Month: June 2014

140603 Oslo

We plan our Group Tours to arrive at the first stay over, a day or two prior to the commencement of the ‘real’ tour. This enables our group members to get used to the new time zone, catch up on sleep, and get accustomed to the region. Today and tomorrow are ‘free time’ days.

Nine of us ventured to the local metro station, after breakfast, and after what seemed like 30 minutes, someone had worked out what the machine was asking us to do and what it would give us on hitting a bunch of buttons.  Anyway, we couldn’t purchase the ‘Oslo Pass’ which gets us onto transport and into many museums and discounts along the way, but we were able to purchase an all day travel pass.

Making out where things are in a town with unusual spelling for street names can be very tricky.  I tend to stand back and let the others do their best – it’s amazing to watch people get confused and not really know what they want to achieve in a day, if anything at all.  We broke into two groups and that made for a little smoother mobility around the sights of this interesting, quiet city.  We noticed that the normal busyness of a large city was not evident; the town seems to run like clockwork and everyone gets along very happily. (In two hours, we are experts at judging a whole city.)

Eventually, we found the point where a ferry departed from to do a circle trip of 4 or 5 pickup/drop off points around the islands just close to Oslo.  It turned out that this venture is chosen by teachers to take their little “activity packages” too and we all know what happens when little kids get together; lots of happy noises, but it was great to experience. I enjoy hearing kids speak a different language to english; they are so cute. The temperature was around 24 C and comfortable.  When the sun shines a ferry trip is always more enjoyable.

From the ferry, we caught a bus into the city proper and had lunch in an outdoor cafe.  Yes, it is true that Norway has the highest cost of living anywhere. Our lunch was 2 iced coffees, a baked potato and 1 quesedilla – 367 kroner or, $A67.  An iced coffee is a normal coffee with cubes of ice in it (now thats a different take on the meaning of iced coffee).  I told the waitress ‘our’ iced coffee recipe and her tongue started to lick her lips.

The metro was not far from the restaurant and from there, we took a train up the Frognerseteren mountain behind Oslo where the snowfields are. The views from the train were magnificent.  I thought I would get some photos on the way back but after a delicious afternoon tea looking over the city of Oslo from a magnificent old building eating area, we walked down a trail used by cross-country skiers through some fabulous forest vegetation.  So those ‘other’ magnificent views didn’t get into the cameras – sorry.  We passed the famous Holmenkoilen ski jump.  The downhill ‘dry ski run’ was very relaxing and re-energising even tho we walked for 45 minutes. It was good to sit down and freshen up those tired feet.

On our return to the city, we took a wander to the Palace before getting back to our hotel around 7:00pm.

The last couple to join our group arrived today.  Bob and Lyndell had flown from Sydney to Singapore, then Dubai and on to Stockholm.  They took a train from Stockholm to Oslo to experience the countryside at 160kph.  Sweden has a flat landscape and Norway a very mountainous landscape and this was evident as they crossed the border.

Doonas folded ready for bed – look like the mummie has arrived
Dress your toddlers in ‘pink’ when taking them on a walk
The ubiquitous ticket machine
Downtown Oslo
View towards the Palace
Here comes the postie!
Cobble stones in a town square
Moored boats in the ferry port
Can someone interpret this for us?
I’m glad there’s a spot for the wheels.
Inter-island ferries
What appears to be a castle turned restaurant
Holiday destination for the locals
The Frognerseteren Restaurant
The view of Oslo
Holmenkollen Ski Jump
Downhill cross country ski run
The Palace

140529 Melbourne to Oslo

Welcome to the first post of our Group Trip to Scandinavia stopping in Dubai for 3 days and 3 and a bit nights on the way.  I say ‘bit’ because we only arrived at the hotel rooms about 4:00am in the morning after the 13 hour flight from Melbourne. We left Melbourne about 15 minutes late but made up time which put us into Dubai 25 minutes ahead of schedule.  Our flight path took us over Perth before making a turn to the north-west, over the search site for MH370 (mmm, thought provoking indeed) then over Male in the Maldives and on in to Dubai.

The airport terminal was not too busy at all and we were quickly through immigration and customs procedures (it was 3:00am in the morning)  Our transfers had us at the Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates by 4:00am and we were in bed very soon after. After a long flight, most people are happy to enjoy a sleep-in and so breakfast was late and then the plight of the lost iPad started – see “The story of the lost iPad” I have to acknowledge that it was Lyn’s idea to write the story in the first person. (Should I submit the article to Reader’s Digest to be published in their “Senior’s Moments” section?  Responses in the comments at the foot of this post.)

We managed to find the Indian Restaurant in the Mall of the Emirates that we had eaten at back in April last year. Lyn went through the menu and found what she believed she had chosen then and remembered taking a photo of the finished dish. The waiter said, “Yes, that’s it”, when he saw the photo. So we had the same dish again. Some shopping was enjoyed by most of our group at the Mall.  What an extensive location with even a 400 meter ski slope to enjoy.  Ah … but none of us tried it.

The first sightseeing tour commenced at 8:30am on Saturday for a tour of the old Dubai.  Lyn and I rested for the morning beside the pool on the top floor.  In the evening, most of us enjoyed the Cruise around the creeks of Dubai and were treated to some delicious Indian food – again. Sunday morning, the rest of our group tried the Tour of the old Dubai. That was highlighted by us meeting up with a couple from Newcastle we had met on a cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean back in 2012 – small world. We checked out the ‘posh’ hotels along the coast and the residences of some of the Dubai prominent sheikhs. The short tour through an old accommodation area was interesting as the houses are built with a quadrangle in the centre.  The windows faced into the quadrangle and there were no windows facing out, so as to keep what went on in the residence, private. The Dubai Museum was ‘underground’; cool and protected from the sandstorms that come on occasion. There was a quick ferry crossing to the market area nearby before ‘passing’ quickly through the gold market. We didn’t purchase any of the wares, would you believe?  On Sunday evening, we took a cab to the Dubai Mall to view the water fountain show.  We waited for 30 minutes, and were treated to a famous Italian couple singing “The Prayer” to the dancing fountains.  It was here that we accidentally met up with a couple who are joining us in Oslo for our tour – another coincidence.

