Excuse Me But Where Did This Year Go?

Ok, let´s just establish that you´ve missed me....right? I mean...just a little maybe? Well, what I can with 100% accuracy say is that I have missed you all. Funny how writing an online journal which you may or may not get any feedback too can still make you feel good and feel connected....even when you write without response or much response. I see on my statistics that people are visiting my blog, which is really great! I´ve thought a lot in my self imposed break from blogging as to what I can do to encourage more comments, more interaction from my readers. I´ve read that successful blogs should be like having a conversation with your readers...not preaching to them. I´d like to think we do have some great conversations here, even though, as it is in true life, I am a little more chatty then actually listening! So maybe I should get better at that? Better at listening to who you are, what you want to hear, and how you feel about things I write? This process will be a lot easier when you communicate with me...so don´t be shy, use my comment sections and say hi! Let me know where you are in the world...let me know what you love to eat, what you love to do, what you would like to know about Norway...or me...or my dogs...or my family...or...what you like to eat....did I mention that??? Hahahahaha...


Ok, so where have I been these last weeks? I´ve been here...

With this sexy guy....

And this lovely couple....

We had a fabulous time in the City of Lights, Paris France! Although I have to say one thing, as spectacular as it was to see the sights in Paris, I have to admit that when I first saw the Eiffel Tower I thought....Is that it??? It´s so small! Of course it isn´t small, it´s HUGE but upon first glance you´re left thinking- huh....that´s it eh? I think we build things up in our minds, or at least I do and when you see the real thing, while it might be impressive it still might not be the fantasy that was built up in our minds. I noticed that in Rome also...when I first saw the Colosseum I was like- hmmm....Maybe it´s just me? Maybe I´m difficult to please? Maybe I´m the only one who builds stuff up in her head with expectations that can never possibly be lived up too no matter what it is...Roman Colosseum and Eiffel Tower being prime examples!!!! Never the less, the more I wandered around and looked at the impressive structure I was impressed...who couldn´t be? I mean let´s be real, you´re in Paris France first of all- which is totally cool and then you´re wandering around the Eiffel Tower prime hot spot for tourists around the world for centuries! 

We also visited two amazing churches in Paris. You know it´s funny, I wouldn´t neccessarily call myself a major religious person...I have my beliefs...but the churches in Rome and now these in Paris have taken my breath away and made me feel very spiritual. Not sure exactly what it is about them..maybe the fact that for hundreds...in some cases (in Rome) thousands of years people have been coming to these holy places for peace of mind in times of difficulty, to express their love and devotion to a person, to a higher power, to seek refuge from a confusing world...I don´t know, I´m just throwing out some ideas here...but never the less there is a sense of humbleness that bestows upon me every time I enter one of these magnificent churches...I walk around with my mouth hanging open in utter awe of what I am experiencing which billions of other people have experienced before me...


The first church I will share with you from Paris was Sacrè Coeur...

A stunning church which isn´t THAT old as far as these historical churches go but is still amazing. It sits on the highest spot overlooking Paris and the view from the steps of the Sacrè Coeur are breathtaking. If you´re lucky you might be entertained by a fantastic street performer like we were...Youri was the name of the most entertaining street performer and you can see a video of one of his performances from the steps of the Sacrè Coeur HERE. 


The next church my children knew all about from watching the Disney film The Hunch Back of Notre Dame. When I showed Julia the pictures from the church she was telling me details of the church and where certain statues were and so on all based on what she remembered from the Disney movie! I suddenly wished she had been with us on that particular visit so she could have given me the details while I stood there. However, she wasn´t there but I managed to be impressed never the less. I didn´t have all the details but the little I did know about this church and most importantly what I witnessed first hand left me in total awe and with a gapping mouth as I wandered around this most impressive church. Ladies and Gentlemen...may I present Notre Dame...

Amazing isn´t it? Oh it gets better...let´s go inside shall we? Check out these doors...

Inside my camera struggled to get decent photos but I got some nice shots of all the amazing stained glass windows...glass art at it´s absolute best...

Paris left so many interesting impressions on me...

A couple pieces of advice that I have learned after my first trip to Paris though. First, while some taxi´s are legitimate and ok, not everyone who stops to offer you a ride is to be trusted. We experienced this first hand and had one of the scariest rides ever with a taxi driver who was ready to pick a fight with someone- anyone and he was going to take us along on his shenanigans whether we wanted too or not. After that evening we learned very quickly how to use the Metro system, Paris´s underground public transportation network. It´s cheap and easy to use and while you should use common sense and keep an eye out for your personal possessions we never felt in danger on the Metro. 

Another tip, stay longer then three days. A three day trip is for youngsters....not for we "well aged" adults. The four of us who travelled together started off super chatty and by Sunday we were so exhausted you barely heard any conversation...we´d look at each other and nod and taking exhausted photos of each other became a personal joke between us...but was it really???? 
Despite the short visit and cold rainy weather we experienced MOST of our trip there, Paris left a lasting impression on us. We will definitely be back hopefully with more time to explore this amazing city! We also hope that we´ll get the chance to travel with the Captain´s cousin and her husband again...we enjoyed them so much. There is nothing like traveling with people who appreciate similar interests, take life easy like you do, and who you can laugh and be yourselves with. 

Now here we are at the end of 2011 and I´m left thinking back over this year that has gone by. How quickly time has flown and yet so much we have experienced. My mountain hikes with my kids this past spring/summer....

Our trip to Sweden......

And Rome.....

All the delicious things we´ve eaten....

And all the cute furry faces who have smiled our way.....

Yeah, it´s been a great year that went by all too fast and yet left such an impact on us all. And yeah...this is a very very long post with TONS of photos. If you´ve read this far....THANKS....it´s my last post of the year and I´ve been gone for awhile. Needed to recap the year and get caught up before we start the new year. I´ll be back the 1st of January with a hopefully new and exciting year to share with you. If you´re going to hang in there with me I´ll do my best to not disappoint you and thank you for taking the time to be a part of my life. I wish you all a continued warm holiday season. May your New Year be bright, prosperous, healthy, and happy! I look forward to spending more time with with my regular readers and getting to know  new readers. See you in 2012!


Until next time my friends.....