Meetings Today

Well, we are truly almost done with the semester because today we had a meeting about moving out of our apartments and what needs to be done before we can check out. It is going to take a lot of time to get our apartment ready for check out as far as cleaning goes, but of course I am ultimately responsible in the end because I will be the last person checking out of the apartment. I also had a meeting with Becky (one of my teachers) about my final paper for her class and she also brought up how close we are to the end of the semester. After her meeting I went grocery shopping and when I came home and looked around my room and realized I should probably start packing up some of my stuff soon. I didn't really do much after my meetings today; I'm so stressed with all of the final papers I have to do, so I just sat surfing the internet most of the night. I plan on starting my two major papers this weekend and hopefully I stick to that plan.

We Made it Back!!!!

Well we made it back alive and unharmed! I'll just start from when we got on the plane in Munich. We boarded on time and the pilot came over the speaker and said they were just waiting for the last of the baggage to be loaded and to get clearance from the tower for take off. Well, after 20 minutes after we were supposed to depart, the pilot said that we had to wait 20 minutes because there was a thunderstorm directly over the airport. The 20 minutes passed and the pilot said we had to wait another 15 minutes and then we could take off, but he personally didn't believe the tower and thought we would be delayed longer. He eventually told us we were delayed an hour because of the storm so in reality we did not take off from Munich until 2 hours after we were supposed too. Neither Natalie or I slept the entire flight (we sat next to each other), but we did wash our faces and brush our teeth so we were at least ready for "bed" when we landed in Oslo. We landed around 1:05 and found some nice benches in the baggage claim area and sat there talking and laughing about the most random things (the sleep deprivation was starting to kick in). However, after about a 30-45 minutes some security guards came and told us we had to go through customs, but there were plenty of benches out there. So we found a little cafe with booths to sleep in, but we sat up and talked and sat on our phones for about and hour and half because neither of us felt tired. We both slept about an hour before waking up to go wait for our 4:45 bus. I bought some muffins at the one shop that was open while we waited inside for our bus. At 4:42 when the bus still wasn't there, we went outside and waited to make sure it didn't just drive by and leave us. We had just come from 70-75 degree weather so we obviously were not dressed or prepared for the 26 degree weather in Oslo (and in Moss). So while we were waiting we were dancing and doing weird things just to try and stay warm, but luckily the bus was only 5 minutes late so we didn't have wait too long. Natalie was able to sleep for 30 minutes on the bus while I was wide awake; then we had our 15 minute walk back to the apartment. It was still freezing outside and we were both so miserable, but we were so delirious from sleep deprivation that we were laughing the entire way back to the apartment. As soon as I stepped in the apartment at about 6:15 I put my pajamas on and went straight to bed. We had decided to just skip our morning classes and sleep, so I woke up at about 11:30 and got ready for my afternoon classes. Luckily my last class of the day only lasted until about 4 so I was able to come back and just sit and relax the rest of the night. It's sad to think that that was my last "trip" while I'm here; the last time I'll really go anywhere is on May 17th when Veronika and I go to Oslo to see the parade and everything.

Last Day in Munich

Since we didn't have any tours planned for today, we slept in and took our time packing and getting ready to go. We first went to The Body Shop so Natalie could get protein powder because she claims she needs to go on a diet to fit in her bunad. Afterward we took the metro to Marienplatz and started our day of shopping. The first store we went into there were some Norwegians in there and Natalie said the one guy was actually famous in Norway. The one guy said in Norwegian that he liked Natalie's shoes and she replied in Norwegian and he stood there stunned for a little bit before replying and he said something like wow what a small world. We moved on to the next store and I bought my two souvenirs (a weather house and clock made out of Black Forest wood). Then we walked around a bit and ran into the Norwegians again and said hi again. We walked around some more and bought some sandwiches for lunch before shopping some more. We actually both bought clothes at one store (I bought 3 pieces and Natalie bought 9). After that store we decided that was enough buying and we slowly worked our way toward the central train station. We took the train to the airport and arrived about 4 hours before our flight. So we just sat around the airport the entire time (this is also where I got my last German schnitzel); I'm actually still at the airport. Our flight lands at midnight in Oslo and then we have to wait 40 minutes for our bus to Moss, which means we will not be back to the apartment until 2. Tomorrow will be brutal because we also have class at 9 and we both don't get done until 5:30. Also, just a side note, after being in Germany I can definitely see that Norwegian came from the Germanic language. There are many words in German that look almost the same as Norwegian words. Also, I don't know why but I was expecting Germans to be somewhat bad at English, but everyone was really good and very fluent in English. Compared to France and Italy, Germans were 10 times better at English than either of the other two. 

