TOP 5 QUESTIONS: (for 5th Month)

FIFTH MONTH - July 19 - August 19

1.  Aren't you getting tired yet after traveling for 5 months?  This is the top question that we get asked and it's true that different beds nearly every night does prove difficult sometimes. Somehow our bodies have adapted, though, and it really has not been a problem.  We go from king-sized beds to this -

OK...I get the big one - and you get the  
little one....  a REAL couch-surf experience!

Or from hard mattresses like in Italy to VERY soft ones like in Sweden.

2. Has the weather cooperated so far on your trip?  We've seen it ALL!  Everything from snow in the Austrian Alps, rain every day in Norway to high winds while fishing yesterday in Bergen, Norway. ....Hot hot sun in Budapest, Hungary in July, perfect ocean breezes in Santorini, Greece in April to bitter cold in Amsterdam.  There has been torrent down pours in Istanbul and thunder/lightning storms in the Adriatic while sailing to warm and sunny days in Bulgaria.  We have seen it all, but each experience is wonderful and Mother Nature provides everything so we may know the amazing wonders of our Earth.

3.  What things do you miss in America that you can't find in Europe?  
- Clothes dryers
- Zip-lock Bags
- Microwave Ovens
- Carpeting on the floors
- Inexpensive Idaho prices
- My car (believe it or not...even if it is nearly 30 years old and has many problems)
- Our garden
- My grand piano
- Garbage disposals
- Crest toothpaste
- Local Channel 8 News with Jay Hildenbrandt (Rich doesn't miss news at all)
- My children and grandchildren (Rich says this one should be FIRST on my list and it is  :)

4.  What has been your craziest experience for this past month?  I'm not sure if it's crazy or utterly stupid or on the verge of disaster.  (probably all 3)  But, a few nights ago, while in Bergen, Norway, I decided to boil 9 eggs to have for lunches.  I put them on at 11 p.m. and told Rich, "Now don't let me forget to take them off in a few minutes after they get to boiling."  Well, you know the rest of the story.  At 2 a.m. a neighbor from the apartment above rang the doorbell and said he had smoke coming in his window.  We opened the door to the kitchen, which was shut, and the smoke came billowing  out.  Our host turned off the stove and told us to not go in there...that it was bad.  The next morning, before I had a chance to even see it, Rich had cleaned most of it up.  What a sweetheart!  I guess there were eggs EVERYWHERE!   They had exploded and were on the ceiling, fridge, walls, you name it.  He took the black pan and scoured it out with some sand from the playground and it was re-usable.  We'll probably never be invited back to that house again.- j/k Tora!  (Too bad no pictures).

5.  What has been your favorite place for the 5^th month?  Our favorite place has been Rattvig, Sweden.  We had the most amazing family that we had the privilege to stay with for 6 days.  This, of course, added to our experience. 

Krister and Sasa and two children were the BEST!

 

Their home was so cute and immaculate!

 The town was so cozy and beautiful and NO TOURISTS!  (well...very few anyway).  Also, I found my Swedish ancestry there.  Cousins, the homestead where my great-great grandfather (and more down the line) lived, AND the old church where they all went to church.  What an exciting time we had!  AND...hello, this is Sweden.  How could it not be a perfect place to visit?

Standing on the porch of the two story home on the old homestead with Lake Siljan in the background

My cousin, Annette and I meet - posing on the front poor of the house.

Rich says Annette and I even look alike.

Sven and I share the same great great grandfather.

Ingalil, Sven's wife and their grandson,Christopher, (Annette's son) took us around Stockholm

Annette is Sven's daughter.  Her family had us for dinner...what a special evening.

The Rattvick Church where my ancestors went to their Lutheran meetings.  The little buildings in front were where the people stored their horses and sleighs during the church meetings in the 1800's.

Beautiful setting for the church as we head to the next host's house by the lake

Rich agrees that the Sweden experience was fantastic, but he needs to add that the Norwegian beauty with its spectacular fjords has been a dream come true to visit.

We took a train from Oslo to Bergen and saw wonderful scenery

We got to hop off for 5 minutes for a photo opportunity

All in all this 5th month has been just as great as the rest of our trip.  As we go into our 6th & 7th month, we have England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Spain, and finally Portugal yet to visit.  How can we top what we've already seen?  IMPOSSIBLE!