Mother’s Got A Dot Com

An ambitious title, isn’t it… Especially since I know very little about the country/half continent, come to think of it…

What comes into a European mind when thinking about visiting the States? Obviously, that depends on who he is, what he is, what he knows, and what his interests are. In reality, I can only speak for myself… Which I won’t. So, without further ado, here’s a list of things to do and see in the US, as perceived by a random European, in no particular order:

* Mount Rushmore, and if he’s a drunken Norwegian, he’ll try to get up some big guy’s nose.
* Mardi Gras in New Orleans
* Capitol Hill, Washington DC
* All the theme parks in Florida
* Grand Canyon, AZ
* face lifts in Los Angeles CA – throw in a visit to Hollywood and the movie studios
* Las Vegas (beats me)
* traveling along Route 66 on a Harley or in a rented Cadillac
* New York, and he won’t miss the Hard Rock Cafe and Ellis Island
* any rodeo show that’s on during his stay
* Movie and soap locations: Tara (Gone with the Wind), the Overlook Hotel (The Shining); Southfork Ranch (Dallas) aso, asf
* If he’s Norwegian, you can bet he’ll want to visit any locations where Winter Olympics have been held; Lake Placid,NY, Salt Lake City, Utah, and I’m sure there are more…

I promised myself I’d stop at 13… how’m I doing? 12? OK, one more:
* Again, if he’s Norwegian (or Swedish, Irish, you name it), he’ll want to visit any place his kin emigrated to. Minnesota, the Dakotas, Indiana, Washington State, Brooklyn,NY…

OK. No more. My point? We know far too little about the places we visit. We tend to go where people have gone before us, missing out on the real stuff that goes on and that we never hear of or see. I would like to visit/do quite a few of the above, but I hope that if I ever travel over the pond, I’ll also get to visit some “real places” and meet some real people.

Who knows, if I keep up this blogging lark, I may get an invite one day!

Mo’s had an explosive week…

I don’t keep photos on file that connote well with explosive. There is the odd sunrise and screaming brat, but I’ll leave those alone today. What did come to mind was volcanoes, and the closest ones around here are found on Iceland.

Now, Iceland is explosive in many ways, and it’s also a place I would absolutely love to visit one day. Iceland has hundreds of volcanoes, varying in age, maturity and activity. Many are extinct, but there are 27 central volcanoes of various size and activity considered active at the moment. Some of these haven’t erupted for a few centuries, but some erupt on a fairly regular (but not easily predictable) basis. This makes Iceland the largest volcanic island in the world, and many people there are literally living on top of a powder keg, on an island or islands with an ever changing topography.

The most famous volcano is Hekla, and it has a very explosive history. As far as I’ve learned, the last eruption was in 2000, when these pictures were taken.

Explosive can be said of other natural occurances on Iceland, both results of the volcanic activity on the island(s) -

Geysirs

And hot springs

- where you don’t need a fire to boil your eggs…

Geysir pics: Kjiver.no (go there for more) Volcano pics: Volcano Discovery

I could really use a spa holiday right now. A Norwegian winter, however mild, does that to my joints and muscles. I’d really love to just call a number, tell them what I want, and have a tailor-made holiday arranged for me a day or two later.

If you live in the UK, Dialaflight.com can arrange virtually anything for you. A spa, an exotic holiday, a city break or a flight to Australia – have a look at their website first, find out where you want to go, and then call them. I wonder if I can have a spa holiday in Australia?
Yes, you get to speak to a real person, and I must say I find that somewhat reassuring. Booking online is fine, but there is nothing like the personal touch to make you feel taken care of.
Well – I’m not going anywhere any time soon, but a girl can dream, no?

Here are a few photos…

Scenery:

Snow lanterns and tunnel, as seen from the outside:

And brats inside the tunnel:

Third brat, #6, on his way home from his winter break!

We had three fun days at our cabin. Upon arrival, we had to fight our way in with the little ones through snow that reached my thigh, and leave them indoors while we shoveled a path to get the luggage inside… Luckily, the snow was old, hard and heavy, so we got some serious exercise!

The roof hadn’t caved in. Apparently, there hasn’t been this much snow for many years, but it had fallen off the roof, as well-behaved snow should do.

The kids had loads of fun – they made lanterns and dug out caves and tunnels. There will be photos, as soon as hubby comes back with the car – my camera is in the glove compartment!

Oh, not for long. I’ll be back on Thursday. The 3 youngest kids and I are going up to our mountain cabin to put our feet up shovel snow for a few days.

So – there will be no Entrecard dropping (please keep dropping in here, people, I will be back!), no paid posts on either insurance, online coupons or light fixtures (I know, you’ll miss them, but please tune in again…), and none of the insightful, earth-shattering posts I’m putting out here on a regular basis.

