Norway

    I have been so busy here that I didn't get to post yesterday, oops. Yesterday morning Tor Inge picked me up from the air port. We went out for breakfast being as it was quite early. Then we headed to his house for a bit before his step mother Liekney. She took me into Stavanger. We wandered around the cobblestone streets for a bit and window shopped. Then we went to the oil muesum. When they started to find oil near Stavanger it changed the economy of the city and the country pretty dirastically.  Before oil Stavanger was a a poorer city and there was a sardine factory that was the major industry. There are loads of oil offices and oil companies located here.  The oil muesum was interesting. It was a good way to get to know Liekney. She was very nervous about her English so it was a good way to break the ice. My favoirte part was looking at the differnt types of drill bits that they use. I wish I had taken some photos of it but I didn't. After the oil muesem Liekney took me to lunch at a Greek resteraunt. It was really yummy.
     After lunch Liekneyntook me to visit Gerd. She lives in the house that my great grandmother grew up in. While we were there Gerd's nephew and girl friend showed up. They live in Indiana. It was funny to meet more Americans here. We had coffee with Gerd and the Americans. Gerd has just turned ninety and had left over krunekaka and lefsa from her birthday that we had with coffee. It was awesome because for me those are special Christmas treats. Gerd does not speak any Englishs but Liekney was kind enough to translate. It was a bit confusfing at times when Liekney didn't know how to translate something. She did a good job though. On the way home Liekney drove a different way back to Stavanger. We stopped at the church where my great grandparents, Liekney and Torger, Tønnes and Kirsten and Tore and Suzzana were married. It seems to be the family church.
    When we got back to Stavanger Tor Inge took usnout to dinner at a place called Around the World in Eighty Days. I got a Mexican burger. They have better guacamole and salsa there than we do in NZ. It was a lovely dinner. Then we headed home and I went to bed. I was exhausted because I didn't get much sleep on the floor in the Oslo air port.
    This morning Tor Inge made me a super tastey breakfast. I tried Norwegian brown cheese. It was very sweet and sticky. I did not dislike it but it is not something that I would choose to eat. Then Tore picked me up and we went to Kleppe where he lives. I met his wife Suzanna and their daughter Hannah. Hannahnis nine months old and is adorable. We hung out for a bit before going to the second biggest mall in Norway. I think it is called Kvdrat. It translates to square. It was fun to wander around and look at stuff. I thought about buying stuff but it is all winter things and I will soon be in summer.
     Once we had exhausted the mall wandering and had some good laughs in a design store we headed for the Åsen farm. Liekney had made a traditional Norewegian meal for us. We had potatoes, meat balls with a brown gravey, lingion berries, mashed peas and vegetables. You put the lingion berries on the meat ball which was unusual but delecious. Torbjorn came over for lunch as well. He owns the farm and lives in one house with his family and Lienkey lives in the other house there. His voice sounds like my Dad's. It was a bit starteling at first to hear how similar it was. Torbjorn's wife Ingunn and his two children came after a bit. The kids had been in day care and the wife at work. We chatted some more then went to Torbjorn's house andnchatted a bit more. Torbjorn teases Tore a lot. It was fun because it is so similar to Brian and I. Because of the weather we stayed inside for my time at Åsen which was fine because I didn't want to be outside but also a bit sad that I didn't really see any of it. Tore did drive around it a bit when we got there. I should have taken some pictures. There where two houses and two barns quite close to each other. One of the barns is quite old. I think they said it was from the origional farm. The other barn is newer and houses thesheep in the winter. From the houses/barns you look down the hill on a beautiful lake which they own part of. At the top of the hill are two wind mills. A large group of trees next to Torbjorns house had been cut down. My Mom told me about my grandfather planting a bunch of trees there to be harvested later. I asked if what they had cut were the trees he planted but no one knew.
     This evening Tore, Suzanna and I played cards. They taught me how to play a game called American, which was a bit complicated and we couldn't chat and play. They also taught me how to play a game called President which is really fun. It seems quite simple but I struggled with some of the rules. I had lots of fun. We laughed a lot and teased each other. It was a great way to end the day.

Just in case anyone wants to know how to play President/so I don't forget.
In the game the deck is delt out evenly. The objective is to get rid of all of hour cards first. The three of clubs is the highest card then twos, aces, kings etc. The first round the person with the three of diamonds goes first. You put down 1, 2, 3, or 4 cards. If you put down more than one the cards must have the same value. If you put down a singke card the next player must put down one of greater or equal value. If they can't or don't want tonthey say pass. Once no once else can play the player whho went last discards the stack and restarts. Same with pairs and triples. If you put down four of the same value theynare discarded and you start again. The person runs out of cards first becomes the President and the person who runs out of cards last becomes the bum. The next round the bum has to give the president their two highest cards and the President gives the bum two of their lower cards then play continues as in round one.