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Published: September 30th 2007
All 5 of us in Norway
We've been busy taking pictures in fun placesIt's now been
2 months and we haven't sent out an update. OK, we've been busy -
sorry!
Rather than the usual "extensive journal," I'm going to try to make this entry an update on the last 2 months and see if I can find time to make more frequent (and shorter) ones later. It might work... If you read something and think it needs more explanation, ask! I probably have more pictures of it and may be able to post them.
Here's a short list of stuff in case you don't want to read the rest:
- A little about our first few days
- Our flat searching experiences
- Devery, Jim, AJ, & Kellyn visit
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival
- Robyn, Randi, and Aaron come to visit
- We all go to Norway
- Gary "lays track" in Wales
- Shelley, Gary, and Jonalyn go to Prague
- Shelley and Gary visit European Institutions
- Wrap up of 2 months
By the way, I learned about this web journal site from Robyn. If you want to see an example of an even better journal, check out hers from South America:
traipsingabout.
Now for the
Shelley and Jonalyn check out a flat
Even this one was expensive and small details:
Shelley, Jonalyn, and I (Gary) left Los Angeles on July 31. Shelley is teaching in London for the Fall semester of 2007, the rest of us are here to help her. We got to stay at one of the University's flats (apartments) for almost a month while we looked for one to live in for the next 4 months. This was both an adventure and an eye opener! Not only are the flats
EXPENSIVE, the size is generally small. (Example: 2 bedroom flat with 800 sq ft of space for $5,600 per month. In fact, the prices are so high they get quoted "by the week".)
We looked at a lot of them. We put in offers even on places we weren't sure about. One great place seemed perfect until we found out it would only be available for part of the time we'd be here.
Eventually we stumbled across a fabulous 2 bedroom flat which is modern, large, quiet, well-maintained, and even included 'net access and something sort of like TiVo. I had been taking pictures of all the flats we visited, but was so awed by this one I forgot to take any. After
We love visitors
It\'s fun to \"promanade\" at the Albert Hall about 10 days of agony in getting papers and payments settled, we got it but had to wait until September 2 to move in. If you need the phone and address, please contact me. If you got one of my previous emails with the details, please note I got the "Post Code" wrong, so email me for the right one if you're going to send anything.
Shelley "hit the ground running" and was busy preparing classes and getting things ready for the students. It's amazing how much she can get done - she is truly "super mom" when it comes to being both a professor and a mom. As usual, the students love her, we have some over to the house for dinner sometimes, and she's working very hard on both a new class and another article.
We had a private British school set up for Jonalyn but found out she would be required to be in the "year" lower than her age because the school can't put her in the proper one. Just as we found this out, one of the other schools we had contacted,
Southbank International, called to say they had an opening. She fits in
We almost got this flat
Great location, good price, not available long enough this school well, has been accepted into the choir and cast in a student-directed one act play, and has to study hard in order to keep up both her school work here and things happening back in California.
Gary continues to live a "double life" of taking care of local things (jogging, bills, travel) in the mornings and contacting customers in the afternoon/evening using email and VOIP. It makes for some late nights, but it's been worth it.
After only a few days here, Devery, Jim, AJ, and Kellyn joined us! We went to a few shows together (Lord of the Rings - "spectacular", Mary Poppins) and they and Jonalyn "did the tourist stuff" everyone who visits London needs to do.
Luckily, Robyn was able to help Kenny do the "mime" in the park for us since so many of us were here!
The first trip the 3 of us made was to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 10-12 August. We saw some good plays (Pippin, Marry Me a Little), some fair ones (The Wiz, Little Shop) and a too-hard-too-describe one (Frankenstein, the Musical). We also saw a fantastic original show called "Guilds" done by Edinburgh University
Edinburgh Tattoo
Everyone should have a chance to see this fantastic show which was just like a Gilbert and Sullivan show including political satire and great 4-part singing. Of course, we saw the "Tattoo" also.
The next weekend, Robyn and Randi joined us. (So many visitors! We love it as long as we have room, please email in advance if you're looking for a place to stay...) They visited with some friends from our previous times in London, went to some sights and shows, and helped bring some "forgotten" items from California to us. Aaron also joined us near the end of August just before we all went to Norway.
(Travel Hint: when leaving from Stanstead airport, give yourself enough time; it's not close to the city. We barely made it to our plane.)
Arriving in Norway late in the evening, Alf met us and we all drove to Arendal. Shelley, Jonalyn, and Alf "catching up" in one car while Gary, Robyn, Aaron, and Randi played "ghost" in the other to pass the time.