There will be no linky-love either, but E-card advertisers: You will be mentioned on Monday, as per ususal.

I’m off to stuff the car with luggage, a dog and 3 brats soon, before braving the roads that are heaving with other stuffed cars on their way to a winter break… Must remember the key to the cabin. In fact, I’ll put that in my bag right now.

I’ve always wanted to go to Florence. For the architechture, the food, the wine and, of course, the classical Art.

For the latter, the undisputed place to go is the Uffizi Gallery. They’re all here – Leonardo Da Vinci, Philippo Lippi, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian, Rubens – even Rembrandt has his own room here. There are rooms dedicated to 13th and 14th century painters, to German and Flemish masters, to the Renaissance… and of course to all the great names of the history of painting.
You can go to the virtual Uffizi right now and see them all. The complete catalog is on display here. Not that a photo on a screen gives them justice, but it might just entice you enough to take thr trip…

In that case, the site also offers links to all sorts of tourist services. First of all – museum tickets. Don’t spend your holiday standing in line, buy your tickets to the Uffizi and other museums online, and skip the queue. Accomodation, from B&B, via Holiday farmhouses to Luxury villas in Tuscany can all be booked directly. You’ll find guided tours of Florence and the museums, limousine service – there’s even a link to guide you towards real estate, in case you don’t want to go home…
For your shopping needs, you can come prepared – explore the Hand Made In Florence section…

As for me – I’d spend my days in museums. The Uffizi, the Modern Art Gallery, the Medici Chapels, the Silver and Archaeological museums… intersparsed, of course, with lovely food and wine and a little bit of shopping… Oh, yes. Florence is on my wish list…

I think that if I were a student of human nature, I’d go to Las Vegas. To me, that must be an ideal place to observe people out of context.

From grand Casinos to flamboyant shows, from palace to cheap hotel Las Vegas is very likely a melting pot of all the things that would make it an antropologists dream.

I could be wrong. As a matter of fact, I probably am. One shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, and I usually don’t. I can’t help thinking, though, that Vegas might be all cover and no book…

Still, it holds a certain fascination. I think I’d need a holiday after having visited though. You know, the kind where you put you feet up, maybe read a book, and rest your eyes on something pretty and serene…

Have you ever thought of visiting… say Denmark or Iceland?

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is rated as one of the world’s best cities to live in, despite the high cost of living. To the average person, though, compared to places like London or Paris, accomodation is quite affordable.
To help with your planning, and for last minute hotels and special deals, try these sites: Denmark Hotels and Copenhagen Hotels.

The Danish love music – from open air concerts and festivals to small bars and clubs playing all types of music. You’ll find whatever tickles your fancy in Copenhagen – ranging from jazz, blues, folk and pop to rock music. Copenhagen also has a heaving night life, and a must if you’re going in the summer is the Tivoli garden, that is both a gardeners delight, an amusement park and a popular concert venue.

You’ll also discover that the Danish are quite easy-going, that they love their food, and that they have hospitable and friendly dispositions.

Reykjavík, capital of Iceland, is often dubbed “the nightlife capital of the north”. It’s famous for its nightlife during the weekends. Icelanders tend to go out late – alcoholic beverages are quite expensive, so most people will have a drink with friends in private before going out. Bars that look rather quiet can fill up suddenly, usually around midnight on a weekend.

Beer was banned in Iceland until 1989, but has since become Icelanders’ drink of choice. There are over 100 different bars and clubs in Reykjavík; most of them are located in the city center. Often, an establishment that is a café during the day will change into a bar in the evening.
For great deals to visit this beautiful volcanic island of the North Atlantic, check out Cheaperthanhotels – Iceland. You’ll find affordable options for last minute booking or year round deals to combine with your business trip or vacation, at these sites: Iceland Hotels and Reykjavík Hotels.

After your night(s) out, treat yourself to a visit to The Blue Lagoon. It’s the world’s largest open air hot water source – and it’s a spa… There are many indoor facilities too, but the main attraction is the open air rock pool, naturally heated from the center of the earth, with reputedly miraculous effect on your skin, your mind and your hangover…

Denmark, Iceland or both… It’s up to you!

I’ve always loved dates. In this country, up until very recently, dates were something you had for Christmas. They were packed in little boxes, and they were small and rather dry. I loved those too.

Then, of course, the world grew smaller. Dates are still a Christmas treat, but you can have them all year round now. They’ve also changed… What we get now are large, succulent, sweet and aromatic fruits that make you want to move to sunnier climes…

Dates “au naturel” – Dates on tree – Dates with bacon….