Hei alle! Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. Student teaching has been keeping me quite busy!

This past weekend my parents (who I know read this blog, so hi guys!) came to visit me in Trondheim. I know that I’ve only been here for about two weeks but this really was the only opportunity they would have to come visit me since they will be in Antarctica for most of February. It’s no wonder where I got the travel bug from! Plus they managed to bring quite a few goodies from the States (i.e. Dunkin Donuts ground coffee…yumm). Unfortunately they could only be here from Friday-Monday but we definitely made the most of our time together. My parents wanted to see the things that affected me the most: my dorm and my school. We checked them out on Saturday. After that we were planning on being tourists.

Believe it or not, we’ve been experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in Trondheim. And by heat wave I mean it was about 40F here this weekend, but it was rainy and cloudy. It was raining quite hard on Friday (like, hard enough to make my mascara run) but thankfully my mentor teacher, Ove, offered to give Megan and I a ride into town so we didn’t have to deal with the wet and crowded buses after school. What a nice guy! My parents were staying at the Radisson Blu Royal Garden Hotel right on the Nidelva River downtown. It was a beautiful hotel with an amazing view of the river and the old town. Thankfully since it was a bit warmer out much of the ice had melted on the sidewalks (except for in Steinan, where I live). Although it was a bit slushy it wasn’t nearly as slippery as it had been earlier in the week. I was quite happy about that, especially since I had my parents with me!

We managed to get my parents a 72-hour bus pass for them to use while they were here. I don’t remember how much it cost but I remember it being an incredible deal since a single, one-way bus ticket is 30 NOK (about 5 USD!). I would definitely recommend getting one for any visitors!

The thing that my parents and I really got from this weekend is that Trondheim really isn’t a tourist town. The map that they hand out at any place a tourist may be found (e.g. the Nidaros Cathedral, Sentralstajon, hotels, etc) is quite difficult to read. There are a number of museums in town, but they aren’t advertised very well. Trondheim is really a university town. I guess the local authorities know who they have to cater to: the students, not the few tourists. For example, on Sunday my parents went to the Cathedral (since it was the only thing open) and then wanted to go to dinner after. However that wasn’t exactly possible since the bus schedule isn’t exactly conducive to doing anything on a Sunday. I had to skip out on dinner because I wouldn’t be able to catch a bus until 7:40PM, which would get me home around 8:00-8:15PM. That doesn’t sound too bad, but when you have to get up for school at 5:30AM the following day, the bus schedule left much to be desired. 

While my parents were here I had the opportunity to enjoy some of Trondheim’s restaurants. They are INCREDIBLY expensive (as is everything here in Norway) so Megan and I haven’t had much of an opportunity to explore much of the culinary world in Trondheim. Here’s a quick run-down of the places we visited (and my colorful commentary):

AiSuma
http://aisuma.no/
One of the front desk ladies at the hotel recommended this restaurant to my parents and I on their first night in town. It was only a short walk from where my parents were staying and the place was incredible! The interior was beautifully decorated with tastefully mismatched furniture and one of the coolest bathrooms I’ve ever been in. AiSuma advertises itself as an Italian restaurant but it didn’t look like any Italian food I’ve ever had.  The bread had a great garlic dipping sauce that my dad and I couldn’t stop eating! We had to remember to save room for the main course! The place had a relatively limited menu but what they had was delicious. I had a great lamb dish the first time we were there and since the food was so good we went back a second time! I had a great chicken dish the second time with an incredible sauce. The staff was super friendly and helpful so if you are in Trondheim I would definitely recommend this place!

Den Gode Nabo
http://www.dengodenabo.com/
This restaurant, who’s name translates to “The Good Neighbor”, is an old Trondheim establishment located right off of the oldest footbridge in town. After descending down a creeky set of stairs you enter a true tavern. The entire restaurant is wood, from the floorboards to the ceiling. The place also had a lit pillar candle on every table (a common decoration in Norway). Clearly fire code are different in Norway because I don’t know if I would have so many candles in an entirely wooden building, but hey, I’m no fire chief. Den Gode Nabo had a rather limited menu while my parents and I were there (something was up with the kitchen) but they had incredible fish and chips, which I never knew I liked! They also have a pretty extensive beer list…even if it will cost you and arm and a leg to buy a beer. I’d definitely check out this place for an authentic Trondheim experience and an amazing view of the river and cathedral!

Choco Boco
http://choco.no/
This place is easily my new favorite place in town (and possibly on the planet). There are multiple locations around Trondheim but the one my parents and I visited is located in the old town, across the footbridge, and caddy-corner from Den Gode Nabo. It looks like an old row house with additions that they converted into a cozy cafe. It was relatively miserable outside the day that we went but you couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy as soon as you stepped in. Their hot chocolate is pretty spectacular…Swiss Miss might not cut it after trying this concoction. Plus, it’s open on Sunday (a rarity here in Trondheim). It is a great place to spend a lazy Sunday: relax, so some work, and drink hot cocoa. Definitely a must!

That’s enough food talk for now. Are you hungry yet? =)

In other news, Megan and I will be going skiing on Saturday through an excursion run by SiT (the student housing office here in Trondheim). It is really a great deal: 250 NOK for transportation, food, and lift passes. I don’t have equipment so I’ll be paying the 150 NOK rental fee. Although 400 NOK sounds like a lot it only equals to about 70 USD. Can’t beat that! It will be my first experience on skis and I’m not the most coordinated kid on the block so we’ll see how this goes. I jokingly said my last goodbyes to the staff at school.

Speaking of school I will be taking over in both English and samfunnsfag this week. We’ll be discussing the USA and American culture (topics I’m relatively familiar with) in English and World War I in samfunnsfag. My students seem to be really excited about WWI so I’m excited to see if my first-ever unit plan (created in a partnership with Megan) will be a success.