More supermarket adventures

Greetings all!

Things have settled into the beginnings of a routine and I'm getting lots of sleep. Here's a photo of me right now, writing this blog posting in the apartment. Do I look rested? [grin] Note the funny sloping walls....we are on the top floor of the building and the whole side of the apartment is like this as it follows the roofline. The windows are built into the roof. It certainly adds character to the place and it isn't just the usual square box one often gets in Australia.

Thanks for your comments:
Amber, don't worry about the new editor until it all happens...you never know, he/she might be better than the one you have at present!
Bruce, great to hear from you again and I just know you would have had a ball in Darwin...they're a great mob up there. :-)

Not a lot to write about, but I'll bring you up to date.

Monday & Tuesday....lots of walking
The weather is just gorgeous here at the moment, although this has only been since I got here. Spring has definitely sprung and everything is soooo green and pretty. Its just lovely to get out into it. Norbert and I went for a walk after tea on Monday night so I could see a bit more of the area, then we came home and had a glass of Schnapps. Its a tradition here but it was 40% alcohol! Boy, did I go straight to sleep!!! [laugh]

Tuesday was an exceptionally slow start...I blame the Schnapps. ROFL It was so sunny again that I decided to meander to another Supermarket which Norbert had said wasn't that far away, but was bigger and had more variety than the local. So off I set to find it. First of all you have to realise that NOTHING is flat in this area, and for every downhill street there is a corresponding trudge up the next hill.

Anyway, I got lost. [laugh] Took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up somewhere in the middle of Petersberg which is a neighbouring village. At this stage I wasn't concerned as although I was already tired with all the hill-climbing, it was a lovely area and very picturesque. Ended up turning back and retracing my steps until I came to what I thought was the right turn-off, and although I know now that it wasn't, it did eventually get me to the supermarket, albeit the long way around.


By now I'd walked several kilometres up hill and down dale and was quite tired but I got excited by all the stuff in the supermarket and ended up buying quite a bit. Vegetables are hard to get here and there is definitely no variety or quality...so I took the opportunity to buy up on what wasn't available at the local supermarket. Oh, and I had to get a 6-pack of beer for Norbert...oh, and some Schnapps for me with less alcohol. [cheeky grin] I did very well at the checkout with my miniscule German, and then quickly packed the bags.

And then....Yeeks!!!! No car outside to just lob everything into the boot!!! Luckily I had brought an extra couple of cloth bags with me (green-bag type from home) because I ended up filling my backpack AND both these bags! And I still had to find my way home AND carry all this weight!!!!

I had about 50 rest stops on the way home but with shoulders aching and my arms feeling like they were being pulled out of their sockets, I finally made it back home.....to be faced with 2 flights of stairs up to the apartment! [look of sheer exhaustion] But I made it!! We are picking up a hire-car on Saturday, so hopefully I won't have to do this 'pack-horse' thing again! [grin]

As if that wasn't enough walking, when Norbert got home from work he said he had to go into Fulda to organise the hire-car, so we took a bus into town but then walked around - remember I haven't seen much of Fulda proper, and then mostly at night. Took a lovely walk through the old part of the town which is absolutely lovely with all the timbered houses and quaint cobbled streets.


Here's a photo of me outside a line of half-timbered buildings in one of the streets....although I think the photo is too small and you can't see me. Oh well...you can see the buildings. :-) Really quite lovely and very picturesque, and all very original as I think they escaped the war. I am looking forward to going into town myself sometime and spending some time wandering around all these streets. The nice weather is bringing everyone out too and there are a multitude of outside cafes with umbrellas up, and people having a meal together after work. We are at a high latitude here so the twighlight is long....the sun was still up at 9:15pm last night!

Anyway, that's enough raving on now. [smile] I hope I've given you a mental picture of the area though, and that you are feeling like you are here in the middle of Germany. I'd love for you all to see it as I'm sure you'd love it as much as I do.

Love to everyone,
Marlene

Weddings, Berlin & Germans in general

Hi everyone!
So sorry its been a while since my last posting, but this is the first chance I have had to get online again. I promise to make it up to you. :-) Thank you so much for all your comments - what a thrill to hear from you all!