Robyn, Randi, and Aaron stayed with Alf and Wenche. The loved it having their own "apartment" in Norway.
Shelley, Gary, and Jonalyn stayed in Ingjerd and Johannes' "upstairs" rooms. It's so wonderful to
Eating shrimp in Norway
Freshly caught and served on bread - yum! have such a nice family.
We took a boat trip on Friday - a "must" for Arendal. We then had a great BBQ (shrimp, of course - remember this is Norway) at the house of Hans which is so close to the bay he has his own little marina.
The next day Henry arranged for about 50 of us (all related somehow) to visit an old Norwegian farm out in the countryside. There is a museum and some wonderful views, especially since it was such a nice day. We all had a big Norwegian lunch together. Of course, there were also a few songs sung. We owe Henry and Karin so much for putting this together. Later that night we saw part of a rock concert in the town square. Gaard, a company based in Arendal (and where Stig Morten works) was having it's 100th birthday so they were sponsoring the concerts. OK, they had the equivalent of a "finalist" from the Norway verion of "American Idol" as one of the acts, so it wasn't exactly some big name stars, but it was still a lot of fun to see almost the whole town in one place.
French people in Norway
It's great to have relatives from all over Randi had to leave back to the USA Sunday - school started on Monday. Gary got to drive about 1hr on the Norwegian roads with just a map and a hope we'd get there. She made it and, tough girl she is, went to class the next day. What a jet-setter!
The rest of us got to stay in Norway for another day, starting with church. I think I've forgotten to mention that Magna and her crew from Toulouse were also in Norway at the same time! There was English, Norwegian, and French being spoken a lot.
On the last day we did some tourist shopping and took a hike near the water in the area around Ingerd and Johannes' house before having a wonderful dinner to send us off. This time we made it to the airport in plenty of time although EasyJet isn't exactly a 'top class' airline to fly and getting back in Stanstead so late at night made it hard to get home since we missed the last Underground train. That's why travel is called "adventure!"
Robyn and Aaron did some more sightseeing in London before heading off to Spain for a week
Family reunion 2007 in Norway
So many memories, so much fun... to attend a wedding. That left the 3 of us behind to move in to the new flat!
After only a few days there, Gary got invited to go to Wales with a group interested in helping get a steam train working in the Welsch Highlands. We layed 3 1/2 lenghths of track in one day! It was hard work, fun, and a great group of people.
Robyn and Aaron made it back in time for all of us to attend "The Last Night of the Proms" in Hyde Park. It's sort of like a big "national" party celebrated all over the country with music. The final songs come from the orchestra in the Albert Hall and everyone sings. It's a great British tradition and we were lucky to share in it. The two of them left for the 'States and have now relocated to New York City.
Jonalyn went on "Discovery Week" with the school to "The Lakes Country." Unlike laying track in Wales, this was an Outward Bound experience. She learned some new things and got to know her schoolmates better.
Almost immediately on her return though, the 3 of use went to Prague
Beautiful Norwegian women
There's something special about all of them for 3 days. It's a delightful city and we had fabulous weather. We saw the spires of the city from several angles and heights, we ate (some good food, some not), and attended both a wonderful string quintet and an interesting "show" which included some black light theatre. It was great fun. I bought an interesting crystal hanging thing which I'm have fun watching every day.
A few days later, Jonalyn stayed with another professor's wife while Shelly and I went on a trip to Belgium, Luxembourg, and France (Strausbourg) to visit some of the law-related European Institutions. We got to know many of the students much better while sharing "interesting speeches" and some great meals. Glyn is to be specially commended for making it a tremdous trip, especially for arranging the visits to some historic WWII sites along the way.
That brings us up to the end of September. We have plenty of days with "nothing special" happening becuase we're simply working or going to school. We will see Jason Robert Brown on September 30 (he happens to be doing a 1-night-only show in London and we happen to be here...) and have booked a week's vacation
A final Norway picture
We're so grateful to those who helped us have a wonderful time in Tenerife during the "half term" of school in late October. If you don't "unsubscribe" you will get future updates automatically.
We miss a lot of our friends and family. Please send us an update on what's happening with
you (pictures allowed) and don't hesitate to call Gary's VOIP number any time
except 4pm-11pm Pacific time - we're asleep then. It's a USA number and doesn't cost you anything extra to call us. If you don't have the number, send him an email asking for it.
More entries coming soon!
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