This weekend, Maria, Yngve and I went on a three day trip to Lillehammer which is a little over 2 hours by train North of Oslo. We were lucky enough to be able to stay with Yngve's cousin, Rita and her family and we spent the first two days downhill skiing and the last day around town. I'm tired right now so I will just post some pictures and give you some highlights in list form, but you should know we had an amazing time.
1. Lillehammer is a really cute, very cold and beautiful town.
2. Maria went downhill skiing for the first time and I improved dramatically while Yngve was doing backflips off ledges.
3. In the ski lodge if you want ketchup or mustard for your fries or burgers you have to milk it out of a bladder. I kid you not. I can think of a many different, better ways to dispense condiments many of which are utilized back home, yet Norwegians prefer to milk it out of a phallic ketchup filled utter. (see below)
4. 1/2 English Mastiff/ 1/2 Rhodesian Ridegeback dogs are awesome. (also below)
5. We were treated to a really great Brazilian food buffet dinner and the waitress explained that we can help ourselves to the appetizers and desserts and they would bring the meat out and if we wanted to pause the meat from coming we should flip this metal coin thing on our table to red. I looked at Yngve and said "Why would you ever stop them from bringing food to you?" I lived to regret those words because as course after course came out and we were all too proud to pause it and wound up top button-undone, writhing in pain, trying not to laugh or breathe deeply. I can honestly say I have never been so full in my life and that we didn't walk home, we waddled. Yngve's cousin Tommy later said he has never made it through all the meat courses. No one needs to see pictures of this.
6. The athlete holding the torch design from when the winter Olympics was there, is everywhere..even the trees.
7. It's really easy to trip someone when they are wearing ski boots. (Sorry Yngve....but not very) Sadly, no pictures of this...landscapes instead.
7. Maria's snow gear consists of a waterproof army green Russian pilot suit. When we first saw her in it we sang, "Flying into the danger zone...." and Yngve lent her his helmet which when it wasn't on her head she carried it at her side between her hip and arm like a true pilot. When she plowed into Yngve while skiing we affectionately called her our little kamakaze.
That's all for now.....ha det!
