tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42648384450551704992024-03-14T00:13:09.281-04:00Where's Mandy and NateMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-53375032342371626462010-10-05T13:39:00.000-04:002010-10-05T13:39:09.541-04:00And we're off!As I sit in our empty apartment, on our last day "living" in Europe, I can't help but think of all the great times we've had in the last 18 months. Wow what a whirlwind. It feels like only yesterday Nathan called me and said "Want to move to Europe? We have to be gone in 30 days..." <br />
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How do you turn down an opportunity like that? You don't. <br />
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<strong>From the initial shock</strong> (30 days is a really short time to get your mind wrapped around moving to another country) <strong>to landing in Switzerland</strong> (I didn't know the language or simple things like where to find the grocery store or how the damn dishwasher worked) <strong>to our first outing</strong> (I wasn't about to spend all week in a 600 sq foot apartment and not get out on the weekends) <strong>to making my first friend</strong> (Thank God for you Miriam) <strong>to feeling comfortable as a Zuricher</strong> (sure I can give you directions!) - life as an Ex-pat has been pretty fabulous. <br />
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We've learned a lot about ourselves during the last year - like the fact that we won't actually kill each other if we live in a space as small as 400 sq feet - who knew?! Or the fact that we love being outdoors doing stuff like hiking or biking. Hopefully we won't go back to our "old ways" of working all the time once we get back to Raleigh - it really would be a shame. <br />
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The best times here have been spent with our family and friends (both old and new) traveling and see the world - so thank you for all the memories! Since I was reminiscing and looking at all the pictures from the last year and a half, I thought I would put together a picture collage of some of my favorite times.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TKtenK3mVvI/AAAAAAAAHRo/r26mgeNlxZ8/s1600/collagefinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TKtenK3mVvI/AAAAAAAAHRo/r26mgeNlxZ8/s1600/collagefinal.jpg" /></a></div>Finally, a special thank you to Nathan's co-workers (and their significant others!) in both Switzerland and Finland, you all have been so welcoming and helpful. It wouldn't have been the same without all of your kind gestures and hospitality! So THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to everyone at ABB - you made our time abroad so much more enjoyable.<br />
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Now off to Greece for our final hoorah and then back to Raleigh. Although we have had so much fun, it is time to come back, because as Dorthy said "There's no place like HOME!" <br />
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<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-60723964080961628072010-09-21T08:41:00.000-04:002010-09-21T08:41:16.223-04:00I want to be the Deep Fried Ambassador for the NC State Fair!<em>Note: This blog was originally posted on the </em><a href="http://blog.swaggergifts.com/"><em>Swagger Gifts' Blog - Let's Talk Shop</em></a><br />
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So I know what you are thinking - THE WHAT?!?! Yes, the Deep Fried Ambassador. And I think I would qualify. My family and I have eaten EVERY deep fried item found at the NC State Fair!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TJhbWVowOvI/AAAAAAAAHNc/cACm5wmX5kc/s1600/whichonedoiwant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TJhbWVowOvI/AAAAAAAAHNc/cACm5wmX5kc/s400/whichonedoiwant.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Hmmmm. My niece pondering. What can we eat next...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Deep fried Oreos. Check. Deep Fried Pecan Pie. Check. Deep Fried Cheese. Check. Deep Fried Candy Bars. Triple Check. Deep Friend Coke. Yes - Coke. Check!!! And the list could seriously go on. <br />
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But we don't stop there. We eat everything else too. And we check out the competitions, livestock, Village of Yesteryear, the rides (LOVE the rides), games - we've even purchased a bunch of stuff from the Commercial and Education Building booths (you know - the stuff that basically looks like it should be on an infomercial)! We leave no rock unturned - deep fried or not.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TJhb2zI8HqI/AAAAAAAAHNk/COV3LPRK0Tg/s1600/kenzievintage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qx="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TJhb2zI8HqI/AAAAAAAAHNk/COV3LPRK0Tg/s400/kenzievintage.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>We love the candy apples!</em></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><strong>I'm even cutting a vacation to Greece short to attend the NC State Fair with my family this year</strong>. GREECE people! Yeah - Nathan isn't thrilled with this decision, but strangely he understands my obsession with the fair! <br />
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The NC State Fair is good old fashioned family bonding FUN! My sisters and their 5 children even travel in from other states to go to the fair! We are a Fair Junkie Family! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TJheonQt0UI/AAAAAAAAHN8/-n8LVRM1TYQ/s1600/DSC06032-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qx="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TJheonQt0UI/AAAAAAAAHN8/-n8LVRM1TYQ/s400/DSC06032-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Do we look like we can rock the State Fair - or what?!?!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Last year we were living in Switzerland during the NC State Fair and I CRIED because I couldn't go. Real tears. But my family was so gracious to Skype me with their cute painted faces, prizes, and stuffed bellies. (Thanks guys you really know how to make a girl feel better.)<br />
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OKAY - what's my point here. <strong>I want to be the Deep Fried Ambassador to the NC State Fair</strong> (yes this is a real (really awesome) title bestowed upon one lucky person), but <strong>I CAN'T</strong> :( . I can't because I don't arrive back from our trip to Greece until October 14th and the Deep Fried Ambassador's official duties start on October 11th. *sigh*<br />
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So I'm telling all of you guys about it so maybe one of you bloggers out there will get the title and possibly let me tag along one day. I even promise to carry your winnings, hold your fried food, kiss a carnie (okay - not really) - but you get the point! I NEED one of my friends to <a href="http://info.ncagr.com/DeepFried/?p=3697">WIN THE TITLE of DEEP FRIED AMBASSADOR</a>! <br />
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If you are interested (and why wouldn't you be?), here is the <a href="http://info.ncagr.com/DeepFried/?p=3697">link to the NC State Fair Deep Fried Blog post</a> where you can get all the details. And if you win, will you put in a good word for me for next year?! I would appreciate it!<br />
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Long live the <a href="http://www.ncstatefair.org/2010/">NC STATE FAIR</a> and fried food!:)<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /><br />
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p.s. - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ncstatefair#!/pages/Raleigh-NC/NC-State-Fair/153709408201">You can even "like" the NC State Fair on Facebook</a>! Heck yeah!Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-247951503111142462010-09-19T12:23:00.003-04:002010-09-19T12:49:53.296-04:00Hamburg - we think we love you! Anarchists and all...A couple weekends ago (Sept 3 - 6) we went to Hamburg, Germany to visit our friends Miriam and James! You may remember them from many of our Zurich posts on <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/2009/11/krati-in-zurich.html">hiking</a>, <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/2009/10/hiking-and-oktoberfest-in-zurich.html">oktoberfest</a>, <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/2009/08/drunken-sailors-zurich-street-parade.html">Zurich Street Parade</a>, <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/2010/03/skiing-flumserberg-and-zurich-zoo.html">skiing</a>, and more. We actually saw <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119646/">The Hangover</a> (for the first time) in a cinema in Zurich with them, and I would definitely consider them part of our "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgTssbfJu3Y&feature=related">pack</a>". :) <br />
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It has taken me forever to write this post, because I thought I lost the cable that gets the pictures out of my camera and onto my computer and a post without pictures would be lame - right?! Anyway, found it this weekend as we were cleaning/packing up our Finnish apartment to move home! YeAh!<br />
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We arrived pretty early on Friday, so we had the whole day to sight see and hang out - boy were they lucky that they had to entertain us for 4 WHOLE days:)! We started off our day by walking from their place, past Alster lake, down Mönckebergstrasse (shopping street!), to the Rathaus, and then to get a beer/lunch on the water. I could already tell by the first 4 hours of being in Hamburg why they loved it so much. Hamburg is a beautiful city with a LOT going on!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZAmKok92EwyfCAX-8LpPZGuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWjRlhWXFI/AAAAAAAABNE/1HIl5cGstiM/s400/DSC01043.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>View of the Alster from lunch</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HpgDHhrrKF_Is3umJDlu82uUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWjK6dMhDI/AAAAAAAABM8/i9ZoKOTQk-g/s400/DSC01040.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Nathan was at a different table on a conference call... it doesn't look like it was going that well.:)</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/e3NEyYSLtVMw6-SzeP-4UmuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWjVuSlVUI/AAAAAAAABNM/29HMiyQmRG8/s400/DSC01053.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Miriam's work building had a paternoster - a perpetual elevator with no door that you just "hop on/hop off" when you get to your floor. No way in HELL you would find one of these in a building in the States. I'm sure some idiot would try to jump out too late, hurt themselves, and sue.</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TPdD7h9FlGcq_nZxeNrUKGuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWmUIxIrLI/AAAAAAAABRQ/TlCoshIcn2o/s400/beckerjeweler.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>We did a little shopping at Becker's Jewelers and I got some special German Trollbeads!</em></div><br />
The weekend we were there, there were three street festivals going on! The first night we met up with some of their friends (all Americans no less:)) at the <span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.alstervergnuegen.net/">Alstervergnügen</a></span> - a festival that was around Alster Lake (where we had been most of the day). Typical fair food (lots of fried stuff - mmmmm), lots of sausages (hello - we are in Germany!), bands, games and one of my favorite parts - beer and Caprihinias! They definitely don't sell alcohol at the NC State Fair - that's for sure! Around 10 pm there was an International Fireworks Show, after which we hung out and watched a band sing well known German songs (poor Miriam was sitting with a bunch of Americans and had no one to sing with:( - I'm going to have to learn some of these songs for her!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_ikudc6gozEneVr5NwS_9muUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWjeHidhxI/AAAAAAAABNY/-ifoHIFT7mc/s400/DSC01078.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>German sausages - mmmmmmmm! Somehow we never got one though:(</em></div><br />
Saturday morning Miriam and I woke up and went to the Goldbek Market - a street market near her house where one can buy cheese, meat, local vegetables, etc. We had a market similar to this near our place in Oerlikon, but this one was awesome because of all the handmade items - like jewelry, knitted items, and jewelry:). I wish there were more of these in the States. I know we have some streets fairs like this, but they are usually once a year - this one is every weekend! And if you guys are thinking "well we have farmer's markets in Raleigh" - it isn't really like that either - you would have to go to one to see what I mean - just a different feel and atmosphere than that. This is something I will definitely miss when we move back State side.<br />
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After this we met back up with the boys and headed down to the Schanzenfest - by day the largest unorganized flea market in the world (okay - I just made that up - I'm not sure if it is the largest - but it seemed like it) and by night an Anarchist riot. Yes riot. In 2009, once it turned dark, 1000 masked anarchist threw bottles, stones, fireworks and even torched a police car (<a href="http://www.thelocal.de/national/20090705-20387.html">you can read an article about it here</a>). Although we went during the day, Nathan said he wanted to stay until dark to "see what happens". Ummm - yeah - riiiiiiiight. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eYkkvXVX7SvNnm3QOK1c9GuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWjoWoMtXI/AAAAAAAABNo/HZJfwz8wC24/s400/DSC01084.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>There were a lot of people selling and shopping at Schanzenfest. My favorite were the people with no shoes on, that hadn't taken a shower in at least a month, that were selling homemade food. Uh yeah - I don't think so...not even one of those brownies.</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bemW8s3zIMKkOGgZJKuoO2uUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWjkgyjFuI/AAAAAAAABNk/R-I6vOKslDE/s400/DSC01083.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>There was a lot of street music and other cool stuff mixed in with the clothes and food.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The street festival takes place in a trendy neighborhood called Schanzenviertel. The area was super cute with all its boutiques, restaurants, and pubs. However, the main thing that sticks out in the area is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rote_Flora">Rote Flora</a> - a building that was taken over by squatters in 1989 and is a place for left wing activists to meet. The boys wanted to try to get inside this building (yeah, I don't think so), but they dragged us around the side/back of the building to see what was going on (I'll admit I was a little scared). Thank God we couldn't get in - there was a guying guarding the door - and I'm pretty sure they weren't letting guys with Polos on inside!:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FWV1NrDw-w7qbw2gka6KEWuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWjw6xotoI/AAAAAAAABN0/eMyR5c8OyIY/s400/DSC01088.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Rote Flora</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6cTlIT9vVIV2H3x0DV55_2uUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWj3kYUUyI/AAAAAAAABOA/1zxyhP_mVl4/s400/DSC01091.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I translated this on google to mean - "bulls in the blood rushing" - not sure what that means but obviously it is a police man with blood on him. I guess they don't like the police:)</em></div><br />
Although it seemed like a free spirited street fest, you could actually feel the tension. We <a href="http://www.thelocal.de/national/20100905-29615.html">read in the paper</a> the next day that riots had broken out that night.<br />
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From here we moved on to another street fest called STAMP in the Altona district. STAMP stands for <strong>St</strong>reet <strong>A</strong>rt <strong>F</strong>estival. At first I wasn't sure what "street art" was, but then I had the ahh-ha moment. "Street art" is street music and street dancing (think guys breaking dancing on the corner in the '80s) :). Performance groups traveled to Hamburg from around the globe and it was cool to see all the different types of street art. Once it turned dark, there was a carnival like parade of all the performers - and you know we LOVE a parade!:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3Fe8zfDE0g9Q39QR--HG7WuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWkG3Nb4uI/AAAAAAAABOY/I6Bu71xKpVo/s400/DSC01104.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>About to watch a breaking dancing "dance off"! I have video but was too lazy to upload it - sorry!:)</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/N2HsHStdh1l5f8ts7zggtWuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWlGxA73cI/AAAAAAAABPw/kZ6EONQIdvU/s400/DSC01201.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>If I ever have to been in a parade I want to wear THIS! It's probably really heavy but it looks so cool!</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Qj6SWa5DOZJWFJGkh0Ei52uUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWkZbbLZZI/AAAAAAAABO4/eH42fPVvMGw/s400/DSC01150.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Miriam and James have made some great friends in Hamburg!</em></div><em></em>Finally we headed to the Reeperbahn in the St. Pauli area which is the "red light" district in Hamburg. Call me sheltered, but I had no idea that this was one of the largest red light district in the world! Sex shops, prostitutes, drag queens - you want it - they've got it! Surprisingly it wasn't that seedy though. Okay - it was seedy, but I didn't feel grossed out. Sure there were prostitutes on ever corner soliciting Nathan and James, but the atmosphere of the area was more of a wild party! Although I wouldn't think of a red light district so much as a tourist attraction - that is exactly what it was. We saw everyone from 80 year old grandmas to bachelorette parties living it up! A must see in Hamburg for sure!<br />
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJXhkmbumGI/AAAAAAAABUc/n8-PjEMofOA/s1600/800px-Herbertstrasse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJXhkmbumGI/AAAAAAAABUc/n8-PjEMofOA/s400/800px-Herbertstrasse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I didn't take one picture in the Reeperbahn - what's up with that?! I guess I was too busy taking it all in (and keeping the prostitutes off my man:))! I stole this pic off the internet - it is the entrance to Herbertstrasse. Only men over 18 are allowed behind the wall,l so I'm not sure exactly what it looked like and Nathan's not saying:). All I know is they were behind it for a while....</em> </div><br />
Sunday morning we all woke up at a reasonable hour (which was a shock considering all the ridiculously big beers we drank the night before) and actually made it to the <a href="http://www.newhamburgtours.com/">Sandeman Free Walking Tour</a> at 11 am. Nathan and I love a walking tour and feel it is a great way to learn more about the history of the city. Although our tour guide was a bit of a goober, we all learned alot about Hamburg (even Miriam and James said they learned stuff they didn't know)!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WdraHMQxqYgZZ8JfNBtihWuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWi8pO3ewI/AAAAAAAABMo/Y84mXJPzIDY/s400/DSC01033.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>The tour started at the Rathaus (Town Hall)</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hXUoyWfxw8Za2fTFJAIdN2uUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWmRKvfvEI/AAAAAAAABRM/SLhTYImzzsg/s400/DSC01218-2.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Chilehaus - it was designed to resemble the front of a ship</em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rUwmivVC-OvYQY52tNW6ImuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWlkB6k4sI/AAAAAAAABQM/2WLPd1clgw8/s400/DSC01225.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">St. Nikolai Church - it was bombed during WWII and never rebuilt as a reminder to the people the perils of war.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jxVkroL5Ay9NI0N0lHvp-GuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWlt2bHf9I/AAAAAAAABQY/_5aPsMShmds/s400/DSC01231.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Deichstrasse - origin of the Great Fire of 1842</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hYsob0qpsnA9VIQRsexEuGuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWmgrblPbI/AAAAAAAABRg/BwVADOhUSBM/s400/DSC01236v2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Binnenhafen - the inner harbor</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">The tour ended in Hafencity (Harbor City) where we continued to walk around look at all the amazing architecture. Wow! You have to go to really appreciate it, but I could see us living there (after we earned a couple million of course:)).</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BeWI0OZOd14ULNmyst1igGuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWl6Tt5yYI/AAAAAAAABQo/BDcSWkyJHG8/s400/DSC01237.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Hafencity</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pBbzmiEdWEYn6OjCLjfODGuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWl8ezCnCI/AAAAAAAABQs/H8axyzTQyU4/s400/DSC01238.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>In the distance you can see the Elbe Philharmonic Hall that is still being built. I want to come back when it is finished and see a performance there - it looks really cool!</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DIM0I18CDJtxLv0LNsS58WuUhQNaYFPFnOcifCHY7i4?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TJWmAZqhp7I/AAAAAAAABQw/-arZch-0KXk/s400/DSC01240.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>At the end of the tour Nathan and I were drafted to be part of the reenactment of the death of the infamous Pirate Klaus </em><span style="color: black;"><em>Störtebeker</em> </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">That night Miriam made us another amazing dinner (thank you Miriam!) and we just chilled after a fun filled weekend filled with lots of German beer, street festivals, and walking! Although it felt like we covered the whole city - apparently there are even more areas to see - I guess we are just going to have to go back! ;) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Thank you Miriam and James - we had an amazing time! Can't wait for you to come visit us in North Carolina!:) </div><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">p.s. - <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/wheresmandyandnate/Hamburg?authkey=Gv1sRgCIC2283QzsS3mgE&feat=directlink">You can check out the rest of our Hamburg photos here!</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">p.p.s. - I hope I got all the facts right and if not - Miriam please let me know!</div></div>Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03944786394094165035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-81524690258312348422010-08-24T06:27:00.002-04:002010-09-07T09:44:09.396-04:00Weekend touring Helsinki, Tallinn & PorvooLast Wednesday our friend Bernadette came over from the States to visit with us! We didn't really have much of a plan on what to do, but ended up having a fantastic weekend traveling in Finland and Estonia!<br />
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<strong>Helsinki</strong><br />
Thursday we woke up and decided to go to Tallinn, Estonia for the day, but the weather didn't really cooperate with us! We were booked on the Linda Line - fast boat to Tallinn - but the sea was too rough so all the trips up to 2 pm were cancelled. We made the executive decision to tour Helsinki instead and rebooked our trip to Tallinn for Friday.<br />
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We started out our Helsinki tour with Old Market Hall and Market Square - two of my favorite places for Finnish goods and foods! I had to laugh at the sign below - we obviously missed seeing this when Sarah and Zann were here - because a seagull almost took off with Zann's reindeer sandwich!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKXI09IYI/AAAAAAAABAw/4Ca0EjKatn4/s1600/DSC00927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKXI09IYI/AAAAAAAABAw/4Ca0EjKatn4/s400/DSC00927.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Seriously - these seagulls are as big as dogs - and very aggressive! They will definitely rob you of your sandwich!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEIYaO2skI/AAAAAAAAA9o/4HjrOFw6IdI/s1600/DSCN0772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEIYaO2skI/AAAAAAAAA9o/4HjrOFw6IdI/s400/DSCN0772.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The food inside Old Market Hall is gourmet - doesn't this look super appetizing?:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEIr0KBAtI/AAAAAAAAA-I/HR6TDrhvIBg/s1600/DSCN0798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEIr0KBAtI/AAAAAAAAA-I/HR6TDrhvIBg/s400/DSCN0798.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Both Bernadette and I had read about the Finnish Cloudberries (the orange ones above) in our research on Helsinki (mine back in May and hers more recently). They are supposed to be sooooo good - so we bought some to go along with our reindeer sandwiches. However - note to self - they are not good to eat out of the carton like other types of berries because they are really tart! I guess that is why people usually mention cloudberry ice cream or some other treat made with cloudberries. So we spent the rest of her time in Finland searching for some of this elusive Cloudberry Ice Cream - unforunately to no avail!:(</em> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next we headed to Senate Square, Uspenski Cathedral, and Suomenlinna - my typical sightseeing tour of Helsinki:) Bernadette and I did go into the Sederholm House - a Branch of the Helsinki City Museum - which is across the street from Senate Square. I felt a little more cultured on Helsinki when we came out:)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKUhFaYAI/AAAAAAAABAs/G66KkJHVJf0/s1600/DSCN0795-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKUhFaYAI/AAAAAAAABAs/G66KkJHVJf0/s400/DSCN0795-1.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is my favorite pic in Senate Square - thank you random other tourist - you rock!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEIwfSU3fI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/CHhf-0kFf5Q/s1600/DSCN0806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEIwfSU3fI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/CHhf-0kFf5Q/s400/DSCN0806.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Love this photo of Bernadette at Suomenlinna!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We finished up our day with a beer at Kappelli in Esplanade Park and shopping at Stockmann and other other shops not in the States, before meeting Nathan for a traditional Finnish dinner at Lappi. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://lappires.com/">Lappi</a> was suggested by some of Nathan's co-workers as one of the best places to get reindeer - which Bernadatte HAD to try before leaving Finland! Although the restaurant was a little pricey, the food was amazing! I definitely recommend it for anyone who wants traditional Finnish Lapland treats like reindeer and elk - this was our best reindeer meal by far!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEI9u9aCqI/AAAAAAAAA-o/emL4snT9SOo/s1600/DSCN0819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEI9u9aCqI/AAAAAAAAA-o/emL4snT9SOo/s400/DSCN0819.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Outside Lappi </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEI_lLWCkI/AAAAAAAAA-s/N2JENjOo6Tw/s1600/DSCN0821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEI_lLWCkI/AAAAAAAAA-s/N2JENjOo6Tw/s400/DSCN0821.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The interior of the restaurant is very "woodsy" - for a nice cozy "I feel like I'm at the North Pole" kind of atmosphere.