Hope everyone has a fun Halloween.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Please welcome to this world: Alyssa Rei Norgaard
My brother, Nathan, and his wife, Maria, had their first baby (a girl) on Monday, October 24th. Her name is Alyssa Rei and weighed in at 7 pounds 2 ounces. The delivery went well. I am still waiting for my lazy brother to send me pictures.
Monday, October 23, 2006
It's All Greek To Me
The Drive
Okay, let me just put it out it there - Athens suck. Actually, it's not so bad, but it definitely wasn't one of my favorite cities. I was going to Greece for work, so I decided to spend the weekend in Athens but 2 days was more than enough. That's including time I spent being lost, which was about half the time. The first problem arose out of the Greek letters. I've only seen them used in math equations and Greek societies, so I've never seen them put together to make words - or street names. I had a hard time mapping the street I was on to the streets in the map. And try this while you're driving in major traffic! Nevermind the fact that you can't even see the street signs if you are driving. Yeah, so my very first night in Athens (after a drive down to Cape Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon), I probably spent an hour in the city driving around in circles trying to find my hotel. I'm sure I broke my record, by tenfold, the number of times I had to stop and ask for directions - in a given month. Seriously, this sucked. Luckily, I was to return the car the next day, but it took me about an hour then too to find the car rental place in the city. I knew exactly where it was on the map - but I couldn't get there!!! The city has so many one way streets it's not funny. Again, I was going around and around in circles. At least on one occasion I rushed my way down a one-way street hoping no one will come from the other end. In another case, I completely left my car illegally blocking a one-way street while I stepped out and ran around the area on foot looking for the car rental place. (Hell if I was going to spend another 20 minutes driving in circles.) Yeah, so don't drive in Athens if you can help it. But if you must, do like the locals do:
1) Cut people off in the turning lanes and get right up to the front
2) Speed limit signs are ornamental - pay no attention to them
3) Run over pedestrians at your will
4) Double park if you can't find a place to park
5) Go the wrong way down one-way streets - but do it quickly
6) If you get stuck, drive down a pedestrian street while taking out some cafe tables
You think I'm joking... I'm not.
The Walk
In this city where life is as ancient as Acropolis, the internet is as slow as dial-up and a water bottle costs only 50 euro cents (maybe the cheapest in the world). In this city, you also do a lot of walking. The city is very mountainous(?) so there are a lot of uphills. To get to Acropolis you must walk uphill, to get to the top of Lykavittos, you must walk uphill. To get from place to place, you must walk a lot, because it is a big city. To get from place to place, you must walk a lot because you will get lost. Well, mostly, it's in the city center where it's a bit confusing. It's also difficult to find your place on the map if you have no idea where you are to begin with. Which was the case one night after coming down Lykavittos Hill after dark. I came down a different path from where I went up, simply because I had no idea where I entered the hill to begin with. You know, this hill is supposed to be a major tourist attraction. I found it quite surprising though that the paths were not lit or marked. I stayed up the hill past dark to try to catch the sunset (too many clouds tho) and see the city by night. It got very dark on my way down, and I could hardly see anything and I had no idea where I was going. I followed a few people for a while, but I lost them quickly after stopping once or twice to take photos. A little while later, the path split into two. I went back and forth between the two paths unsure whether one would end up taking me back up to the top or to the otherside of the hill where I didn't want to be. In the end, I finally made it down hill and just kind of kept walking aimlessly until I found someone who pointed me in the general direction of where I wanted to go. Yeah, that's another reason why you'll wak a lot. Since there really isn't a whole lot to do in Athens, you could easily just decide to walk around a lot aimlessly as I did. Beats sitting in the hotel. So I probably spent at least 6 hours a day walking while there.
The Sights
Everyone goes to Athens to see Acropolis. This was actually the coolest part of my trip. I actually enjoyed the walk up to it, and the walk around Ancient Agora which is right next to it. The weather was great, and the occasional hustle bustle of the tourists all around made for a lively outing. The Acropolis was slightly on the disappointing side though. The Parthenon is not well-preserved, and the scene is ruined by tons of equipment for reconstruction. Also, in comparison to some other ruins (e.g. Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu), it's not so spectacular. Hence, I did not vote to have the Acropolis be part of the new 7 wonders of the world. (You can vote too!) Aside from Acropolis, I went to the Ancient Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Olympic Stadium, Lykavittos Hill, National Archealogical Museum, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Plaka, and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
More pictures here.