Cheryl: You will definitely get your wish for a loooong posting this time.
Heather & Bill: I'll put in an 'executive summary' for you [grin]. Hope you are enjoying sunny Queensland!
Skye: I promise I will buy you a Farmers Union Iced Coffee the second you walk off the plane in Adelaide.
Bruce & Liz: More green grass than you can imagine here...with poppies and daisies in the fields. Gorgeous!
Stefan: I will write LOTS more about my time here in Germany...in English. Aber...deine English ist sehr gut!
Allison: Lots more 'language adventures'...but I'm getting braver.
Amber: Good luck with the defacto stuff...I presume they 'found' your papers?
Elena: Oh yes....I'm definitely happy. [big grin]

Executive Summary

For those of you who say "get to the point woman...stop waffling on..." [grin] here is an 'executive summary' of the last few days. We caught the ICE train (fast one) to Berlin last Tuesday evening, and were picked up at the Ost-Bahnhof by Tobias (the bride-groom's brother). Went to Strausberg the next morning where the wedding was being held and checked in to the hotel, then went to join the guests for champagne outside in the gardens. The wedding was beautiful and I'll explain in more detail further on in the posting, however while it was very similar to Australian weddings, there were marked differences...many quite amusing! :-)

Back to Berlin the next day and the combination of jet lag, travel and all the excitement was beginning to catch up on me so we had a fairly quiet afternoon just chatting to our hosts...Hartmut and Marina....and 'kaffeetrinken' in the sunshine outside. On Friday we had to go into the city as Norbert needed to have something for work notarised by the Australian Embassy. On Saturday we took a scenic boat trip around the many canals of Berlin (more than in Venice) to see the sights, and on Sunday we spent a lovely afternoon strolling through some gardens looking at amazing displays of multi-coloured tulips.

And then we caught the ICE again back to Fulda, which brings me back to today! And nothing much happening today except I have the washing machine on and I have yet to do the breakfast dishes. [laugh] That's about it!

But for those of you wanting to know more of the details, read on. I will also upload the photos I took while in Berlin so click on the link 'more of Marlene's photos' on the right and it will take you where you can see them all. Just click 'next' at the bottom of the screen to go to the next page.

Tuesday - We travel to Berlin

I spent the morning getting ready to go....ironing and trying to fit everything for 2 people into one suitcase. Sort of did it...but the fact that I had an extra couple of plastic bags for 'my stuff' doesn't really count, does it. [grin] The joys of train travel though, as one doesn't have weight issues and you can take as many bags as you can carry!

Took the local bus to the Fulda train station then had a 10minute wait and it was straight onto the ICE. The ICE trains are the really fast ones, and we don't have anything like it in Australia. They look like a bullet and although we were flying along at 250kph, apparently they can go even faster than that when the lines are really good. Here is a photo of me on the train, drinking wine and checking out the view. What a life, hey??!!

We travelled through to the Ost-Bahnhof which is in old East Berlin...its a bit further on than we needed to go but apparently parking is easier there than in the Haupt Bahnhof....the central one. Which was a good thing because as soon as we got there I saw a familiar face coming up the platform - it was Tobias, coming to collect us. Tobias is Norbert's cousin's younger son and a few years ago he came to Australia for a month-long trip where we climbed Uluru etc.....so I got to know him well. [smile]

He took us back to his parent's place (Hartmut & Marina) where we settled into the spare room and got an early night.

Wednesday - the Wedding!

I was really looking forward to this day and it was one of the reasons I came to Germany earlier than I had planned. What a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with the family AND experience a typical German wedding! The wedding was in a little place called Strausberg which is about an hour out of Berlin....in what would have been East Germany. We were driving with Rolf (Hartmut's father) however Tobias was in front of us and supposedly leading the way...except he missed a turn off the Autobahn and we got hopelessly lost!!! [laugh] Luckily we had left ourselves plenty of time so with the help of a few passers-by, we were finally on the right track again after meandering through several small villages. Great opportunity to admire the local scenery though!

Finally arrived and checked into the hotel. The wedding was being held in the gardens of the hotel and many of the guests were staying for the night as German weddings finish quite late. It was a 12 noon wedding so I had thought it might be all over by early evening. Heaven forbid....not a chance! ROFL

For all the ladies out there for whom this is important, the colours of the wedding were apricot and ivory, and the bride wore a strapless gown covered in crystal embroidery, and with a short train. There were no attendants however their son Lucas (about 9 months old) 'carried' the ring with the help of his Uncle Tobias. Here is a photo of the bride and groom....Sebastian & Jessica.

Now....you don't want to hear about the whole wedding because so much of it is similar to eddings in Australia - you know, lots of photos...champagne...eating...laughing...dancing etc. So I will just tell you about the aspects which were surprising and interesting.