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEJCWtBkII/AAAAAAAAA-w/QYjYL-DcSrk/s1600/DSCN0823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEJCWtBkII/AAAAAAAAA-w/QYjYL-DcSrk/s400/DSCN0823.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>From top left - reindeer, deer sausage, and elk. It was even served with "game gravy"</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em> DE-LI-CIOUS!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Tallinn, Estonia</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Friday morning we got up at 6:00 am (so much for vacation!) to get to the <a href="http://www.lindaline.fi/">Linda Line</a> ferry on time. The Linda Line ferry is the shortest boat ride to Tallinn from Helsinki and only takes 1 1/2 hours. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once arriving in Tallinn we weren't 100% sure where to go, so we took the 1 Euro bus into town. This was a VERY short bus ride (as we found out - you can easily walk to the old town from the port) but if nothing else we got a map with a great walking tour from the bus driver:) We got off at the first stop near the Viru Gate and started our tour there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THELtoobIII/AAAAAAAABC0/OCCJdeowdis/s1600/virtugatebothofus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" ox="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THELtoobIII/AAAAAAAABC0/OCCJdeowdis/s400/virtugatebothofus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Viru Gate is the once grand entrance to the town of Tallinn</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It wasn't long after this that we started seeing "Closed on 8/20" signs on all the museums and some of the churches. What was going on? Estonia Independance Day. Who knew? We still had a great time walking around and looking at the architecture from this quaint medieval town though. And of course all the souvenir shops and restaurants were open - they weren't about to turn away the hundreds of tourists from all the cruise ships!:) We had a great day in Tallinn and I would definitely suggest it as a day trip from Helsinki if you are headed this way!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKcgO5SdI/AAAAAAAABA8/vMu5kANtbd0/s1600/DSC00938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKcgO5SdI/AAAAAAAABA8/vMu5kANtbd0/s400/DSC00938.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Catherine's Passage</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THELvQFnBvI/AAAAAAAABC4/0m6qgp7k0Bg/s1600/DSC00943-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THELvQFnBvI/AAAAAAAABC4/0m6qgp7k0Bg/s400/DSC00943-1.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I had to take a pic at the Three Sisters - a typical dwelling house combination from the 14th century</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKqZyvTBI/AAAAAAAABBY/Ej-oLUdvoR4/s1600/DSC00951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKqZyvTBI/AAAAAAAABBY/Ej-oLUdvoR4/s400/DSC00951.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Part of the old city wall that is still standing today.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEK1l-u0RI/AAAAAAAABBk/5FbQScchlf8/s1600/DSC00955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEK1l-u0RI/AAAAAAAABBk/5FbQScchlf8/s400/DSC00955.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Bernadette had read that there was an amazing view from Toompea Hill, so we asked a local where it was. He said to walk straight, climb the "ladder" to the top, and there it is. We both looked at each other as if saying "I'm not climbing no ladder" but this is what he was talking about:) I guess I can see how the two words could be confusing!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEMEjRWBII/AAAAAAAABDY/e6dWJauSX68/s1600/DSC00971-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEMEjRWBII/AAAAAAAABDY/e6dWJauSX68/s400/DSC00971-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The View!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>(You have no idea how long it took to get this pic! I've decided that cruise tourists are the worst - very rude. Obviously they didn't know I'm not above throwing elbows:)!)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEMLkm0xBI/AAAAAAAABDk/0efI9PNKX_g/s1600/DSC00983-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEMLkm0xBI/AAAAAAAABDk/0efI9PNKX_g/s400/DSC00983-1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Alexander Nemsky Cathedral</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This church reminds you of the Russian influence on Tallinn - it definitely looked like something that could have been in St. Petersburg!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THELC-6ZehI/AAAAAAAABB8/K5gi3XoI8P0/s1600/DSC00986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THELC-6ZehI/AAAAAAAABB8/K5gi3XoI8P0/s400/DSC00986.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>We had lunch at Bossanova in Raekoja Plats (Town Square). Here's Bern with her Estonian beer - Saku (even though she has a smile on her face the beer wasn't that great) - I think we will stick with the Finnish beer Karhu from now on!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had to take the 3 o'clock boat back so we could be up at Nathan's work as close to 5 pm as possible. Nathan's coworker, Jukka, and his wife, Katia, were so nice to invite all of us to their summer cottage to experience a traditional Finnish crayfish dinner! The Finn's are known for their crayfish - and it is all I've been hearing about since Nathan had some last summer so I am very grateful that I got to have some before leaving Helsinki. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKGPqbW0I/AAAAAAAABAU/QhtVOZbabBk/s1600/DSCN0890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKGPqbW0I/AAAAAAAABAU/QhtVOZbabBk/s400/DSCN0890.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The view from the summer cottage - not too shabby! </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKK_xfSjI/AAAAAAAABAc/IIMlL_1QPRU/s1600/DSCN0896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKK_xfSjI/AAAAAAAABAc/IIMlL_1QPRU/s400/DSCN0896.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I think we burned more calories opening up these little guys than we consumed:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>They were boiled in a dill/salt water brine - soooooooo freaking good!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKPmQbySI/AAAAAAAABAk/bPvmHFoFy_Q/s1600/DSCN0899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEKPmQbySI/AAAAAAAABAk/bPvmHFoFy_Q/s400/DSCN0899.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Girls - don't play with your food!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What a fantastic end to a great day - even if the toilet was outside in a hut instead of inside the house:) Thank you so much Jukka and Katia - you were amazing hosts! We definitely owe you one!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Porvoo</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday morning we got up and decided to hit Finland's second oldest town, Porvoo, which is about 1 hour from Helsinki by bus. Once arriving at the bus station in Porvoo you will find a very nice (I was impressed) tourist book of medieval Porvoo with a walking tour filled with facts about the old town. Most of the Old Porvoo buildings house restaurants, antiques, and souvenir shops. You must stop by Brunberg for some chocolate - they give the Swiss a run for their chocolate money! </div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEMS2ua51I/AAAAAAAABDs/Kt8x-1qpMoI/s1600/DSC01015-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THEMS2ua51I/AAAAAAAABDs/Kt8x-1qpMoI/s400/DSC01015-2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Porvoo is well known for the red ochre painted wooden shorehouses linng the river banks (they are on all the brochures). Here is the picturesque view from the bridge at Mannerheiminkatu Street.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THELoGOLUpI/AAAAAAAABCs/6QX6cV5aNBM/s1600/DSC01019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THELoGOLUpI/AAAAAAAABCs/6QX6cV5aNBM/s400/DSC01019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Everyone told us about the amazing snail restaurant so we had to try it out! We highly recommend Restaurant Timbaali - try the rouquefort escargot it was to die for!</em> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>After our meal, we rushed back to the bus station to catch the bus to Helsinki so Bernadette could get on her cruise ship to Stockholm. We cut it really close and hope she made it (we figured we'd have heard by now if she hadn't:)!) Thanks Bern for coming - we had so much fun! Of course I probably gained 5 lbs since it seems all we did was drink and eat, but it was worth it!<br />
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Much love,<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /><br />
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p.s. - to see the rest of our pics from the weekend <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/wheresmandyandnate/BernadetteSTripToFinlandEstonia?authkey=Gv1sRgCOnYicjhp8DkqAE&feat=directlink">click here</a>.Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03944786394094165035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-68713994329227541462010-08-23T04:52:00.001-04:002010-08-23T04:56:57.952-04:00Trip to New York City for the Retail Excellence AwardsNathan and I headed to NY, NY on Friday August 13th for the <a href="http://www.giftsanddec.com/article/530766-Gifts_Decorative_Accessories_Names_2010_Retailer_Excellence_Award_Winners.php">Retail Excellence Awards (REA) 2010</a> where Swagger Gifts was a finalist for an award in Branding/Integrated Marketing. <br />
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When we got to the Helsinki airport we were a little bummed to see that our KLM flight was cancelled, but we were quickly rebooked on a Finnair direct flight into JFK, and as we were getting on the plane we were upgraded to FIRST CLASS! No Friday the 13th bad mojo for us! Woo hoo! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDurdoC6UI/AAAAAAAAA7w/ON9GCVLIurw/s1600/DSC00870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDurdoC6UI/AAAAAAAAA7w/ON9GCVLIurw/s400/DSC00870.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>You have to go for the Champagne when you are suddenly now seated in 1st Class!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvdS9neuI/AAAAAAAAA88/UGK3KyjnK38/s1600/DSC00872-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvdS9neuI/AAAAAAAAA88/UGK3KyjnK38/s400/DSC00872-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Cheers to already having a great weekend!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDuwiy4bGI/AAAAAAAAA74/8ZkavQ1s7Vk/s1600/DSC00880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDuwiy4bGI/AAAAAAAAA74/8ZkavQ1s7Vk/s400/DSC00880.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The best part about Finnair's 1st Class? The seat laid down completely horizontal to sleep - no jet lag for us!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nathan's cousin, Georgia Lee, picked us up at JFK and took us back to the Original Becker Homestead in New Hyde Park. We had planned from the beginning to spend two nights with Nathan's Grandpa, but it was even more special to be there and spend some time with him since Nathan's Grandma passed away only a few short weeks ago. We wish we could have seen Grandma Becker one last time as she was an amazing woman, but you could definitely still feel her presence at their home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDu0_q2QXI/AAAAAAAAA78/H-sbBLZb0cg/s1600/DSC00881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDu0_q2QXI/AAAAAAAAA78/H-sbBLZb0cg/s400/DSC00881.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Going out for the first of many walks that Saturday!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">We were so excited that Nathan's Dad and Aunt Noelle also flew in for the weekend. All of us travelers coupled with the Becker's that still live on Long Island made for one heck of a good time - as always! The Beckers sure do know how to party:) Great weekend hanging out with Grandpa - he even stayed up later than I did - going to bed around 11 pm! I guess we know who the original Becker Party Animal is!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvG76EvqI/AAAAAAAAA8U/AANyvnGkGK4/s1600/DSC00903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvG76EvqI/AAAAAAAAA8U/AANyvnGkGK4/s400/DSC00903.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Family Photo!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sunday we headed down to NYC for the REA Gala. We stayed with our friends, Anne and Troy, and their two adorable kids, Michael and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is only 3 months old so it was great to be able to meet her! We also saw our friends, Paige and Danny, and their new 3 week old son, Clayton, but I was so excited to be holding the baby that I forgot to take a picture of their family! Duh! Anyway, you have to take my word for it - he was so cute!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvQp2uelI/AAAAAAAAA8k/fSZxR7pemO4/s1600/DSC00924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvQp2uelI/AAAAAAAAA8k/fSZxR7pemO4/s400/DSC00924.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Can someone say Troy's mini me?:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvSSRYgoI/AAAAAAAAA8o/6h35Fxq32CM/s1600/DSC00925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvSSRYgoI/AAAAAAAAA8o/6h35Fxq32CM/s400/DSC00925.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Elizabeth was so sweet!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally it was time to head down to The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers for the awards ceremony. The venue was beautiful and I'm sure the view would have been great if it wasn't pouring down rain.:) The Retail Excellence Awards Gala is put on by Gifts & Decorative Accessories Magazine, and the entire event was top notch - from the catering (so good!) to the story boards about each of the finalists - it was a night I won't soon forget! There were about 250 industry professionals in attendance - everyone from manufacturers, to rep groups, to store owners. I was a little worried we wouldn't know any one since it was NYC and not Atlanta, but we mingled with people from some of the companies Swagger purchases from and had a great time! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvYcxaOkI/AAAAAAAAA80/nyknG-LutYQ/s1600/DSC00907-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvYcxaOkI/AAAAAAAAA80/nyknG-LutYQ/s400/DSC00907-1.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>You know I had to wear a zebra dress if I was going to be accepting an award for marketing!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvfwsZ42I/AAAAAAAAA9A/MsZHetQr5U8/s1600/DSC00912-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvfwsZ42I/AAAAAAAAA9A/MsZHetQr5U8/s400/DSC00912-3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The awards were announced after dessert (seriously could they make us wait any longer!), and I was SO excited when they called Swagger Gifts as the winner of the Branding/Integrated Marketing Award! After a short video they put together on Swagger, I had to make my acceptance speech! This was the part I was dreading - I'm not an extemporaneous speaker - but Nathan helped me put something together in case Swagger did win and it was a hit. I even had a couple people come over and tell me it was the best acceptance speech:) Yeah for Nathan being a Toastmaster and for his coaching! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvWpHIl5I/AAAAAAAAA8w/-Q8JHcMquEg/s1600/DSC00920-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvWpHIl5I/AAAAAAAAA8w/-Q8JHcMquEg/s400/DSC00920-1.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Yeah - Swagger Won! I have to give a shout out to Lisa Jeffries at Raleighwood Media - because without her I know we wouldn't have received this award! You rock Lisa!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvUItl9AI/AAAAAAAAA8s/0luSTf4FfbA/s1600/DSC00921-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/THDvUItl9AI/AAAAAAAAA8s/0luSTf4FfbA/s400/DSC00921-2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Either sister seriously needed some powder or there was a major glare off the huge silver platter! Let's go with the glare:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Great weekend in NYC which was topped off by getting first class seating on the way home too! Now I know how the other half lives and I don't think I want to go back:) An unforgettable weekend for sure!</div><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /><br />
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p.s. - If you would like to see the rest of the pics from the weekend - <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/wheresmandyandnate/REA2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCNf25c_oxOTErQE&feat=directlink">click here</a>!Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03944786394094165035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-68313010401680079172010-08-05T08:50:00.001-04:002010-09-07T09:21:50.670-04:00I can't believe we went to Russia!I've always wanted to go to Russia - honestly with the same passion as most people want to go to Italy or France. Some of this comes from the fact that I am (partly) of Russian descent - my great grandparents (my dad's mom;s family) were from there . But I think it is even more than that. I've always had a yearning to go - an unexplained attraction to the country. Maybe the desire stemmed from the fact that I never thought I would actually get to go (you know how us women are - we always want what we can't have - ha!) But seriously, I can't explain it - I just know that I really wanted to travel to Russia at least once in my life. And although it was very short (only about 7 hours), my dream was fulfilled last weekend with a trip to St. Petersburg on the <a href="http://www.stpeterline.com/en/">St. Peter's Line</a>! But of course the only thing that this did was make me want more! I LOVED IT!<br />
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<strong>Mr. William's Party</strong><br />
This past weekend our friends, Sarah and Zann Hawkins, joined us in Helsinki before we all hopped on the cruise to St. Petersburg, Russia. We met them through Jamie Durham Pfister's great connections (thanks Jamie!) while we were living in Zurich. Together we make up 2/3 of Mr. William's Party (we missed you Sara and Josh!), a nickname we got for our group while traveling in Egypt together. We love "Mr. William's Party" and hope to have many more years of traveling together in our future!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3IMJnv1I/AAAAAAAAAxY/KFF-DNCZ9lM/s1600/DSC00731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3IMJnv1I/AAAAAAAAAxY/KFF-DNCZ9lM/s400/DSC00731.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Mr. William's Party from L to R - Zann, Sarah, me, and Nathan</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><strong>Helsinki</strong> <br />
Sarah and Zann arrived last Wednesday night, then the three of us - Nathan had to work :( - went into Helsinki on Thursday to check out the sites. We got a bit of a late start, so we headed first to Market Square to check out the Finnish goods and then over to the delicatessen stalls in the Old Market Hall to eat reindeer (okay - only Zann got reindeer but all of our lunches were really good!). After this we started on a "Walking Tour of Helsinki" that I downloaded from the website <a href="http://www.visithelsinki.fi/In_English/Visitor.iw3">VisitHelsinki</a>. We started the tour in Senate Square with a look at the Helsinki Cathedral. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFp4Z3olS1I/AAAAAAAAA60/gkg_7Yy0Vyg/s1600/DSCN0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFp4Z3olS1I/AAAAAAAAA60/gkg_7Yy0Vyg/s400/DSCN0696.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>The size of the Cathedral does make it an impressive site.</em> </div><br />
Then we went on a rather boring 45 minute walk where the "tour" pointed out stuff like "a sculpture of two horses in a small park entitled, Maternal Love" - okay really? And the "small park" was a bed of flowers - no seriously. I think I might have said this before, but there really isn't that much to see in Helsinki (not trying to offend any of the Finnish here - sorry guys!). So we finally decided to ditch the "tour" to see the one last site I hadn't made it over to yet - the Uspenski Cathedral - the largest Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe and one of the clearest symbols of the Russian impact on Finnish history. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW29y8oDsI/AAAAAAAAAw4/DcsjX1eukB8/s1600/cathedralhelsinki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW29y8oDsI/AAAAAAAAAw4/DcsjX1eukB8/s400/cathedralhelsinki.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Uspenski Cathedral</em></div>After this I HAD to take them to the Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress - it is the #1 thing to do in Helsinki on Trip Advisor you know:) (I covered Suomenlinna in <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/search/label/Suomenlinna">this post</a> if you want to find out more about it.) By the time we reached the island, we only had two hours to look around and get back to our apartment to meet up with Nathan, get our luggage, and head to the cruise ship to St. Petersburg, so we only hit the "highlights"! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3CnxDQbI/AAAAAAAAAxI/Tn5oepYZws4/s1600/DSC00723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="87" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3CnxDQbI/AAAAAAAAAxI/Tn5oepYZws4/s400/DSC00723.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Of course we had time for a panoramic picture!</em></div><br />
<strong>The Cruise</strong><br />
I'm not sure what it is about these overnight cruises that turns Nathan into a drunkard, but this trip was no exception:)! And of course he brought Zann down with him! Sarah and I did partake - but definitely not at the same level - after the beer, lonkeros, champagne and wine we held off on the whiskey, vodka, and shots of jager. We kept saying "you'll regret this in the morning on our ONLY day in Russia" - but to deaf ears! I think I even got an "I see your lips moving but I don't hear nothin' coming out!" Needless to say the cruise over to St. Petersburg was fun - at least that night:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3GxAqc2I/AAAAAAAAAxU/qTCOsu7CY9Q/s1600/DSC00728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3GxAqc2I/AAAAAAAAAxU/qTCOsu7CY9Q/s400/DSC00728.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Oh yeah - did I forget to mention that all 4 of us were in a 9 square meters room with no window? Mr. William's Party only travels in style:) The cruise (back and forth) and the bus ride into the city was only 62.50 Euro per person - what can I say - my husband likes a deal!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later, after many more drinks, Sarah and I got kicked out of this bar by two very large Russian security cops. Note to self - don't try to reason with these people. There was a point where I thought we would be in "Russian Cruise Jail" and Nathan and Zann wouldn't even know it because they had left us to get more Jager shots!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFk6bxWmIVI/AAAAAAAAA5U/9NIw8R2ehnI/s1600/DSCN0713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFk6bxWmIVI/AAAAAAAAA5U/9NIw8R2ehnI/s400/DSCN0713.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Is this place packed or what? How do two sweet American girls get kicked out of an empty bar? I'll never tell.:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFk6fThPysI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/5f73Py-q4NA/s1600/DSCN0717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFk6fThPysI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/5f73Py-q4NA/s400/DSCN0717.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>We were stoked to have made it out alive and we even got to take our drinks - woohoo!</em></div><br />
The rest of the night, including gambling away our money in the casino, was a bit of a blur for some of us (not naming any names), but we finally got back to the room for a couple hours of sleep before our big tourist day!<br />
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<strong>St. Petersburg</strong><br />
So as you might imagine, the next morning wasn't super fun trying to get everybody "up and at 'em". I was actually fine when I woke up and was the first to get up to take a shower - until much to my horror - I found out that that wasn't a hair dryer in our room! Now I know some of you are thinking "drama queen" - but you have no idea - if I don't dry my hair I basically look like a stringy short haired dog! So I went with the other option - no shower - for the possible "greasy homeless person" look. I of coursed hoped this wouldn't be the case, since I just bleached the crap out of my hair and it is still pretty dry from the trauma. ANYWAY - I digress... I just wanted to set the stage for how we all felt in St. Petersburg - tired, hungover, unshowered, greasy, and ready for a great day!!!:)<br />
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Oh yeah - and the whole time the trip was planned (until mere hours before getting on the <a href="http://www.stpeterline.com/en/">cruise</a>) - we all thought we were going to be chained to a tour bus with all the other suckers who didn't get a Visa to enter Russia (the St. Peter's cruise line is the only way that I know of to go to Russia without a Visa). But not so much. We found out the night before that we were free to roam the streets unattended. Of course this was good news, but also kind of bad because none of us had done any research or put together an itinerary on what to do or where to go! Thank goodness Nathan was able to visit our friends over at the trusty Trip Advisor website (seriously our BFFs) while the rest of us were gallivanting around Helsinki. He actually did a great job of finding a walking tour of the city and info on all the "highlights". Thank you Nathan!<br />
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The cruise provided a bus from the dock to a couple points in the city. We chose to be dropped off at the State Russian Museum as it was the fartheset point on our walking tour. From here we went to the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood. What a sight! Coming upon it - I thought it looked a little like Candyland or something! It was so ornate and colorful! Absolutely beautiful on the outside and inside! The inside was covered with the most beautiful mosaic interiors which were completely restored by 10 mosaic artists over a 14 year period. This was after being used as a warehouse in Soviet times, and having been bombed in WWII. I read that there are over 7,000 Square meters of mosaics inside - it was VERY impressive! (Side note - on top of everything else - my camera was doing something weird where all my pictures were turning out blurry! It was so frustrating! And because of this I didn't get very good pictures in Russia at all:( So sad! But here they are anyway...)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3R9qVKvI/AAAAAAAAAxw/Mc89d_1oD_8/s1600/DSC00744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3R9qVKvI/AAAAAAAAAxw/Mc89d_1oD_8/s400/DSC00744.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I've decided that I want to go back to all the places we've been in about 10 years - hopefully then all of Europe won't be covered in scaffolding!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW34T-vSMI/AAAAAAAAAzM/nh3fEoVGOUY/s1600/DSC00785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW34T-vSMI/AAAAAAAAAzM/nh3fEoVGOUY/s400/DSC00785.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>View from the side of the church</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3fdcJVmI/AAAAAAAAAyM/REEgez2hJWU/s1600/DSC00756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3fdcJVmI/AAAAAAAAAyM/REEgez2hJWU/s400/DSC00756.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is ALL mosaic artwork! Unbelievable!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3y4VsKcI/AAAAAAAAAy8/0i76Fbodj5I/s1600/DSC00779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3y4VsKcI/AAAAAAAAAy8/0i76Fbodj5I/s400/DSC00779.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The larger head in the middle is actually in one of the "onion domes" that you see from the outside. I thought it looked really cool!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3-8tP66I/AAAAAAAAAzc/tBYY3MKMBYQ/s1600/DSC00788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW3-8tP66I/AAAAAAAAAzc/tBYY3MKMBYQ/s400/DSC00788.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <em>The entrance side didn't have scaffolding - yeah!</em></div><br />