Update: we are currently sleeping at the Oslo airport because there were thunderstorms in Munich. They delayed our flight 2 hours so we missed the last bus for the night. 

Dachau Concentration Camp

This trip is just not going our way whatsoever. Right before we were about to leave for our Dachau tour, I received an email saying that the tour was cancelled because our guide had stranger their ankle and they couldn't find a replacement. So Natalie and I decided to just going shopping today and go to Dachau tomorrow, but as it turns out stores are closed on Sunday's. So we watched the Glockenspiel go off at 11 and watched the figurines before heading to the train station. We decided to just go to Dachau on our own and go shopping tomorrow. We made it to Dachau really easily and even made it to the camp without getting lost. We toured the camp, including the museum, for a couple hours before heading back to the train station. Dachau was the first concentration camp established by the Nazis as a "political prisoner" camp. It was established on 1933 and liberated by the U.S. In 1945. It actually did hold political prisoners at first, but of course it held Jewish people, homosexuals, and even Norwegians (445). After our tour we headed back to the bus to get back to the town Dachua. When we got back to the train station and found our platform, we had missed the train back to München by one minute. We had to wait an hour for the next one, so we went to a backers we had seen on our walk to the station. I bought a strawberry dessert and Natalie got a raspberry cake thing. It was only a 10 minute ride back to München and we went back to our hotel for an hour. We found a restaurant close to our hotel that had Bavarian food and decided to go and try it out. It was amazing! I got authentic Bavarian schnitzel and Natalie got "Cordon Bleu" plus we got a fancy salad and fries. I love schnitzel! I even tried Natalie's, which was fried pork stuffed with ham and cheese, and it was also amazing! We both stuffed ourselves so much that we sat for almost 10 minutes before slowly walking back to our hotel. Then we spent the rest of the night just unwinding in the hotel. 

This is the Glockenspiel in Marienplatz. 

Here is more of a close up of the figurines that danced when it was 11 o'clock. 

This is Dachua. The building on the far right is the entrance to the camp and the building on the left was a maintenance building but is now the museum. 

These were some of the beds in one of the barracks. 

This was the "new" crematorium they had to build because they had too many bodies for the old one. 

This was the gas chamber. 

This was the old crematorium. 

This was my schnitzel that was amazing!!!

Here's Natalie's from the inside so you can see the ham and cheese inside too. 

Neuschwanstein Castle

Today we took a two hour train ride to the town of Füssen and then a ten minute bus ride to Schwangau. Natalie and I met a guy from New Mexico in our tour group who was really nice, we hung out with him the rest of the day. We first walked to Lake Schwangau where we also saw Hohenschwangau Castle (where King Ludwig II of Bavaria grew up). After our brief intro to King Ludwig and his life we got about five minutes to take pictures before setting out for our trek up the mountain to the castle. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the first viewpoint with gift shops. Then we heard some more history about King Ludwig before walking another five minutes up to the base of the castle. Then our guide gave us 15 minutes to buy souvenirs, use the bathroom, and take pictures before heading up to the castle for our tour. The guy Natalie and I were with bought us Bavarian pretzels because neither one of us had had one before. They were really good! The tour only took a half hour inside the castle itself and I feel like we barely saw any of the castle. However, we did get to see the cave that he had built. After the tour inside we walked even farther up the mountain to a bridge with an amazing view of the castle. Then we had to walk all the way back down the mountain to find our meeting point. Luckily we had about a half hour before our bus came so we decided to buy some food. We both decided to buy a bratwürstsemmel. It was literally just a huge sausage in what seemed like a hamburger bun. It was so good! After we finished we got back on the bus and started our journey back to München. Once we got back Abel (the guy from New Mexico) said that we had to see a beer hall/garden even if we didn't drink. So he brought us to Augustiner Brästuben. It was huge and definitely smelled like beer. We both took pictures and decided it was time to head back, but we stopped at a grocery store first so we could get some food. Then we ate some supper with Abel before parting ways and heading back to our hotel. 

Here is Lake Schwangau with some of the Bavarian Alps in the background. 

This was from Neuschwanstein looking at the lake, Hohenschwangau Castle (the yellow building) and the town below. 

There was just more of the valley below. 

Here it is! Neuschwanstein Castle! Disney's inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle. This was the view from the bridge. 

Of course we took a selfie with the castle in the background. 

The Augustiner Brästuben 

And the beer gardens there. 