First of all, there is no such thing as a 'church wedding'. You can have a wedding in a church but you must have a civil ceremony as well because the church one isn't legal, and a minister is not legally allowed to marry anyone.

The first ceremonial aspect is where the bride and groom share bread with water...and I think salt or something. I guess it has a similar meaning to our sharing of bread and wine. Then they have a large sheet put in front of them with 2 hearts drawn on it. The bride has to use scissors to cut out the hearts and then they step through the hole in the middle.

After that comes the sawing of a tree trunk. No kidding!!!! The bride and groom have to grab each side of a saw and cut through a large-ish tree trunk. Talk about not being dressed for
this type of work!

But it gets worse. They celebrated a particular tradition called 'Polter Hochzeit' which sort of translates as 'noisy wedding'. And you throw crockery against a wall. Hey....would I joke about stuff like this??? [looks aghast] Here is a photo of me in full-flight, throwing a plate against the stone wall. All the guests brought their own crockery - we brought our plates all the way from Fulda. After there is a huge mess on the ground, the bride and groom are given a shovel and broom and they have to clean it up. Sort of signifies working together I think. That was bad enough but the young German guys here are just as mischievous as Aussie guys, so when the bride & groom had finished they upended the bin and the poor couple had to start all over again! [laugh]

The eating and drinking pretty much continued throughout the day although the actual 'wedding feast' began in the evening with lots of extra guests arriving for the eating and dancing...which went on until the wee small hours of the morning, I lasted out until midnight but then just had to get horizontal or I would have fallen down. :-)

Thursday - back to Berlin

The night was too short but we had to be up and checked out of our room in the morning, so went downstairs for a wonderful German Früstück....or breakfast, and then packed up again. Just one more little thing for the 'lucky' couple to deal with first....the young'uns had wrapped their car in glad wrap. Completely. And Norbert had tied cans under the car - he likes to join in the fun! [grin]

Anyway, we drove back to Berlin with Hartmut and Marina...to find that we were locked out of the house. Now this involved getting a locksmith on a public holiday so not exactly an easy or cheap exercise to get back in, but finally we were sitting out the back enjoying coffee, cake and sunshine.

That night we walked to a local Italian restaurant which was interesting. I speak just a teeny bit of Italian and first of all it was strange to hear these Italians speaking fluent German. But I addressed them in Italian and then found that I was getting my German, English and Italian all mixed up!!! [chuckle]

I think I'm doing OK with the 'Deutsch' though, as I'm hearing it all around me now. When I first started learning, my goal was simply to be able to understand enough to keep up with the topics of people conversing around me...and I find that I am able to do that. Framing sentences myself is still very difficult but I at least know what everyone is talking about and can add a phrase or two. Its all good! [beaming smile]

Friday - Into the city via U-Bahn

The U-Bahn is the underground here - Skye you would know that it is very similar to the London Underground except the stations all have unpronounceable names. :-D Norbert has been trying to get an ABN for some time now so he took his passport, Medicare card, Aussie drivers' license etc into the Australian Embassy to get copies signed and notarised to send back to the Australian Tax Office. Its really hard doing stuff like this from a distance! Anyway, you could really tell the Aussies who work in there, from the local people. I mean no disrespect whatsoever as the German people I've come to know are friendly and hospitable and absolutely lovely people. However there's this 'thing' which is hard to explain, but Norbert has been telling me for some time.....and now I've experienced it myself. They are different when it comes to authority. They seem to just accept it and also like to have it...together with all the accoutrements and privileges. People in positions of authority are very formal, referred to my last names ONLY, never smile, never make allowances or show flexibility, and seem to wear a uniform with extreme pride. Nobody questions this, and nobody ever 'bucks the system' or asks WHY something is done a certain way. I noticed it in the Embassy where the way we were met at the door was markedly different from the Aussie guy behind the counter. And I'll explain further on in this post where we had a run-in with another 'official'.

Anyway, we just hopped off and off the U-Bahn for the afternoon, exploring the city a bit and having lunch, then back home again. I don't have photos of the day because I forgot my camera. Norbert showed a deep regret when I told him I'd left it behind. [rolls her eyes] :-D

Saturday - Boat trip on the Canals

A lovely day! Last time I was in Germany we went for a short boat trip, but it was winter and the scenery was grey. But I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to do it again so the 4 of us hopped on one of the canal boats and set off on a 4 hour tour. There are more bridges in Berlin than in Venice although a lot of people don't know this....one can travel a long way by water, and its a wonderful view of all the buildings and interesting architecture. The difference between what was East and West Berlin becomes obvious, and many of the new buildings are amazing! It started out sunny and warm although there was a rainshower or two...,but we didn't let it worry us.

