Loyal followers of this blog know that my last post of a trip has a series of signs and sights that I have found interesting. This trip is no exception.
This was at our hotel in Stockholm. Apparently Swedes don’t know how to wash their hands.Tyres = Tires. Otherwise I don’t think this requires any explanation. I was told WC stands for Water Closet. I guess they have a lot of bottled water here and need to keep it in a locked storage area.A Stockholm walkway cautioning adults to hold their child’s hand when close to the highway. I definitely agree with this one. I will never live in a city where double doorways are needed because of the weather.
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) has been a huge help in writing the blog this time. I have used Chat GPT on occasion with great results. For example it taught me how to type those funky letters like ü, æ, and ø. Thank you Chat GPT. It also made our lives easier in other ways, for example we were at the SAS lounge at the Copenhagen Airport waiting for our flight to Stockholm. We weren’t sure exactly where we needed to go, how to get there, and how long it would take. I got this reply:
Gate B10 at Copenhagen Airport is located in Concourse B, which is part of the Schengen area. The SAS Lounge is situated in Terminal 3, near Gate C10, also within the Schengen area. The walk between the SAS Lounge and Gate B10 typically takes about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your walking pace. Both locations are airside, so you won’t need to pass through additional security or passport control when moving between them. Amazing, no?
Did I need to come to Scandinavia to get a Route 66 sign?Going to Toftaholm was a challenge.
Google Translate was a huge help. See below.
Not sure if I already showed you this painting from the restaurant in the Grand Hotel in Olso. If I did, it deserves a second look because the service there was represented by this scene. They definitely were working as if that is where their heads were located. This is something I thought was very cool. Notice the big numbers next to the store name. Those are the store hours. This store is open 9-21 (2100 meaning 9 pm) and 1800 (6 pm) on Sundays.
And finally, we saw a variety of types of restaurants, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Indian, and we even saw a Scottish restaurant. See below.
Today was our last full day in Norway. Tomorrow I will finish up as usual with a collection of photos that speak for themselves (but of course, I will speak for them). Today we started with another massive buffet. That has been the recurrent theme of this trip. Small rooms but massive buffets.
We then met the group for a bus/walking tour of the city. One thing I have learned from this trip is that I don’t like to be led around by a guide hearing tons of facts about a city. I prefer to explore by myself (with Patrice of course) and meet locals rather than hear about things that happened 1000 years ago. Sorry if I sound like a heathen but that is who I am.
We are in Bergen, which as I mentioned yesterday, is the 2nd most populated city in Norway. We found out today that it is a sister city with Seattle. You might know that Seattle averages about 37 inches of rain per year. Well its Norwegian sister averages 89 inches. I wonder if they know about Sitka, Alaska which receives 100 inches of rain per year? My Los Angeles friend, Linda, tells me she loves rain. I think relocation to one of these 3 cities would be in her best interest.
We were on our own for lunch and the afternoon. Patrice and I only ate a snack for lunch (bringing our average lunch calorie count for the trip down to about 1800). We then walked the city and decided on going to the Kode museum. It was a worthwhile stop so I would recommend it.
At night, we met the entire group for a farewell dinner. This has been a really good group of travel buddies. It is hard to imagine that you would get 24 people together and not one of them would be a jerk making the trip less enjoyable. Patrice pointed out there was one jerk on the trip and she had to room with him.
Tonight we toured a local farm with the group and saw some interesting animals. Have you ever seen a Fjord Horse? See below.
Fjord horse mommy and her 4 week old son.
I was not looking forward to this dinner since I thought the main attraction was the farm and the dinner would not be very good. I was wrong. I would say this was the best meal of the trip.
A lovely trout for dinner.Wait, what’s this? The trout was just a starter? This is veal for your main course. I decided just to have one bite but it was AMAZING and I ate the whole thing.A swan for dessert? No, sorbet with meringue and whipped cream with raspberry sauce. I’m not a big whipped cream or meringue guy but the sorbet was yummy.
I always have mixed emotions about an end of a trip. I love traveling but it will be good to be home. I always like to learn things on our trips. I definitely learned something on this trip. See below.
I NEED A HAIRCUT!
I will send you my photo post from the airport or possibly from the plane.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 