A few changes and my latest thoughts

Here are a few minor changes to my itinerary. No worries, it's part of the fun :)

First, the business section..... Mari's parents have been kind enough to buy me an airline ticket from Oslo to Aalesund so I will be in that city on 6 June. The plan, right now, is to leave Norway from Oslo on 21 June heading to Copenhagen. I'm looking at the 1:00 train, arriving at 9:37 P.M.. I still plan to be at Thomas' house for two nights then leave for Amsterdam. That will be an overnight train ride so I should arrive in Amsterdam at around 10:30 A.M. on 23 June. I booked a hostel for two nights there. Here's the info: The Shelter City, Barndesteeg 21, , 1012 BV, Amsterdam, Netherlands. I don't have a phone number for the place but I will have my cell phone with me and, of course, my laptop if you need to get in touch with me.

And now the leisure section....I am finally getting REALLY excited. I have tried so hard to focus on work and the girls to make the time pass more quickly. Yesterday was the last day of work and we leave in two days...so I couldn't sleep in this morning. I have been up since 5:00 doing "research"! My mom and her fiancee, John, gave Mari and me a going away dinner last night and it was very pleasant. My sister, her husband and their two sons came and Rob came, too, when he got off work. Of course, Peyton was there with us, too. The kids were playing in the pool while the adults sat around the dinner table talking, laughing, sharing travel stories and looking through the 215 (yes, 215) pictures that Mari and I printed from her year in America. The food was excellent as always and I enjoyed spending time with my sister and mom...it doesn't happen often enough.

I got an email from Elena yesterday and she sounds excited about showing me all the sites in Budapest. One thing I am really looking forward to is the flexibility in my schedule. For example, Elena asked if I want to go visit her family in Moldova after Budapest. How cool is that?? I know I would enjoy it, but I'm also looking forward to getting to Italy :) Today I got emails from an old college friend who lives in Norway now and from one of Nicole's exchange student who lives in Munich. I will take the opportunity to visit with each of them while I am in their respective cities. I think it's so cool that I will have that little piece of home while I'm so far away.

Brad, the guy in Norway, mentioned getting together for "utepils." I have never heard that word before so, like all things I need to know, I Googled it. Turns out utepils is the word Norwegians use for drinking beer outside when the winter weather breaks and it's nice enough to enjoy a drink outdoors. I think this is traditionally done in May but I think I'm a fan of June utepils, too! These are the kinds of things I want to learn about on this trip...random and quaint local traditions I wouldn't otherwise ever know about :)

That's it for today. Time to start tying up loose ends and hit Walmart again to buy more travel size bottles for face cleanser, etc!