Sunday - Flowers, flowers everywhere!

The last day of our stay in Berlin and our wonderful hosts took us to a gorgeous park! I couldn't get over the swathes of brightly-coloured tulips everywhere!! It was sooooo pretty and so relaxing. At one stage we were sitting on rocks by the lake, enjoying coffee and listening to jazz music being played. Can you picture it? Wish you were here? [heh, heh]

But then it was off to the Haupt Bahnhof where we had to catch the 6:30pm ICE bound for Fulda. We said goodbye to Hartmut and Marina but we hope to catch up with them again while we are here - AND I think we may have talked them into coming to Australia next year!!! Woohoo!!! [jumps up and down with excitement]

The end of the day should have been uneventful except it was spoiled by one of those previously described 'German official types'...a female train conductor.... who decided that the ticket Norbert had bought for me was incorrect and that he would have to pay a fine. She just kept on an on!!!! Wouldn't listen to reason and didn't seem to care that we were visitors from Australia....just that we were 'breaking the rules', according to her. I wondered what she would have done if I had been alone because at least Norbert could understand her ranting and raving...I would have been distraught! Luckily Norbert sorted something out, but its a pity as it marred what would have been a perfect day.

Monday - and back to routine

I went back to sleep after Norbert left for work...what a life!!! [big grin] But then I put on a load of washing and made some lunch. This will be the longest blog post by far for a while as the weekdays will all be pretty routine from now on, although we plan to do some sight-seeing on the weekends so I will definitely take photos and let you know all about that.

In the meantime, take care everyone and I hope to hear from you soon,
Cheers,

Marlene (and Norbert) :-)

Guten Tag!

From the time I walked out of my front door in Adelaide...until the time I walked in the front door of Norbert's apartment...it was a total of 36 hours of travelling using car, plane, bus and train. But I'm finally here!!! [does a little dance on the spot]

The start of the journey
As soon as I checked in at Adelaide Airport I bought myself a Farmers Union iced coffee, knowing that it would be a long time before I could have one of these local treats again. [grin] After spending much of my worklife travelling back and forth around the country, the first leg to Melbourne felt almost routine and it wasn't until I picked up my bag and headed off to the International Departures that it started to feel like I was really going somewhere special.

There were the usual delays with checking in for an International flight including having to wait for the 'right time' before they would take any bags. [sigh] While I was waiting I saw a youngish couple with 2 kids and a baby trying to check in with SEVEN suitcases! They certainly had the Emirates staff in a tizz! Once I'd gotten rid of my big suitcase I thought I'd grab some tea at the PJ O'Briens Irish Pub and while I was enjoying some delicious Nachos (there goes the diet already) I struck up a conversation with the woman next to me. Turns out we both have daughters named Skye, and we both grew up in the mid-North. Small world!

Melbourne to Dubai
As I took my seat, I noted that I was sitting next to 2 little children. Now don't get me wrong....as the mother of 4 kids I obviously don't have anything against small children....but on a 14 hour flight???? [wry grin] Actually, they were pretty good but as little kids do, they wriggled and squirmed. A lot. :-) I tried to sleep but kept getting knocked and nudged awake each time, especially when they decided to play ball with the soft toy given to them by the flight attendant. Finally took a sleeping tablet and put in earplugs and eventually dozed off for a while.

The minute I walked in to Dubai Airport I headed for the Dubai International Hotel which is bang slap in the middle of the place. And no...I wasn't staying...but they have a health/fitness centre there and for $AU15 you can get a lovely hot shower! Sounds expensive for a shower, I know, but after a long flight its worth its weight in gold...and I'm not talking about sharing a damp line of cubicles with several sweaty people. I'm talking about being shown to your own huuuuge, private bathroom and shower with hairdryer, little sachets of moisturiser, thick bathrobe etc. After that I felt completely refreshed so went downstairs to find a large coffee and relax. A bit too relaxing as before long I heard my flight being called....and it was a final call! Eeeek!!!! Got to the gates on time but it was at a run! [big grin]

Dubai to Frankfurt
My seat for this leg of the journey was the second from the back, but I had a vacant seat next to me. "You beaut!" I thought for a while...until the flight was delayed for 15 minutes while they had to find the absentee's luggage in the hold and get it off the plane. Oh well. Then there was the usual "Good morning, I am Hussein and I will be flying you to Frankfurt today. Next to me I have Instructor Gamil....." Instructor???? Has this guy flown a plane before????? ROFL But we got there safely although I think he hit every pothole on the way as it was a very bumpy flight. The food was good though and my special request for Gluten-Free meals wasn't a problem and the food quite delicious.

