Her perspective

I am somewhat of a reluctant blogger this go around. Because of that, here's one big 'ole long post!
Europe in the summer has become somewhat of a new norm for us. Two years ago, Stockholm with the Jensen's. Last summer, Switzerland was awesome. This year, Scandinavia came up on our radar. Frank & Jill were already planning a trip to Denmark. The idea of another Jensen/Kilian summer rendezvous .....sounded good!
To say we have been looking forward to this trip is a huge understatement. This has just been a year full of challenges....not such good ones! Helen's hospitalization & the aftermath, including her move to assisted living, the loss of Mookie & our good friends moving away.....it was nice to have this trip to plan for, a little diversion.
June 25th arrived very quickly. The days and weeks leading up to the trip were hectic but fun. A quick trip to Florida followed by another to Tulsa. Lots going on at home the week before we left, including a visit we were not sure would happen.
Shortly after we made plans to leave, we heard through April that Ryan would be home from Iraq on R&R. He would arrive either the day we left or one day before. We were thrilled when Ryan, April, Bri & Jess were all able to join us for a welcome home celebration for Ryan the night before we left. Awesome!
Bright & early Saturday morning, we were out the door. A quick flight to Chicago, short time on the ground & we were off to Helsinki. My only knowledge of Finland was that it is our good friend Hannele's birth place.
As I am playing catch up with my perspective on this blog, I will leave this entry as an overview. Bob has already added detail. Good thing one of us was motivated.
Helsinki was a nice city. The people were exceptionally nice. We had the added bonus of Frank, Jill & Ryan joining us.
As a group, we took a boat ride to Estonia. We had a fun day wandering around, looking at markets, beautiful flower gardens, goading Frank  into giving us a tour. (no, he had never been) An outdoor lunch in the square & some souvenirs completed our day.
After the boat ride back to Helsinki, we enjoyed a late night meal as recommended by the staff at our hotel. Helsinki seems unlike other European cities in the summer. It seems to close up early. A long, late dinner was not the rule, as we saw it. Not a lot of people out enjoying the long summer evenings.
An added bonus during this time was a picture sent from Brian. Of his final audit from UNT - He is 'officially' a college graduate. We are incredibly proud of him & his accomplishment. Great news!!!
Thoughts on our trip to Vyborg. Russia...... The Evil Empire, the 'duck & cover' drills from 1st grade (would that truly have saved us from anything?).....Boris & Natasha, 'The Butter Battle Book' by Dr. Seuss, Get Smart and Agent 99......come on, RUSSIA! REALLY? How cool that we could actually go there....even for a few hours! And so off we went, making our way by train to the charming Finnish lakeside city of Lappeenranta.
Anytime I can be on the water, I love it. This was 5 hours to Russia, going through a series of 8 locks. The locks were really interesting & the 5 hours on the boat passed quickly.
Just a few hours in what looked to be a small port town that has seen better days. Wandered through a few markets & shops, bought a few souvenirs & had lunch. But it was RUSSIA and we each have two passport stamps to prove it. Coolness factor....thru the roof! 
Back in Helsinki, Ryan, Jill & I wandered through the Lutheran Church and over to an outdoor market. A few more purchases and off to a local restaurant again recommended by the staff.
We were able to sit outside & have dinner. Such a bonus for all of us this time of year. The wait staff was charming, the meal was good with lots of good conversation. We tried homemade vodka shots, served on what looked like a ski with individual holes in it. Another drink recommended by the waiter - gin & grapefruit juice drink was pretty good! Bob even 'won' a special shot with the best line of the night. It was so good, I have apparently forgotten it! There may have been a little (too much) drinking but since nobody was driving, a good time was had by all.
A stop at the ice bar (Frank, Jill, Bob & I had a 'cool' time there two years ago in Stockholm) was just that...a quick stop. This was a very small ice bar - the only coolness factor came from the temperature. A stop for Irish coffee & back to the hotel to call it a night. Fun evening!
Our visit to Turku the next day included a delayed train, excessive heat, a rain shower, a walk through the local cathedral and a Medieval market. And then back to Helsinki & up to the bar!
As we often do on the last night of a visit with Frank & Jill, we sat with wine in hand reflecting on life. Always interesting discussions & good times.

Cheers from Oslo

Saturday morning, Frank, Jill & Ryan had an early departure from Helsinki to start making their way home......thus missing our 8:00 a.m. call from Sean & Teena. And my proclamation that 'someday' had just arrived. It is official - they are engaged. And we could not be happier for them!

Cheers from Austin

Arriving in Oslo, temps are slightly cooler than Helsinki....big plus. Oslo grabbed me in a way that Helsinki did not. Sorry Hannele! It is a very pretty city with a lot going on. Lots to see & do here.
Upon arrival we walked over to the Hard Rock to get Bob's must have souvenir, an Oslo t-shirt. After lunch, we wandered over to Akershus Castle. From the City Hall, the bells rang on the hour. A little Saturday night humor possibly when they played 'When I'm 64'.


Sean & Teena, with their wonderful news were on our mind already this day.....and then we saw the wedding party on the castle grounds. The party paraded through the grounds, followed by the bride & groom in a horse drawn carriage. Magical.
From above, we heard music by the water. We sat outside with ice cream cones & later wine, listening to a band. It was really a nice day....we got our mojo back....something I had just felt was missing in Finland. And the best was still to come!
On Sunday, we decided to go to Frogner Parken, a huge park near our hotel. Within Frogner is Vigeland Park, a statue park. Amazing statues & flower gardens all over. We sat down on a bench to get our bearings. Immediately a young Polish couple visiting with their 2 small children struck up a conversation. What do you think of Obama? A lively conversation ensued.
Next stop, the cafe for a couple bottles of water. Inside, a young man noticed Bob's Mav’s shirt. He had just moved here from Boston. He mentioned the big 4th of July party going on at the park. WHAT?????
We followed the music of a band playing everything from Springsteen to The Doors to Steppenwolf. For the next several hours we listened to music, tried to eat 'Texas' brisket (not so much), and looked at booths of red, white and blue that were raffling, selling & giving away. Such FUN!
Classic American cars were on display. We spoke with a man who shipped his classic car to the states & drove Route 66 with a group of friends.
Leaving the park to 'God Bless America' was the perfect end of the afternoon. Dinner at a very good Chinese restaurant was a great ending to a great day.
This morning (Monday), our last in Oslo for a week. We took the 2 hour ferry around Oslo. Not as pretty as the Stockholm archipelago cruises, it was still fun. Back to the hotel to pack & get organized for our flight to Alesund, Norway.
We got on the SAS Flybussen at about 3:15 for our 5:10 departure. It is an hour bus trip & we hit traffic. LOTS of traffic. But as I finish this post, we are descending into Alesund. Made the flight. Hopefully our bags did too!
Tonight is our adventure on a boat to Bergen. We board close to midnight, arriving in Bergen mid afternoon tomorrow.