Hello from Norway!

We are off on our week-long Easter adventure.

Saturday, we were planning on leaving around noon but Mamma Bear was feeling a little under the weather (sore throat, etc.) and we were nowhere near ready as far as packing goes (hard when sicky Mamma Bear is the one who packs for everyone). Plus, the weather in Denmark is SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!! I'm talking, 70 degrees. I was outside in the sun in a tank top for crying out loud!! Hard to want to be in a car for 5 hours when it's that nice out.

Anyway, we ended up leaving around 4 (I think) and drove until we got to Fredrikshavn DK. We stayed at the Scandic hotel which had a FANTASTIC sub-tropical pool area with waterslides, water cannons, everything super duper fun. One problem - Mamma Bear forgot to pack swim diapers. Uh Oh....we have some SERIOUSLY unhappy kids with us. It's pure torture to look out of our hotel room door at this funland and know we can't use it. (cuz it would be totally unfair to let only 2 out of 3 have fun) No problem! Just go to the 24 hour shop downstairs and get a swim diaper! I'm sure they have them! Nope. Nada. Zip. Null. They sell swimming suits for goodness sake but no swimming diapers?!?!?!?!?! There's a giant heated kiddie pool!!!!! Come on!!!! Maybe the next hotel will have one....

So, Sunday morning we take a short trip to Hirtshals to get on the ferry for a 3 1/2 hour ride to Norway. COOL! And it was great.....until we started moving. Mamma Bear has motion sickness issues. After we ate lunch at one of the most fabulous buffets I've ever seen (Caviar, escargot, cheese, crackers, wine from a tap!!!!.....need I say more?), the boat started to pick up speed and the waves got consideraly larger. The swaying and rocking was a little much for this girl's stomach. I didn't lose my lunch but I sure was uncomfortable for a while. The ferry was so neat though. Shops, restaurants, a little kiddie play area....a lot larger than the one close to where we live that we take for the 20 minute trip to cross over to Sweden.

Anyway, we arrived here in Kristiansand, Norway yesterday afternoon. Stayed at the Radisson last night (no pool, btw). Very nice place, the kids have their own little room with 2 bunk beds in it, seperated from the rest of the room by a curtain. Cool idea! We wandered around a little last night, took tons of pictures. Today, we plan on going to the zoo, then over the next two days we'll work our way up to Oslo, stopping to wander around the area where Andreas' father grew up, along the way. We will eventually end up in Sweden to be with the Arff's for Easter and then back to Denmark by Sunday.

So far it's been a good trip! Can't wait to post pictures for you, it's is BEAUTIFUL here!!!!!!!