Munich, Germany

Natalie and I left spent this morning and afternoon packing and getting ready to leave today. We left the apartment around 3:45 and headed to the bus stop to catch the bus to the Oslo airport. We had planned it so we would arrive and have an hour and a half in the airport to check in and go through security. Well, our bus ended up being a half hour late and took even longer than usual to get to the airport, which all led to us having 35 minutes to check in, go through security, and find our gate before we started to board. Of course Natalie was randomly picked to be patted down and my bin was pulled aside because they found something suspicious in it (no idea what because they didn't take anything out). Then our gate was way the heck on the other side of the airport, but we made it with enough time to use the bathroom and wait five minutes before they started boarding. The flight itself was actually pretty good (we took Norwegian air this time). Then when we got off the plane we took the train to the central station. Well, we actually missed the central station because it doesn't say central station anywhere, so we had to get off and figure out how to go back. Once we did that and got to the station we found a little food stand where we bought some food for tomorrow. Then we set out to find the metro line we needed to get on for our hotel. We asked one of the guards and he told us the wrong line so then we were totally turned around and angry because it was already 11. We finally found the right line on our own and got off at the right stop, but had no idea how to get to our hotel from the train station. We kinda wondered around a bit before actually figuring out the street signs. We successfully found our hotel without asking anyone for help! Tomorrow we have a tour of Neuschwanstein Castle.  

Getting Ready for Germany!

Well I had my Global Physical Environment exam today and I think I did pretty good on it; my teacher was a little surprised and upset that I only took 20 minutes to do it, but I have always been a quick test taker so I just said yes when he said 20 minutes in a very questioning voice. Afterward I had my Women and Children's Rights class and I actually enjoyed today's class. We watched a video of two Norwegian women, an American woman, and an American journalist have a discussion about the gender gap in Norway versus the U.S. After we watched the video we had an hour long discussion on the topic and it was really interesting to hear all of Norway's laws and regulations concerning gender equality and also just how Norwegians view women versus how Americans view women. It just made me want to move to Norway even more now. After I was done with class today I came back to the apartment and watched American Beauty and wrote my final communications paper on it. Then, Natalie and I bought our bus tickets to the Oslo airport (our return bus ticket is for 12:30 Monday night so we won't get back to our apartment until 2:30 Tuesday morning and we have class at 9 so neither one of us is looking forward to that). After we had bought our tickets I made some supper and then Veronika came up to work on our Global Physical Environment lab paper and powerpoint. We were actually able to finish it tonight so in total it only took us about three hours to write the entire paper (four pages). Then, we basically sat and talked until 10:30 and Natalie and Veronika started watching Paradise (I have no idea what it is about because it is all in Norwegian) and I started packing. i pretty much got everything packed except the things I will be using tomorrow before we leave.

Girls Night Again

Well I officially have an apartment for next year now! I went to the school today and scanned and emailed all of the paperwork for the apartment. Then I did some grocery shopping and came back to the apartment for a bit before going outside to join Natalie and Veronika. We were studying for our Global Physical Environment exam that is tomorrow. After about 2 hours of studying I went back inside and started working on my film paper. I actually finished it with perfect timing because Veronika and Benedikte came over for supper right after I had finished it. They made lasagna for supper so I made myself some spaghetti and then made some brownies for dessert. After supper we just sat around and talked for awhile. Then, Benedikte left so Natalie, Veronika, and I started studying for the exam again. We only studied for about 20 minutes before we were all too tired to even focus.

Not a Relaxing Day at all! (More Pictures from the Trip)

Usually when you come home from a vacation you want a day to wind down and relax, well today was definitely not one of those days. I had a full day of school, which included not really paying attention during my first class so I could read the newly assigned reading for a class later on that day, which we could have very well had a pop quiz in. Then, during our lunch break Natalie, Veronika, and I worked on our final project for the lab so I wasn't able to attempt to put things away or really do any other homework. Then, my comp class was very unproductive and the professor doesn't let us work on any other homework, so I basically sat there do nothing. Finally, I had film, which we watched the film Memento and talked about our final project, which turns out has to be 15-20 pages so that added quite a bit of stress to my life. On the bright side, Veronika said she'll be here after school is done so we plan on going to Oslo for Syttende Mai together! She was sad that I won't be able to see her bunad, but it will still be super fun to go with someone, especially someone who is Norwegian! Natalie and I also went through our pictures so I have a few more pictures that are Natalie's.

Venice, Italy

This was when we were lost and you can see by my face how happy I was to be absolutely lost.

This was inside the Vatican Museums. It was absolutely packed and you can see the excitement on my face to be there.

