Top 10 Reasons to Visit Norway

Given the conclusion of our trip to Norway, I thought I would enlighten everyone on the top ten reasons to visit Norway.
1. Spend your hard earned money. Okay, a dodgy reason but nonetheless, visiting Norway is expensive. Dinner at a so-so Mexican restaurant for four set us back $150, groceries for three days $120, ferry ride $20 each way. We were able to minimize our costs by only eating out once and using the kitchen at our accommodations. Norwegian currency is the krone and Norway is known for being the most expensive country in Europe to visit. Must be due to the thirteen months of mandatory maternity leave.
2. Visit Fjordside, a B&B we stayed at for our stay. It is located on Sorfjorden, about twenty minutes north of Bergen. We had an apartment with two beds, a kitchen, reception area and bath. Outside, there was a nice terraced garden, a deck overlooking the fjord, and paths to the beach and a boat dock. They also had five chickens that were kind enough to lay two eggs for one of our breakfasts.
3. Practice your manual transmission driving skills. Our rental car was a Hyundai i2 with a manual transmission. Most of the roads were narrow, winding mountain roads and in the more developed areas, we had to navigate the European favorite roundabouts. No need for cruise control—you would have to be a daredevil to maintain 80 km/h around those hairpin curves.
4. Learn the names of Norwegian crudes. Norway is the world’s third largest exporter of crude (the largest country that is not a dictatorship or monarchy) and they name all of their crudes after towns and things in Norway. Troll, Njord, Jotun, Oseberg, Ekofisk…not really the best way to relax from a person who deals with North Sea crudes everyday for my job.
5. Drive through lots of tunnels. Norway is certainly a country that has decided that the easiest way around a mountain is through it. While there are plenty of winding roads on the side of a fjord, there were plenty of tunnels including the world’s longest at 24 miles. Imagine, the Lake Pontchatrain Causeway, in the dark.
6. Long summer days. Norway is farther north than the United Kingdom and United States. Further north in Norway, they experience midnight sun, where the sun never sets for about two months in the summer. Where we stayed, the sun set 10:30 pm and sunrise before 5 am. It meant we could fill our days with as many activities as we could stand, not having to worry about making it home before sunset.
7. Visit another country and realize that they are bilingual like the rest of the world. Most Norwegians speak both Norwegian and English. They are very gracious and will speak to you in English. However, I always feel bad that I cannot reciprocate and speak in Norwegian. Interesting point, Handy Manny is dubbed over in Norwegian but when he usually interjects Spanish, in Norway, it is English.
8. See a real glacier. On our last full day, we saw the Bonnhusbreen glacier and associated glacial lake. A glacier is perhaps the most awesome and mighty thing I have ever seen. Keep in mind that the glacier we saw had carved out the majestic fjords millions of years ago.
9. See a waterfall. Big or small, your choice. On the drive home from Flam, we took the scenic route on the south side of Hordaland along the Hardangerfjorden. At Skjervefossen and Steinsdalsfossen are massive waterfalls including one you can walk behind.
10. See a fjord. They are everywhere you go, at least in western Norway. Outside of the tunnels, it was granite fjords plunging into clear green water with a few waterfalls and idyllic small towns with brightly painted houses thrown in. Everywhere. Breathtaking.

Run Naked

I ran naked. Okay so just without my headphones, I still wore running clothes. But without my headphones and iPhone, it felt like something was missing from my lunchtime run.
Yesterday, when dressing for my run, I realised I left my headphones at my desk and felt too lazy to go fetch them. I had recently read a Runners' World editorial about running without music and thought I should give it a go.
Heading out, I realised how distracting my iPhone can be, holding it the whole time, fussing with the playlist. Usually I flip through music when running, especially when my running playlist is getting old.
Besides not fiddling with music, I heard all the sounds that the music normally drowns out. I reached Westminster at noon and heard Big Ben chiming out twelve. I heard all the people talking to their companions, most often in a different language then English. As I came around St James Park, I could hear the band playing at the changing of the guard and then the insulated silence of trees in Green Park. I even heard my own footsteps!
As I ran, I thought of why I like to listen to music while running. It gives me a beat to follow and something to distract me during long runs. However, during that run, I remembered why running without music can be wonderful. I just might try it again. Just not during a long run.

Join the Moovement

Imagine my surprise this morning when I boarded the Northern line this
morning and saw a man wearing a cow costume. A few moments later, I
heard mooing further down the car and realized there were several
people wearing cow costumes. Some people smiled, some laughed, while
others could not be bothered. Some people even made eye contact with
fellow Tube riders (!!!).
When they hopped off a few stops later, they had managed to brighten
up a few people's days.

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoFjYLO-J3Y&feature=youtube_gdata