Yet again, I am left mesmerized at how time has merely slipped by without my notice. I have come to notice that this is a reoccurring theme that has only gotten worse as my exchange has progressed. I am not sure whether that is due to knowing how little time I have left here or because I am constantly doing something. Regardless, before I know it, before I blink, I will be home and that is not a thought I like to have.
So much, yet so little has happened. It is hard to recount everything I have done in the past twenty days. One thing that stands out is falling off a horse. My host family has horses so on a nice Sunday afternoon, Ditte and I took them for a ride. Normally, all three horses are together, but because there were only two of us, they were separated. Apparently this makes them agitated and "naughty." My horse wouldn't listen to my commands and would occasionally stop and do whatever it felt like. We were almost home, and trotting down a hill, when I started to lose my balance and it didn't help that my saddle slid to the side. The next thing I know, I am flying from the horse to the ground. Nothing was hurt, except my ego. I got back in the saddle and agreed to go again so a successful trip!
I also made it up to Aalborg twice. The first for Inga's birthday party. We walked around for a while and then took the bus to her house for a lovely dinner and hygge night. The second time was for a harbor day; a day where a large group of exchange students sits in the harbor and just hangs out. These days often include long photo ops.
The biggest thing that has happened is that I went to Oslo, Norway! I was technically only in the city for twelve hours, and I didn't get a passport stamp, but it was an amazing trip. Alice, Berta, Vera and I left Monday afternoon and drove to Fredrikshavn to catch our ferry. When I say ferry, imagine a cruise ship that has one level for cars. It had ten floors with a variety of restaurants, a spa, a few bars, a "disco deck," and a tax-free store. The entire ride lasted twelve hours; the first few after leaving Denmark were smooth sailing. When we got into open waters, we hit some waves so Vera and I had a lot of fun running in unintentional zigzags around the ship. By the time we had finally gotten to sleep, the waves had lessened to more of a soothing rocking. We got to Oslo around 7:30 and immediately took off to see the city. The first stop was the Royal Palace. Unfortunately, we couldn't go inside but the American embassy was close by so I giddishly ran over to take a picture and go inside. I tried to open the door about six times before someone came out to figure out what I was doing and tell me that it is by appointment only. I almost pulled out my passport to try to get inside but I guess a picture is enough. We continued on to a very famous sculpture garden and then city hall. Lunch was a seafood salad and was served right on the fjord in the sunlight. The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping and wandering through Oslo. We took a quick stop at the Opera House before heading back to the ferry. We came within seconds of missing it, but luckily we got on board just in time. Vera and I were exhausted but we sat in the cafe playing cards, looking out the windows at the fjord until the sunset. We were back in Viborg before ten on Wednesday so I slept the rest of the afternoon.
Only one more post before EuroTour.
Vi ses!
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The views welcoming us into Norway.
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So much, yet so little has happened. It is hard to recount everything I have done in the past twenty days. One thing that stands out is falling off a horse. My host family has horses so on a nice Sunday afternoon, Ditte and I took them for a ride. Normally, all three horses are together, but because there were only two of us, they were separated. Apparently this makes them agitated and "naughty." My horse wouldn't listen to my commands and would occasionally stop and do whatever it felt like. We were almost home, and trotting down a hill, when I started to lose my balance and it didn't help that my saddle slid to the side. The next thing I know, I am flying from the horse to the ground. Nothing was hurt, except my ego. I got back in the saddle and agreed to go again so a successful trip!
I also made it up to Aalborg twice. The first for Inga's birthday party. We walked around for a while and then took the bus to her house for a lovely dinner and hygge night. The second time was for a harbor day; a day where a large group of exchange students sits in the harbor and just hangs out. These days often include long photo ops.
The biggest thing that has happened is that I went to Oslo, Norway! I was technically only in the city for twelve hours, and I didn't get a passport stamp, but it was an amazing trip. Alice, Berta, Vera and I left Monday afternoon and drove to Fredrikshavn to catch our ferry. When I say ferry, imagine a cruise ship that has one level for cars. It had ten floors with a variety of restaurants, a spa, a few bars, a "disco deck," and a tax-free store. The entire ride lasted twelve hours; the first few after leaving Denmark were smooth sailing. When we got into open waters, we hit some waves so Vera and I had a lot of fun running in unintentional zigzags around the ship. By the time we had finally gotten to sleep, the waves had lessened to more of a soothing rocking. We got to Oslo around 7:30 and immediately took off to see the city. The first stop was the Royal Palace. Unfortunately, we couldn't go inside but the American embassy was close by so I giddishly ran over to take a picture and go inside. I tried to open the door about six times before someone came out to figure out what I was doing and tell me that it is by appointment only. I almost pulled out my passport to try to get inside but I guess a picture is enough. We continued on to a very famous sculpture garden and then city hall. Lunch was a seafood salad and was served right on the fjord in the sunlight. The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping and wandering through Oslo. We took a quick stop at the Opera House before heading back to the ferry. We came within seconds of missing it, but luckily we got on board just in time. Vera and I were exhausted but we sat in the cafe playing cards, looking out the windows at the fjord until the sunset. We were back in Viborg before ten on Wednesday so I slept the rest of the afternoon.
Only one more post before EuroTour.
Vi ses!
At least I tried.
Spotted: two exchange students in Aalborg.
The only photo I will post from our photo op.
Inga's Birthday party without Inga.
The ferry.
The views welcoming us into Norway.
Jack hold me.
Why don't we have fjords in Minnesota?
Oslo was okay.
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