Homeward Bound

Well today was the last day of our vacation and we really didn't do much. We got up fairly early to check out and then walked down to the metro station by the Vatican and took that straight to Termini train station. We arrived at Termini in plenty of time, we actually had to wait 45 minutes before boarding our train. We went outside and sat in the sun for about a half hour before heading back in to get on the train. We had a 3 hour train ride from Rome to Milan, which neither of us was able sleep during. The countryside between Rome and Milan is actually very pretty; personally I didn't think the countryside between Milan to Venice and Venice to Rome was all that beautiful. Once we got to Milan we found the bus stop and took a bus out to the airport. Then, we went across the street to a huge shopping center and walked around there for about 3 hours. Natalie bought a lot of stuff while we were there whereas I bought lunch and my last gelato and that was it. After she had done enough shopping we went back to the airport and sat out in the sun for another hour before going inside to check in and go through security. Natalie had to get some liquor for her mom and some cosmetics in the duty free shop so we went in about 2 hours early and then just sat in the airport for another hour before boarding our flight. Then Lita picked us up at the airport and brought us back to our apartment. I am absolutely exhausted and am dreading getting up for a full day of classes tomorrow. 

Last Day in Rome

Sadly today was our last day in Rome, tomorrow morning we are taking the train to Milan. We started out the day by walking to Piazza Navona and walking around for awhile. We actually got two different caricatures done; the first one was so amazing, but the second one was pretty bad. Afterward we walked around and shopped a bit more. I actually found some gifts for some of my friends. Then we walked over to the Ancient Rome part of the city. When we got close to the Roman Forum, there were a bunch of people crowded around sitting on the hills and there was a mini stage set up and we saw people dressed a s gladiators so we figured we would sit and watch whatever show was going to happen. Well, 50 minutes went by without a show and we were both so annoyed we got up and left and just walked to the colosseum. We both agreed that we were a little disappointed in the colosseum so we took some pictures and left. We walked back to Piazza Navona and found a place to have some supper, I got spaghetti and she got lasagna. After supper we walked back to the hotel with a quick pit stop at the grocery store. We are both so tired of walking around that we agreed tomorrow we are just going to go the mall that is across the road from the airport (plus my arms and chest are super sunburnt so I don't want to be in the sun more than I have to). 

Piazza Navona

The Roman Forum from across the road

The Colosseum

Here is our good caricature. I'm on the right and Natalie is on the left. 

The Vatican

Well I don't even know what to say; I can finally cross the number one thing on my bucket list off: see the Vatican. I honestly don't know what to say about it because it was that amazing. I'll just start from the beginning of our day I guess. Luckily our hotel is about a 10 minute walk to the Vatican because our feet were still sore from yesterday. We first stopped at a shop Natalie wanted to go in to see if she could find a gift for her siblings and then we started making our way to St. Peter's Square. Luckily some guy stopped us and told us that the basilica was closed because the president of Italy was touring the basilica and Sistine chapel. He showed us the rates for the tour company he worked for and said everything was discounted because some of the sights were closed until later that afternoon. So we decided to do that and we are both really glad we did. Our tour started in the Vatican museums and as soon as we entered the museum, our guide said "Welcome to the smallest country in the world" and I could not believe I was there. The museums were absolutely packed and I could not handle it, at times I got a little claustrophobic. After the museums we were able to go into the Sistine Chapel because it had opened up early. They said that we couldn't take pictures inside, but I snuck a couple. Then the basilica opened up right after we entered the Sistine Chapel so we were able to go right in. When we got in St. Peter's Basilica, it wasn't too crowded yet because it had just opened up. We both just walked around in total awe because it was that beautiful. None of my pictures do it any justice of course, but it was amazing. After we had walked all around the basilica we went to a gift shop that looked like it had good quality gifts (it was also run by nuns so it looked much more trustworthy). Afterward we took some pictures in St. Peter's Square and then went and found a pizzeria and had some real Italian pizza. It was delicious! Then we did a little more shopping and bought some more gelato. We found a more local place to sit and buy the gelato (so it was actual gelato and not the tourist stuff). Then we headed back to our hotel with a quick pit stop at the grocery store first. 

This is the statue Michelangelo used as a model for the body of God in the Sistine Chapel. 

The Sistine Chapel looking at The Last Judgement. 

Part of the ceiling in the Sistine, the second picture down is the Creation of Adam. 

Our selfie inside the Sistine. 

This was a sculpture Michelangelo did when he was 23 and it took 11 months to do. A bishop commissioned it and did not approve of it because the Virgin Mary looked too young and bigger than Jesus. 

Inside the Basilica. 

The Swiss Guard

St. Peter's Square. 