Across the street was a huge market full of Matryoshka/Russian Nesting Dolls. I already knew that this was what I wanted as my Russian souvenir so I was super excited to find this market. It was a bit overwhelming but I love the one I chose!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFk6kMzB2KI/AAAAAAAAA5g/beOi4iH7xHA/s1600/DSCN0744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFk6kMzB2KI/AAAAAAAAA5g/beOi4iH7xHA/s400/DSCN0744.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Next up was The Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan (also known as Kazan Cathedral). It is St Petersburg’s major Russian Orthodox cathedral. It is located near the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood - on the city’s central street, Nevsky Prospect. Built in the early 1800s to duplicate the Vatican's Basilica of St. Peter, this huge cathedral served as a monument to Russia's victory over Napoleon in the War of 1812. During the Soviet era, it was used to house the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism, but now it is an active church again. Someone was even getting married when we went inside!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4D7HM2EI/AAAAAAAAAzo/kdMjlQ1iKlU/s1600/DSC00791-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="147" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4D7HM2EI/AAAAAAAAAzo/kdMjlQ1iKlU/s400/DSC00791-2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Had to use the panorama setting to get the whole thing! </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4EwKtgdI/AAAAAAAAAzs/zHPQoB-zEt4/s1600/DSC00792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4EwKtgdI/AAAAAAAAAzs/zHPQoB-zEt4/s400/DSC00792.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The people in the center are the bride and groom - everyone around the sides are tourists. Must make for interesting wedding photos later - ha!:)</em></div><br />
<strong></strong>Then we just strolled along the streets, visited the Mikhailovsky gardens, and had lunch. I will have to say that St. Petersburg was not what I expected at all. Basically I was expecting a run down, sullen, kind of dirty city that looked like it had gone through many hard years - more Budapest than Vienna for example. But that isn't what we saw at all. I thought that the streets were very clean and everywhere you looked there were huge churches and beautiful ornate sherbet colored buildings. And when I say the buildings were ornate - I mean ORNATE! The architecture was amazing (you'll see when I get to the Hermitage later). We all wondered though what it looked like about 10 miles outside the city. Was it pretty there? Unfortunately we didn't get to see that, but that is another reason I want to go back and tour the whole country! <br />
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Next we visited St. Isaac's Cathedral, which was once the main church of St. Petersburg and the largest church of Russia. The church was designed to accommodate 14 thousand standing worshipers - it was huge. But by this time, we were over churches, so we didn't go inside - I will have to "google image" what it looks like - ha!:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4MfY61tI/AAAAAAAAAz8/ESJJRWlzXEo/s1600/DSC00798-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4MfY61tI/AAAAAAAAAz8/ESJJRWlzXEo/s400/DSC00798-1.JPG" width="286" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>St. Isaac's Cathedral</em></div><br />
Finally onto the State Hermitage Museum which is housed in the Winter Palace. This museum is among the most famous in the world, so we had to go inside - I just wasn't sure if the boys were up for the excitement.:) Good thing I didn't tell Nathan there were over 2.7 million exhibits inside or we would have found him later drinking a beer on the river:)! I'll have to admit - I wasn't sure I was up for a ridiculously huge museum either but I am SO glad we went inside. The artwork was fabulous - yes - but the part I really loved was just looking at the architecture inside. Pictures were strictly forbidden (although I did get 2), or I would have taken pictures of everything including the floors - the inlayed wood work was so detailed - my grandfather would have loved it! I also liked how it wasn't "just an art museum" - several of the rooms were set up like a Palace (like visiting Versailles) so you could see how the Russians had lived here back in the day. Absolutely a must see when in St. Petersburg!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4Q8WAOXI/AAAAAAAAA0I/GFgH_iuoCSo/s1600/DSC00802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4Q8WAOXI/AAAAAAAAA0I/GFgH_iuoCSo/s400/DSC00802.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The outside alone was beautiful! And it was HUGE!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4XFvm2DI/AAAAAAAAA0c/UTuZXYFZmzA/s1600/DSC00809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4XFvm2DI/AAAAAAAAA0c/UTuZXYFZmzA/s400/DSC00809.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The entrance to the entrance to the museum.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4Z7qouBI/AAAAAAAAA0k/m66LicuBtUc/s1600/DSC00811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4Z7qouBI/AAAAAAAAA0k/m66LicuBtUc/s320/DSC00811.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Several of the rooms inside looked like Wedgewood!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4avZRHLI/AAAAAAAAA0o/tRaxlaxeiv4/s1600/DSC00813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4avZRHLI/AAAAAAAAA0o/tRaxlaxeiv4/s400/DSC00813.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Nathan thoroughly enjoying the artwork.:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the Hermitage we only had about 1 hour left before having to get back on the bus to go to the ship, so we decided to hang out on the river and have a beer and some Russian pancackes (which were basically just crepes but they were yummy!) I wish we would have had 1 more day in St. Petersburg or at least another couple hours so we could have seen Peterhof's Palace and Garden - but again I guess that just means we have to go back:)!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4dL1TNUI/AAAAAAAAA00/En0m_hPQOWk/s1600/DSC00818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="96" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4dL1TNUI/AAAAAAAAA00/En0m_hPQOWk/s400/DSC00818.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>View of the Hermitage (on the right) from the river</em></div><br />
<strong>Back to Helsinki</strong><br />
So after our whirlwind tour of St. Petersburg we were back on the boat. We were all exhausted, but Sarah and Zann found the energy to "ice us". Have you guys heard of this? You "get iced" when someone hands you a Smirnoff Ice and you have to get down on one knee and chug it. Pretty brilliant marketing ploy on Smirnoff's behalf (although Smirnoff is denying being any part of it) - because let's be honest - why else would you drink a Smirnoff Ice? I <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/26/news/companies/bros_icing_bros.fortune/index.htm">googled it</a> because I wasn't sure if I fell for a really bad practical joke, but seems as if it is going on around the country and especially in the south (of course)...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFk6puAaO8I/AAAAAAAAA5w/caz0ypwKY1E/s1600/DSCN0756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFk6puAaO8I/AAAAAAAAA5w/caz0ypwKY1E/s400/DSCN0756.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>You've been iced!</em></div><br />
Saturday in Helsinki was basically just a chill day. We did the "3B/3T" tram tour of Helsinki, had an impromptu picnic/rest near Töölönlahti Bay, and then stumbled across the Helsinki Beer Festival! What a great end to the day and trip! We met some nice Finnish people, tasted some great Finnish beers, and got a recommendation for a place to get reindeer stew for dinner, Zetor Restaurant! I love it when a plan comes together.:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4mWX3hSI/AAAAAAAAA1U/8C7nSSPJ8wQ/s1600/DSC00831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4mWX3hSI/AAAAAAAAA1U/8C7nSSPJ8wQ/s400/DSC00831.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Imagine our luck to have stumbled upon the Helsinki Beer Festival!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4xGeR0aI/AAAAAAAAA1w/pU4b9YU4dnI/s1600/DSC00841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW4xGeR0aI/AAAAAAAAA1w/pU4b9YU4dnI/s400/DSC00841.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW40QzGlDI/AAAAAAAAA14/6djni2bJKNE/s1600/DSC00843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TFW40QzGlDI/AAAAAAAAA14/6djni2bJKNE/s400/DSC00843.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Before heading to dinner Zann had the brilliant idea to buy these nasty little fried fish - which we were then all forced to eat. But the good thing was that the heads were cut off and they were gutted - because sometimes they aren't - gross!</em> </div><br />
Great Mr. William's Party Weekend in Finland/Russia. Next up - Greece in October!!!<br />
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Thanks for reading! Love you guys!<br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-92143714576242669932010-07-12T05:28:00.000-04:002010-07-12T05:28:27.040-04:00Vasteras Sweden - Biggest American Classic Car Festival in the WorldHello Everyone. Nate here. I know what you are thinking. "Why is Nathan writing on this blog?...and where is Mandy?" Mandy is back in the states for a couple of weeks shopping for her store. She left me strict instructions to write of my travels when she is off providing for our family. :) <br />
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This past week, I journeyed to Vasteras, Sweden for some business and pleasure. <br />
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Before we get to the pleasure part of the trip, I would like to share with you a little about Vasteras. Vasteras is located about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Stockholm. Vasteras is one of the oldest cities in Sweden and Northern Europe. The name originates from Västra Aros, which refers to the estuary of the river Svartån. The area has been populated since the Nordic Viking Age (before 1000 AD). Västerås is predominantly known as an industrial city. The town is currently the sixth largest city in Sweden with approximately 136,000 inhabitants. <br />
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During my visit I had the opportunity to capture a very creative hotel. Approximately 5 minute walk from my office, in the main city center park, exists Hotel Hackspett (or in English Hotel Woodpecker). This hotel is a little different then most as it is situated 40 feet up in an old oak tree. It was built in 1998 and renovated in 2006. No damage to the tree was done when they built this cottage, no nails - it is suspended by very powerful steel wires. Yes, it does has both a kitchen and a toilet up there too, so you don’t have to worry about getting down the rope ladder in a hurry! Personally, I think the hotel has a rather reasonable room rate if you consider the experience of a lifetime: 1000 SEK (150 Dollar / 100 Euro), 1250 SEK with breakfast and 1500 SEK with breakfast and dinner. It can only be booked between 1 April - 31 October since it does not have any electricity or heat (other from yourself!). I am planning to head back to Vasteras at the end of August and will see if I can wrap up my trip with a 1 night experience in the WoodPecker. Stay Tuned....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TDngi1rrEhI/AAAAAAAAHHA/WMAhDmW5TaQ/s1600/IMG00082-20100709-1602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TDngi1rrEhI/AAAAAAAAHHA/WMAhDmW5TaQ/s640/IMG00082-20100709-1602.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Hotel Woodpecker</em></div><br />
The Swedes definately have a passion for American classic cars. Vasteras is home to the annual "<a href="http://www.bigmeet.com/">Power Big Meet</a>" festival. This year it happened to take place during my visit (imagine that!). Power Big Meet has to be the biggest American car show in the world. The event started in 1978 with 400 visitors and 80 cars. This year (32 years later), there were over 15,000 classic cars that participated in the event. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TDniZ4OZ96I/AAAAAAAAHH4/l7VB3Cx3esA/s1600/picture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TDniZ4OZ96I/AAAAAAAAHH4/l7VB3Cx3esA/s640/picture2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Wow...That is alot of cars. I wonder how this compares to Woodstock back in the late 60s.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>I have never seen such an amazing event in all my life. I think this video does a very good job of summarizing the event.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-EuqMQ-9NE&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-EuqMQ-9NE&feature=related</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below are a couple of additional pictures that I liked.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TDngI_oaQtI/AAAAAAAAHGw/Ff6G1kZrJjo/s1600/IMG00116-20100709-1730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TDngI_oaQtI/AAAAAAAAHGw/Ff6G1kZrJjo/s640/IMG00116-20100709-1730.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TDngm1d4buI/AAAAAAAAHHI/9b1rx3pzjM8/s1600/IMG00094-20100709-1653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TDngm1d4buI/AAAAAAAAHHI/9b1rx3pzjM8/s640/IMG00094-20100709-1653.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Check out the American & Rebel flags. Made me feel that I was back in my home land.</em></div><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-41191247919514299462010-07-01T05:49:00.000-04:002010-07-01T05:49:44.525-04:00Midsummer in SwedenLast weekend was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer">Midsummer</a>, a National Holiday in both Finland and Sweden, and we were asked by one of Nathan's colleague's, Per Ivars, to join him and his family for a traditional Swedish Midsummer celebration. And how can you turn that down?!?! You can't!<br />
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So Nathan booked us a room on the <a href="http://www.tallinksilja.com/en/">Silja Serenade</a>, a cruise ship that goes from Helsinki to Stockholm for Thursday night arriving Friday morning (leave at 5 pm arrive at 9 am). We hadn't been on a cruise since my 30th birthday, so I was really excited we were going this way instead of flying!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCriDt_cinI/AAAAAAAAArg/S_yBmm1Gsk8/s1600/DSC00533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCriDt_cinI/AAAAAAAAArg/S_yBmm1Gsk8/s400/DSC00533.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Nathan loved watching the Semis drive onto the boat!</em></div><br />
It actually all started when we were in <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/2010/06/dumb-and-dumber-do-archipelago.html">Turku... and saw the ABB Azipod</a>. Nathan said "The <a href="http://www.abb.com/cawp/db0003db002698/b4c6f2757969bba6c12571f100410217.aspx">Azipod</a> is used on a lot of cruise ships - we should take a cruise to Sweden to see Per - it could be like an ABB sponsored trip." (um and yes - we really do have converstaions like this.) I told Nathan that <strong>ALL</strong> my trips were sponsored by ABB (thanks ABB!), but that I would love to see the Azipod in action anyway.:) Turns out the Azipod isn't used on the Silja Line... so I guess we are just going to have to go on one of these <a href="http://www.abb.com/cawp/seitp202/6e198d989e3b9cbbc125766c004dd905.aspx">Royal Caribbean</a> ships where it actually is used.:) Anyone want to join us? I'm thinking New Year's - yes?!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrdmxsfMZI/AAAAAAAAAk0/hdQkEjdkYNE/s1600/DSC00302v3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" rw="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrdmxsfMZI/AAAAAAAAAk0/hdQkEjdkYNE/s400/DSC00302v3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Enjoying our departing Lonkero ("long drink" made of gin)!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrdw9rhP-I/AAAAAAAAAlA/6CEsd39SNfA/s1600/DSC00312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrdw9rhP-I/AAAAAAAAAlA/6CEsd39SNfA/s400/DSC00312.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Leaving Helsinki</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrd7-oyXII/AAAAAAAAAlM/FzAjf4Dia-I/s1600/DSC00315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrd7-oyXII/AAAAAAAAAlM/FzAjf4Dia-I/s400/DSC00315.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Do you guy's remember my post on </em><a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/2010/06/our-first-weekend-in-helsinki.html"><em>Suomenlinna</em></a><em>? This is a view of King's Gate from the cruise ship - pretty cool. I love that you can see all the little islands behind this island!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCreMawwBsI/AAAAAAAAAlk/IOYp3k_-FzY/s1600/DSC00323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" rw="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCreMawwBsI/AAAAAAAAAlk/IOYp3k_-FzY/s400/DSC00323.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Good Life!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Right after that picture was taken we headed down to the Tax Free shop and bought some alcohol for "later"... as in later that night. After our lonkeros, we bought beer, a bottle of champagne, a bottle of wine, and then ended up going to the Irish Pub on board for more beer and to watch the "football" game. Needless to say it didn't take long before I looked like this...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCreSRje2DI/AAAAAAAAAlw/8BCLKqV7Yl4/s1600/DSC00328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCreSRje2DI/AAAAAAAAAlw/8BCLKqV7Yl4/s400/DSC00328.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Good Times!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And Nathan was up to trouble...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCreX8E6vOI/AAAAAAAAAl4/akbwzKaVOM8/s1600/DSC00334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCreX8E6vOI/AAAAAAAAAl4/akbwzKaVOM8/s400/DSC00334.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I don't think you are supposed to be there honey.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Needless to say we had a great time - well that night - the next morning was a little rough for Nathan - I guess 35 isn't treating him that well:)!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCreZQrl0vI/AAAAAAAAAl8/ncgvHylvEt4/s1600/DSC00356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCreZQrl0vI/AAAAAAAAAl8/ncgvHylvEt4/s400/DSC00356.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I love being in the middle of the ocean (okay the Baltic Sea), but no land just water - I love it! </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em> Oh and this picture was taken at 11:30 at night - crazy!</em></div><br />
After arriving in Stockholm, we took a bus and then a train to Ransta (a small town of about 800 people) to meet the Ivars Family! Camilla, Per's better half:), was the Hostess with the Mostess and prepared TWO amazing Midsummer Feasts for us. The Ivars - and their family and friends - sure know how to show an American a good time!<br />
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We started out with the traditional sil (herring), potato, and snaps (schnaps) lunch - drinking songs included - of course! Camilla served three different types of herring, and I surprisingly liked the onion and the mustard <br />
kinds - not sure what the third kind was but it wasn't my fave - good thing we had the snaps to wash it down...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrelX9NimI/AAAAAAAAAmM/5lq6fM7GcYs/s1600/DSC00365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrelX9NimI/AAAAAAAAAmM/5lq6fM7GcYs/s400/DSC00365.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>All the Snaps bought just for us (and a little vodka thrown in too) - thanks guys:) I guess a little of hair of the dog is always good.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Håkan gave Nathan a list of snaps we HAD to try (the list in front of the bottles) - and they had gotten all of them - thank goodness!?!?</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCxEWjG9HsI/AAAAAAAAAwE/ciXn2RAhjjc/s1600/midsummerlunchmosaic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCxEWjG9HsI/AAAAAAAAAwE/ciXn2RAhjjc/s400/midsummerlunchmosaic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Beautiful table - and I loved that they got an American Flag for us:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Here's a video (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjhQ91OjvOo">here's the link of you can't click on it below</a>) of us trying to sing some Swedish Drinking songs. They translated them to english phonetically (so we could sing a long) - but I have no idea what they actually meant! This is the one I call "Hell & Gore" because that is what it was translated to:)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Skål!</em></div><br />
After lunch we went to the next town over, Scala, to see the local festivities including a dance around the Maypole!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCre-jibuYI/AAAAAAAAAm0/KoQMR1J5ICE/s1600/DSC00387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCre-jibuYI/AAAAAAAAAm0/KoQMR1J5ICE/s400/DSC00387.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we got back Per organized a brannboll game - they told me it was kind of like baseball - but I'm going to have to call BS on that. Well - I guess it was played with a ball and bat, but honestly I'm still not sure the rules - all I know is that nobody actually gets "out" and even if you strike out you still get to go to 1st base. Is this an "everyone's a winner" kind of crap game? Us Americans like to have "outs" so we know who is winning:) Well at least they do keep score - and our team WON! We were naturals - what can I say.:)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrfNNhs0iI/AAAAAAAAAnI/r-PdaPW8cyI/s1600/DSC00393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrfNNhs0iI/AAAAAAAAAnI/r-PdaPW8cyI/s400/DSC00393.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Per trying to explain how his team LOST - sorry Per we can't all be winners:)</em></div><br />
Now on to feast number TWO! The Swedens sure do know how to celebrate! While helping Camilla prepare dinner, she let me taste a bunch of Swedish foods that I had never had before - reindeer cream chesse (good), caviar in a tube (like toothpaste) mixed with mayonaise(?) possibly (I thought it was good but then when I was sober the next morning decided otherwise), and messmör (made from whey - what's "leftover" when make cheese - I think this is what they make the Swiss drink Rivella from - anyway it was AWESOME - loved it - even the next morning:)!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrfQMayq1I/AAAAAAAAAnM/_FcwF1jz-Gg/s1600/DSC00397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrfQMayq1I/AAAAAAAAAnM/_FcwF1jz-Gg/s400/DSC00397.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Girls! Victoria, Camilla, Caroline and Me</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrfS76Za_I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/pxTK851UzVc/s1600/DSC00399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrfS76Za_I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/pxTK851UzVc/s400/DSC00399.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Dinner - so good! With more Snaps and drinking songs - of course!</em></div><br />
After dinner we got in Per's homemade hot tub. Nathan wants to make one of these for our house in Raleigh - I think I'm a little scared. But this one was awesome!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrec1-7anI/AAAAAAAAAmA/lVh4Ru2y__s/s1600/DSC00361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrec1-7anI/AAAAAAAAAmA/lVh4Ru2y__s/s400/DSC00361.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The hot tub</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCregcceqYI/AAAAAAAAAmE/uvdvPpwszRY/s1600/DSC00362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCregcceqYI/AAAAAAAAAmE/uvdvPpwszRY/s400/DSC00362.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>And the heating unit!</em></div><br />