The plane finally touched down at Frankfurt Airport...and I was so excited! But of course there were the inevitable delays of Passport Control and Customs however before long I was through and the first face I saw as I came through the door of the Arrivals area was Norbert's. [huge grin] And he immediately called out that I should pose for the camera! Here's me looking happy but somewhat travel-worn. :-)

Frankfurt to Fulda
Almost there....are you still with me? After the inevitable greetings and hugs and "how was the flight" etc etc, we left the airport to catch the shuttle bus to the Bahnhof...or train station. I'm so glad I wasn't dealing with this bit alone as for the first time there were no English subtitles and my German is awfully basic still. And after 36 hours of travel, the brain wasn't working that well anyway. Had time for a juice (and lunch for Norbert) at the Bahnhof and then we boarded the train bound for Fulda. This final leg was about an hour and 20 minutes so there was time to just sit back, chat, and look out the large windows as the scenery changed from suburbs to rolling green pastures dotted with little German villages nestled into the hillsides. But finally we arrived and the easiest way to get out to Lehnerz with all the luggage (which is where we are now, about 3k out of Fulda) was to catch a taxi. Less than 10minutes later I was walking up 2 flights of stairs....with Norbert trailing behind, lugging my suitcase.....until we finally reached my home for the next few weeks.

First night
The next few hours felt strange, to say the least. You have to take into account that Norbert and I have been talking to each other on Skype for weeks now AND he's sent video and lots of photos, so as I first walked into the room it was deja vu. I have never been here, yet it felt so familiar. I walked over to the window to see the 'oh so familiar' view that I have seen in rain, sunshine and snow....but have never actually seen. We went for a short walk so I could get my bearings, and after almost memorising the area via Google Earth, it felt odd to be seeing it at street level. And finally we turned a corner to see a church on a hill with houses climbing up the slopes to meet it, and Norbert said "Remember this view?" And I had the strangest lurch as it was the scene that has been on my computer's Desktop for ages now. Norbert had taken the photo a while ago when it was snowing, but now I was standing in the same spot and seeing it in the sunshine. The internet and Web 2.0 tools have the capacity to turn one's world inside out! But in a good way. [grin]

We opened a bottle of bubbly and toasted the fun weeks to come.

First day of my new (albeit temporary) life
So far the jetlag hasn't been too bad, and although I woke at 3:10am and couldn't get back to sleep for a while, I still woke again at a 'normal' time for breakfast....which I got served to me in bed! Norbert had to dash off to work straight away so I got up and made a second cup of coffee...then promptly fell back asleep again until 10:30am! What a lazy life! My work ethic is still trying to keep a stranglehold on me though, so even though I could have lazed away the day, I got up, showered, unpacked and did the dishes. It was an unusually sunny, warm day so I opened up the big door to let the fresh air inside (and so I could admire a view I would never have at home).

Had my first 'language adventure' this arvo, when I decided that although it was all comfy and safe in the apartment, I needed to take on my 'new world'....so I walked to the local supermarket. German people are sooooo friendly!! I was doing my best to lay low and just observe....but they persisted in greeting me and trying to talk to me! Eeeek!!!! How many times did I have to finally say "Ich sprechen kein Deutsch."? (I don't speak German) Luckily I memorised that useful little phrase. [rolls her eyes] Had a great 'conversation' with the lady on the checkout who, despite using my 'little phrase' on her, continued to try and find out where I was from, what I was doing here, the fact that she had been to Sydney, and where was Adelaide etc. Yeeks!!! I dragged out a few words I actually knew and strung them together with English words, and somehow we seemed to understand what each other was talking about. We smiled a lot anyway. Running an online conference is nothing compared to the stress involved in trying to communicate in a strange language!!! I know, I know...exaggerating again. ;-) But after several people had said " 'Tag" and tried to engage me in conversation while walking along the footpath, I beat it back home for a mental break. ROFL

The walk was truly lovely though as spring has sprung over here and there are blossoms and tulips everywhere...and GREEN, everywhere you look! Remember 'green'???? LOL

Anyway, my momentary rest time is almost over already as tomorrow arvo we are off to Berlin for the wedding - Norbert's cousin's son is getting married. It's all going to be somewhat hectic and I'm not sure whether I will have internet access in Berlin but I will make an effort to get on at least once to keep you up to date. We are back again on Sunday as Norbert needs to go back to work on Monday. And after that...well, a few weeks of reading, drawing, walking etc. My blog postings during this time should be absolutely rivetting!!!! [laugh]

By the way, thanks Uwe, Carol, Bruce and Amber for your Comments on previous posts. Its great to hear from everyone.