Our pizza and a selfie while eating it. 

Shopping in Rome

Man did we do a lot of walking today! Our plan was to go to Chinatown and then to the main shopping street. So we set out for Chinatown only to find out that the roads we were going to take we're all closed. We did however get a terrific view of the city because we were at the top of a mountain. So we found a new route that didn't look so bad because we figured we could cut through a park. Well the park turned out to be a nature reserve so we couldn't even go in it. We ended up walking all the way around it and then we got lost again because the road we were going to take didn't have a sidewalk. So we decided to take a different road, which had a sidewalk, but it was pretty sketchy and right along a major road. We had to go across this bridge and the walking path got so narrow we didn't know if we would make it through and by the time we got to the end of it we had to climb up on a wall and jump to get to a sidewalk again. We walked for about 5 more minutes and we were back to actual civilization where peoe were walking around. We never found Chinatown, but we were able to find the shopping street (2 hours after we had left the hotel). We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping on that street. I bought one shirt for 12 euros and then gelato, but that was it. The gelato I bought was from an actual gelato place where locals go and it wasn't geared toward tourists, so it was amazing. I got strawberry and there were actual seeds in it, it was so delicious. Natalie made quite a haul while we were shopping though. Around 3:30 we were both so tired of walking that we decided to make our way back to the hotel; however, I was looking at the shops across the street and saw Tiffany & Co. and forced Natalie to go in with me. I have fulfilled another lifelong dream of going inside an actual Tiffany's store. It was heaven! I almost bought a charm when we were in there but Natalie luckily talked me out of it. The store was connected to a mall so we went in and it was a super high end mall. The cheapest brand I saw in the entire store was Clinique makeup. After that little side trip, we started for the hotel again. We got back to the hotel around 5:45 and sat for awhile because we were both so sweaty and tired. Then we decided to go to a park and sit in the sun for awhile and go out for pizza afterward, but the park we found was closed to the public and no restaurants open until 7:30. So we just went back to the hotel and had fruit and bread with peanut butter for supper. Tomorrow we are going to The Vatican and I could not be more excited. I don't know why I'm so obsessed with The Vatican because I'm not Catholic, but I am for some reason. 

Here was the view of Rome from the top of the mountain (you can see St. Peter's Basilica in the distance). 

My strawberry gelato that was amazing. 

Me standing outside my one true love. 

This is the Carnival mask I bought in Venice. I decided to try it on today. 

Venice, Italy

Today was my 19th birthday and what a great way to spend it! Natalie and I got up early and walked to the train station, which took us about 45 minutes to do. When we got there she bought some water and I bought a package of fruit and a fruit smoothie for breakfast. Then we had a 2 and a half hour train ride to Venice. When we got to Venice we basically wondered around for quite awhile, off the beaten path of course. We found a little bakery where we bought some fresh bread to eat for lunch ( we were on the lookout for a grocery store). We needed up walking to the edge of the town and then wondered around trying to find our way back to the train station. We decided to take a traditional gondala ride and we do not regret it whatsoever. It was awesome! Then we spotted a grocery store during our ride, so as soon as our ride was done we found the grocery store and bought some bread and peanut butter to have for breakfast and lunch during our trip. Then we walked around some more just taking in Venice before deciding to go back to a couple of stores. I bought a traditional carnival mask because why not and then we bought some gelato (I got Oreo and KitKat). Then we sat on the steps of the train station for awhile until we saw a cool bridge to go take pictures on. Then we went back to the train station and looked around some of the shops in there before buying some supper and sitting outside again. We finally boarded our train for Rome, which took 3 and a half hours. 

Natalie was sleeping on the train and I was bored so I decided to take a picture of us. 

We weren't supposed to take pictures of the masks but here were a couple I tried on. 

Here is Natalie when we were at the edge of town. 

Here was a random canal when we were lost. 

Here we were on our gondala ride. 

This was at the end of our ride going under the famous bridge crossing the Grand Canal. 

And finally my gelato (KitKat on top and Oreo on the bottom). 

Milan, Italy

Well today was the day! However, it didn't start out so fun. First we had to go and watch a video for one of our classes and fill out a worksheet. Then we had to go back to the apartment and pack and get everything ready to go. Lita picked us up around 3:45 and brought us to the airport and she said she would pick us up when we get home Monday. We actually didn't have a whole lot of waiting time at the airport before we started to board our flight. I'm actually surprised because Natalie was able to smuggle her banana bread through security, I even took a picture of her with it to prove it. The flight only took two hours and 15 minutes, so it wasn't bad at all. When we landed it was starting to get dark so we were hoping it wouldn't be too cold yet and when we got off the plane it was actually warm! Right now at 10:45 at night it's 63 degrees out, so I'm looking forward to this weather. We had to take a bus to Milan central station and we attempted to find our hostel, but we're pretty unsuccessful. We had to take a taxi there, but it was fine with me because I would rather not be wandering around at night. Tomorrow we have to get up pretty early so we can go and buy some food and walk to the train station. Now that we have wifi we were able to google the exact directions to the train station from our hostel. I'm excited for tomorrow though; spending my birthday in Venice!