The next morning Per and Camilla drove us to the train station for our weekend in Stockholm - thank you both so much! We had an AMAZING time!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrfYF_SVAI/AAAAAAAAAnY/ZrXZ_1Fjscg/s1600/DSC00406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" rw="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrfYF_SVAI/AAAAAAAAAnY/ZrXZ_1Fjscg/s400/DSC00406.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Our gracious hosts - Per and Camilla! I'm pretty sure Per was still drunk in this photo...:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On to Stockholm! Which I believe to be one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe. We LOVED Stockholm! Unfortunately our pictures don't do it justice at all:( I think it was just that it was so majestic being there - the energy of the city, the great old buildings, the harbors, the little islands - but something that you can't catch on film. It was small enough to feel "cozy" and be able to walk everywhere, kind of like Zurich, but still big enough that there was lots of stuff to do and explore! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First we checked into our hotel, the <a href="http://www.birgerjarl.se/eng/">Birger Jarl</a>, which was kind of a long walk to the city center but was still nice (and we discovered where the bus was the next day - duh!). Then we headed over to Djurgarden to see the <a href="http://www.vasamuseet.se/">Vasa Museum</a>. Very cool museum centered around a ship that sank in 1628 - 20 minutes after her maiden voyage began. The wreck was salvaged more than 300 years later in 1961 and was in amazingly great condition! It was really cool to see a ship that was designed so many years ago - and to see how ornate this war vessel was made. Highly recommend it if you go to Stockholm. Our pictures are especially crap here though because it was dark inside the museum. But here are a few anyway so you can kind of get the jist...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCxVTsWwVnI/AAAAAAAAAwM/dt5DyR9HY7c/s1600/vasa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCxVTsWwVnI/AAAAAAAAAwM/dt5DyR9HY7c/s400/vasa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Starting at top Left - Nathan with a model of the ship from what they think it looked like fully painted in 1628, remains of one of the few people who died on the ship, me with the actual ship, and the back of the ship - it was very ornate and the carvings describe kind of an "FU" to the King of Poland at the time:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then we conducted our own 4 hour walking tour of the city (we think it was about 5 miles) that I got out of our Let's Go Europe book. It basically took us to every nook and cranny of Stockholm and was a great way to see the city! We especially loved Gamla Stan (the old city) - I could have just hung out there for hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrgKgFbLMI/AAAAAAAAAos/eY1auEKzEho/s1600/DSC00457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrgKgFbLMI/AAAAAAAAAos/eY1auEKzEho/s400/DSC00457.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Our tour first took us by the NK department store - please notice the huge picture of the crowned Princess of Sweden. She got married the weekend before Midsummer (it was a big deal here - not sure about in the States) and I think this must be her engagement shot (it was also on tons of magnets, postcards, plates, etc). Why can't I be a real Princess *sigh*?</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrgUPZ-kmI/AAAAAAAAApA/ntWAlmQ5Q28/s1600/DSC00463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" rw="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrgUPZ-kmI/AAAAAAAAApA/ntWAlmQ5Q28/s400/DSC00463.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Here I am on the bridge to Gamla Stan - this was a really beautiful spot - too bad you can't tell from the pic:(</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll put a link at the bottom of the post to the rest of the photos from this day if you want to see them - they really aren't that interesting to share here:( The only other thing of noteworthy was this guy driving his "house boat" in his bathrobe near Gamla Stan. Hilarious! Everyone stopped, looked, and then took a photo - ha!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrgy_xdHUI/AAAAAAAAAp4/NwXbwGqWtMY/s1600/DSC00491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrgy_xdHUI/AAAAAAAAAp4/NwXbwGqWtMY/s400/DSC00491.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That night we just ate a little Irish Pub in Gamla Stan, because they had the USA/Argentina soccer game on. Funny thing was, a couple from Zurich sat down at our table with us and I swear it was the longest conversation I ever had with a Swiss person and I lived their for a year - ha! I guess they are more friendly outside their country:) ALSO, this wasn't to offend any Swiss - all the Swiss that we went out with from ABB (and their spouses) were lovely - just all the other random Swiss people were standoffish - but honestly I think the Swiss like that about themselves - it is just part of their culture - "don't bother with the pesky foreigners - they'll eventually leave anyway":)! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sunday morning we woke up and headed to <a href="http://www.skansen.se/">Skansen</a> - an open air "old time" Swiss Museum with old farmsteads, Nordic animals, traditional crafters and the like. Buildings have been brought in from all over the country and Skansen gives you a glimpse of what it was like to live in Sweden from as early as the 1300s to the early 1900s. It was such a beautiful day to be outside and we enjoyed learning more about Swedish History. If you go, I recommend bringing a picnic - so many great places to have one! Again with the crappy pics though, so I'm only posting two...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrhRm7no8I/AAAAAAAAAqY/rCqkSgr8NJA/s1600/DSC00505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrhRm7no8I/AAAAAAAAAqY/rCqkSgr8NJA/s400/DSC00505.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Nathan with on of the huge Elk!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrhiP8RkSI/AAAAAAAAAq0/QPmy8IH3R0w/s1600/DSC00518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCrhiP8RkSI/AAAAAAAAAq0/QPmy8IH3R0w/s400/DSC00518.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>In the early 1900s people had moved into the city but still needed plots of land for vegetable gardening, so they would buy small plots of land and then build "houses" on them that the whole family would live in for the weekend. My Dad built my sisters and I a playhouse that was bigger than this when we were little - crazy that a family of more than 5 would stay there!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The cruise home was a little more relaxed than the way there (we both had to wake up and work Monday morning), but we still had to have our departing lonkero!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCriKk9yo4I/AAAAAAAAAro/H2GnvDrM3Tw/s1600/DSC00541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TCriKk9yo4I/AAAAAAAAAro/H2GnvDrM3Tw/s400/DSC00541.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I'm pretty sure Nathan is saying "Dude, get your feet off me":), but I stayed in this position for hours and even got burnt!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We loved our Swedish Midsummer Weekend and would be happy to be invited back next year:)! Skål!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></div><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/wheresmandyandnate/Sweden?feat=directlink">Link to the rest of our pics!</a>Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03944786394094165035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-84048342241332697812010-06-21T06:47:00.002-04:002010-06-21T11:44:11.786-04:00Dumb and Dumber do the Archipelago!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
This past weekend we went to Turku to check out the archipelago islands. It really felt like something straight out of a movie...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TB8VQdRWw5I/AAAAAAAAHEc/6I9IefhhJ0A/s1600/mandndumbanddumberfinal4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" ru="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TB8VQdRWw5I/AAAAAAAAHEc/6I9IefhhJ0A/s320/mandndumbanddumberfinal4.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TB8VaN7EiQI/AAAAAAAAHEk/nn9M6xwOSzo/s1600/mandndumbanddumberfinal5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" ru="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TB8VaN7EiQI/AAAAAAAAHEk/nn9M6xwOSzo/s400/mandndumbanddumberfinal5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>But we'll get to that part in a minute.<br />
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Saturday morning we took a two hour train west to Turku to see the city and some of the 20,000 islands of the Turku archipelago for the weekend. After checking into our hotel, we headed to the Tourist Info center to see if they had any maps, ideas, etc for us to do. The forecast was for rain on Saturday so we decided to just check out the city and Turku Castle on that day and head out to the archipelago on Sunday.<br />
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(FYI - We booked a great hotel deal online with the Holiday Inn for only 61 Euros. We were very happy with our room and the hotel was only 4 blocks from the city center - we recommend it if you are taking a weekend here.)<br />
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We decided to walk from the city center along the Aura River to Turku Castle (about 5 km) - it hadn't started raining yet so we wanted to enjoy as much time as possible outside before it did! This is when I got this cool shot - I am still loving my panaramic camera setting!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8tzzepodI/AAAAAAAAAfA/I1HE2Rg3j7E/s1600/DSC00186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" ru="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8tzzepodI/AAAAAAAAAfA/I1HE2Rg3j7E/s400/DSC00186.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Then we came across the Forum Marinum (National museum specialising in Finnish shipping and naval history). <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8t3yBQnaI/AAAAAAAAAfI/Ol69Fq8KlDE/s1600/DSC00188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8t3yBQnaI/AAAAAAAAAfI/Ol69Fq8KlDE/s400/DSC00188.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Suomen Joutsen</em></div><br />
What was even more impressive is that we came across this propeller outside and Nathan says "Oh that must be the <a href="http://www.abb.com/cawp/db0003db002698/b4c6f2757969bba6c12571f100410217.aspx">Azipod from ABB</a>" What? How the hell did he know that? I am impressed Nathan - not gonna lie.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8t7UO5CrI/AAAAAAAAAfM/JeGfWgMB3Cs/s1600/DSC00191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ru="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8t7UO5CrI/AAAAAAAAAfM/JeGfWgMB3Cs/s400/DSC00191.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Wow - are we supposed to be looking at this big propeller or Nathan's big guns?</em></div><br />
Finally onto Turku Castle. It was really cool to tour this castle because you got to go into almost every room! And wow - it was massive - much bigger than it seemed! The castle took over 200 years to build and you could see through the exhibitions how they lived during each century. I thought it was pretty cool that it went from so primitve to having a Renaissance floor added in the 16th century - I wasn't expecting it to be so ornate when we finally arrived on that floor!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uMjbycEI/AAAAAAAAAfs/7CsL7SzOCmE/s1600/DSC00204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uMjbycEI/AAAAAAAAAfs/7CsL7SzOCmE/s400/DSC00204.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Entrance to Turku Castle</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uIIYb88I/AAAAAAAAAfk/Yl1wrs51Tyw/s1600/DSC00200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ru="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uIIYb88I/AAAAAAAAAfk/Yl1wrs51Tyw/s400/DSC00200.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>My favorite room in the castle - this beautiful renaissance church</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uFRyinZI/AAAAAAAAAfg/yREhar8OHKw/s1600/DSC00198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ru="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uFRyinZI/AAAAAAAAAfg/yREhar8OHKw/s400/DSC00198.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Nathan's favorite room in the castle. He is always fascinated with the "crapper" when he is in an old castle...I guess boys never do grow up...</em></div><br />
Then onto Turku Cathedral - which was beautiful. But it was raining pretty hard by then so we headed back to the hotel for a sauna.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uOj7XzQI/AAAAAAAAAfw/eOAX1DkfehI/s1600/DSC00205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ru="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uOj7XzQI/AAAAAAAAAfw/eOAX1DkfehI/s400/DSC00205.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Turku Cathedral</em></div><br />
The sauna. I don't really get it. I mean sitting in a small, hot and humid room is not my idea of a fun afternoon. I could sit in my sister's garage in Albany, GA if I wanted to do that (which I don't). And then add in a bunch of naked people. No thanks. Again, I don't understand saying to my friends - "Hey let's get naked and hang out (literally) in the sauna for the next hour and talk about the upcoming Eclipse movie. Sound good?" Uh - not so much. Oh and then I forgot to add that we could jump in an ice pool at the end - yippee! However, Nathan loves it, so I said I would go, but probably never again - unless it isn't a public sauna. Seriously no one wants to see that. (Oh, and for the record, WE both had on our swim suits.)<br />
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For dinner on Saturday night we went to a place called <a href="http://www.blanko.net/">Blanko</a> that was fabulous!! I wanted to go to a seafood restaurant (we <em>are</em> right on the water) but they didn't really have one of those - weird. Anyway, our hotel suggested this fusion-style restaurant and it was amazing. Their most popular dish is the Lamb Pasta Blanko- one of the best meals I've had in a long time and the Garlic Scallops appetizer was really delicious too. We highly recomend it for all you Turku visitors!<br />
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Sunday morning we woke up to a nice sunny day - thank goodness! Since I flat out refused to ride my bike the 110 km around the inner circle route of the archipelago islands, Nathan came up with the brilliant idea to get the next best thing - a scooter! He wanted to "feel" the archipelago. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uY4VXekI/AAAAAAAAAgA/RUkvWT4YTxU/s1600/DSC00220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ru="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uY4VXekI/AAAAAAAAAgA/RUkvWT4YTxU/s400/DSC00220.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>"Just when I thought you couldn't do anything dumber you go ahead and do something like this and...TOTALLY redeem yourself!"</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnkefjCES-4">Gotta love this clip from the movie Dumb and Dumber - a classic for sure!</a></div><br />
We headed north and started our trek to Naantali. While we were enjoying our breakfast we looked at the map to discuss our route and I remembered that the tourist info person had said something about the ferry schedule and how it didn't run very often. We found the time table she had given us, and it said the ferry from Hanka to Nagu (the direction we wanted) was at 11 am, 2:30 pm, and 6 pm. We decided we needed to be on the 11 am at all costs which was a bit of a problem since it was 10 am and we were about 50 km away from it and our scooter maxed out at 57 km/hour and only 32 km/hour uphill (which surprisingly there was a lot of)! Well we had better get the show on the road! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uff8vI5I/AAAAAAAAAgI/2Wbf26TpGAs/s1600/DSC00223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uff8vI5I/AAAAAAAAAgI/2Wbf26TpGAs/s400/DSC00223.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Do I look scared? I kinda am.:)</em></div><br />
We made it with 1 minute to spare! We basically drove our scooter onto the boat and they shut the gate and took off! Nathan said he was willing the go all "Dukes of Hazard" on them and jump the water into the boat but THANK GOD we didn't have to go there! The ferry was about 1 hour long and we got the most beautiful views of the archipelago. Also, the very nice lady who worked on the boat told us about a great restaurant to eat at once we got to Nagu - and since these trips are "all about the food" as Nathan says we were psyched.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uzOFnm5I/AAAAAAAAAg4/R9gJP165u3k/s1600/DSC00236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8uzOFnm5I/AAAAAAAAAg4/R9gJP165u3k/s400/DSC00236.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Beautiful shot from the ferry as we left Hanka</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vD4T_mNI/AAAAAAAAAhY/Gy12R1g-76U/s1600/mandnwfiflag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" ru="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vD4T_mNI/AAAAAAAAAhY/Gy12R1g-76U/s400/mandnwfiflag.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>You know what I especially love about being on a boat? They always have a flag! Might be the money shot!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vF71V1fI/AAAAAAAAAhc/hfRd5Tgjbl0/s1600/DSC00265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vF71V1fI/AAAAAAAAAhc/hfRd5Tgjbl0/s400/DSC00265.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Check out all the little islands!</em></div><br />
Nagu had a cute little seaside village that we explored before heading about 10km outside of the town to Kirjais - the little island with the recomended restaurant! Once we saw the Cafe Bystrand we were so excited to be eating at an "off the beaten path" true seaside restaurant with no other tourists. And the food didn't disappoint - I finally got my fish (perch over a delicous horseradish sauce - mmmmm) and Nathan had the best burger either of us had EVER tasted! Which again sounds a little weird - but this place was a steak house. Which I don't really get - how come no one was specializing in fish since they are right on the water?! I guess I will never know - maybe they are sick of fish? I guess that would be a reasonable assumption...I'll go with that!:)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vOa1m3wI/AAAAAAAAAhw/Bnp2l5ecfmU/s1600/DSC00274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vOa1m3wI/AAAAAAAAAhw/Bnp2l5ecfmU/s400/DSC00274.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>On our way to Kirjais - we decided to get some shots with the scooter...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vV51zfII/AAAAAAAAAh8/0wFgCDVNErk/s1600/DSC00277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vV51zfII/AAAAAAAAAh8/0wFgCDVNErk/s400/DSC00277.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>My favorite action shot, but Nathan refused to get on it with ME driving - what's up with that?</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vUm0pZ3I/AAAAAAAAAh4/hCSCpnJIHgA/s1600/DSC00276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vUm0pZ3I/AAAAAAAAAh4/hCSCpnJIHgA/s400/DSC00276.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Cafe Bystrand</em></div><br />
Then back on the road to complete the loop back to Turku. What a great Sunday - sun on our faces, wind in our hair, almost running out of gas - who could ask for more? In the end, the scooter was an amazing choice (you go Nathan) and I know it added to our archipelago "experience"! We highly recomend this choice if you come!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vhHXz9QI/AAAAAAAAAiU/m9HOuIj68cs/s1600/DSC00282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vhHXz9QI/AAAAAAAAAiU/m9HOuIj68cs/s400/DSC00282.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This was just a short ferry that took people and cars about 1 km from one island to another because there wasn't a bridge. We were super happy too - since that was one more km closer to the gas station!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vp4_byGI/AAAAAAAAAio/IJtlWzKsGtA/s1600/DSC00288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vp4_byGI/AAAAAAAAAio/IJtlWzKsGtA/s400/DSC00288.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>By this point I was too tired to take off my helmet:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vreWeP3I/AAAAAAAAAis/oqeIKp5wOfY/s1600/DSC00289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vreWeP3I/AAAAAAAAAis/oqeIKp5wOfY/s400/DSC00289.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Our last view of the archipelago before heading back to Turku.</em></div><br />
What a great trip! Lloyd and Harry - eat your heart out!;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vaXsGwMI/AAAAAAAAAiI/HilfCDoUXVg/s1600/mandndumberdumber3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" ru="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TB8vaXsGwMI/AAAAAAAAAiI/HilfCDoUXVg/s400/mandndumberdumber3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-72733604641706072462010-06-18T04:47:00.000-04:002010-06-18T04:47:31.488-04:00We ate reindeer.Sorry Santa but when in <strike>Rome</strike> Helsinki - you must try the Finnish Food! <br />
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Last night Nathan and I had dinner with two of his colleagues at <a href="http://www.konstanmolja.fi/frameset_en.html">Ravintola Konstan Möljä</a> at the recommendation from another local colleague. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TBstf3TM0VI/AAAAAAAAHDs/X0llx-HbvUY/s1600/DSC00182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TBstf3TM0VI/AAAAAAAAHDs/X0llx-HbvUY/s400/DSC00182.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Apparently this restaurant is quite well known for its traditional Finnish buffet menu including - marinated herring, sour cabbage, karelian pie, roast reindeer, and so much more - sound appetizing? Well actually - it was! I was a little hesitant to try the marinated herring - I wasn't sure how cold fish in some yellow sauce was going to taste, but I loved it (the sauce was, to my surprise, dijon)! The reindeer was actually pretty good too- waaaaaaay better than deer meat! Nathan and I weren't all that keen on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_pasties">karelian pie</a>, but while writing this blog I looked up exactly what it was and unfortunately since we weren't with any actual Finnish people we missed the fact that we were supposed to spread munavoi (egg butter) on top of it. I guess we'll just have to try it again - EVERYTHING tastes better with butter;)! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TBsudWsQhzI/AAAAAAAAHD0/IHtsNuh-Bis/s1600/karelianpie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TBsudWsQhzI/AAAAAAAAHD0/IHtsNuh-Bis/s400/karelianpie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Karelian pie - a traditional finnish pastry made from rye bread and rice</em></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The restaurant is owned and run but a cute little couple that wear traditional Finnish dress. They were very nice and explained to us (in english) all about the menu items, the traditional dress, origin of the recipes (his family is from the finnish island Uuras), and the "dock" theme of the restaurant. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I would definitely recommend this restaurant to any of you traveling to Helsinki, and if you come to visit us, I'm sure we will go! And Nathan's favorite part - it was only 18 Euros per person!:) Woo hoo!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a></div>Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-61906406227834422532010-06-17T06:36:00.001-04:002010-06-17T09:56:53.039-04:00To all our Swedish readers...I found Kauralastuja cookies at the grocery store today and am now addicted! So good! If anyone has their grandmother's recipe and wants to share it with me - please do;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yoswagger/4708871984/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Swedish Cookies by SwaggerGifts, on Flickr"><img alt="Swedish Cookies" height="293" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4708871984_fb033d157b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>And yes this is my plate for lunch...don't judge me!:)</em></div>The back of the label reads:<br />
<blockquote>The delicious biscuits of Gillebagaren are baked in the small village Örkelljunga, in the woods of North Scania. They are made of the best ingredients, after old traditional Swedish recipes. Healthy oat flakes are being used in Gillegagaren's biscuits.</blockquote>Now I think we can all agree that the most important line was the last one that stated "healthy oats" are used. Thank goodness! I thought I was going to get fat eating them since there isn't any nutritional facts on the box, but not now!! Thank you Sweden - I am indebted to your cookie making ability!<br />
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In other Swedish news... we are headed to Stockholm! If anyone has ideas for things for us to do please let us know! It would be greatly appreciated!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-46364677787904647852010-06-13T06:58:00.002-04:002010-06-13T06:59:56.038-04:00Our first weekend in HelsinkiLast weekend, was our first weekend in Helsinki. Saturday was beautiful - around 60 degrees and bright blue skies! We (read Nathan) thought it would be a great idea to bike into the city center and explore. I was a good wife and agreed, but as you can tell from <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/2009/05/does-this-look-like-my-happy-face_17.html">this post</a> - I'm not a huge fan of biking.<br />
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First we biked to Nathan's work to find the route that he could start taking to work. It isn't that far from our place AND I found the Alko (wine store) so part one of the excursion got an A+ from me. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyLpmaEuGI/AAAAAAAAAYA/ldZOm2hwWH0/s1600/DSC00030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyLpmaEuGI/AAAAAAAAAYA/ldZOm2hwWH0/s400/DSC00030.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Then onto the city center - it was only about 6.5 km (we probably rode 10 km the whole day) but it seemed like forever - I had obviously gotten out of shape during my month long break in North Carolina!<br />
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When we FINALLY got there we decided to break for lunch (thank goodness). We had a nice little picnic in Esplanade Park which was a great place for people watching. My question is "Where's the Chikfila? I want one of those new Spicy Chicken Sandwiches!"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyLwetuA0I/AAAAAAAAAYM/vVfO5ib1Dao/s1600/DSC00037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyLwetuA0I/AAAAAAAAAYM/vVfO5ib1Dao/s400/DSC00037.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Follow me to Chikfila!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From there we biked down to the harbor and checked out Market Square. Lots of cool Finnish handmade crafts and food that smelled really tasty - we'll have to come back here for a snack for sure! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From Market Square we caught a boat over to <a href="http://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/">Suomenlinna/Sveaborg</a>, a sea fortress that was built, starting in 1748, on the islands off the coast of Helsinki. The boat trip took about 15 minutes and for the first time I got to see how beautiful the Gulf of Finland truly is. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyL6_Bu9PI/AAAAAAAAAYo/Asp-lZxgdK8/s1600/DSC00049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" qu="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyL6_Bu9PI/AAAAAAAAAYo/Asp-lZxgdK8/s400/DSC00049.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>We just bought the new Sony Cybershot with panarama cabilities and this is our first shot - pretty cool! (Of course this would have been an awesome feature in Egypt but I going to try NOT to dwell on that!)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we landed, we followed the blue tourist path around the Suisaari and Kustaanmiekka islands to all the historical sites. We also ventured off a couple times just to take in the scenery - I definitely want to come back and have a picnic here - all the locals were doing it - probably becauase the views were amazing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMfOwZrQI/AAAAAAAAAaA/6_IFNvPf4Gs/s1600/DSC00087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMfOwZrQI/AAAAAAAAAaA/6_IFNvPf4Gs/s400/DSC00087.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Map of the area so you can visualize where we are.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMAtiP9bI/AAAAAAAAAY0/kOl55BxP3yA/s1600/DSC00056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMAtiP9bI/AAAAAAAAAY0/kOl55BxP3yA/s400/DSC00056.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Suomenlinna Church</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMCVT4wdI/AAAAAAAAAY4/68tjhpIdRfU/s1600/DSC00058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMCVT4wdI/AAAAAAAAAY4/68tjhpIdRfU/s400/DSC00058.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Vesikko Submarine</em> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMIzKGv-I/AAAAAAAAAZE/1XCK94Q5suc/s1600/DSC00062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMIzKGv-I/AAAAAAAAAZE/1XCK94Q5suc/s400/DSC00062.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Courtyard</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMO8c0IAI/AAAAAAAAAZU/17tcSf19nBE/s1600/DSC00066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" qu="true" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMO8c0IAI/AAAAAAAAAZU/17tcSf19nBE/s400/DSC00066.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>View from the Fortress</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMXt_L62I/AAAAAAAAAZs/7Lx8Qp0f9WM/s1600/DSC00071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMXt_L62I/AAAAAAAAAZs/7Lx8Qp0f9WM/s400/DSC00071.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Nathan at Kustaanmiekka ready to kick some commi ass! (Too bad the guns are still facing east towards Sweden from when Finland was a part of Russia during the 19th century - it was still a good try though honey - the Finnish army might try to recruit you!)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMZZElTgI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/WT1iz5poejs/s1600/DSC00083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" qu="true" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMZZElTgI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/WT1iz5poejs/s400/DSC00083.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMbKhdtYI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/sGhEUdUtpJU/s1600/DSC00084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TAyMbKhdtYI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/sGhEUdUtpJU/s320/DSC00084.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Both pics above are of me at King's Gate - which is the symbol of Suomenlinna and the entrance gateway to the fortress.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not sure why, but I'm slightly obsessed with getting a good picture of Nathan and I with the flags of the countries we are living in. Here is our first attempt at geting one with the Finnish Flag... obviously we are going to have to go for round two!:)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TBJWpAp2cPI/AAAAAAAAAdg/spad80rkm8o/s1600/NateandIwithFIflag_snagit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" qu="true" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/TBJWpAp2cPI/AAAAAAAAAdg/spad80rkm8o/s400/NateandIwithFIflag_snagit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I went ahead and pointed out the flag - just in case you couldn't find it!:) Obviously NOT the money shot!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Theb we took a boat back to the mainland and checked out some of the cool shops. I am DEFINITELY going to have to spend a day shopping (preferably without Nathan:)). And finally I begged Nathan to take the train home - he is such a good husband and said yes! Thank you honey - my butt greatly appreciated it!</div><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03944786394094165035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-73693812734431492492010-06-10T04:03:00.001-04:002010-06-10T04:03:00.378-04:00Our New Finnish DigsNow the moment I KNOW you have all been waiting for - the unveiling of our new 400 sq ft apartment:)! Sorry this took a while to post but I had to get it all clean and straightened up! I made a video so you guys could get the true experience. I have included a link to the pictures at the bottom just in case you can't get the video. (Just click on the "picture" below to start it.)<br />
