The Bald and the Beautiful

Every year is the same discussion … where to spend our summer vacation; however, this winter we decided early to spend a whole week in Kristiansand with a mandatory stay at the local zoo, theme and water park.

As usual we drove the car with our three “gangsters” in the backseat fighting it out between themselves and over all the littlest things in the world. First stop on the road was the ferry, or so we thought … As we were aiming for the coastal experience driving towards Stavanger we took a wrong turn due to poor co-piloting and ended up on a ferry that would set us on a track leading over the mountains. After taking the ferry, getting off and driving around for 15 minutes we figured we had taken the wrong ferry and took the ferry back … IOW, a perfect start! The detour took about 2 hours, but we were on vacation and figured it was not worth spending energy on it …

Arriving in Kristiansand and at Hamresanden camping 11PM at night (2 hours late) we went straight to bed. The following day we just relaxed at the beach and later in the evening my childhood friend, his wife and kid visited us for a barbecue. Tuesday we and our visitors had a day in the aforementioned park enjoying some fantastic weather and playing in the pool with the kids. All in all a fantastic day that ended with us watching a couple of Siberian tigers playing in the water!

The second day in the park was spent a couple of days later. As we arrived early that day we opted taking the Captain Sabertooth‘s pirate boat. First in line we got a good spot to be part of and watch the action. The rest of the day we used riding roller coasters and other attractions in addition to watching the animals.

Friday we were supposed to watch the Captain Sabertooth play in the evening, or so we thought, only to figure out we should have been there a day earlier. Realizing our mistake we had to get new tickets which proved to be easy as they always allow people to sit behind the back row, tickets which are not sold through the online service. So, if you don’t have your tickets in order you can always ask for those (and handicap) tickets … which of course are a bit cheaper than the regular tickets. In addition you will have a small Plexiglas roof over your head giving some cover in case of pouring rain … no need to mention we experienced title-waves of rain that day.

Ending a week with a well executed Captain Sabertooth show and a few sunny days at the beach it was time to move on …
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For a few days now I have been working for our Israeli office in Shefayim. Staying at an apartement hotel in Herzylia it was time to discover more of the holy land than the next door restaurants on the marina, and what better than to visit the iconic city of Jerusalem and the salty shores of the Dead Sea.

The day started out early as I was picked up by a mini bus at 7 am. Driving from Herzylia we stopped just outside Tel Aviv to regroup, meaning I was moved over to another bus with people going on the same tour as I.

On our way to Jerusalem we of course drove through the West Bank witnessing the long wall dividing Israel from Palestine’s West Bank. Strangely enough it reminded me more of a sound barrier wall than what it actually is … “a security measure”.

Finally in Jerusalem it struck me that the old city was a lot smaller than first imagined, but also confirmed that Israel is in fact a really small country. Talking to others in the group also confirmed my thoughts as we walked up to the wailing wall. Walking around with a Kipa on my head I felt strangely comfortable … as it covered my skull and prevented it from being sun-burned To be honest I did not touch the wall myself. I was to preoccupied watching the jews praying, trying not to disturb those praying and probably (more sub-consciously) felt it was inappropriate to use such a moment to “fake it” just to say I did it. Moving on I had a lot of fun walking the streets, watching the hundreds of small shops and all the historical places. It is for sure a complex, and possibly chaotic, place where history echoes the streets and directly affects Jerusalem’s day to day life and future …

On our way to the Dead Sea we witnessed a car crash involving three cars … minutes after we passed the same spot. There’s nothing like being lucky in the holy land … just to give you a feeling of divine intervention Anyways, the cars were totally wrecked, but all involved seemed to be fine (“thank God”).

By the Dead Sea we stopped for lunch before “diving” into the salty lake. Thinking back I should be grateful for actually being able to see and experience it as the Dead Sea might be gone in a few years given the rate the lake is “evaporating” due to Israel’s severe water shortage and how they make use of fresh water from the Golan Heights. Only the future will tell if desalination can mend the water shortage problem and even the problem with the Dead Sea. Hopefully Israel and it’s neighbouring countries will be able to solve these possibly life threatening challenges.

During the winter of 2009 and 2010 we grew more and more impatient as the snow kept falling. Don’t get me wrong, we loved the winter this year. It was the best ever with lots of snow and fun for the kids. Nevertheless, all the snow also reminded us that we really, really wanted to have a warm summer … as soon as possible.

