IKEA tour

After yesterday's party at Stéphanie's place I didn't wake up with a too good feeling... The "headache" let me stay in bed until around 1 p.m., but then I got up; I still had plans for today. I wanted to do something good to my car: move it!

The last winter I had to put my car out of the snow (since I came it still had summer tires on) and left it in the garage of a friend of Mari's. During five months I hadn't even moved it once. I took it out again in spring this year by getting help from NAV (norwegian automobile association) with starting it after the battery went totally flat during that winter. Ever since that my car's battery doesn't like it too much being unused. So my car always appreciates it being moved once in a while.

I wanted to do my car this favour, also because the low temperatures made its arrival in town. I know I had driven it and thus recharged the battery by the tours to and from Sandefjord Airport with Moritz and Audrey (see older posts), but still... it simply had to be moved again! I could feel the battery suffer from the cold.

But where to drive if there is nothing you really have to go to? - IKEA! And if it is just for dinner, just for some "köttbullar" :-)

Jana and Moritz had the same opinion. They joined me: Moritz inspired by the prospect of a dinner, Jana attracted by all the nice and beautiful things (she's a girl...) exposed in the store. Well, and I simply used the occasion to bring Mari some vanilla candles (she goes crazy for them!) and some new rubbish bins.

I picked up Moritz and Jana at around 5 p.m., drove straight to IKEA and the first thing Moritz mentioned when entering the store was "Food!". So we decided to first have dinner at the restaurant. That was good in somehow, because by the time we finished our stroll through the store, the restaurant was already closed. We actually spent quite a while just sitting there and chatting while and after having the dinner.

In any way, I have never experienced a tour at IKEA in a way I did with Jana and Moritz. I really had fun with them!

After paying our few acquisitions, we drove back to town. We didn't feel like splitting up after such a nice afternoon/evening. I dropped of Jana and Moritz at Jana's place and went for about 30 minutes alone around with my car trying to find a public parking spot for it - which is a total rarity!

After that I went back to Jana's place and we decided to watch a German movie ("Ein Mann ein Fjord") with Hape Kerkeling, a well-known German comedian.

This is normally not my kind of movies that I like, but it was about a road trip from Germany to and through Norway! It was so funny to see, not only because it was a comedy, but also for the fact that it was shot in Norway, partially in Oslo. There were so many places filmed which I have already visited. So this was really cool!

Great day and evening.

Stéphanie's birthday

On Friday 29/10 it was my colleague Stéphanie's birthday. Some days before also the one of another colleague. Result: a party... first in the office and then at Stéphanie's place.

Everything started relatively spontaneous in the afternoon in the office where the traditional birthday get together was hold in our conference room. This is usually a short meeting where the whole staff sings for the birthday person followed by a little drink or some ice cream or cake. Since it was Friday, this was simply turned into a rather long get together, let's call it a typical Scandinavian "fika".

So we sat all together in the conference room enjoying some snacks and some drinks while chatting about all and nothing. It was a really nice afternoon... and the drinks became more...

By the time more and more colleagues left for the weekend. Also Stéphanie had to leave quite early in order to prepare her private birthday party at her place. Since not feeling comfortable by leaving us remaining colleagues just behind, she simply invited us to come over to her place later on.

So the remaining people in the conference, including me, still enjoyed being together, having fun and talking and talking in the office. By somewhat 9 p.m., though, we ordered a big taxi that brought us straight to Stéphanie's place... where the partying continued.

It was really nice to meet so many new people, leading to nice and interesting conversations. One also managed to talk to colleagues you usually don't too often the occasion to talk to in the office. Some more little snacks and some (or actually a lot) more drinks - of all kind... and percentage of alcohol - turned the evening in to a really good party until late at night.

Half-way by taxi and half-way by foot I got back home at around 4 a.m.

And the only thing left to say is: hangover...

Villas and houses in Oslo

One october weekend I was simply strolling through different parts of town, mainly Frogner and Majorstua. It wasn't new to me that these were the "better" districts of Oslo dominated by beautiful houses and huge villas. I simply never had taken pictures of them. So while walking around without any time pressure, I just shot here and there a picture.

Nice places, he?