around 11:30 pm, figured out the metro system, and found our hostel on the first try. Success! I hadn't been to Paris for five years, and I was really excited to be back in the city--we hit all of the highlights in the three days we spent there, and I'll hopefully end up back there again someday! We went to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs de Elyesses, Montmartre, Basilica du Sacre Couer, Notre Dame, the Catacombs, THE LOUVRE, Musee du Orsay, and we ate tons of baguettes and crepes. I love Paris.
After Paris, Hailey and Meghan headed to Barcelona, and I headed north to Norway to meet my relatives and to see the country. I flew into Oslo, where I met Ingrid, Sonja, and Leif and had dinner with those three and Marianne and Johnny. The next two days were spent in Oslo, getting to know the city and of course seeing some of the museums! The next day, there was a family gathering at my great-grandpa's farm, so I got to see that farm and meet some more family--the language barrier was pretty large at times, but everyone was very nice to me and I always felt welcome! I also was able to see a movie in Oslo with Cecilie and Stian--I've never been in a theater as big as this one was. For Easter weekend, we headed to a cabin in Sweden, where we spent time reading, going for walks, playing with the baby, and eating really good food--I can now say that I have eaten moose :) For my last night in eastern Norway, I stayed with Stephanie and Sten, and had dinner with them and some friends of theirs--I was sad to leave the Oslo area--it's another place I really hope I can return to sometime soon!
For my second week in Norway, I went on a cross-country road trip with Solveig, stopping for the night in Lillehammer and seeing Maihaugen and the Olympic park, and meeting some more new family members! We finally made it to the Alesund area, and I spent the week there in awe of all of the mountains! I went for a couple of walks around the island with Samuel, and we traveled to a nearby fjord, and Samuel and I also climbed a small mountain. I also spent a lot of time drinking coffee and having conversations with Roger, Solveig, and Samuel--and also walking their dog Blacky :) For the last day in Alesund, we went to an aquarium where we got to see penguins, and then I flew to Bergen for the night--after a sometimes-eventful 21 hours or so, I hopped back on a plane to meet Meghan and Hailey in Dusseldorf to go back to Munster. I loved all of my spring break adventures, but it was definitely good to be back in Munster again!
