It's pretty obvious I'm Scandinavian

Saturday night was my last night in Trondheim. Of course, being the girls we are, we did it right and went out to the club. It was a perfect night of drinking, talking, dancing and the requisite kebab stand visit.

I have had a wonderful vacation so far in Norway. There are so many things that I love about this place. Here they are, in no particular order:

• My dear friend Johanna. We met in the laundry room of our building a little more than a year ago in Minneapolis. She has shown me what a good friend is, how to be a better friend, and a number of great places, from Billings, Montana to Trondheim, Norway.

• The food!!! Oh.My.God. These people know what they're doing. I've eaten venison meatballs with (freshly picked) mushrooms, salmon filets with lemon cream sauce and pan-fried flounder with butter sauce. And that was just one weekend! My friend assures me that not all Norwegians eat like them. Regardless, I have dined out twice in the two weeks I have been here, and although the sushi was some of the best I have ever had, those meals were probably my least favorite.


• Johanna's family. They are some of the most loving and welcoming people I have ever met. I feel like part of the family. I moved in with her cousin; he had never even met me. I spent a weekend with more of her cousins boating and relaxing on the water this summer. I am leaving after a week and a half of non-stop hospitality from her parents. They're the perfect hosts and wonderful to spend time with. It's so nice to have such great people in my life. And I haven't laughed this hard in years.


• All the water around me. Yes, I know I live by the ocean. But I walk out the door and cross the river Nidelva. The fish market and harbor are within walking distance. It just all feels so right. I think it's the Minnesotan in me.


• The age of the city. This is something that I miss every time I leave somewhere in Europe. The Nidarosdomen cathedral was built about 1000 years ago. Yup. The U.S. just celebrated its 200th birthday. It's just a different world, and I love it.

I have one more day in Oslo, and I am really looking forward to my time there. I am sure there will be more things to love and I am sad to leave, but as an old friend of mine once said: "How can I miss you if you don't go away?"

Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday

My flight to Oslo was on Swiss Air. I'm a fan. The flight attendants were friendly, I only waited for the bathroom once, wine was free, and the food was decent. Although it was airline food, it was served with real silverware. For some reason, that made it for me. Serve me tasteless pasta and I'll be disappointed, but give it to me with a silver fork and I can't stop raving about it!

My friend and I were talking last night about how  it's the little things that make life so great. I brought up the silverware. She talked about the stranger on the street who complimented her hat. She said that if we paid more attention to the small stuff, the big stuff would hardly matter.

I agree. I have a white board in my room that I see every morning when I wake up. It lists all the things I can think of to be thankful for. Inevitably it has the big things like my room and food -- things on the bottom of the hierarchy of needs. However, most of what is on there are things like wine, friends, pilates, trees, stars, and (of course) my blog.

I have had all sorts of experiences in the past week or so that I am thankful for. And since I don't have my white board, I figured my blog would do just fine.

My friend and her family have had me in their home for the past week; there has been fresh fruit, homemade bread, more cheese (or ost in Norsk) than you can shake a stick at, and all the coffee, water and wine I could want. I truly thank them for their hospitality. I feel like part of the family.

My dear friend in Oslo picked me up at the airport, booked a train for himself and me to Trondheim, and will take a day off from work to show me around the city next week. I am so blessed to have met him through a church celebration of Norway's independence in Minneapolis. Yeah, I know. That's the Universe having a sense of humor right there.

The weather in Trondheim reminds me of Minneapolis around this time. Cold, windy and just a bit damp. Very fall. Very crisp. Thank you to Trondheim for confirming that I made the right decision by moving to California. Although it could get this cold where I live now, it won't get colder (like it will in my former post) and for that I am truly thankful!

Some people say the devil is in the details. I tend to disagree. Don't sweat the small stuff? I don't know about that, but then I don't sweat much of anything. The little things in life are what we really remember. They stick out in our brain for years. If there isn't toilet paper in a restaurant, I would be willing to bet we remember that longer than what we ordered for dinner. 

In the spirit of the little things, I would like to say thank you to everyone in my life that I know and to those I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet for making it so amazing. I love you all! 

Seeking similarities in a sunless situation

In the last few days I have been trying desperately to shake jet lag. The fact that I am up writing at 2 am would lead me to believe that I've done a terrible job of it. But hey! Because of the time difference I am just having a bit more trouble assimilating to life in Scandinavia.

When I travel, I often look for the differences between what I am accustomed to and what other cultures and countries are used to. The Norwegians shower on the bathroom floor here--the drains are all over the bathroom! The Swedish have a two "mealish" events: one that is all about sweets and happiness and another that is more of a mini meal. You can imagine I am a fan of both. 

This afternoon my girlfriend and I were discussing that looking for the differences might not be the right way to go about things. I mean, we're all creatures of habit are we not? Perhaps we should be looking for similarities so that we can be more comfortable when we're struggling to find our place in new surroundings.

Don't we all experience joy and heartache? Don't we all bleed? Don't we feel cold and dress accordingly? (This is definitely one I am relearning on my vacation in the Nordic world.) 

As the world gets smaller thanks to advances in communication and travel, there is more of a need to assimilate more quickly to different environments. Maybe noticing what we have in common as humans will make that easier. Maybe it will help my jet lag. Maybe it's all just wishful thinking, but be careful what you wish for ... world peace may be just around the corner!