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This apartment is about 200 sq feet smaller than our one in Zurich - basically we are missing the spare bedroom. I laugh because I told my friend Miriam on the phone yesterday that it was pretty spacious - my how our perspectives change!:) I think I even said the kitchen was big! Makes me laugh but does go to show that we don't really need a big house (but I learned that after we moved out of Apex!) The simpler life for sure. <br />
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Things I love:<br />
1. The TV speaks to us in English! Yeah! I guess it is b/c such a small population of people speak Finnish (and it seems to me that 80% of that population speaks English) that they don't waste the money to dub it - they just use subtitles. Point for Finland.<br />
2. We live on the 3rd floor and there is no elevator. I guess this could go in either the love or hate category - but I am going to choose to "love it" because it will be part of my work out each day (okay yes I know it is only 3 flights but I have been doing it several times a day!)<br />
3. Our freezer is huge! (Again perspective) More room for ice cream! (See number 2 - hopefully these two things will even each other out:)).<br />
4. We have a nice sized storage closet. The bummer part is that most of it had already been taken up by stuff that was left here (not sure by previous owners or by corporate apartment people so I didn't want to throw it away).<br />
5. We don't have a closet/wardrobe in our bedroom. Again this could be love or hate - but chosing to "love it" because now when Nathan gets ready in the morning he does it in the hallway and doesn't wake me up!:)<br />
6. It is really quite at night - no Hookah Bar blasting music all night long!<br />
7. The shower, sink and washing machine all use the same faucet. I don't know why I love it - it just cracks me up! Good efficient engineering I guess!<br />
8. There is a bike storage on the bottom floor. We didn't have this in Switzerland (we had to keep our bikes on our balcony) which kind of sucked because it was hard to carry my bike up and down the stairs by myself (especially with groceries). This is even more awesome since Nathan is biking to work (it cuts 20 minutes off his commute daily) and I have to bike to the Wine Store (it would take forever to walk it - although you know I would if I had to!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TA9h2aYLrJI/AAAAAAAAHB8/sFAUcFDhCaI/s1600/bikingtowork.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TA9h2aYLrJI/AAAAAAAAHB8/sFAUcFDhCaI/s400/bikingtowork.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Yep - that's my man - biking home from work. And before you ask - yes - the grey "Grease Preventing Biking Legwarmers" were his invention (I named them though:)). They are the zip off part off hiking pants held up with rubber bands at the top and bottom. Thank goodness he has a Georgia Tech education or he might not have been able to engineer these himself:)</em></div><br />
Things I don't love as much:<br />
1. We don't have a dishwasher (well technically we do...me) or toaster, but we do have a microwave. We didn't have a microwave for the last year and I didn't really miss it at all, but I do eat a piece of toast every morning. I have been using the oven to toast the bread but that seems like a lot of effort... (oh and before you say go buy one - I tried that already - but remember who I am married to - no frivously spending - but seriously isn't that the best kind of spending?)<br />
2. No bedroom door. This is a big bummer because I came up with the ingenious idea to use one of the bed covers as a curtain to help block the light, but so much additional light comes in from the kitchen that it is almost pointless.<br />
3. Three twin beds in the bedroom. The first night Nathan tried to snuggle with me and the beds ended up coming apart in the middle of the night and he ended up on the floor - actually pretty funny:). Well maybe I should but this in the "love it" category - it has taught him to stay on his side of the bed!:)<br />
4. Our suburb/village is kind of remote - not a lot of shopping places or things to occupy my time when I'm trying to avoid working.:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TA9i1580s1I/AAAAAAAAHCE/AzCeg_TzYus/s1600/DSC00093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TA9i1580s1I/AAAAAAAAHCE/AzCeg_TzYus/s400/DSC00093.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>"Downtown" view of the metropolis that we live in. Sorry - there is another grocery store and hair salon that I couldn't get in the picture - the area was just TOO big!:) But hey- at least we have a grocery store within walking distance!</em></div><br />
Well I guess the "Love its" win 2 to 1 - woo hoo! Now that I've settled in (and quit whining) - I'm expecting another great European Summer!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /><br />
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p.s. - <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/wheresmandyandnate/OurApt?authkey=Gv1sRgCKmWmunM5uXHxwE&feat=directlink">Here is the link to the apartment pics if you can't watch the video</a>.Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-13740371931426604102010-06-09T03:59:00.000-04:002010-06-09T03:59:57.888-04:00I think I'm overdosing on Vitamin D.Has anyone been to their health care professional lately? I think they are all pushing Vitamin D. My doctor checked mine and it was "extremely low" (which I'm pretty sure is due to the fact that Zurich is grey during the entire winter and I didn't get enough sunlight) so I am now taking 50,00 units a week.<br />
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Then we moved to Finland - 20 hours of sunlight a day. Overdose for sure! Side effects - staying up past 10 pm on a week night! Even Nathan! No HBT (horizontal by 10) for us this summer. So feel free to call us at your leisure - we are wired!:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TA9IhQ4EIZI/AAAAAAAAHBs/jhfF2Cmv8eA/s1600/10+pm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TA9IhQ4EIZI/AAAAAAAAHBs/jhfF2Cmv8eA/s400/10+pm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The view from our balcony around 10 pm at night - still really bright!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TA9JJzpLmnI/AAAAAAAAHB0/ycsmG2dPFMg/s1600/4+am.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/TA9JJzpLmnI/AAAAAAAAHB0/ycsmG2dPFMg/s400/4+am.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>View from our balcony at 4 am (I took this the first night when I woke up and couldn't sleep due to the jet lag - I had to ask myself - did it even get dark? Still not sure...)</em></div><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-80892344618964310052010-06-05T03:31:00.000-04:002010-06-05T03:31:27.984-04:00Tässä sitä taas mennään - Helsinki, FinlandHere we go again! (or "tässä sitä taas mennään" in Finnish - as translated by Google translator:))!<br />
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Nathan and I both arrived in Helsinki this week - Nathan on Tuesday and me on Thursday. Nathan has been here many times, but I've never been to Finland, or any of the Scandanavian countries for that matter, so I have been very excited for this new adventure!<br />
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With that being said - the first 48 hours have been a little challenging so bare with me on this first post - okay?:)<br />
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I arrived in Helsinki via American Airlines on Thursday morning at 8:30 am - a very easy and uneventful flight. I then hopped in a cab to our new apartment (too heavy of luggage for public transportation AND I had no idea where I was going:)) where Nathan was waiting to greet me. The cab ride was about 20 minutes - the first thing I noticed was the lack of Alps.:) Of course I know I'm in Finland not Switzerland - but I had gotten so used to that view! Anyway, for what I could tell, Helsinki is very flat and green - lots of trees and (at least where I was) not a whole lot of buildings.<br />
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Nathan magically appeared when the cab pulled up in front of our apartment building (thank goodness), because I had no way of calling him down to get me.:) He carried my 50 lb suitcase up three flights of stairs (no elevator in this building) to our new home for the next 4 months. I had no idea what it was going to be like because I didn't get to see any pictures before I got here - I just knew that it was 40 square meters (about 400 square feet) - 20 square meters less than our old place.<br />
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The apartment is what it is. We have a bedroom with three twin beds in it, a kitchen, a bathroom where one faucet controls the washing machine, sink, and shower, and a sitting area with a couch, two chairs, a TV and the "Becker Command Center" as we like to call it (essentially the kitchen table with our three computers on it). I'll get back to all of this in a later post when I give you a video tour:)<br />
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We live on the top floor of a three story building on a very quiet tree lined street. No Hookah Bar downstairs. No train station noise in the background. Actually, no noise at all.<br />
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Nathan headed out around 9:30 am for work and walked me to the grocery store and train station, so I would have my bearings. The grocery store is a little bit farther than the one in Oerlikon, but we have a place to store our bikes on the ground level of our apartment, so I will be able to ride there (yeah!). <br />
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For lack of a better word - we basically live in a village - I can't say suburb because that would give you the wrong visualization. The "village center" has an R-kiosk, a market, another market that is also the post office, and a hair salon. Not a lot of action out here, which is slightly depressing me right now, but I haven't been able to get on the train to go into Helsinki proper, so I won't go into a full on "I need prozac" tailspin just yet. Nathan said it is only two stops to civilization (I mean Helsinki) and we are going today so I will get back to you on this subject. <br />
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Now back to the apartment - the corporate apartment - that isn't cheap. Seriously - this place gets a big WTF from me. The company that rents this place should be really embaressed. It was DISGUSTING when I got here - leftover food on the dishes in the cabinets (gross), an inch of hair and lint on the bathroom floor (double gross), bottle tops and other stuff under the couch, brown goo and other marks (possibly food?) on a lot of the walls and doors - and I could go on. First of all - who lived here before - a neanderthal? Food on the walls - really? And WHY wasn't the place cleaned before we got here - or possibly ever? <br />
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I mentioned a few of these things to Nathan before he left for work the first morning, so he sent an email to the apartment people. They sent over some 20 year old girl to "clean" about an hour later- I'm not sure she knew I would be there b/c she had a guy with her - possibly her boyfriend? - not sure. Anyway - he left when he saw me. She apologized for it being "not clean" and asked what the problem was. I pointed out the two things I had noticed (food on dishes and hair on bathroom floor), but at that point I hadn't had a good chance to check everything out. She spent about 20 minutes cleaning those two things and asked if there was anything else. I was too tired to deal with her and obviously if I had to explain what was dirty it was going to be pointless. I decided to finish my nap and then take on the cleaning myself. <br />
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I took me about 8 hours to clean our tiny 400 square foot apartment, but I feel a lot better now (just for the record the cleaning took place over two days - Thursday and Friday - since I also slept, unpacked, and worked on Swagger stuff as well). The kitchen was the worst. I washed ALL the kitchen stuff by hand (we don't have a dishwasher) and cleaned out the cabinets and refridgerator so our food would be "safe":). I then put everything I thought was gross into the storage area including the pillows and bed linens with random stains (we brought our own stuff - thank God). I can gladly report that both our mothers would be proud of the clealiness now - I know it would pass the white glove test! <br />
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Not sure what it is about moving to a new country that makes Nathan and I argue. Possibly it had something to do with when Nathan came home from work and wondered why I hadn't gone to the grocery store because he was hungry and wanted me to make him dinner. Seriously - I almost killed him - like boom - dead. Of course when I told him he could go to the grocery store that was completely out of the question - figures. I also said that since I had been working so hard the least he could do was take me into Helsinki and buy me dinner. Nope - that didn't work out either - "we're going on Saturday" he said - "can't you just wait"? Seriously?! He's lucky he's still alive - especially since I did go to the grocery store to buy stuff for dinner and they don't even sell wine there! (I came home and looked this up on the internet and apparently you have to go to a special alcohol store to buy wine - which is fine except that there isn't one in this village!) Could be a long 4 months people:)<br />
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Anyway - enough venting! Sorry guys - I think I'm just sleep deprived, wine deprived, and a little cranky from all the dirt and the fact that my computer died last night (literally) and doesn't look fixable:(. Hopefully I'll be back to my normal self by the end of the weekend after I "go into town" and see Helsinki. I need civilization - it makes me happy. I'm sure that will take me out of the "I miss Oerlikon - with all the people and stores" feeling. Hell - I'm even thinking that I'd take the Hookah Bar right now (did I just say that?)! But if I remember correctly the first couple of days in Switzerland weren't so fabulous either - shock of moving to a new culture and place I guess. I'm sure I'll be on the "I love Finland" bus soon - so stay tuned!<br />
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For the next post I plan on taking you on a tour of our new digs and showing you the picture that I took at 4 am when I couldn't sleep - gotta love being this far North!:)<br />
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Näkemiin!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-26978502978383060012010-04-28T07:00:00.006-04:002010-09-07T10:22:51.650-04:00Hiking near Lugano, SwitzerlandI couldn't believe we had spent an entire year here and never actually been to Ticino - the "Italian" Canton of Switzerland! Well, we had seen it on the train - but clearly that doesn't count - right? So it took me a few days, but I convinced Nathan that we should do a hike here for our last weekend in Switzerland! <br />
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I found a hike on <a href="http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/interests/hiking1/hiking-suggestions/top-hikes/san-salvatore-high-altitude-trail-to-morcote.html">myswitzerland.com</a> (one of my favorite sites!) from Monte San Salvatore to Morcote and then ending with a boat trip back to Lugano. Boat trip? Um hello - you know I'm in! The train ride was a little far for a one day trip - 3 hours there and back but we had a lot of stuff to do on Sunday (including pack) so we sucked it up and even convinced Sarah and Zann to come with us!<br />
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This 4 hour hike was said to have some of the best scenic views in Switzerland and it didn't disappoint! From the very start it was beautiful!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aj3VQH19I/AAAAAAAAAF0/yrmNil4idHM/s1600/mandyandnatelugano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aj3VQH19I/AAAAAAAAAF0/yrmNil4idHM/s400/mandyandnatelugano.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The summit of the Monte San Salvatore</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aj-h9N27I/AAAAAAAAAF8/MWkwFusTBWU/s1600/DSC00674-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aj-h9N27I/AAAAAAAAAF8/MWkwFusTBWU/s400/DSC00674-1.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Same location but to the South</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I thought we would have better views of the water during the middle part of the hike, but the trail went through the forest a lot - we even hiked through the Lugano Botanical Gardens - it was still a little early in the season but I know it will be beautiful in a few weeks when everything is in bloom!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9ak8AV6kWI/AAAAAAAAAGY/74ZlGHuuKCY/s1600/DSC00689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9ak8AV6kWI/AAAAAAAAAGY/74ZlGHuuKCY/s400/DSC00689.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Nathan chillin' in the botanical gardens:)</em></div><br />
The end of the hike was so amazing - I really thought we were in Italy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9alhRJ3cZI/AAAAAAAAAGo/Sa6Bp6PlYsI/s1600/DSC00704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9alhRJ3cZI/AAAAAAAAAGo/Sa6Bp6PlYsI/s400/DSC00704.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9alqVLSwtI/AAAAAAAAAG0/wPaX8qx01IE/s1600/DSC00706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9alqVLSwtI/AAAAAAAAAG0/wPaX8qx01IE/s400/DSC00706.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9amXgQ9CRI/AAAAAAAAAHU/RO-fmB4CfAM/s1600/DSC00713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9amXgQ9CRI/AAAAAAAAAHU/RO-fmB4CfAM/s400/DSC00713.JPG" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aml7lMLiI/AAAAAAAAAHc/VG5j5jeaG04/s1600/DSC00717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aml7lMLiI/AAAAAAAAAHc/VG5j5jeaG04/s400/DSC00717.JPG" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9am43LXfHI/AAAAAAAAAHo/n7UqEulgOv4/s1600/DSC00721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9am43LXfHI/AAAAAAAAAHo/n7UqEulgOv4/s400/DSC00721.JPG" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><br />
And then - the boat ride back to Lugano!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9am9iKQ1xI/AAAAAAAAAHs/AvKOBwVGUOc/s1600/DSC00724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9am9iKQ1xI/AAAAAAAAAHs/AvKOBwVGUOc/s400/DSC00724.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>It really felt like we were in Italy - but cleaner and the public transportation ran on time - ha!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aod4tPRiI/AAAAAAAAAI4/dMlBIT-NDEw/s1600/DSC00726-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aod4tPRiI/AAAAAAAAAI4/dMlBIT-NDEw/s400/DSC00726-1.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>(ok.- beer the generic beer of Switzerland - ahhhhh!)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aoMLaO23I/AAAAAAAAAIs/bHa-MyvDkCk/s1600/moneyshot_seventies_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S9aoMLaO23I/AAAAAAAAAIs/bHa-MyvDkCk/s400/moneyshot_seventies_4.jpg" tt="true" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The whole time we have been here I have been trying to get a good picture of Nathan and I with the Swiss Flag and Sarah finally got it for us! I like to call this the money shot!:) Thanks Sarah!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We walked around the quaint little town of Lugano then had a great Italian dinner at Tango near the water- and topped it off with some gelato, of course! Great final weekend in Switzerland!<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/wheresmandyandnate/LuganoMonteSanSalvatoreToMorcato?feat=directlink">Here's a link to the rest of the pictures it you want to see them!</a><br />
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<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-70332648046321184592010-04-28T05:37:00.000-04:002010-04-28T05:37:09.665-04:00Boxes...gone!All the boxes were picked up today - half to be shipped back to the States, half going to Finland. This was a slightly different experience than the one we had a year ago when our stuff was shipped here. <br />
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First of all we had to pack our own boxes. Which I was actually fine with, but I was a little worried about making them too heavy since they gave us such big boxes - .288 square meters (big) - but Nathan was all "Don't worry about it - they'll send two big guys, they'll have a dolly - it will be fine. They wouldn't give us this size box if they didn't want us to fill it up!" Okay - I grasped that logic, so we filled, and filled, and FILLED the boxes - using only 7 of the 10 they gave us.<br />
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Jump forward to this morning. Nathan leaves for work at 7:45 a.m. Door bell rings at 8 a.m. sharp. Mover guy comes in - um yeah - as in mover, no plural, ONE guy! He asks where the boxes are and I point them out. He doesn't speak very good English (and I speak no German), but I tried anyway to ask him where the OTHER guy was. He pointed down stairs. Oh thank God - I thought I was going to have to help! <br />
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Then the guy proceeds to try to push the (very heavy) boxes out the front door into the elevator. Of course this is almost impossible, because of their size and weight (I kind of wait for the other guy to show up but when he doesn't), so I help. Then he tries to stack one box on top of the other inside the elevator. Which is almost impossible, because of the size and weight, so I help. Then he can't fit in the elevator with the boxes to get them to the bottom floor (you can't just call the elevator from the bottom - not sure why) so I get in the elevator with the boxes. Then I'm expecting a guy down there, but of course there is no one, and he can't get the boxes out of the elevator by himself, because of the SIZE and WEIGHT, so I HELP!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S9gBDNj2R-I/AAAAAAAAG9o/QOrnVKzOzxk/s1600/boxesaregone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S9gBDNj2R-I/AAAAAAAAG9o/QOrnVKzOzxk/s400/boxesaregone.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>A picture of the size of the boxes so you know I'm not exaggerating!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Does anyone see a problem here? A moving company sends one freaking dude to pick up boxes that they gave us, so they know how big they are! Too big for one person to carry! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I think I threw my back out. I'm suing. Oh wait - I can't. I'm in Switzerland. Damn!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Either way boxes are gone - we're almost outta here - only 2 more days!:)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></div>Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-74179198251906632632010-04-27T06:00:00.001-04:002010-04-27T06:00:07.931-04:00Floating in the Dead Sea is the life!<strong>Monday April 5th - Wednesday April 7th</strong><br />
Staying at the Jordan Valley Marriott at the Dead Sea was the perfect ending to our trip. We needed some pampering after our hard travels:)!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D4Ws6V7AI/AAAAAAAAGUE/UlqroDAGhyA/s1600/DSC00500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D4Ws6V7AI/AAAAAAAAGUE/UlqroDAGhyA/s400/DSC00500.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Marriott - now that's what I'm talking about!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D4blEuNqI/AAAAAAAAGUI/Pxi0f4PBgt8/s1600/DSC00504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D4blEuNqI/AAAAAAAAGUI/Pxi0f4PBgt8/s400/DSC00504.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Our home for the next two days!</em></div><br />
Floating in the Dead Sea was one of the things I was most looking forward to on our trip! I had lots of questions. I mean - are we really going to float? Like really float? How salty is this water anyway? How smooth will the Dead Sea mud make my skin? If the mud really works, could I just start digging and take some back in the zip lock that I brought with me just in case? Serious questions that needed to be answered!<br />
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So - yes - you float. It was kind of weird though, because I remember treading water even though I saw other people floating and then finally decided to just "trust the process" and voila - I was floating - very cool! The water is 30% salt - 8 times as salty as the ocean. And if you want to know - yes it burns like hell if you get it in your eye (thanks for "toeing" me in Zann - I am forever indebted to you as I thought I was officially blind after the "wave incident" - maybe trying to swim to Israel was a bad idea after all). I also got the water in my mouth - yuck. My mouth felt so dry and I ended up spitting for the next 3 hours trying to get the salt out of my mouth - it was way worse than the salt water concoction my mom used to make us gargle when we were kids and had a sore throat!:) Also, the salt doesn't ruin your bathing suit but the mud does - just a word to the wise! And finally, the mud does make your skin as smooth as a baby's butt, but I decided to just buy some from the gift store instead of going with the zip lock!<br />
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It was a bit of a process lathering on the mud, drying, and then floating - but we managed:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D42lgwdhI/AAAAAAAAGUw/ohUxmPMRb0A/s1600/DSC00515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D42lgwdhI/AAAAAAAAGUw/ohUxmPMRb0A/s400/DSC00515.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>First we float!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D49WyUKmI/AAAAAAAAGU4/pJpTugy-2xc/s1600/DSC00517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D49WyUKmI/AAAAAAAAGU4/pJpTugy-2xc/s400/DSC00517.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Not a care in the world!</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EAfdkz1eI/AAAAAAAAGZ4/4uuQc_rAg-8/s1600/DSC00518-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EAfdkz1eI/AAAAAAAAGZ4/4uuQc_rAg-8/s400/DSC00518-2.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Now the mud...how much do we need?</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8607uCphrI/AAAAAAAAGqk/bKiHsi0JTtk/s1600/DSC04091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8607uCphrI/AAAAAAAAGqk/bKiHsi0JTtk/s400/DSC04091.jpg" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>you're gonna need more than that...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EAs9G9p3I/AAAAAAAAGaA/VU9Z3jAfOwo/s1600/DSC00521-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EAs9G9p3I/AAAAAAAAGaA/VU9Z3jAfOwo/s400/DSC00521-1.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Perfect!</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D5JQAtH7I/AAAAAAAAGVA/E_I8_hBDsf8/s1600/DSC00524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D5JQAtH7I/AAAAAAAAGVA/E_I8_hBDsf8/s400/DSC00524.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>You've got to let it dry for the best results!</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D6Cld_OrI/AAAAAAAAGVg/C0P7fNIJ7o4/s1600/DSC00535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D6Cld_OrI/AAAAAAAAGVg/C0P7fNIJ7o4/s400/DSC00535.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Now back in the water to wash it off - I think our skin already felt smoother at this point! And what is Zann doing in the background - hilarious!:)</em></div><br />