Looking ahead we planned a week of vacation for the last week of April, promised by the travel agency that it would be a time of year much like a Norwegian summer. We booked our tickets for a trip to Crete, more specific Agia Marina outside Chania (Xania).

The flight, that took about 4 hours, went surprisingly well considering we departed an hour after schedule, and did not arrive on the island until 10PM. I took another hour by bus, due to a surprisingly slow driver, and pitch darkness of course, to get to the hotel. Finally there, we checked in and went straight to bed the second we stepped inside the appartement … well, we had to flush out all the bed bugs first, but after that we slept like babies on rock hard beds

Day 1 and 2 we used for walking around in Agia Marina and Platanias in addition to the obligatory swim in the pool. Although it was nice just to stay by the pool and take it easy, it became clear that we needed to do something more than just “hanging out”. So, we rented a car for three days and set out on a little “discover Crete tour”.

Day 3 started our little tour as we drove for the palace ruins of Knossos outside the city of Iraklion. You could say it was the adult part on the agenda of the day. Even though it was more for the adults, I would argue the kids also enjoyed it a little bit. At least our oldest who loves the idea of digging around in the dirt all day After seeing the ruins we headed for the kids’ attraction … the Crete aquarium

Let me start by saying, the aquarium was great, but the location of it was no more than strange … It was out in what seemed to be a desolated place. It clearly was a place that was long forgotten by tourists and most probably the Cretans themselves. However, the aquarium was a first class act, and proved to be worth the visit. With its enormous aquariums (floor to ceiling) it was an astonishing and vivid experience. You almost felt you were inside, swimming with the fishes. If you ever get the chance, please go. Your kids will love it!

Before leaving the aquarium we asked around for a nice place to eat, and sure enough the place was a very cozy and family-friendly restaurant. Not forgetting, this day was also the birthday of our oldest daughter, and I have to hand it to the Cretans … they know how to make you feel welcome and at home. Bringing in the cake, which they made especially for us (no kidding), the “lady of the house”, her husband and their grand-daughter brought over the cake and started singing Happy Birthday. It was very, very, very nice! A perfect way to end an eventful day. Thanks!

Day 4 was excursion day as we set our aim for one of the most beautiful beaches on Crete! Elafonisi beach! Getting there was no short of an adventure. The drive from Agia Marina to the beach was supposed to take about an hour; however, we “had to take” the wrong turn and ended up on an endeavor along the coastline, seeing a lot of what felt like the real Crete; Small villages, secluded in the mountain-side along the road with olive trees clinching to the rock-face of the steep and rocky mountain-sides. The road was, as the song goes, long and winding, but eventually we got there, and what a beach. We immediately got our free-diving gear, and jumped into the water heading for one of the shallow reefs. Snorkeling and diving around the reef was a lot of fun, and with the crystal clear water we could see all the sea life.

After a successful day at the beach, we headed back to the resort, this time taking the short route. Driving the short route was not only shorter, but also just as fun as we stopped along the road to buy some ice-cream and taste the local honey. The scenery was just as spectacular as the ocean-drive earlier that day with its gorges and valleys of citrus and olive trees.

Day 5 was fun day, or at least we set out to have fun. What we did not know was that most of the fun things in Agia Marina is not open before the first week of May. Meaning we were one week early, and we had to figure out what to do. The easy solution was the best one again. Instead of driving around aimlessly, we turned in the car, and took it easy. What did we learn? Rent a car for two days, and not three … Two out of six days is more than enough. After all it’s a vacation, and with three kids we learned that driving around too much is not a good idea.

Before we left Norway we had a look at the weather forecast for the Chania region, and to be honest it was not promising at the time. It was actually quite depressing as it looked to be raining our entire stay. We were equally surprised and relieved that the forecast was not that predictable, probably due to the fact that Crete is an island, and that forecasts are more like sticking a finger in the air trying to second guess what would happen the next hour or so, not to forget what could happen several days or weeks ahead. IOW, we had no reason to worry! We had sun the entire stay!

Leaving Crete we left with a feeling that we had had the great vacation. After all, we started out with the promise of rain, and ended up with a warm Norwegian summer