Auf Wiedersehen!

One more sleep!

Packing first...
I believe the Royal family never pack a suitcase....its all done for them by 'people'. I wonder whether or not you can hire one of these 'people'? [grin] They'd be handy.

It took me a short time to get as far as having everything I thought I would take, laid out on my bed...and then the rest of the day deciding which items really needed to be left behind as they wouldn't all fit in the suitcase! ROFL

But, it's all done and my suitcase is packed and I'm ready to go!

...then a farewell tea.
My sister Heather invited my Mum and I to their house for a farewell tea tonight, and after a day of washing, ironing, packing and ticking off lists it was a welcome invitation. In her own inimitable creative style, Heather had decorated the table with a German theme....flag centrepiece, napkin holders...the works! We did discuss whether or not it was appropriate to be spending this time on ANZAC Day with a table full of German paraphernalia but we decided that as long as it wasn't the swastika then it was OK. [laugh]

Tomorrow is D-Day! (D for Departure)
Tomorrow I'm off to Germany!! I will probably be exhausted when I get there as it will be about 8:30pm Adelaide time on Sunday night (and I don't sleep on planes), however I'll do my best to put up even a short post just to reportthat I have arrived safely.

I'll definitely be exhausted as I'm so excited that I may not sleep a wink tonight!!!! [dances around in a circle] :-)

Thanks so much to Ingrid, Cheryl, Amber, Andreas, Allison & Skye for your comments and best wishes...very much appreciated.

Setting the Scene

You get your good years...and you get your less than wonderful years, and so far, 2008 has been shaping up to be one of the latter. But the downhill slider has done a sudden turnaround, and now I'm off overseas. In SIX DAYS!!!! [spins around excitedly]

What's happened?
I'll set the scene briefly. :-) Norbert was offered a contract position in Germany, just before Christmas last year...and he accepted and promptly left on 3rd January. My original plan was to go to Germany after he had finished the contract (beginning of June), and then we would have a brief holiday and come home. But various circumstances (I won't bore you with the details) have led me to a change of plans and I'M GOING EARLY!!! Woohoo!!! I'll be away for 9 1/2 weeks!

The general itinerary
I leave next Saturday, 26th April and and fly to Frankfurt, then catch a train to a little place called Fulda which is about an hour away. Fulda is where Norbert has been working and this map shows where it is....sort of in the middle.

I've got 2 days to get over jet-lag and then we are off to Berlin where we have a family wedding to attend....but then back to Fulda where Norbert will have to complete his contract. And what will I do? Well, I thought I would shop, sightsee, sleep, read, draw and continue to learn German. Sound like a plan? [big grin]

On 1st June Norbert will have finished work so we will spend a couple of weeks sightseeing a bit further afield, and then we are off on an amazing tour called the 'Hurtigruten & Arctic Circle' tour.

Here's a brief blurb which will explain it better than I could:
"Visit Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and travel to Stockholm, Sweden. Then take the overnight ferry to Helsinki in Finland and continue north towards Lapland. Visit the interesting Arctic Center before you cross the Arctic Circle. Stop at the Santa Claus workshop, then continue through the Finnish Lapland to Kirkenes in Norway where you board your ship for the world's most beautiful sea voyage: the Hurtigruten Cruise. Land in Saint Olaf's town Trondheim and continue to Lillehammer before arriving in Oslo."

Can you see why I'm excited?? [huge grin]

The next few days....
...won't go fast enough, but the huuuuge To Do list...work stuff and 'getting ready to go' list will make the next few days fly, I'm sure.

My next blog posting will be the night before I leave, and then...well, I'll post as often as I can so you can enjoy the trip with me. Please put a comment on as often as you can too, because I know from experience that its so wonderful to have contact with 'back home'. Tell me what you're doing, or just how the weather is! And wonderful too, to hear from new friends.

And now, off to try and turn a 32kg suitcase into a 20kg suitcase. [grin]