This part of the vacation was the pampering I needed:) Frozen drinks at the lowest point on earth. Laying around reading magazines by the pool with an amazing view. Watching the sunset from the balcony. Aaaaah - I heart the Marriott and the Dead Sea! We also loved the food which was very "greek" - more hummus, olives, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, and olive oil on everything - yumm! I think at one point I said "I want to be Jordanian":)!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D6v4382qI/AAAAAAAAGV4/yENERzJrnn0/s1600/DSC00549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D6v4382qI/AAAAAAAAGV4/yENERzJrnn0/s400/DSC00549.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The view from our lounge chairs - this is the life!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D64WJDVOI/AAAAAAAAGV8/kYUFHyjJ9Ow/s1600/DSC00553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D64WJDVOI/AAAAAAAAGV8/kYUFHyjJ9Ow/s400/DSC00553.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Drinks at the "lowest place on Earth"!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S862g3v_FbI/AAAAAAAAGrI/v6Swy6rIDps/s1600/DSC04121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S862g3v_FbI/AAAAAAAAGrI/v6Swy6rIDps/s400/DSC04121.jpg" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Now that's low!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S862MuJ9_EI/AAAAAAAAGrA/0tBvb2r1dCs/s1600/DSC04112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S862MuJ9_EI/AAAAAAAAGrA/0tBvb2r1dCs/s400/DSC04112.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Our last night in paradise - drinks, dinner, the sunset and 31(our new favorite card game)! Well, my new favorite game since I was the winner! And I WANT my francs people!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Around 2 pm on Wednesday April 5th, a driver came to pick us up and take us to Amman to tour the city and then catch our 3 am flight home! We hadn't planned to tour Amman, but had heard there was some pretty cool architecture and ruins left from the Romans, so the boys looked up some stuff to do and booked it. We love our men:)! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First stop - we saw where Jesus was baptised - well actually just the parking lot.:) I wanted to say thanks to our driver who teased us with the parking lot saying sorry you didn't pay to go on this part of the tour - nice! Then he pointed out Mount Nebo - the place where Moses viewed the promised land - we didn't book that part either.:( But in our defense we only had a few hours and we didn't know how far away these sites were (apparently not that far) - I guess we'll just have to do that next year when we come back to the Dead Sea! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First stop in Amman was the Roman Theater built somewhere around 169 - 177 A.D. (but I read several conflicting dates - some a bit earlier some a bit later). With my minimal knowledge of Middle Eastern history (well history in general for that matter), I was amazed to see all the Roman ruins, but apparently the Romans ruled this area from around 30 B.C. to 614 A.D. and designed it to look like other Roman cities with columns, amphitheaters, roman bath houses, and streets - much of which you can still see the ruins of today. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EBi1gmF5I/AAAAAAAAGak/CqwZsGq2BX0/s1600/DSC00566-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EBi1gmF5I/AAAAAAAAGak/CqwZsGq2BX0/s400/DSC00566-1.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Roman Theater</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I found this statement about Amman " Amman is arguably one of the first human settlements in history. Thus, to visit Amman is to learn about the origin of human society." Very interesting statement that was backed up when we visited the First National Archaeological Museum at the Citadel in Amman, because it housed artificats from numerous civilizations dating back over 7000 years ago! Who knew?!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D3Eu-9yGI/AAAAAAAAGS8/23A2ZKivo4I/s1600/DSC00569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D3Eu-9yGI/AAAAAAAAGS8/23A2ZKivo4I/s400/DSC00569.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The entrance to the Citadel</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S863UxsZ_-I/AAAAAAAAGrY/lfyMHupkL3c/s1600/DSC04135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S863UxsZ_-I/AAAAAAAAGrY/lfyMHupkL3c/s400/DSC04135.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>View of Amman and the Roman Theater from the Citadel</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D3aa5GwQI/AAAAAAAAGTM/sagDyxIK9yM/s1600/DSC00576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D3aa5GwQI/AAAAAAAAGTM/sagDyxIK9yM/s400/DSC00576.JPG" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Dead Sea Scrolls are housed at the First National Archaeological Museum</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D3i-42zNI/AAAAAAAAGTU/L1VSak4aIbU/s1600/DSC00579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D3i-42zNI/AAAAAAAAGTU/L1VSak4aIbU/s400/DSC00579.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I can't wait for this vacation to end because I'm sick of taking pictures!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D3l71spGI/AAAAAAAAGTY/_KUI-C9jXRo/s1600/herculesnathan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D3l71spGI/AAAAAAAAGTY/_KUI-C9jXRo/s400/herculesnathan.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Nathan and the Temple of Hercules (which is larger than any temple in Rome itself)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">We finished our day with a little shopping at a Bazaar then an amazing Jordanian Dinner that we were all stuffed from and that cost less than $10 total (for all 4 of us)- you know Nathan loved that!:) Finally on to the airport as our trip was over:( </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S863fwo0MNI/AAAAAAAAGrc/zaJtUl3p7PA/s1600/DSC04141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S863fwo0MNI/AAAAAAAAGrc/zaJtUl3p7PA/s400/DSC04141.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Our last meal:( This was a cheese dessert that I can't for the life of me remember the name of - but it was really good!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D4DWWPG0I/AAAAAAAAGTw/sO66JLmdaxw/s1600/DSC00590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D4DWWPG0I/AAAAAAAAGTw/sO66JLmdaxw/s400/DSC00590.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>No better way to end a vacation than spending the night at the airport! Gotta protect our souvenirs - especially "the egg" - right Zann?</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">We had such an amazing time and loved every minute of it! One of the best trips we have ever been on! <br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">p.s. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.ch/yoswaggergifts/TheDeadSeaAndAmmanJordan?feat=directlink">Here is a link to all our Dead Sea and Amman photos.</a></div>Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-52216008639088622392010-04-26T04:31:00.002-04:002010-04-26T07:15:43.440-04:00Petra - The Lost City of Stone<strong>Monday April 5th</strong><br />
Okay, so I have to admit, before we started planning our trip to Egypt in December I had never even heard of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra">Petra</a>. I have to thank our friend, Diana, for telling us about this "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Seven_Wonders_of_the_World">New Seven Wonder of the World</a>" and for making us go! You may have seen it in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Transformers, or Mortal Combat - no? Well maybe these pictures will jog your memory - and if you are ever in this neck of the woods - we HIGHLY recommend going to Petra - it was unbelievable what the Nabataeans built all the way back in the 6th century B.C.<br />
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But let's back up - I have to mention our second trip across the desert from Sharm to Taba - Egypt's border with Israel that we had to cross to get to Jordan. The ride had basically the same scenery as our last car ride, but I did get to learn some Arabic - thanks to our tour guide, Diaa! I can now write my name - well kinda:)<br />
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After arriving at Taba, our original directions were to "walk through Israel to Jordan" where we we would have a car waiting for us. We were all very confused about this because when you look at a map it seems a lot further than walking distance - which it was. Thank goodness we received better information from Diaa once we got there - we just needed to walk a short distance then hop in a cab to the Jordan border - much better! However, we were told it would take about 25 minutes - not so much - but it wasn't that bad either - it took us about 1 hour and 45 minutes to cross Israel and both border controls.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dwn1bgtVI/AAAAAAAAGOU/T_Ev0O6K-tA/s1600/DSC00356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dwn1bgtVI/AAAAAAAAGOU/T_Ev0O6K-tA/s400/DSC00356.JPG" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Welcome to Israel</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D_lhggRbI/AAAAAAAAGZQ/c9-UUSJNzmM/s1600/DSC00357-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D_lhggRbI/AAAAAAAAGZQ/c9-UUSJNzmM/s400/DSC00357-1.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>They let us in - Yes! Now hopefully they will let us out:)<br />
Group shot on the Israel side of the Taba Border which is right on the Red Sea.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DxK3D8ElI/AAAAAAAAGO4/aac1PK_Mri0/s1600/DSC00370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DxK3D8ElI/AAAAAAAAGO4/aac1PK_Mri0/s400/DSC00370.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Phew - that "walk across the desert" was hard work, but we made it!</em></div>Once we started driving in Jordan, I was thrown off by the landscape. I was expecting the same terrain as Egypt - desert - but it was actually pretty green. Our driver told us that was because there were natural springs running under the land and that it actually snowed in that part of Jordan sometimes - huh - I never would have guessed that!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DxUm77pBI/AAAAAAAAGPA/bP43SOeDqkI/s1600/DSC00376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DxUm77pBI/AAAAAAAAGPA/bP43SOeDqkI/s400/DSC00376.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>View of the Jordanian landscape from the car -okay so it's not rolling green grass and oak trees or anything but more g reen than I thought - way more than Egypt where we saw no green!</em></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">It took us about 2 hours to get from the border to Petra where we met our tour guide, Aly. Aly was THE MAN! I swear he was the Mayor of Petra because everybody knew him - even the little bedouin children called him by name when we walked past them! If you use Memphis Tours definitely request Aly!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We started the tour by riding horses to the beginning of the Siq "the shaft" - the narrow passage that leads to Petra. I thought the Siq was beautiful in and of itself, but Aly kept saying "wait, this is nothing" and boy was he right. When we reached the end of the Siq the very first thing you see is the Al Khazneh "The Treasury" - unbelievable - carved right into the side of the sandstone cliffs! I thought I took pretty good pictures, but once I got home I realized they just don't do it justice, so - if you have the chance - GO SEE IT - it's amazing what they accomplished so long ago!:)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DyM5B757I/AAAAAAAAGPk/JraSa5EJKU0/s1600/DSC00398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DyM5B757I/AAAAAAAAGPk/JraSa5EJKU0/s400/DSC00398.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Horse ride down to the Siq - ha ha suckers to all the people walking!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dyx9NV7pI/AAAAAAAAGP8/hu6MfQDYS9Q/s1600/DSC00406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dyx9NV7pI/AAAAAAAAGP8/hu6MfQDYS9Q/s400/DSC00406.JPG" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The beginning of our walk through the Siq</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DzUrhEDQI/AAAAAAAAGQU/AQTagoMrpTo/s1600/DSC00416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DzUrhEDQI/AAAAAAAAGQU/AQTagoMrpTo/s400/DSC00416.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Aly showing us some of the Pagan God carvings by the Nabataeans.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DzsBcUwtI/AAAAAAAAGQo/Myz7pAAHvVw/s1600/DSC00427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DzsBcUwtI/AAAAAAAAGQo/Myz7pAAHvVw/s400/DSC00427.JPG" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>End of the Siq right before it opens up into the City - this was the first glimpse of the awesomeness we were about to see:)!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EBDzhsVgI/AAAAAAAAGaQ/L_yu5caUBMA/s1600/DSC00431-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EBDzhsVgI/AAAAAAAAGaQ/L_yu5caUBMA/s400/DSC00431-1.JPG" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Al Khazneh "The Treasury" - if you look closely you can see the two "dots" on both sides of the structure- those are the ends of the ladder that they used to build it - we were told they started at the top and worked their way down - hence all the "dots" - amazing!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D1L2p2ZmI/AAAAAAAAGRs/oY3REZz0Otc/s1600/DSC00457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D1L2p2ZmI/AAAAAAAAGRs/oY3REZz0Otc/s400/DSC00457.JPG" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The caves where were the people lived - a lot of the time amongst the dead - whom they cremated and then kept in the middle of their "house"</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EAF4fLo5I/AAAAAAAAGZg/NoovdIX-kic/s1600/DSC00461-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EAF4fLo5I/AAAAAAAAGZg/NoovdIX-kic/s400/DSC00461-1.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Urn Tomb is behind us to the right - the first of the Royal Tombs</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Petra, we headed about 3 hours north to the Dead Sea for a couple relaxing days at the Marriott - now that's the kind of hotel I'm talking about!</div><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /><br />
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p.s. - <a href="http://picasaweb.google.ch/yoswaggergifts/Petra?feat=directlink">Here's a link to the rest of our pictures of Petra if you want to see them.</a>Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-79181528122378852032010-04-22T06:40:00.001-04:002010-04-26T07:17:37.462-04:00Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt<strong>Friday April 2nd</strong><br />
After everyone agreed to getting up at 6 am (on vacation!) to travel by a "modern air-conditioned vehicle" across the desert, we finally made it to Sharm el Sheikh (hereby referred to as Sharm) about 7 1/2 hours later. Although it was a lot of the same thing - desert - it was still cool to see the Egyptian terrain and coast. It was only supposed to be a 6 hour trip, but with "tea" breaks (disguised as bathroom breaks by our drivers) and the fact that every time we crossed into a new area/city we had to go through a checkpoint, it took an additional 1 1/2 hours. The checkpoints were interesting - we would pull up to them, then our driver would give the Egyptian police guy a piece of paper, then in turn the police man would give him something back, and then we would be waved on by the man carrying the machine guy and on our way to the next checkpoint.<br />
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We couldn't quite figure out what the whole process was for (and our drivers didn't speak English), so we couldn't ask them what was going on. Our tour guide in Sharm, Diaa, explained it to me later though. He said that when traveling in Egypt you have to ask the Egyptian government for permission to go from point A to point B the day before you plan on traveling. Then they give you a piece of paper that says you have permission to travel this area, where you are headed, and the nationalities of the people in the car. This is what they were handing out the window. I'm not 100% sure what the police man handed us back and I don't want to speculate here - especially since we didn't always get something back - very strange. <br />
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One of the most interesting things was that each checkpoint had several men with machine guns (one would be standing behind an armored 4 foot shield), a guy holding a string that was attached to a device to pop tires (think the checkout area of a rental car place) that he could pull across the street at any time, and a supervisor that was usually doing nothing but drinking tea (they LOVE their tea!). I'm guessing that Egypt has a low unemployment rate because the government employees everybody! (These check points kind of reminded me of the DOT - one person works - five other stand around to see what he is doing - not that the U.S. has a low unemployement rate) :)! Sorry for the long description, but we never got a good picture of this process - I was scared to take a picture of the men with the guns! <br />
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Now onto the good part - Sharm!<br />
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We arrived at our all-inclusive hotel, the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g297555-d565322-Reviews-Three_Corners_Kiroseiz-Sharm_El_Sheikh_South_Sinai_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html">Kiroseiz Three Corners Resort</a>, around 2 - just in time to layout in the sun and start taking advantage of the "free" drinks! The Kiroseiz was okay - I would give it about a 3 star (but I am judging on American standards, so maybe that isn't fair?) My confidence about the cleanliness of the room was shaken a bit when I noticed that they refilled the shampoo and conditioner bottles (I think they were several years old) and there were splattered mosquito guts on the walls, but fortunately the sheets and towels were clean so I could deal with the other things. The bartenders had to be "worn down" as the boys put it before we started getting good service, the pool was nice, the 2 beaches were pretty (you had to take a bus to them as the hotel wasn't directly on the beach), and the buffet food was extensive and what I expected for an all inclusive. They did have a couple al a carte restaurants - we ate at the Indian one and it was amazing!! All in all - good value for our money and I can't really complain.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DvwgYOF3I/AAAAAAAAGNo/bEwj1SJv--E/s1600/DSC00337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DvwgYOF3I/AAAAAAAAGNo/bEwj1SJv--E/s400/DSC00337.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Here at last!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dvr6T_dLI/AAAAAAAAGNk/k8mpcIQqVqI/s1600/DSC00335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dvr6T_dLI/AAAAAAAAGNk/k8mpcIQqVqI/s400/DSC00335.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>(This picture was actually taken the day we left at 5:30 am which is why no one is here - it was actually really busy!)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The first night we ate at the Indian Restaurant, Bukhara -(I know Indian food in Egypt - but it was some of the best I have ever had)! We received a lot of attention from the wait staff because there weren't a lot of people eating in this restaurant (you had to pay here so most people chose the "free" buffet). This proved to be a lot of fun when they showed me how to cook naan (indian bread) by sticking MY hand into a 350 degree celsius (662 degrees F) traditional indian "oven". I didn't burn myself (thank goodness) and my naan was exceptional if I have to say so myself:)! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86rUx6JjFI/AAAAAAAAGmg/8324cbrLogI/s1600/DSCN0274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86rUx6JjFI/AAAAAAAAGmg/8324cbrLogI/s400/DSCN0274.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Dinner is served!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86riF_jDSI/AAAAAAAAGmo/NCTbeWfzMfw/s1600/DSCN0279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86riF_jDSI/AAAAAAAAGmo/NCTbeWfzMfw/s400/DSCN0279.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>How do you make that delicious bread? Oh you stick your hand in this really hot oven? Sure, I'll try.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86rnqCpI-I/AAAAAAAAGms/-fBy0AGo3d4/s1600/DSCN0280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86rnqCpI-I/AAAAAAAAGms/-fBy0AGo3d4/s400/DSCN0280.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>After a bit of psyching myself up - I did it! It doesn't seem like that big of a deal from the pics, but that mother was HOT!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DrA6bNBDI/AAAAAAAAGKw/BpM2LHjiWlo/s1600/DSC00216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DrA6bNBDI/AAAAAAAAGKw/BpM2LHjiWlo/s400/DSC00216.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Enjoying my culinary skills with the staff!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We ended the night at the Casino - I mean I am traveling with Nathan - hello!:) The casino took all our money except for Nathan's - go figure! <br />
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<strong>Saturday April 3rd</strong><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On Saturday morning, Josh, Nathan and I headed out to dive Shark and Yoland Reef in the Red Sea - 1 of the Top 10 places to dive in the World! We used <a href="http://www.colona.com/">Colona Divers</a> - who I highly recommend. They were a smaller dive outfit - which I like because I'm not a big fan of overcrowded dive/snorkeling boats!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Josh recently bought a waterproof casing for his point and shoot and here are some of the pics he took underwater (of course Nathan now wants the same casing:)):</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86rxPow2lI/AAAAAAAAGmw/rQVg2l5mLjs/s1600/DSCN0287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86rxPow2lI/AAAAAAAAGmw/rQVg2l5mLjs/s400/DSCN0287.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The port where we were checked for bombs, herded like cattle, then let on our boat.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86svT77hhI/AAAAAAAAGnI/-_r0ihM_arw/s1600/DSCN0313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86svT77hhI/AAAAAAAAGnI/-_r0ihM_arw/s400/DSCN0313.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Josh took this picture of me - I thought it was pretty cool shot!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86s6fsSg-I/AAAAAAAAGnM/yfBfde04Ljo/s1600/DSCN0316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86s6fsSg-I/AAAAAAAAGnM/yfBfde04Ljo/s400/DSCN0316.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>very cool tiger fish</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86tQsrUZ0I/AAAAAAAAGnU/T9NtlJcDoic/s1600/DSCN0321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86tQsrUZ0I/AAAAAAAAGnU/T9NtlJcDoic/s400/DSCN0321.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Not sure what this thing was, but it was running into us (it hit me on the back of the head a couple times) then it was using us as a shield to hide from and then attack smaller fish!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86tYc-A-lI/AAAAAAAAGnc/h-RRfxK8DT8/s1600/DSCN0330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86tYc-A-lI/AAAAAAAAGnc/h-RRfxK8DT8/s400/DSCN0330.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Underwater Group Shot - gotta have one of those!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86twcYdjbI/AAAAAAAAGnk/Ayj-1qrsBDc/s1600/DSCN0337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86twcYdjbI/AAAAAAAAGnk/Ayj-1qrsBDc/s400/DSCN0337.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Moray eel - ewww</em></div><br />
After we got back, we all headed to dinner at the restaurant at the Coral Beach - not one of my favorites and I don't recommend it - stick to the buffet at the main resort! We ventured down to the water after dinner and got on the floating dock, which we were then summed off of with bright fog lights and horns - good times!:) But we liked what we saw, and decided to come back to this beach on Sunday. <br />
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<strong>Sunday April 4th - Easter Sunday</strong><br />
It was a little strange to wake up in a Muslim country on Easter Sunday and them have Easter decorations all over the place - but I guess you have to play to your audience - right? We enjoyed a nice Easter breakfast and headed off to the Coral Beach.<br />
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The Coral Beach was even prettier during the day. We quickly figured out why it was called this when we ventured back down to the end of the floating dock and saw all the coral and marine life right there! At the very end of the dock it made a straight drop off right into the very deep sea (which is why they were blowing the horn at us to get off it at night I guess!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dr1AZfxGI/AAAAAAAAGLU/01bt0120JB4/s1600/DSC00230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dr1AZfxGI/AAAAAAAAGLU/01bt0120JB4/s400/DSC00230.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>We were laying out - right on the sea! And there is the infamous dock - don't fall off!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A little later in the day we rented a boat and snorkeling gear and headed to some pretty amazing reefs. I love vacation!:)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DsRh51H3I/AAAAAAAAGLc/AAhq60mkXO0/s1600/DSC00233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DsRh51H3I/AAAAAAAAGLc/AAhq60mkXO0/s400/DSC00233.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>"Jimmy" rented us the boat. Thanks Jimmy!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DsbRtNW1I/AAAAAAAAGLg/fmTwXy3rX60/s1600/DSC00234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DsbRtNW1I/AAAAAAAAGLg/fmTwXy3rX60/s400/DSC00234.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>"never thought i'd be on a boat" - I can hear T-pain now!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DtA_GoAsI/AAAAAAAAGL0/0o-NQx-WdOo/s1600/DSC00246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DtA_GoAsI/AAAAAAAAGL0/0o-NQx-WdOo/s400/DSC00246.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>You go Yosh - drive that boat! But seriously - can you do a better job than that other guy - I'm soaked!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Then finally onto one of my favorite parts of the trip - the Bedouin Dinner and Camel ride. We all LOVED this part of the trip - and I highly (highly!) recommend doing this! We loved our guide, Diaa, and we got a government appointed body guard (yes a body guard) so we felt like celebrities - I mean we already had Josh as our paparazzi!<br />
<br />