There's Natalie with her super healthy banana bread while we were waiting to board our flight. 

Busy Day Getting Ready

So I had my classes this morning, came back and had some lunch while Natalie and I did our lab questions that will be due when we get back. Then I had class until 5:30 (we watch Psycho in film today). When I got back I visited with Natalie for about a half hour and decided to make myself some supper. Then, I FaceTimed with Andrea for awhile (it was her birthday today) before starting on my film paper that will also be due when we get back. Side note, Natalie and I are supposed to land in Moss at about 11 pm Monday night and we have class starting at 9 on Tuesday. Back to today, I did not get much written on my paper before Veronika came up to the apartment. I had told her that I would help her out with trying to find an apartment in Grand Forks, so we asked my dad to make a few calls for her to ask some questions that no one had ever replied to her about. She ended up leaving around 11 tonight and then I Skyped with my parents for a little while afterward. By the time I took a shower and starting to pack, it was already 12:30; so needless to say this day just flew by and I know tomorrow is going to be just as busy before we leave because Natalie and I have to go to the school and make up some homework that we will be missing, plus we'll need to pack too.

Train Tickets for Italy

I started the day off by checking into my flight with Natalie so we could print out our boarding passes. We also printed out our comp papers while we were at the school. Then I went to the mall to pick up some groceries and a few clothing items to wear on our trip. After I got back I worked on some more homework, so now the only thing I have left to do in my communications class is to watch and wrote a paper about American Beauty (and of course take the final exam). Then I talked to Lita for awhile via Skype and we decided to skip choir tonight. She also sent me the link to the house she's buying so I could look at the pictures and it's actually really nice! It's fairly new and it's a 3 bed, 2 bath home for about $335,000. Later on Natalie and I remembered that we still had to buy our train tickets so we did that. It took us an hour to do because the website only gives you 10 minutes once you add a rocket to your cart and we had to buy 2 more tickets so we had to rush and ran out of time a few different times. The prices also went up since a couple weeks ago when we tried to buy them. It went up almost a thousand kroner! That's about $125. Luckily it didn't mess up how we divided up the expenses. Neither one of us can believe that we are actually flying to Italy on Wednesday. 

5 Weeks Left

Exactly 5 weeks from today, I'll be boarding a plane for home. I kept thinking about that all day today, well that and the fact that Natalie and I leave for Italy on Wednesday! I was actually able to focus today and get a lot of homework done so I won't have to worry about it on our trip. Natalie and I also looked at what the weather is supposed to be while we are there and it said 70s and sunny (fingers crossed it is)! I also Skyped with my parents this afternoon, which was a nice break from doing my homework. After I had some supper, I decided to watch a movie, which also turned into watching some TV besides. Tomorrow Natalie and I have to do a few last minute things for our trip, such as checking in online for our flights and looking at train tickets.

Girls Night

I spent the majority of the day watching Carol Burnett again, but I did write a paper for communications for next week while Natalie and I will be gone. Now I just have our last lesson to do for that class, which is due when Natalie and I will be in Munich. Then, Natalie, Veronika, and I had a movie night in Veronika's apartment. We had a ton of food and hot chocolate and we watched Unbroken; it's actually the second time I've seen it, but they hadn't seen it yet so we decided on that movie. After it was done we decided to watch a comedy next time, which may be tomorrow night, but we didn't decide for sure yet.

The Carol Burnett Show

I was feeling very antisocial today so I stayed cooped up in my room watching The Carol Burnett Show for pretty much the whole day. I did however have to go out into the apartment and be somewhat social tonight. I finally got hungry enough around 6:30 that I decided I better make some supper even if it meant I had to be social. At about 9 I went back into my room to continue my marathon of Carol Burnett. I would say today wasn't a waste of a day because watching Carol Burnett is not a waste of time at all in my book.

