(no subject)
Returned from the United States of Whatever on Saturday, the plane landed at Gardermoen at 9.40 am.
Four days in New Orleans and five days in NY - hardly enough time to shop and go sightseeing as every day was packed with choir rehearsals and concerts, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
NO didn't show much damage after the hurricane, but I got to snap a couple of shots of some torn down houses. I got a strange feeling seeing that. The people were, for the most part, very outgoing and hospitable, and the food was amazing, despite the high content of fat and sugar. I probably gained a couple of pounds, but it seems I've lost them again already. Got to see and hear a lot of great jazz musicians, walked around in the French Quarter and enjoyed the architecture that is so typical for NO (this was also the location of our hotel), had a lot of beer, and sang for the crown prince of Norway, Vollebekk(?), and the bishop from Bjørgvin Bispedømme at a mass/recital as part of the 100th anniversary of the Norwegian Seaman's Church (which will be shown on Norwegian TV2 this Sunday - don't remember the exact time...), in addition to singing in a Catholic cathedral, and a couple of other places. We also went to a huge casino, but I didn't feel tempted to gamble. The weather was for the most part good, with temperatures going from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius.
NY was the highlight of the trip. Our hotel was located right next to Times Square, and I think there were a lot of awe-struck faces when the enormous billboards and the thousands of neon lights hit us for the first time. It never really stopped to amaze. Got to eat a bit healthier for the remaining part of our stay, had a lot of fruit salads and chicken sandwiches. Starbucks was the place to be for breakfast. Went to the 86th floor of the Empire State building, and got to take some nice pictures of the NY skyline. Shopped at Macy's, the Gap, Banana Republic, DC, and several other places. Had a couple of concerts at the Norwegian Seaman's Church here as well, and in a couple of other churches, St. Paul's Chapel being one of them, right on top of ground zero. Walked myself to death almost every day, but I also grabbed several yellow cabs. The distances were somewhat bigger than what I'm used to, and 5 blocks is a lot more then you would first anticipate. That is, of course, if you're a foreigner, such as myself. Saw different parts of Manhattan, but Soho remains my favorite spot, this area had nice architecture in addition to fun atmosphere and great places to go shopping. Never really got the time to go to the big museums, such as Guggenheim and MOMA. No loss, though, I'll just have to pick up where I left off, whenever I return. NY - I <3 U
Four days in New Orleans and five days in NY - hardly enough time to shop and go sightseeing as every day was packed with choir rehearsals and concerts, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
NO didn't show much damage after the hurricane, but I got to snap a couple of shots of some torn down houses. I got a strange feeling seeing that. The people were, for the most part, very outgoing and hospitable, and the food was amazing, despite the high content of fat and sugar. I probably gained a couple of pounds, but it seems I've lost them again already. Got to see and hear a lot of great jazz musicians, walked around in the French Quarter and enjoyed the architecture that is so typical for NO (this was also the location of our hotel), had a lot of beer, and sang for the crown prince of Norway, Vollebekk(?), and the bishop from Bjørgvin Bispedømme at a mass/recital as part of the 100th anniversary of the Norwegian Seaman's Church (which will be shown on Norwegian TV2 this Sunday - don't remember the exact time...), in addition to singing in a Catholic cathedral, and a couple of other places. We also went to a huge casino, but I didn't feel tempted to gamble. The weather was for the most part good, with temperatures going from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius.
NY was the highlight of the trip. Our hotel was located right next to Times Square, and I think there were a lot of awe-struck faces when the enormous billboards and the thousands of neon lights hit us for the first time. It never really stopped to amaze. Got to eat a bit healthier for the remaining part of our stay, had a lot of fruit salads and chicken sandwiches. Starbucks was the place to be for breakfast. Went to the 86th floor of the Empire State building, and got to take some nice pictures of the NY skyline. Shopped at Macy's, the Gap, Banana Republic, DC, and several other places. Had a couple of concerts at the Norwegian Seaman's Church here as well, and in a couple of other churches, St. Paul's Chapel being one of them, right on top of ground zero. Walked myself to death almost every day, but I also grabbed several yellow cabs. The distances were somewhat bigger than what I'm used to, and 5 blocks is a lot more then you would first anticipate. That is, of course, if you're a foreigner, such as myself. Saw different parts of Manhattan, but Soho remains my favorite spot, this area had nice architecture in addition to fun atmosphere and great places to go shopping. Never really got the time to go to the big museums, such as Guggenheim and MOMA. No loss, though, I'll just have to pick up where I left off, whenever I return. NY - I <3 U