Even though it has been over 40 degrees most our stay in Dubai, the humidity was not too hard to bare. An early start on Monday saw us take another 6 hour flight to Copenhagen, change planes and on to Oslo in Norway.  An interesting episode happened at the check-in.  Our trusty tour leader had had her tickets cancelled in Melbourne due to a ‘no show’, we were told. “But if I was a ‘no show’ in Melbourne, how come I am in Dubai now?” Tickets were reissued for the rest of the trip – we hope. I think someone is going to hear of the turmoil and commotion had at Dubai.

The transfer in Oslo was ready to take us towards the city just 30 minutes away.  After the barren landscape of the Dubai countryside, Norway is a complete contrast with green trees and lush green, green grass.  Our hotel is just 4km from the city and the Metro is close by.

Seniors Moment

I am glad that my turn of having to relate my moment has passed.  No-one will remember by the time we get back to Melbourne.  Ha! Ha!

View from our room
Where the ‘Rich People’ stay – starting at $2000 per night.
Air conditioned bus stop.
Our room view in Oslo
Dubai Magical Gardens
A Mosque – one of many.
Interesting early days accommodation
Display at the Markets
The Water show at the Dubai Shopping Mall
Arriving in Oslo

A story of a lost iPad

I am just a little fellow, silver in colour with a black leather protection case wrapped around me. It seems that my owner is very proud of me. He uses me for lots of things that I don’t know much about, as I just ‘do’ what he asks me to do. He takes the leather shroud away from my face regularly to perform browses of the internet, which I so efficiently provide responses to. I reveal to him his requests without charge, and without even passing that information to others because so much of the information I have is password protected.

On Friday, after he was doing further tasks on my face, he decided to go to have breakfast. He put me on the bench and then placed me in a little dark room, shut the door, and input the secret code to secure me in the box known as a safe. It was cold and dark in there and I didn’t like it at all.

While he was away, it must have been the cleaners that came and made a lot of noise in the room and the bathroom, getting the room tidy.

When he came back from breakfast, he looked for me on the bench but he could not see me – he must have forgotten that he put me in the little dark room with the security number ‘thingo’. After searching the room and getting frustrated, he left to go and report that I was missing.

And I was very scared. He was very upset and disappointed with himself. I was so wishing that he could have found me, as i do like him massaging my face whenever he takes off my leather cover.

I could hear him getting frustrated and he and his wife left, I presume to go to the security man to help with locating me. You see, I think he thought that the cleaner had taken me for his own personal use. I heard the security guy and the cleaner come into the room without my owner and they were looking everywhere for me. The cleaner told the security guy that he had noticed two iPhones on the bench being charged. (I wish I was in their place as I was running out of power too).

He and his wife came back into the room while the cleaner and security guy were in the room. The feeling in the air, came through the safe door and I knew that it was not good that these guys were doing a room search without my owner and his wife in the room too. Anyway, they did the extensive search including opening the safe and pulling all that other stuff out of the little dark box while i waited to be noticed. The cleaner and security guy left and further searches of the room and the safe were made, but still I was not noticed. “God give me legs so i can walk out to announce me ‘found'”.

My wishes were that he would remember that if he used one of the apps on his iPhone or computer, he would be able to send a message to me to start screaming. It took him a long time to remember this, and I had to remain in this little dark secure room with wallets and cameras and money and other useless stuff around me.

They left with my father, the Apple laptop, which I had heard him say he could not get into the internet with, because they were only allowed 4 devices to use the Wifi at the same time. He returned with the computer display open. He had used the App that allows him to send an instruction to ‘scream’. However, Mr Apple did not send the message straight away and so the ‘find my iPad’ did not work – at that time.

He went back to the Hotel Manager to show him what had been found on the ‘find my iPad App’ – that I had been used 2 hours ago. I heard that the Manager went back to the CCTV records and did further searches.

My owner came back to the room a couple of hours later after using the Hotel Business Centre to write a letter of complaint about the situation of the cleaner and this other guy doing a room search without my owner being in the room too.

He tried the ‘find my iPad’ App again and sent another message to me to scream. I received it and, did I scream? You bet. I was beside myself waiting for this ‘brain-fogged’ owner to wake up and send the ‘scream now’ message to me, because I just did not like being in this little dark box. He heard me screaming and opened the safe door, pulled all those other things out of the box, but not me. I kept screaming at the top of my voice. I could see him but he could not see me. I screamed louder.  He felt all around the safe box for me but no, he could not find me. Then he took the carpet out of the safe and eventually rubbed his hands around the wall of the safe and when he touched me, I fell over onto his hand and he was able to open my cover, key in the password, and stop my screaming. How relieved I was because my voice was getting hoarse. It was a great feeling to have him massage my face again as he keyed in the password. I then stopped screaming at the top of my lungs. He had finally worked out how to use the app that found me.

My owner was so happy! He went to the hotel manager and the cleaner and told them of his great find and apologised for all the turmoil he had put the hotel staff through. He was also happy that I am an Apple product which has the ‘Find my iPad’ app – a great way to find me.

“Please Mr, give me a real bright coloured leather case to live in so I can be noticed easily when I get lost.”