Okay, let me just put it out it there - Athens suck. Actually, it's not so bad, but it definitely wasn't one of my favorite cities. I was going to Greece for work, so I decided to spend the weekend in Athens but 2 days was more than enough. That's including time I spent being lost, which was about half the time. The first problem arose out of the Greek letters. I've only seen them used in math equations and Greek societies, so I've never seen them put together to make words - or street names. I had a hard time mapping the street I was on to the streets in the map. And try this while you're driving in major traffic! Nevermind the fact that you can't even see the street signs if you are driving. Yeah, so my very first night in Athens (after a drive down to Cape Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon), I probably spent an hour in the city driving around in circles trying to find my hotel. I'm sure I broke my record, by tenfold, the number of times I had to stop and ask for directions - in a given month. Seriously, this sucked. Luckily, I was to return the car the next day, but it took me about an hour then too to find the car rental place in the city. I knew exactly where it was on the map - but I couldn't get there!!! The city has so many one way streets it's not funny. Again, I was going around and around in circles. At least on one occasion I rushed my way down a one-way street hoping no one will come from the other end. In another case, I completely left my car illegally blocking a one-way street while I stepped out and ran around the area on foot looking for the car rental place. (Hell if I was going to spend another 20 minutes driving in circles.) Yeah, so don't drive in Athens if you can help it. But if you must, do like the locals do:
1) Cut people off in the turning lanes and get right up to the front
2) Speed limit signs are ornamental - pay no attention to them
3) Run over pedestrians at your will
4) Double park if you can't find a place to park
5) Go the wrong way down one-way streets - but do it quickly
6) If you get stuck, drive down a pedestrian street while taking out some cafe tables
You think I'm joking... I'm not.
The Walk
In this city where life is as ancient as Acropolis, the internet is as slow as dial-up and a water bottle costs only 50 euro cents (maybe the cheapest in the world). In this city, you also do a lot of walking. The city is very mountainous(?) so there are a lot of uphills. To get to Acropolis you must walk uphill, to get to the top of Lykavittos, you must walk uphill. To get from place to place, you must walk a lot, because it is a big city. To get from place to place, you must walk a lot because you will get lost. Well, mostly, it's in the city center where it's a bit confusing. It's also difficult to find your place on the map if you have no idea where you are to begin with. Which was the case one night after coming down Lykavittos Hill after dark. I came down a different path from where I went up, simply because I had no idea where I entered the hill to begin with. You know, this hill is supposed to be a major tourist attraction. I found it quite surprising though that the paths were not lit or marked. I stayed up the hill past dark to try to catch the sunset (too many clouds tho) and see the city by night. It got very dark on my way down, and I could hardly see anything and I had no idea where I was going. I followed a few people for a while, but I lost them quickly after stopping once or twice to take photos. A little while later, the path split into two. I went back and forth between the two paths unsure whether one would end up taking me back up to the top or to the otherside of the hill where I didn't want to be. In the end, I finally made it down hill and just kind of kept walking aimlessly until I found someone who pointed me in the general direction of where I wanted to go. Yeah, that's another reason why you'll wak a lot. Since there really isn't a whole lot to do in Athens, you could easily just decide to walk around a lot aimlessly as I did. Beats sitting in the hotel. So I probably spent at least 6 hours a day walking while there.
The Sights
Everyone goes to Athens to see Acropolis. This was actually the coolest part of my trip. I actually enjoyed the walk up to it, and the walk around Ancient Agora which is right next to it. The weather was great, and the occasional hustle bustle of the tourists all around made for a lively outing. The Acropolis was slightly on the disappointing side though. The Parthenon is not well-preserved, and the scene is ruined by tons of equipment for reconstruction. Also, in comparison to some other ruins (e.g. Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu), it's not so spectacular. Hence, I did not vote to have the Acropolis be part of the new 7 wonders of the world. (You can vote too!) Aside from Acropolis, I went to the Ancient Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Olympic Stadium, Lykavittos Hill, National Archealogical Museum, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Plaka, and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
More pictures here.
Monday, October 16, 2006
The Trip Home (#1)
I just got back this morning from a week back home in the U.S. The flight sucked cuz it was cold and I could not sleep (it was a red eye). Somehow I got a free 1st class upgrade on the ORF->Chicago leg, but it was a pretty useless upgrade. You get a drink (OJ or H2O) before the flight and a little more leg room. That's it. I wish they'd givem me an upgrade on the int'l leg.
During the week, I was in VB and NC to see my two brothers. That meant I only had like 3 days in each place, which wasn't nearly enough time to do anything. I didn't get to see all my friends, eat my favorite sushi, or much of anything for that matter. I did lots of shopping though - perhaps too much - and boy did that suck (I hate shopping). Anyways, so I get all these vacation days, but at least a good 2 or 3 weeks of it has to be spent back in U.S. to see family/friends. Damn it.
Btw, my brother has one of those trash cans that has a motion sensor operated lid. So you can pretend like you are a Jedi, wave your had in front of the lid, say "open" or any other appropriate mind controlling phrase, and viola! The lid opens. Now, this got me thinking - they already have touch free flushing in many public restrooms. How great would it be if you had a toilet seat, in your home, that goes up and down at the wave of a hand?? No more arguing between the man and the woman as to whether the lid should stay up or down.
So jet lag coming this way means tomorrow morning when I get up at 8, it's gonna feel like 2am. Fabulous.