Exam Day

Well, I had my Global Physical Environment exam today and everyone in the class agreed that it was harder than we thought it would be. After I finished the exam I came back to the apartment for about 45 minutes and finished up my social venture plan paper for my next class, Women and Children's Rights. After that class, I worked on my comp paper and actually finished it during comp today, so one less thing to do this weekend. After class today, because it was so beautiful outside, I decided to combat the crowds of people getting off work and go to the grocery store. When I got back to the apartment and put the groceries away, I watched Liar Liar and wrote my communications paper on the movie. Then, I made some supper and Rice Krispie bars while watching SVU. Tonight when Natalie and I were both just sitting in the kitchen it occurred to us that we only have one more day of class and we will be in Italy! We fly out on Wednesday, so we need to double check and make sure everything is reserved and booked so we can go and have the time of our lives!

Homework Day

The first thing I did today was eat some skolebrød for breakfast because that is what I was craving for my entire spring break trip. It tasted so good, I don't know how I will be able to handle not having it in every grocery store back home. Because of the upcoming trips Natalie and I are taking (which there are only 4 days between each trip) I decided to start doing some of the homework that will be due next week. I actually didn't as much as I was hoping (as usual), but I was able to work ahead. I also attempted to study for my exam tomorrow, but it didn't go that well for me; I studied the essay questions and that was about it. I honestly don't even know what I did to waste time today, but I was somehow able to basically waste the entire day after I finished working ahead in communications.

Back to the Old Grind

Well, I had school today and I could definitely tell I had had a long vacation. It was so hard to keep my eyes open during class, I was actually nodding off during my film class. We were given another pop quiz in film as a welcome back from spring break because our teacher assumed none of us had read the assigned reading. After class today, I came home and mixed up some batter to attempt to make crepes. The batter had to be refrigerated for two hours, so Natalie and I went to the grocery store while we waited (I finally broke down and bought some skolebrød while we were there). By the time we got back I still had an hour wait so I decided to work on my social venture plan for my women's rights class, which is due on Thursday. I was only able to come up with about a page and I think I need to add a lot more because this project counts for 30% of our final grade. So I decided to take a break from writing and make the crepes. Both Natalie and I taste-tested them (she used peanut butter as the filling and I used Nutella) and it was unanimous that they were excellent. They tasted just like the ones I had in France! Then, to finish out the night I Skyped with my mom to hear all about the camper they bought and also to see what it looks like.

Six Weeks Left

I spent the entire day trying to procrastinate for as long as possible so I wouldn't have to write my paper for my comp class. I actually made it until 7 tonight before I actually starting working on it; it is not actually due tomorrow, but we have to have a good start on it for class. I did the most random things today to procrastinate and waste time, such as watching TV, taking my time taking out the garbage and checking for mail, etc. Oh! I did do something productive though! I picked out the classes I'm going to enroll in for fall semester, so that's exciting. I have them all in my shopping cart so on April 15th I can just hit enroll and hopefully none of them will be filled up. When I was talking to Andrea today she reminded me that I only have 6 weeks left! SIX WEEKS!!! That is too soon! I can't believe how quick this has gone by and I don't even want to think about how quickly this next month and a half will go, especially with two trips coming up. Andrea also reminded me that Natalie and I leave for Italy next week, in my head I feel like we don't leave for another 3 weeks, but it is next week. This is all going by way too quick for my comfort.

Gud Pasken!

Well today was Easter Sunday (Pasken) so I went to church and sang with the choir. It was worth it because afterward Lita and Odd brought me home with them to have Easter dinner. Lita put me to work peeling apples so she could make some apple pie for dessert. I was sitting out on the porch with a gorgeous view of the fjord so it took me awhile to peel because I was spending so much time just staring at the fjord. Odd made ham, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob. It tasted so god to have a good homemade meal, plus they gave me leftovers! Then we had the pie, which I also got leftovers of. Everything tastes so good! After we had finished everything and I had packed up my leftovers, Luta brought me home so I could "work on my two papers" which of course didn't happen. I got back and cleaned the entire apartment and then dat down to have some supper while watching Carol Burnett. Then I skyped with my parents and grandparents for almost 4 hours. So needless to say I did not write a single word on either of my papers. Hopefully I will write at lest one of them tomorrow. 

A Little Progress

Well I accomplished some things I was hoping to do yesterday. I figured the stores would be closing early today, so I went to the mall to pick up groceries and my package that came while I was gone right away this morning. Then when I got back I put away my groceries and the laundry I did yesterday. I then attempted to start working on my film paper, but then decided it was time to make some supper. So I started to make my pizza and took my sweet time before starting on my paper again. I wrote two paragraphs and then decided to take a quick break. I ended up spending a little over two hours watching The Carol Burnett Show before forcing myself to work on my paper. I did finish it at about 10 tonight. I also found out today that I have to go to church Tomorrow because the choir is performing, but on the bright side Lita invited me to her house for dinner after church, so I'll get free food tomorrow. 

