The Sunday excursion, plus some other travel-related thoughts.

Stavkirken at the Norwegian Folk museum! This was the main attraction of our Sunday excursion, and I'm glad I was able to take some shots of the exterior, as well as some of the interior even though they didn't turn out that well. We actually spent Sunday morning prior to this adventure at Sogn student residence with Damon and his crew, enjoying a delicious Hong Kong style breakfast and chatting together. And, in fact, the evening ended in a very similar fashion, with a German film called "Lola rennt" that lacked English subtitles. That was okay with me, however, because I could actually understand the Norwegian subtitles passably well. I'm getting better! ...sort of!

Monday morning I did, unfortunately, have to take Jennifer back to central station to see her off back to Germany, but I'm so glad she was able to visit even if only for a weekend. And it seems like my luck where visitors are concerned is only getting better, since at the beginning of June I am going to have a visit from my dear friend Vonnie as well! I mentioned her back at the start of my trip when I was stranded in Glasgow, since she very kindly offered to phone me and keep me company for a little bit as I was quite lonely (and cold). It will be very nice to show my other BFF around my favorite corner of Scandinavia.

Barring any day excursions into the fjord that my friends and I might make, I have at last planned out the rest of my adventures here in Europe. On 11 June (after Vonnie's visit), Mike, Tim and I are taking the train from Oslo S. to Bergen, where we will stay until the 14th, before presumably coming back to Kringsjå. I've even gone so far as to book my flight to England for 4 July, where I will spend some time with my family and friends before going back to America.

At the moment, my scheduled departure from the UK is still the 31st of July, which I have contemplated moving up some since that is an awful long time to be in England, but at the same time I wouldn't mind taking the opportunity to do some traveling within the country; I haven't done that in a proper way since I graduated high school and spent my summer at Cambridge in 2005. I'd love to go back to Cambridge for an afternoon perhaps and visit all my old haunts, or take the opportunity to travel up to Scotland and give Edinburgh a chance to properly repair my image of Scotland; my one and only visit there was pretty awful, though those were special circumstances, weren't they? If I have the time, I would also like very much to visit my Aunt Sylvie and cousin Michaela--and her daughter Toriah!--in France as well, and visit the Basque region. I'd be there in July, in time for perfect weather and glorious sunshine--and I would have the chance to practice my French again!

Sometimes I feel like I've been in this country for years rather than just months, and I mean that in a good way. My friends here are all remarkable and wonderful people who made this experience the gem that it is for me, and I'll never forget the memories we've created together. Man, listen to me, getting all sentimental while I've still got two months left to spend with them, and three months left before I go back to America. I should just enjoy the time I have left!