Survive First Year at ISA? Check Check.

I learned a lot about myself as a teacher and a person this school year. But the most important thing I've learned? Kids are kids. Even if they're fancy international kids who speak more languages than me and have more passport stamps than me. They still like to listen to Mo Willems books and do the Friday dance.  They write amazing poetry, struggle to tie their shoes and smuggle in Lego men in their pockets. They just do it all with awesome accents :)

One Last Canal Cruise

Before everyone scatters for the summer...

This is what the boat's engine looks like. You get to see it if the boat stops working in the middle of the canal. 

 Heidi is still dealing with the loss of her houseboat :(

Out on the Ij:

Taking a break at a boat up bar:

 It is June here. Don't let the sweaters and scarves fool you :)

Even The Little Bikes Aren't Safe...

Dutch Traffic Jam

Norway in a Nutshell

What do you do when you have a 4 day weekend in June?  Head to Norway with Heidi, of course! 

We started our adventure in Bergen:

The next morning we took a train and saw our first real views of the countryside. It is so green there! And after living in the flatness of Amsterdam for almost a year, I have a newfound appreciation for rolling hills and tall mountains :)

We stopped in Voss, a ski town east of Bergen.
Our hotel was old and quirky and full of character:

(This was the sign on the door to our room. I appreciated the feminine room, since we're girls. No masculine signs to be seen, though...)

View from our room:

I'd also like to mention that this is all I packed for FOUR DAYS. Those of you who know my penchant for overpacking should be very proud of me. (This means you Kelly!)

We decided to hike up a really tall mountain, stopping to visit a folk museum on the way.

Baby sheep!

Baby sheep poop!

Old Norwegian classroom:

Norwegians like wooden shoes too!

After the museum we continued our hike. Which may have ended up being longer and harder than I was expecting. And may have resulted in me covered in mud. 

I was totally having a Twilight moment here :)

So, by the time we made it to the top, it was raining. And the restaurant was closed. And the funicular back down the mountain wasn't open yet. 

The next morning we took a bus ride through even more gorgeously green countryside:

And traveled the Stalheimskleiva, a 1.5 meter stretch of road with "13 hairpin bends" leading down into a fjord valley. On a large bus. I might have held my breath the whole way down. Luckily there was some amazing scenery to distract me:  

In the valley, a boat cruised us through the fjords, which are indescribable:

I loved this teeny-tiny village in the middle of nowhere:

First view of Aurland, our next destination:

Aurland was my favorite place in Norway. It was a tiny town on the edge of the fjord. Two restaurants, one of which was in our hotel. Not many tourists, lots of locals. And lots and lots of sunshine. 

View from our balcony:

Town:

View from the dock where we spent a sunny afternoon:

The view at lunch:

One last view as we waited for our boat:

And then we realized that we'd missed our boat. So we hung out in a parking lot as we made alternate travel arrangements:

But we ending up getting to Flam in time to make our train that took us through the mountains and back to Bergen.

The train stopped at Kjosfossen waterfall:

The higher the train climbed, the more snowy mountains and isolated houses we saw:

Back in Bergen, we headed to Bryggen, the historic wharf area. 

Where we found a traditional restaurant:

And tried some of the local delicacies. 

Reindeer:

(Sorry Rudolph!)

And Aquavit:

Guess it wasn't that bad :)

Then we stumbled upon the international music festival that Bergen was hosting:

Heidi made friends with the locals:

And then she managed to get us into a private after party with an amazing band:

(Cause she's Heidi.)

It was still light out when we left the party, after midnight. 

In conclusion, I am in love with Norway's fjords, mountains, greenness and late night lightness. Also, I may need to seek help for obsessive compulsive picture taking as I had 461 photos to sort through after just 4 days of travel.