Unproductive Day

I had such big plans for doing homework and being super productive today, but it never happened. I did take an online quiz that is due this week and emailed my academic advisor about what classes I should register for; so I was somewhat productive. I also needed to go to the grocery store, but I didn't do that either. Basically all I did today was catch up on my tv shows and upload all of my photos from my trip to Shutterfly. 

Last Day of My Trip

Today was my last day in Paris and of not having to worry about the homework awaiting me. I had nothing booked or planned for today so I slept in and hung around my hostel until about 11 this morning. I had decided I would just walk to my bus stop to get to the airport because it went right by the Arch de Triumph so it gave me the perfect opportunity to walk along Champ Elysees and the Triumphal March. It was a 3 mile walk in the rain from my hostel to the bus stop and took me about 2 hours to walk, including a stop for lunch. When I got to the bus stop I realized it was right next to a mall so I just hung out in the mall until it was time for my bus to the airport. While I was in the mall (which was a high-end mall selling brands like Versace, Burberry, Boss, Lacoste, etc.) I bought a chocolate eclair and a chocolate chip cookie. I searched for a place that sold crepes, but none of the cafes there sold them. I was actually able to catch an early bus to the airport, which meant I had more time to have some supper before boarding my flight. So I checked in and bought my last french baguette. It was delicious, just like the others I have had. My flight was about a half hour late landing, but I still made it home in one piece and am now safe in good old Moss, Norway; at least for about a week and a half before Natalie and I go to Italy.

Here is the Arch de Triumph.

The Tiffany & Co. store on Champ Elysees. I was strong and didn't go inside, but slowed down significantly to stare at the windows.

City and Eiffel Tower Tour

My God did I do a lot of walking today, I don't even want to look it up on Google about how much I did walk today. I had a walking tour of Paris, which was really great because it ended up being a private tour because I was the only person on it. My guide was really nice and knew so much about the city. We started at the Eiffel Tower and went across the river to Place de la Concorde, which is where the oldest monument in the city is (an obelisk that is 3,300 years old from Eygpt). Place de la Concorde is also the largest place in Paris. From there we went to The Louvre and since I had already been there, we didn't spend a whole lot of time there. Then we walked across the "love bridge" which they have had to board up the sides because all of the locks are started to weigh the bridge down too much. Then we walked to Notre Dame, which is where we parted ways. I went inside the cathedral for a quick tour (I made it quick because it was so crowded). Then I walked back to The Louvre, which is where I bought some lunch. I finally tried a french baguette  and a crêpe with Nutella; they were both delicious. Then I walked back to the Eiffel Tower and tried some French ice cream, which was also amazing. Then I walked around until I found the place where my tour was meeting. I was well over an hour early to check in for the tour so instead I walked around the street and explored some. Then my feet and legs started to hurt so I decided to just go back to the tour place and charge my phone and sit for awhile. Then my tour of the tower started. My guide knew pretty much every single detail about the tower. Just a couple of quick facts about it: it was built for the 1889 World Fair and was designed by Gustave Eiffel (who actually funded 80% of it). One of the requirements for it was that everything about it had to be French, so when Eiffel found American engineers that said they could build the type of elevator he wanted, he got them French citizenship so he could use them. It is 324 meters tall (I went all the way up to the top at 281 meters). The tower has beautiful views of the city, but it was super windy and cold up there. By the time I was at the very top I pretty much looked around, took a couple of pictures, and booked it out of there. When I finally got to the bottom, I had told myself I would just get a taxi to get back to my hostel because I was so cold and my feet and legs hurt so bad. Well, that did not happen. I started walking to find a taxi and started to warm up a bit and I ended up walking all the way back to my hostel. I went to a cafe right next to my hostel for a quick supper. Then, I came back to my hostel and trled some macaroons I had bought on my way back. I guess they're okay, but I personally don't see what the big deal about them is. I think there are some norwegian treats that taste way better than these. One of the colors I tried even tasted like a sandbakkel. Well at least now I can say I've tried them. 

Here's the Eiffel Tower (just in case you don't already know what it looks like) :)

Here is the obelisk in Place de la Concorde. 

Notre Dame from outside while I was waiting in line. 

Inside Notre Dame. 

This was when I was waiting to take the elevator up to the top (I was on the 2nd floor). 

Here is the view of Champ de Mars from the top of the tower. 

This is a church one of the King Louis built and the top is made of real gold. This is also where Napoleon is buried.