Right when we got to the Bedouin camp we got on our camels. Here are a bunch of our pictures because I love them so much!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DtYNq9t4I/AAAAAAAAGL8/h-scYUcelUE/s1600/DSC00250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DtYNq9t4I/AAAAAAAAGL8/h-scYUcelUE/s400/DSC00250.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Waiting for our camels...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S865zR0XNyI/AAAAAAAAGs4/XLbbQjffUqg/s1600/IMG_1622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S865zR0XNyI/AAAAAAAAGs4/XLbbQjffUqg/s400/IMG_1622.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>aaaah - there they are!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D-LUdM4II/AAAAAAAAGYM/H9bQ5JOYLM0/s1600/DSC00254-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D-LUdM4II/AAAAAAAAGYM/H9bQ5JOYLM0/s400/DSC00254-1.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>We made it up without falling off - yessssssssssss!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S866bDipbhI/AAAAAAAAGtQ/P8lqgp4k7nE/s1600/IMG_1629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S866bDipbhI/AAAAAAAAGtQ/P8lqgp4k7nE/s400/IMG_1629.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Then Sara almost got eaten by my camel - priceless shot!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S866nMQ5jyI/AAAAAAAAGtY/0yG2bsCTjII/s1600/IMG_1637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S866nMQ5jyI/AAAAAAAAGtY/0yG2bsCTjII/s400/IMG_1637.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Okay - I think we are all ready - yalla beina!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86uUgIMdFI/AAAAAAAAGn4/n-W3WT9ZbCI/s1600/DSCN0353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86uUgIMdFI/AAAAAAAAGn4/n-W3WT9ZbCI/s400/DSCN0353.jpg" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I love this picture- thank you Paparazzi Yosh!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S866xQJlQBI/AAAAAAAAGtk/fPhj5yRgS5I/s1600/IMG_1648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S866xQJlQBI/AAAAAAAAGtk/fPhj5yRgS5I/s400/IMG_1648.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This was our scenery - not too shabby!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86ubCoTyFI/AAAAAAAAGn8/AqxmMXv41Ew/s1600/DSCN0357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86ubCoTyFI/AAAAAAAAGn8/AqxmMXv41Ew/s400/DSCN0357.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>AEKDB - whatever that means:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D-euXKbXI/AAAAAAAAGYc/ORn28qxE8Ew/s1600/DSC00267-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D-euXKbXI/AAAAAAAAGYc/ORn28qxE8Ew/s400/DSC00267-1.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This was our tour guide Diaa - ask for him if you got to Sharm with Memphis Tours!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>In the middle of the ride we saw this guy "playing" with two cobras -unbelievable! We all said we wanted to see a snake charmer and this was close enough!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8668c9vE5I/AAAAAAAAGts/lc1Tajq8SPM/s1600/IMG_1656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8668c9vE5I/AAAAAAAAGts/lc1Tajq8SPM/s400/IMG_1656.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Then we saw this yahoo plaing with the cobras.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S867OrWkdFI/AAAAAAAAGt4/I6I3AQi489U/s1600/IMG_1661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S867OrWkdFI/AAAAAAAAGt4/I6I3AQi489U/s400/IMG_1661.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Are you kidding me? Don't look away!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S867am9B6yI/AAAAAAAAGuA/Mf3eZ1XPA7I/s1600/IMG_1666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S867am9B6yI/AAAAAAAAGuA/Mf3eZ1XPA7I/s400/IMG_1666.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Oh you were just waiting for the perfect time to lean over, grab them, and...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S867eUu6PeI/AAAAAAAAGuI/_guRUH5v5uk/s1600/IMG_1667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S867eUu6PeI/AAAAAAAAGuI/_guRUH5v5uk/s400/IMG_1667.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>PICK THEM UP! Oh okay - carry on then! Cheers!</em></div><br />
Finally getting off the camel is the tricky part - they said LEAN back - you've got to make sure not to fall off!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86zdcPOAuI/AAAAAAAAGqE/zpybSrpT8IE/s1600/DSC04042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86zdcPOAuI/AAAAAAAAGqE/zpybSrpT8IE/s400/DSC04042.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I really hope I don't look stupid doing this:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86zshBiqUI/AAAAAAAAGqI/vS1hAbY2BBo/s1600/DSC04043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86zshBiqUI/AAAAAAAAGqI/vS1hAbY2BBo/s400/DSC04043.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Phew - made it!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then we hiked up to the top of this dirt "mountain" to watch the sunset in the desert! Again wow. Breathtaking!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8677Q6FynI/AAAAAAAAGuk/8ORWlyLIB-k/s1600/IMG_1693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8677Q6FynI/AAAAAAAAGuk/8ORWlyLIB-k/s400/IMG_1693.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S867ya7uMZI/AAAAAAAAGuc/SvZTUjbsGOA/s1600/IMG_1687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S867ya7uMZI/AAAAAAAAGuc/SvZTUjbsGOA/s400/IMG_1687.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Then they served us a traditional Bedouin dinner including their amazing tea - I've got to get my hands on some of that - soooooooo good!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S868HwM240I/AAAAAAAAGuw/o_24lfBATlE/s1600/IMG_1703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S868HwM240I/AAAAAAAAGuw/o_24lfBATlE/s400/IMG_1703.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This time we all got to help make naan - even Flat Stanley!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Finally, we headed to another area of the camp where we watched more belly dancing and whirling deverishes and smoked hookah (they call it shisha) - a water pipe filled with flavored tobacco - I swear it was just tobacco - swear! We had a lot of fun with this - you would think we had never seen one of these "contraptions" before:)!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D_frYkCII/AAAAAAAAGZM/89T1xD8_tqw/s1600/DSC00326-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D_frYkCII/AAAAAAAAGZM/89T1xD8_tqw/s400/DSC00326-1.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>It's hookah time!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dupv_eiGI/AAAAAAAAGM4/7kZPUcWRe0Q/s1600/DSC00301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dupv_eiGI/AAAAAAAAGM4/7kZPUcWRe0Q/s400/DSC00301.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>What do I do with this thing?</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S868YYl9e7I/AAAAAAAAGvA/i3x0Rg2MPnA/s1600/IMG_1714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S868YYl9e7I/AAAAAAAAGvA/i3x0Rg2MPnA/s400/IMG_1714.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Here - I'll show you</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D_RHDjlwI/AAAAAAAAGZE/4x49gePq4es/s1600/DSC00305-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D_RHDjlwI/AAAAAAAAGZE/4x49gePq4es/s400/DSC00305-1.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Puff, Puff, GIVE - dude!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DvP4R4YkI/AAAAAAAAGNQ/qRvnzZ8LIUM/s1600/DSC00320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DvP4R4YkI/AAAAAAAAGNQ/qRvnzZ8LIUM/s400/DSC00320.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Will I still be able to run for office if this picture hits the internet?</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DvcmA-oCI/AAAAAAAAGNY/TDL98N5qB3g/s1600/DSC00323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DvcmA-oCI/AAAAAAAAGNY/TDL98N5qB3g/s400/DSC00323.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Just kicked back smokin' some hookah - true, true</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>This was one of my favorite parts of the trip - just chillin' in the desert! Great end to our time in Sharm!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S868UWPqeDI/AAAAAAAAGu8/0X_6eWT4fLM/s1600/IMG_1712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S868UWPqeDI/AAAAAAAAGu8/0X_6eWT4fLM/s400/IMG_1712.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We did end up going to the Na'ama Bay and the "Old Market" on the way home to try and buy some souvenirs. It was just like a market in a poor country - dirty with lots of people trying to convince you to come into their shop - "great deal just for you". We didn't stay very long though because Monday brought another car trip to Jordan!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DviFHYkGI/AAAAAAAAGNc/gIYAVqxBToM/s1600/DSC00328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DviFHYkGI/AAAAAAAAGNc/gIYAVqxBToM/s400/DSC00328.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>But that's a story for another day!:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DvmmCzHvI/AAAAAAAAGNg/s48kK7LwLVg/s1600/DSC00334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DvmmCzHvI/AAAAAAAAGNg/s48kK7LwLVg/s400/DSC00334.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Bye, bye Sharm - we'll miss you!</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">p.s. - <a href="http://picasaweb.google.ch/yoswaggergifts/SharmElSheikh?feat=directlink">Here is a link to the rest of our Sharm pics.</a></div>Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-409353754177170152010-04-21T07:21:00.003-04:002010-04-26T07:20:22.350-04:00Istanbul and CairoWarning: The next couple of posts are going to be long!:) If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time you know that I am already long winded, but trying to write about everything we did in Egypt and Jordan - well, it's gonna take a couple pages!:)<br />
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<strong>Wednesday, March 31st</strong><br />
On March 31st we headed to Cairo (via Istanbul) for our 8 day Middle Eastern Vacation! It all started on the <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/search/label/Colmar%20France">train back from Colmar, France</a> when Sarah, Zann, Nathan and I were discussing places we wanted to visit. Egypt was the first placed discussed and we were all like - Let's Do It! A bunch of planning emails, phone calls and dinners later we were booked! I seriously couldn't believe it happened! Yeah for living in Europe and the flight not being expensive or long to Egypt! (It defnitely helped with my case of let's go NOW while we live in Switzerland!)<br />
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Once the trip was official, I put "Tickets to Egypt are booked " as my status on Facebook. Sarah and Josh Teitelman saw it and asked to join the party! After a bunch of yes we are coming, no we can't come, yes we want to, no we can't do the same itinerary, we finally get a "we are booked" from them - thank goodness! I love it when a plan comes together - and thank you Facebook - you are a great thing:)!<br />
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The best priced flight we could get gave us a 5 1/2 hour lay over in Istanbul, Turkey. We weren't pysched about that, but it was way better than paying the $500 extra per ticket to fly straight to Cairo. The night before we left Zann had the brilliant idea to post "What to do in Istanbul on a 5 hour layover" on TripAdvisor and everyone said to go to the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293974-d294656-Reviews-Sultanahmet_District-Istanbul.html">Sultanahmet District</a>. Way better idea than hanging out at the airport don't you think? Absolutely!<br />
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We actually ran into The Teitelmans in Istanbul (they had missed their connection), so they ended up on the same flight to Cairo with us. Problem was - a bunch of people from their flight out of London missed their connections so they had to hang out at the airport to wait on their official boarding passes while we headed into the city.:( Totally sucked but at least they made it on the flight with us.<br />
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To get into Turkey you have to have a Visa, so we headed to the Visa counter, paid the $20 bucks and were on our merry way (yes it was that easy). We were advised to be back 2 hours before our flight which didn't give us much time, but still didn't deter us!<br />
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Everyone on TripAdvisor had suggested taking a cab, but my <strike>cheap</strike> wonderful husband was adamant about taking public transportation. In hindsight, this was a wonderful idea - the traffic we saw from the tram was really bad and the Istanbul public transportation system was very nice and easy to use (but do remember to take out Turkish Lira before heading to the metro)! The public transportation officials spoke great English and helped us get our tickets (fyi - it takes two coins to get there and two coins to get back) and told us where to switch to the tram. Great first impression of Turkey! (Just in case anyone wants to do this, take the train from the airport to Zeytinburnu then switch to the tram and get off at the Sultanahmet stop - it takes about 45 minutes). <br />
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From what we saw, Istanbul was a very clean city and was even named the <a href="http://www.en.istanbul2010.org/SSS/index.htm">European Capital of Culture for 2010</a>. I would love to spend a weekend there to see all the sites (especially the Grand Bazaar:)) and eat some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doner_kebab">doner kebabs</a> (I can't believe we didn't do this - I LOVE doner kebabs and to have one in Turkey? be still my heart!). <br />
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In our (very) short time we were able to see the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and just walk around and soak in the atmosphere for a bit. We probably had enough time to see the bazaar, but we decided that actually making our flight to Egypt was a better idea! (I also can't believe we missed the Hippodrome because I think it was right there where we were. We didn't plan very well for Istanbul as we just thought about going into the city the night before!) It was still a cool experience though and as Nathan and I count countries we visit - we got to "check off" Turkey!:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D7cjvwgcI/AAAAAAAAGWM/SLdE3H4PPhk/s1600/DSC00065-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D7cjvwgcI/AAAAAAAAGWM/SLdE3H4PPhk/s400/DSC00065-1.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Blue Mosque</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DmQqNwtbI/AAAAAAAAGGo/8mcejJSgthY/s1600/DSC00070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DmQqNwtbI/AAAAAAAAGGo/8mcejJSgthY/s400/DSC00070.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>So you know Nathan's humor with the camera - he thought this was hilarious -</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>the Turkish version of Duke Power:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After landing in Cairo, we all needed to buy our Visas to get into Egypt (we could have done this in our own country but we were all too lazy). This is also pretty easy to do but the line was kind of long (because everyone else on our flight had to do the same thing). The Visa cost $20 and they took Egyptian pounds, Euros, and Dollars (no credit cards so make sure to have cash)- funny enough we ended up paying in dollars! Not sure where they even came from considering we all live in Europe:)!</div><br />
Once we got our luggage we had bad news - Sarah and Josh's bag didn't arrive.:( This was a major cluster because the same thing happened with everyone else from the original London flight. I swear Egypt Air acting like nothing like this had ever happened before and major chaos ensued. Really? Can't you just check the computers - they had their bag tags? About 1 hour and 45 minutes later they were told that their bags would "probably" arrive tomorrow. Awesome - thanks for the vote of confidence guys.<br />
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We had heard that a driver was imperative in Cairo and that a tour guide would be nice. <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294201-d1547186-r61394780-Memphis_Day_Tours_Egypt-Cairo.html">Memphis Tours was rated #1 on TripAdvisor</a>, so we decided to book our entire trip with them before we arrived. We have never participated in a planned trip (as in - every hour is planned for you), but I will have to say it was nice in Egypt. The cool thing about Memphis Tours was that we were able to "make up" our own itinerary and it was just going to be the 6 of us the whole time (no big bus of tourists - thank God!). It was so great to not have to worry about anything once we got there, because all the "work" had been done prior to our arrival. Nice change for once - no stress at all!<br />
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Although there were a few blips, we were very impressed with <a href="http://memphistours.com/">Memphis Tours</a> and would highly recommend using them when heading to Egypt & Jordan. Our drivers were safe and all our guides were very friendly and knowledgeable! I have no idea how they do all the coordination for hundreds of people per day, but all in all it was way more smooth than I ever thought it could be - worth every penny in my book - for sure!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DmgPX95GI/AAAAAAAAGG0/6yycx3uDD3M/s1600/DSC00081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DmgPX95GI/AAAAAAAAGG0/6yycx3uDD3M/s400/DSC00081.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Our first guide - Hamada - who waited for almost 2 hours while holding this sign - and look he's still smiling!</em></div><br />
Memphis booked all our hotels and we stayed at the <a href="http://www.barcelo.com/BarceloHotels/en-GB/Hotels/Egypt/Cairo/CairoPyramids/Home">Barcelo Hotel</a> near the pyramids while in Cairo (it took about 1 hour to get there from the airport). I thought the hotel was nice and clean (I would recommend it to you) and it was in a great location to start our tour of the Pyramids on Thursday morning. Note: the traffic in Cairo is insane so it was great to already be near the pyramids!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86vx0O_l2I/AAAAAAAAGok/jtnZwUzcoZA/s1600/DSC03915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86vx0O_l2I/AAAAAAAAGok/jtnZwUzcoZA/s400/DSC03915.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
The night we arrived in Cairo the boys set out to find money and drinks and to attempt crossing the street. They ran into a police man that told them there was an ATM at the end of a dark alley (one of the only shady things that happened the whole trip and thank goodness they weren't dumb enough to find out if this was true), then an Egyptian street peddler left his ice cream stand to walk them to a "grocery store" - so nice! They also crossed the street (twice) which was a major feat, because it was a free for all - with 4 actual lanes but 8 rows of cars mixed in with people and donkeys - definitely an experience! And they didn't have street lights or stop signs (only U-turns) so the traffic never actually stopped!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S82qioIqQ2I/AAAAAAAAGi8/TIuQCHbwq4k/s1600/IMG_1484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S82qioIqQ2I/AAAAAAAAGi8/TIuQCHbwq4k/s400/IMG_1484.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Night Cap at the Barcelo!</em></div><br />
<strong>Thursday, April 1st</strong><br />
Thursday morning we met our guide, Mido, around 10 am and headed to the Great Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinus. (Cheops being the biggest and the "Great Wonder of the World").<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DmtaoEwKI/AAAAAAAAGHA/8KehF42vi_s/s1600/DSC00094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DmtaoEwKI/AAAAAAAAGHA/8KehF42vi_s/s400/DSC00094.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Were those there last night?:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em> View of the pyramids from our car (about 5 - 10 mins from our hotel). I'm not sure what I was envisioning - but I didn't expect them to "pop up right there" considering we were in the city on a very busy street! </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Mido was a very good and knowledgable tour guide who although was patient also kept saying "Yalla beina" translated from arabic to english as "Let's Go - quickly". This soon became our favorite word as we were always "yalla beina"ing!:) Mido also told us up front that he would never remember all of our names so he nicknamed us "Ramses" after Egypt's most powerful and celebrated pharoah - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II">Ramses II</a>. So we heard a lot of "Yalla beina Ramses. Yalla beina" all day!:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S821Ea4y3CI/AAAAAAAAGjE/K2jH61ejBlA/s1600/IMG_1493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S821Ea4y3CI/AAAAAAAAGjE/K2jH61ejBlA/s400/IMG_1493.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Posing like the Egyptian Pharoahs and Queens - Mido made us do it - seriously!</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DnJhoNK5I/AAAAAAAAGHU/rarrEu2_fxs/s1600/DSC00110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DnJhoNK5I/AAAAAAAAGHU/rarrEu2_fxs/s400/DSC00110.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>You feel really small when standing next to the Great Pyramid!</em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86wJbix9mI/AAAAAAAAGos/2PD6S3zDzHk/s1600/DSC03922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86wJbix9mI/AAAAAAAAGos/2PD6S3zDzHk/s400/DSC03922.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>See what I mean - tiny?!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D86lhTV-I/AAAAAAAAGXI/QdeBHw9--AQ/s1600/DSC00123-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D86lhTV-I/AAAAAAAAGXI/QdeBHw9--AQ/s400/DSC00123-1.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Great Pyramid is actually the one to the far left - it just looks smaller from where we were standing.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D8sOfoNCI/AAAAAAAAGXA/s0xWwTVZCUM/s1600/DSC00120-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D8sOfoNCI/AAAAAAAAGXA/s0xWwTVZCUM/s400/DSC00120-1.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Me "picking up" the pyramid - you HAVE to take the cheesy tourist pictures - right?:)</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D8TMSwXmI/AAAAAAAAGWo/TcQSfNlTOL4/s1600/DSC00113-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D8TMSwXmI/AAAAAAAAGWo/TcQSfNlTOL4/s400/DSC00113-1.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I just thought this was a cool shot looking off into Cairo but yikes the smog is bad!</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">We decided to go into the <a href="http://www.nileguide.com/destination/cairo/things-to-do/pyramid-of-khafre-chephren/339135">Chephren Pyramid</a> as they only give out so many tickets to the Cheops pyramid and we were too late. Not that there is anything to see inside the pyramids (everything had either been stolen or taken to a museum) but you can't go all the way to Egypt, stand in front of the pyramids, and not go in - right? However, if you are clastrophobic, I vote that you think twice about going into the pyramids. The walk way into the pyramid is only 3 feet high, so you are bent over the whole way in and the whole way out. We were forbidden to take pictures (they even confiscated cameras on the way in), but somehow Sara's point and shoot made it! So here we are at the pharoah's crypt - you can see this room had higher ceilings than the walk way - so it was a nice break from being hunched over, but it was about 15 degrees hotter and a lot more humid than the outside so no one stayed for very long:)!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S82oqyLEuxI/AAAAAAAAGh0/NuA9_DIUrxo/s1600/DSCN0206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S82oqyLEuxI/AAAAAAAAGh0/NuA9_DIUrxo/s400/DSCN0206.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Pharoah's crypt</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Then it was on to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sphinx_of_Giza">Sphinx and the Valley Temple</a>. The Sphinx was truly amazing to see in person - it is said to be the oldest known monumental sculpture having been started around 2555 B.C.! The whole time we were in Cairo I kept thinking about how intelligent the ancient Egyptians were and what they accomplished so long ago - it is almost unfathomable! Wow!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D9d5frtII/AAAAAAAAGXk/ZxNHOpBl3xw/s1600/DSC00138-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D9d5frtII/AAAAAAAAGXk/ZxNHOpBl3xw/s400/DSC00138-1.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S864rhjg-NI/AAAAAAAAGsA/z-CJ9kRSjA4/s1600/IMG_1534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S864rhjg-NI/AAAAAAAAGsA/z-CJ9kRSjA4/s400/IMG_1534.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Great shot of the entire Sphinx - thanks Josh!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DnWfIZjSI/AAAAAAAAGHg/1KRnewPMJbE/s1600/DSC00127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DnWfIZjSI/AAAAAAAAGHg/1KRnewPMJbE/s400/DSC00127.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>It took this photo while standing out in front of the Sphinx - if you look closely you can see that the red awning in the middle fo the photo is a Pizza Hut! I definitetly wasn't expect that!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In between the pyramids and the museum we saw how <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus">Papyrus</a> paper is made (and I had to buy a souvenir - of course), ate the best Chicken Swarma I have ever had, and saw the city streets.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S865EzUSyrI/AAAAAAAAGsY/nRJEHKdE-Z4/s1600/IMG_1557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S865EzUSyrI/AAAAAAAAGsY/nRJEHKdE-Z4/s400/IMG_1557.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>You know if I was this focused during the demonstration...</em> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D9vv8lPGI/AAAAAAAAGX0/KhzOlwUznh0/s1600/DSC00149-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8D9vv8lPGI/AAAAAAAAGX0/KhzOlwUznh0/s400/DSC00149-1.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em> I was definitely going to buy one! We got the "Tree of Life" and I can't wait to frame it for our house!</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was really sad to see how some of the Egyptian people live today. We were amazed at how many apartment building were started and never finished, but yet people still lived in them - including on top of the top level that was completed with blankets/tents. Cairo is a very polluted city - not surprising since we didn't see one public trash can they whole time we were there! That coupled with the fact that almost 7 million people live in 83. sq feet (plus tourists) it isn't surprising there is trash literally everywhere. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Do1FsDZYI/AAAAAAAAGIw/9iBmMzPg0nY/s1600/DSC00170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Do1FsDZYI/AAAAAAAAGIw/9iBmMzPg0nY/s400/DSC00170.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>These buildings aren't really "under construction" they are basically done - at least that is what we were told - it is common for builders to run out of money so that is how the building will remain until more funding is available (which might be never).</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DoyZmUxnI/AAAAAAAAGIs/0qXCR94G_0o/s1600/DSC00168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DoyZmUxnI/AAAAAAAAGIs/0qXCR94G_0o/s400/DSC00168.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I do like how everyone has Satelite TV though:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DoJCfK74I/AAAAAAAAGII/X2LDx2ImAn8/s1600/DSC00154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DoJCfK74I/AAAAAAAAGII/X2LDx2ImAn8/s400/DSC00154.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Excuse me - can I park my donkey here?</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dn8XudOnI/AAAAAAAAGIA/BCnGfsiVyaw/s1600/DSC00152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dn8XudOnI/AAAAAAAAGIA/BCnGfsiVyaw/s400/DSC00152.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Can you see the trash every where? Very sad.</em></div><em></em><br />
