I'm sorry I've been so lax lately with sending things. These past two months have been slightly hectic. Allow me to explain. I went to Hollmenkollen, had 2 weeks at home full of spring tests, and then went on Easter vacation to Spain (yay!) for two whole weeks with my host family. After this, I had about 11 days at home, and then left again for the Rotary exchanger tour of Europe, where we were gone for about 15 days. I only came home last week, where I was met by tests and mock exams for the final. I was very tired and quite busy, and I apologize for not writing sooner. It's also the final crunch- I have 48 days left in Norway now. I don't want to come home, and I'm really sorry for saying that, but at the same time, I feel like I'm not prepared for this chapter of my life to end quite yet. So I've been trying to spend as much time as possible with my friends, hanging out or going on camping trips.
Spain was beautiful. We were along the eastern coastline, about an hour and a half south of Valencia in a town called Altea. Norwegians have essentially colonized this small city in Spain- they have streets named Oslo, Lillehammer, and Noruega. It's right along the beach, and it was warm and sunny nearly every day (a great change of pace from cold and snowy Norway!). The primary activities of our stay included swimming in the pool, walking through the small streets that ran between the orange groves, going shopping ( Spain is much cheaper than Norway, and my host mom likes it), and lazing around in the sun. We had such a lovely time. It was wicked relaxing. A typical day had one major activity (going to Altea or Benidorm, or going swimming in the ocean), followed by dinner at about 5, and then we would go on lazing around or go out again, and then we (the kids) would watch a movie and eat ice cream to end the day. It was really nice.
My favorite activities were swimming in the Medditeranean (life goal accomplished!), going to the largest walk-through aquarium in Europe (located in Valencia- I'd been wanting to go since I was 10 and had seen a Nat. Geo documentary on it), and, well- just being in Spain. It was really nice. I was happy and comfortable, and I feel very priveledged that my family took me along.
The next two weeks were a haze of spending time with Rune and his friends or Maja, as well as studying for science. I also was freaking out about how I was expected to get to Oslo for Eurotour- the volcanic ash from the explosion in Iceland was disrupting all the flights in Norway. I didn't know if mine was cancelled, or if I was covered- I just chose to take the 13 hour bus ride from Haugesund to Oslo. It may take forever, but I would get there on time for sure.
I got to Oslo S (the train station) and met up with all the other exchange students, and from there we took a bus (40 of us- most from Norway, but 2 from Island og 3 fra Germany) to Sweden. From Sweden, we took an overnight ferry to Germany. It was fun. We woke up, and got off in Kiel, and then took a bus to Berlin, where we met up with a guide and learnt about the history of the city. In every city, we met up with a guide, and then had lunch and about 5 hours of free time. We would then eat dinner together, and have a curfew in the hotel or youth hostel at 12 midnight. It worked this way in every city, and it was very nice because we felt more relaxed and like we could enjoy the city and discover it for ourselves.
We traveled from Berlin to Dresdyen, and went into the Czech Republic. It was my favorite country by far. I love Prague. It's full of history and an allure that most people don't see- and it has a culture and a depth that is beautiful to me. I also really enjoyed because it's not an over-popublicised or overly popular capital, and is quite small (1.2 million). My friend Vali and I met up and had such a great time in the free time- I feel like I really got to know the city a little better, because I got to see more than just the 1st and 2nd district like everyone else. We went to a tea house and talked about Maine- she was an exchanger in Searsport last year, and it was so nice to catch up about home and with one another. I was so thrilled to see her, and it was right after her birthday. We had cake and I gave her an art book. I was really sad to leave her, but the time we spent was my favorite on all of the trip.
We then crossed over the border into Austria, spending a day in Vienna and a day in Salzburg. We then crossed the Alps into Italy, and we had a whole day in Venice. It was absolutely fun- my one goal was to get completely lost. It was accomplished within 20 minutes. My friends Sara (Australia), Anchor (Thailand), and Rachel (USA) came with me on the quest to get lost, and we found this lovely venician mask shop run by a coalition of artists who design and create the masks themselves. We had such a great time playing, trying on masks and taking pictures (with permission, of course)-
It was great fun. Venice was one of my favorites. We then crossed the Alps again into the French countryside, spending the night in Lyon, and then moving our way to Paris for 2 days. It was a great city. We went all the way to the top of the Eiffel tower and had such a nice time there- we all took pictures with the magnificant view. One of the nights, my friends Nick, Liza and Jean-Baptist ( Australia, Germany and France) went to the Eiffel tower to see it lit up, and then we went on a carousel ride at the base of the tower. We then bought crepes and proceeded to make our way to the Arc D'Triumph, after which we walked down Champs Eleezey (I forget how to spell!) and to home. It was a lovely evening.
We, as a group, took the bus to the ferry, then the ferry to Dover! I was so excited to see the looming white cliffs of Dover coming at us I started singing 'England' over and over with my friend Sara. We had a good laugh.
England was fantastic. London was lovely. We ate Greek food, which is my favorite, and visited Parliment, Big Ben, the Tower, the Tower Bridge, The Eye- the only place I didn't have enough time to get to was the Tate Modern. At least I know now what I want to go see when I go back!
In fact, all of Eurotour felt like we were speed dating Europe. I've fallen in love with Prague, been charmed by London, and have a crush on Venice. Although Berlin was a little too aggresive for my taste, we're still friends. I'd like to get to know Salzburg a little better, and Paris already knows I'm coming to visit.
So Eurotour ended with tearful goodbyes from everyone- a chapter in my life came to a close as I said goodbye at the airport to many colorful characters with whom I've bonded with and experieced the world for the past nine months- it was hard to do, because we'll never be all together in the same way ever again. But simultaneously, it was nice- I now have friends all across the globe I can talk to and visit, and we share a similar experience that bonds us together.
This past weekend, I went on a scout trip in the mountains, and went skiing and sledding in mid-May. It was cozy. We had plenty of down time, and we took the scenic drive. I loved it. I really like my scout troop.
So that's been my past two months. Right now I'm preparing for finals (beginning next week) and for the 17th of May on Monday, which is Norway's national day. I'm excited! Talk to you soon.
HA DET!!!!
yay.