During the week, I was in VB and NC to see my two brothers. That meant I only had like 3 days in each place, which wasn't nearly enough time to do anything. I didn't get to see all my friends, eat my favorite sushi, or much of anything for that matter. I did lots of shopping though - perhaps too much - and boy did that suck (I hate shopping). Anyways, so I get all these vacation days, but at least a good 2 or 3 weeks of it has to be spent back in U.S. to see family/friends. Damn it.
Btw, my brother has one of those trash cans that has a motion sensor operated lid. So you can pretend like you are a Jedi, wave your had in front of the lid, say "open" or any other appropriate mind controlling phrase, and viola! The lid opens. Now, this got me thinking - they already have touch free flushing in many public restrooms. How great would it be if you had a toilet seat, in your home, that goes up and down at the wave of a hand?? No more arguing between the man and the woman as to whether the lid should stay up or down.
So jet lag coming this way means tomorrow morning when I get up at 8, it's gonna feel like 2am. Fabulous.
Sunday, October 8, 2006
No ice cream in LHR terminal 3
I flew home yesterday to ORF via London Heathrow. I had about an hour layover in LHR and I was really craving ice cream. I circled the terminal at least twice for a good ice cream shop but they have none!!! I had to settle for one of those pre-packaged ice cream sold at a coffee shop which cost me almost $6! And the thing was only like 175ml (tiny) and not that good. Very annoying.
The flight itself was pretty smooth. Edible food and X-Men: The Last Stand was on. I've been wanting to watch that for a while now. Got home pretty late at night and everyone was already asleep. I went up to my oldest niece's room (she's 10 now) as they had prepared a bed for me there. As I went to turn off the lights, I noticed I was being stared at by Jesse McCartney and the likes from all corners of the room. I'm trying to remember what kind of posters I had as a kid. It was so long ago I really don't remember. Definitely wasn't NKOTB though.
This morning I spent some time chilling with my family. My youngest niece bought this barbie doll that comes with a dog that poops. And it comes with a pooper scooper!! This would be great toys for kids in the Netherlands. They should learn to pick after their dogs from early on.
Now I'm off to do some serious shopping. I hate shopping in the Hague 'cuz everything is expensive, and the shops are crowded, and nothing will probably fit (Dutch people are tall). I've gotta do all the shopping for winter and spring while I am here. It's mission impossible but gotta do it.
The flight itself was pretty smooth. Edible food and X-Men: The Last Stand was on. I've been wanting to watch that for a while now. Got home pretty late at night and everyone was already asleep. I went up to my oldest niece's room (she's 10 now) as they had prepared a bed for me there. As I went to turn off the lights, I noticed I was being stared at by Jesse McCartney and the likes from all corners of the room. I'm trying to remember what kind of posters I had as a kid. It was so long ago I really don't remember. Definitely wasn't NKOTB though.
This morning I spent some time chilling with my family. My youngest niece bought this barbie doll that comes with a dog that poops. And it comes with a pooper scooper!! This would be great toys for kids in the Netherlands. They should learn to pick after their dogs from early on.
Now I'm off to do some serious shopping. I hate shopping in the Hague 'cuz everything is expensive, and the shops are crowded, and nothing will probably fit (Dutch people are tall). I've gotta do all the shopping for winter and spring while I am here. It's mission impossible but gotta do it.
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Paris, France
The Friday after I got back from Oktoberfest, we (Lukasz, Joe, and I) had to drive down to Paris for work and returned just today. Fortunately, they gave us the weekend there off so we got to have some fun while there. I actually spent a week in Paris back in Feb of '98 though and saw most things then. A lot of the time was just spent walking around the city. I saw the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and various other things again.The most exciting part of the trip was undoubtedly the Pari-roller-blading on Friday night. It's just as it sounds: roller-blading through Paris after dark. Every Friday night at 10pm, thousands gather to roller-blade through the city for 3 hours. They start at the same place every week, but the routes vary. I didn't actually read the web-site before doing it, so I was rather suprised at the pace we went. I guess to cover 18+ kilometers you need to go pretty fast. I had expected a leisurely stroll but this was the fastest I've ever skated. It's not necessary an easy route either. We went over cobble stones, down-hills, through tunnels, etc. I'm not a great skater by any means so I spent most of the time staring at the ground trying not to kill myself by tripping (many people fall). Fortunately, one of the dudes with us was a regular and pointed out some awesome views of the city by night (including the Eiffel Tower, which was beautiful.) Anyways, we only lasted 1.5 hours of it, but it was a blast. I heard that they have something similar in Amsterdam, so we plan to try that sometime.
Btw, driving in Paris is crazy. And try to avoid the roundabouts in rush hour, particulary the one around Arc de Triomphe. There's like 5 lanes of traffic all going round and round and if you get stuck in the middle, may god help you if you want to get out again. The advice I got was that nose-position is key in Europe. If you want to go somewhere, cut someone off by getting the nose of your car in front of the other car's and then you (usually) get to go where you want from there.
Pictures here.
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