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</div>We ended our tour with a trip to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Museum">Egyptian Museum</a>. The highlight was King Tut's tomb collection, but we also really enjoyed the mummified cobra - we aren't that hard to please!:) Again no photos were allowed so you are going to have to go for yourself!:)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S83P0Vc3ttI/AAAAAAAAGjs/xKSx-5raI2g/s1600/IMG_1577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S83P0Vc3ttI/AAAAAAAAGjs/xKSx-5raI2g/s400/IMG_1577.jpg" width="266" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Entrance to the Egyptian Museum</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After a little siesta at the hotel we were picked up for our Nile Cruise - you know how I love to be on a boat! The food was actually pretty good for a buffet (the hummus to die for), but the highlight was most definitely - the belly dancer and whirling dervish dance! They were the best we saw while in Egypt! We all recommend this Nile Cruise company - Nile Crystal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DpKxa2IrI/AAAAAAAAGJE/v7EtZzxVVpk/s1600/DSC00180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DpKxa2IrI/AAAAAAAAGJE/v7EtZzxVVpk/s400/DSC00180.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Mr. William, you have a phone call."</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DpUVTGPcI/AAAAAAAAGJQ/NN-mMThlYlE/s1600/DSC00185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DpUVTGPcI/AAAAAAAAGJQ/NN-mMThlYlE/s400/DSC00185.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Cruising down the Nile - baby!</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dp1zn5PnI/AAAAAAAAGJw/bfTa8vr6iD8/s1600/DSC00195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dp1zn5PnI/AAAAAAAAGJw/bfTa8vr6iD8/s400/DSC00195.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Belly Dancing (or just shaking it) on the Nile!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S83M1GXRi6I/AAAAAAAAGjg/UkDyiIS6SuE/s1600/WhirlingDervish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S83M1GXRi6I/AAAAAAAAGjg/UkDyiIS6SuE/s320/WhirlingDervish.jpg" wt="true" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Whirlish Dervish! This guy was amazing!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DqfBSzjvI/AAAAAAAAGKU/73nqcuzsh8A/s1600/DSC00206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DqfBSzjvI/AAAAAAAAGKU/73nqcuzsh8A/s400/DSC00206.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Put your hands up - Put your hands up!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Finally after an exciting/exhausting day we headed up to bed. And by we, I mean Sara T and I. The rest of the clan waited up for the Teitelman's suitcase to arrive. How much trouble could they get into without our supervision for a few hours- not that much right? Wrong. All I am going to say is that there was a bar - with alcohol - unattended. And when you are not being waited on by the staff - what are you supposed to do? </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86xYLth4mI/AAAAAAAAGpI/4H5yGvn49bM/s1600/DSC03981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86xYLth4mI/AAAAAAAAGpI/4H5yGvn49bM/s400/DSC03981.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I'm not sure what happened between here and...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86x99EzUnI/AAAAAAAAGpc/cWxNppNDgpc/s1600/DSC03984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S86x99EzUnI/AAAAAAAAGpc/cWxNppNDgpc/s400/DSC03984.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Here. And I don't think I want to know for fear of imprisonment!:)<br />
FYI - so they don't get into trouble (not sure if you can joke about this kind of stuff when in a Muslim country) - a waiter eventually came, and they told him exactly what they had poured. And, that is their story and they are sticking to it!</em></div><br />
Next up - Sharm el Sheikh!</div><img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /><br />
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p.s. - <a href="http://picasaweb.google.ch/yoswaggergifts/IstanbulAndCairo?feat=directlink">Here's a link to the rest of our pics from Istanbul and Cairo.</a></div>Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-54860334104308129592010-04-20T06:39:00.002-04:002010-09-07T09:34:36.500-04:00Sechseläuten and the burning of the BööggYesterday I witnessed the most un-American thing I have yet to see in Switzerland. Well, America would have a parade, and they might blow up a snowman, but there is no way in hell that they would allow whomever wants to, to have a picnic around a burning bonfire (that the city created) all while random people with shovels dig out hot ash from the bonfire and then carry it through said crowd of thousands of people to their picnic area so that they can roast their weenies (without any law enforcement or supervision - of course). Wow - it really must be nice to live in a country where you can't sue anybody. But digress...<br />
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Sechseläuten is a tradition in Zurich, that possibly dates back to the thirteenth century, where the guild workers agreed that with the beginning of Spring they would stop their day's work when the "bells strike 6 o'clock". (During the winter, they would work from dusk till dawn). If you would like to read more about the <a href="http://www.moonchild.ch/Holidays/Sechse.html">Sechseläuten I think this site does a good job</a> of explaining it (to the best of my knowledge). I'm not 100% sure how many guilds there are, but I think it is around 26 (if you are Swiss please help me out here). <br />
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All the guilds (well except for the women's guild) participate in a parade in their traditional garb and with marching bands, etc. I especially liked this guild (I'm guessing they were the Butchers) because they got to carry around really big axes through the whole parade because you know - that is really safe (I know I sound like an American)!:) The women are not allowed to participate in the parade because this is Switzerland and they are more about tradition than equal rights (my opinion). Another Swiss Expat blogger wrote an article about this for the <a href="http://www.swissnews.ch/index.php?id=202">Swiss News</a> if you would like to read it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81nz-D9fGI/AAAAAAAAACk/-O9POGeIVx8/s1600/DSC00652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81nz-D9fGI/AAAAAAAAACk/-O9POGeIVx8/s400/DSC00652.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The BIG Axe carrying guild!</em></div><br />
Following the guild parade, a snowman called the Böögg is burned and the quicker his head explodes, the better the summer weather is said to be. Kind of like Groundhog's Day on steroids, but much cooler because there is fire involved :)! This year the Böögg's head exploded in around 13 minutes. Last year we was told it took 15 minutes and the summer was amazing, so this year should be unbelievable!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81l4jleyjI/AAAAAAAAABc/SK8SYs5SuKE/s1600/DSC00629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81l4jleyjI/AAAAAAAAABc/SK8SYs5SuKE/s400/DSC00629.JPG" width="266" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The snowman before being lit on fire...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81mNSy-14I/AAAAAAAAABk/VbK5mrmV_sM/s1600/DSC00630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81mNSy-14I/AAAAAAAAABk/VbK5mrmV_sM/s400/DSC00630.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The huge crowd watching the burning of the Boogg...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81nCpHUSxI/AAAAAAAAACE/Z7M6N-Z7rFY/s1600/DSC00639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81nCpHUSxI/AAAAAAAAACE/Z7M6N-Z7rFY/s400/DSC00639.JPG" width="267" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>He's just starting to catch on fire - not much longer...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81ne-K-RBI/AAAAAAAAACY/HCdB5X4eEVI/s1600/DSC00644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S81ne-K-RBI/AAAAAAAAACY/HCdB5X4eEVI/s400/DSC00644.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>BAM! His head exploded - now let's BBQ!</em></div><br />
After the explosion and some more parade type stuff, they allow the crowds to get near the "bonfire" and picnic. I went with my friend Kelly and we thought we came prepared with Bratwurst and sticks to grill them on, but since we had never done this before we were (very) ill prepared. We were amongst professional Böögg brat grillers and our sticks were a bit of a joke when you saw what everyone else brought (in hindsight I'm not sure what we were thinking, but I had no idea how big or hot the fire would be)! So here is a note to self if you every attend this affair: Bring a blanket to sit on, lots of beer and wine to drink, brats, other picnic type stuff, and most importantly a GRILL. You can also bring a shovel to get the ash from the bonfire to the grill or you can just pay someone who already has a big ass shovel to do it for you (I recommend the later). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S82CXd-KYhI/AAAAAAAAAEo/Xt6DbtPmBs0/s1600/guyrunningwithashes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S82CXd-KYhI/AAAAAAAAAEo/Xt6DbtPmBs0/s400/guyrunningwithashes.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>So this guy with the shovel of hot ashes is running TOWARDS the crowd - well in his defense it was really hot!:)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OR you can just cut down a tree like the dude in the picture below and grill your brat right on the burning bonfire from about 20 feet away!:) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S82CiEXBFQI/AAAAAAAAAEs/zmyK_JkuYUg/s1600/bratwurst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zBlSia17Cy0/S82CiEXBFQI/AAAAAAAAAEs/zmyK_JkuYUg/s400/bratwurst.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Do you see this mental giant? If you look closely you can see his brat grilling on the end of the stick - I guess he gets props for his props?!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, wear old clothes because there were several times where burning ash fell on us when the wind blew - yes it was hot and yes there is a whole in my shirt. Kelly's hair had ash in it and her husband said that her hair was basically "burnt" in places - awesome - not!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We ended up taking our weenies and going home to "grill" them in our ovens:( - but nonetheless it was a great experience and I will definitely come more prepared if I do it again!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S9U40Uc-4WI/AAAAAAAAG6Y/sjVAcBxCZnM/s1600/IMG_2800_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S9U40Uc-4WI/AAAAAAAAG6Y/sjVAcBxCZnM/s400/IMG_2800_small.jpg" tt="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I did try to grill my brat over a random pile of ash, but it didn't even get luke warm:(</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>This will be our last SwissTradition as we are now leaving in 11 days. However, we were here for an entire calender year, so we tried to see as many as possible including the Knabenschiessen, an <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/2009/09/alpabfahrt-mels.html">Alpabfahrt</a>, and <a href="http://wheresmandyandnate.blogspot.com/2010/02/carnival-zurich-style.html">Zurich Carnival</a>. I love Switzerland and all their traditions! What an amazing year!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-54908712493996710122010-04-16T06:17:00.000-04:002010-04-16T06:17:04.056-04:00"Checking Out" of Switzerland and our 10 year Anniversary Celebration!Yesterday was bittersweet.<br />
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In the afternoon we had to go down to the Stadthaus (basically City Hall) to let Zurich know we were checking out of the country on April 30th. I can't believe this year is almost over - it flew by! The process for checking out was WAY easier and less time consuming than checking in (not surprising I guess) and the whole process only took about 10 minutes. Then we had a picnic by the lake and Nathan splurged on <a href="http://www.spruengli.ch/schokoladen-geschenke.php?lang=en&catalog=1005">Sprungli</a> Luxemburgerli (I call them little hamburgers) - one of my favorite things in Zurich to cheer me up! So sweet - especially since it KILLS him to buy them because they are 1 franc per hamburger:) But ask anyone else who has had them - it is worth it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g270yuihI/AAAAAAAAGfU/wnj6SJXEpZg/s1600/stadtzurich.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g270yuihI/AAAAAAAAGfU/wnj6SJXEpZg/s400/stadtzurich.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bye Bye Swiss residency:(</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g3HF_BD3I/AAAAAAAAGfc/uiGR0ZCqgOU/s1600/sprungli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g3HF_BD3I/AAAAAAAAGfc/uiGR0ZCqgOU/s320/sprungli.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sprungli "Hamburgers" - yummmmmmmmmmmmm!</div><br />
Then to possibly pour salt in my wounds - these moving boxes had been dropped off by the moving company when I got back.:(<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g3WSFRvWI/AAAAAAAAGfk/LsQyKxv9kak/s1600/boxes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g3WSFRvWI/AAAAAAAAGfk/LsQyKxv9kak/s400/boxes.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Does this mean I have to pack my own stuff? boo!</div><br />
BUT - the day ended well because we went to the "Top of Zurich" to celebrate our 10 year anniversary with a Champagne Picnic! Nathan totally lucked out because now in the future if anyone asks him what we did for our 10 year he can say "Oh I took my wife to Zurich and had a romantic picnic over looking the city" - he of course won't mention that we were living here at the time.:) Either they it was a great night (albeit a little cold for a picnic) and the PERFECT 10 year anniversary dinner!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g3thJz5BI/AAAAAAAAGfs/ptTyDJ2fEvY/s1600/10yrannivshot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g3thJz5BI/AAAAAAAAGfs/ptTyDJ2fEvY/s400/10yrannivshot.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Celebrating with Champagne (in plastic cups) on the Uetliberg</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g4JGoHwBI/AAAAAAAAGf0/W43smTSxuCI/s1600/groupshot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8g4JGoHwBI/AAAAAAAAGf0/W43smTSxuCI/s400/groupshot.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The celebration was made even better by having friends to share it with us - and yes we were the only fools outside:)!<br />
(L to R - Sarah, Zann, Pawel, Me and Nathan)</div><br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-32685826078449868562010-04-12T05:21:00.001-04:002010-04-12T05:22:50.091-04:00Highlights from our trip to B.F.E.Nathan and I just got back from an amazing 8 day trip to Egypt and Jordan with Sara & Josh Teitelman and Sarah & Zann Hawkins. (We were there from March 31st to April 8th.) I won't be able to write a detailed blog about all our adventures for a while (lots of "real" work to do), so I thought I would hit the highlights!<br />
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1. We made the most out of our <strong>5 hour layover in Istanbul, Turkey</strong> - that's Istanbul not Constantinople:)<br />
The day before we left Zann asked the question, "We have a 5 hour layover in Istanbul - what do we do?", on Trip Advisor and everyone suggested heading down to the Sultanahmet District - so that's what we did! In the short period of time we actually had (about 1 hour once we got down there) we were able to see The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia (also a mosque). Istanbul looked like a really cool city and I would love to head back there! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dl9oAUUzI/AAAAAAAAGGc/EOZQfcBdELI/s1600/DSC00066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dl9oAUUzI/AAAAAAAAGGc/EOZQfcBdELI/s400/DSC00066.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Self Portrait in front of the Hagia Sofia - check</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DmLb9LPZI/AAAAAAAAGGk/uC17v0BSIBw/s1600/DSC00068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DmLb9LPZI/AAAAAAAAGGk/uC17v0BSIBw/s400/DSC00068.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Self Portrait in front of The Blue Mosque - check! Now back to the airport!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>2. We <strong>walked like an Egyptian</strong>!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8LQtuZbp7I/AAAAAAAAGck/sOY14E_RRpE/s1600/walklikeanegyptian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8LQtuZbp7I/AAAAAAAAGck/sOY14E_RRpE/s400/walklikeanegyptian.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>3. I "<strong>belly danced</strong>" on a Nile River Cruise while 200 Asians took my photo. (Just click on the picture to view the video). p.s. - you can definitely make fun of my dancing - I TOTALLY deserve that :) but you can NOT make fun of my old lady shoes - first of all I AM getting old and my feet hurt okaaaaaaaaaay and second I was such a nice person and let Sara T borrow my other sandals because her luggage was lost in transit and all she had was her tennis shoes:)! (Here is the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6DrLx0JnEw">link to YouTube</a> if you can't view it)<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g6DrLx0JnEw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g6DrLx0JnEw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<em>I had obviously been overserved - okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!</em><br />
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4. Nathan, Josh and I got to <strong>scuba dive the #5 dive site in the world</strong> <a href="http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdives.html">based on this website</a> (although the Top 10 dive sites vary by who you are asking, most dive sites do rank the Red Sea in the Top 10) - Shark and Yoland Reef in the Red Sea!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8LVsK0IsEI/AAAAAAAAGdI/rC6gE9YHHjs/s1600/ScubaDivingCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8LVsK0IsEI/AAAAAAAAGdI/rC6gE9YHHjs/s400/ScubaDivingCollage.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
5. We <strong>rode Camels</strong>! Nathan had our camera during the ride and these are his two *best* shots. Needless to say he didn't have our camera for the rest of the trip!:)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Lbz-9U-wI/AAAAAAAAGdQ/PShkdcLne8g/s1600/DSC00270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Lbz-9U-wI/AAAAAAAAGdQ/PShkdcLne8g/s400/DSC00270.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>A "camel thong"...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DuAjWfRKI/AAAAAAAAGMQ/rgOdrEpBhac/s1600/DSC00274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DuAjWfRKI/AAAAAAAAGMQ/rgOdrEpBhac/s400/DSC00274.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and a "camel toe"! Thanks Nathan:)</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
6. After living above a <strong>Hookah Bar</strong> for the last year, we finally got to try it in the middle of the desert! <em>Special Note to our Parents</em>: <em>Don't worry we can all still run for office - no one inhaled:) No - it's just flavored tobacco (ours was apple) that you smoke from the hookah - I swear! </em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8LdoPsRMcI/AAAAAAAAGdc/eEMprpM2DG4/s1600/HookahCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8LdoPsRMcI/AAAAAAAAGdc/eEMprpM2DG4/s400/HookahCollage.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
7. Josh and I got to <strong>"Comb the Desert"</strong>. (So this isn't funny if you haven't seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094012/">Spaceballs the Movie</a> - if not you can <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtkK3eijBso">watch the clip here</a>. We both grew up on this movie and I think I must have seen it 100 times when I was a kid - classic for sure!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DuTe_HiNI/AAAAAAAAGMk/-ukqGI0JPQo/s1600/DSC00288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8DuTe_HiNI/AAAAAAAAGMk/-ukqGI0JPQo/s400/DSC00288.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>"We ain't found shit" (watch the movie)</em></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
8. Nathan <strong>backpacked through Israel</strong>. We found out quickly when planning a trip to Egypt and Jordan that you need to hire a driver whenever you want to go anywhere. We used Memphis Tours (they were great - we definitely recommend them) to coordinate this for us. Before we left, we received an email from our contact about our transfer from Egypt to Jordan - it said - and I quote:</div><blockquote style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"Our representative will transfer you to Taba Border (of Egypt) and then you walk via Israel to Jordan. Our representative will then meet you in Jordan"</blockquote><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Egyptians nor the Jordanians can cross into Israel (without a hard to get Visas) so we had to go it alone. We thought this was pretty funny (my Mom didn't :) ) because we had no idea how long we would be "walking through Israel" for:)! The whole Israel process took about 1 hour and 45 minutes but actually went pretty smoothly!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dw97HWVuI/AAAAAAAAGOs/XIyLyr64CBI/s1600/DSC00365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8Dw97HWVuI/AAAAAAAAGOs/XIyLyr64CBI/s400/DSC00365.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Almost to Jordan!</em></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
9. We <strong>saw</strong> <strong>Petra</strong> - one of the New Wonders of the World! It is crazy to think that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra">Petra</a> was established sometime around the 6th Century B.C. - truly amazing - you have to go to fully appreciate what these people built!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EBDzhsVgI/AAAAAAAAGaQ/L_yu5caUBMA/s1600/DSC00431-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8EBDzhsVgI/AAAAAAAAGaQ/L_yu5caUBMA/s400/DSC00431-1.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
10. We <strong>covered ourselves in Dead Sea Mud</strong> and then <strong>floated in the Dead Sea</strong>! We now all have amazingly smooth skin - we're going to have to go back for sure!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8La57CRR8I/AAAAAAAAGdE/TqCapRuz2mM/s1600/DeadSeaCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S8La57CRR8I/AAAAAAAAGdE/TqCapRuz2mM/s400/DeadSeaCollage.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>I'm normally against bathing suit photos, but I'm covered in mud so I guess it's okay!</em></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was hard to choose just 10 things because the trip was so amazing! One of the best trips we have ever been on for sure! We loved the sites, the local people, the food, and our group!!!<br />
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Ain't that right uh-huh? Uh-huh!!!:)</div><img align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /><br />
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</div>Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4264838445055170499.post-1950151005396232652010-04-01T06:22:00.001-04:002010-04-01T06:22:00.355-04:00Whitney's in der SchweizWednesday night we headed back from Paris to Zurich so the Whitney's could get a feel for Switzerland!<br /><br />On Thursday, Kate and I toured around downtown Zurich, shopped, ate lunch on the Lake , then drank beer on the river. She wanted to see all the places that I have been hanging out and what my life was like here in Switzerland. I even took her to the grocey store and she said "No wonder you almost ate horse!":) It was such a great day!<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S7Inx8BxAWI/AAAAAAAAGCM/5aWgjLPSHh4/s400/DSC00038-1.JPG" /><br /><br />The boys were supposed to go sledding on Mt. Rigi, but something about the train and them getting there too late to really have fun, that they decided to ride bikes around Zurich all day. They were in all the same spots that we were, but unfortunately, since I don't have a cell phone - they couldn't reach us.:( But they had an awesome day too and I know Nathan enjoyed having someone to ride bikes with (that wasn't going to bitch about the hill back up from Zurich to Oerlikon:))!<br /><br />That night we had surprise dinner rervations for us all at the Blindekuh (Blind Cow) Restaurant in Zurich. We didn't tell Kate and Tim where we were going until we were standing outside! I think it made the experience even that much cooler and possibly stopped some anxiety about us not being able to see anything we were eating! The Blindekuh is a restaurant where you sit in complete darkness (and I mean it is DARK - no light what so ever) and all the servers are blind (the kitchen staff can see though). The concept of the restaurant is to experience what it is like to be blind. I can't even describe the experience. My grandmother was blind, so the whole time I thought about her and how it was to function as a blind person every day. It was a very humbling experience. But we did really well - we even passed food to each other and poured our own wine glasses! Our waiter's name was Mauritz and he was great! Every time he came to our table he said "Um hello - it's Mauritz here" - since obviously we couldn't see him he had to announce himeself! He told us his story and that he wasn't born blind, but became blind at a young age almost over night. Wow - I can't even imagine. If you have a restaurant like this in your city (or one you are traveling to), I would really encourage you to go - we all LOVED IT!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S7In3V66dHI/AAAAAAAAGCQ/pPQ7qKeOCPQ/s400/DSC00040.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S7IoAA0gPSI/AAAAAAAAGCU/P_nUU8wWiHg/s400/DSC00041.JPG" /> <div align="center"><em>Honey - not everyone is blind and I'm sure some of the other patrons can see you mounting the cow:)</em></div><em></em><br /><br />Friday we woke up really early to head to Andermatt to ski the Swiss Alps. Knowing what I know now - this was a mistake:) I've decided that Andermatt is cursed! This is where we were supposed to go with Miriam on our second day of skiing and a HUGE blizzard came out of no where and covered Switzerland! Fortnately we were warned in advance and didn't go when Miriam was here - but this time we weren't so lucky! On the 2 hour train from Zurich it looked beautiful outside and was around 60 degrees. As soon as we hit Andermatt they closed the glacier runs and sent us another 30 minutes further on the train to Dieni (due to the upcoming weather).<br /><br />When we arrived at our final destination it was raining - which means it was warm enough to be RAINING! Kate hadn't skiied since she was like 7, so raining wasn't ideal but was better than snowing because we could still see a pretty good distance in front of us. After the first run (where Kate did REALLY well by the way!) it started sleeting, and then snowing, and then blizzarding! Holy Crap! Nathan and I had taken the gondola to the top run to see what it was like up there and as soon as we got off the lift we couldn't see a thing! We basically had to ski from one orange marker to the next - not fun:( I was hoping Kate and Tim were having better luck but they even closed the "bunny hill" due to the weather! We all ended up meeting in the lodge for lunch then skiing down to return our stuff:( Totally sucked that our big Swiss Alp Skiing day ended like this, but hey - we had AMAZING weather the rest of the time so it was really hard to complain (at least that is what I'm trying to tell myself)! I don't think I've ever been that cold and wet in my life! Thank goodness it was ONLY a 3 hour ride home:)!<br /><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S7IoVP3FEoI/AAAAAAAAGCg/0B1PgdRzM4E/s400/DSC00044-1.JPG" /></p><p align="center"><em>"I like the beach!"<br /></em><br /></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S7IofGGrLmI/AAAAAAAAGCk/DsJny3XAbXM/s400/DSC00045-1.JPG" /> <p align="center"><em>"Um hello - Maurtiz here"<br />(Kate was having a hard time seeing down the last run and Tim kept coming up next to her saying this so she could "see" where he was:) )<br /></em><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zFeQCYDpC1g/S7Io6EwFruI/AAAAAAAAGC4/9TFuO6xWXsU/s400/DSC00050.JPG" /><br /><em>3 hour train ride, 3 ski runs, then 3 hours back in a white out! Good times!!</em></p>We ended the night with Cheese Fondue (of course) and then took the Whitneys to the airport on Saturday morning:( We had so much fun but it seemed ridiculously short! Thanks for coming to hang out with us Time and Kate- we love you guys!<br /><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" align="left" src="http://www.swaggergifts.com/files/images/Signature_mandyandnate.jpg" />Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607028406841116009noreply@blogger.com0