Old & New friends in Madrid

This weekend we went on a quick trip to Madrid, to see 3 of Lolo's best friends and their families, to eat, to spend some quality time, to eat again and then eat again and of course enjoy some sunshine.
The boys were celebrating their 25 years' friendship, so there is always a lot to talk about.
It is crazy to see how quickly these kids connected, although they see each other once a year on average. Also where there are kids, there are adventures, we had a kid fell into the fountain, we had a little girl's doll that spent the night in the park, but that was found again the next day, without the kid (mine, that is) even noticing that it was gone. We had mouths full of ice cream and chocolate, but most of all, they had fun. The men played football, the kids played in the park and the girls went shopping. This weekend had something for everyone. Since it was already our 3rd time in Madrid, we did not do a lot of the touristy things, but if you are interested, you can click here for our last trip here.





























A glimpse of Norway: oslo & Surroundings

This past holiday week we spent in Oslo, together with Lolo's family. It was my first time in Norway and I really loved it. I think I could live in Scandinavia - their approach towards food, education, life quality, work-life balance but also the amazing nature appeals to me. I think it is a really good place to bring up kids.
We stayed at an airbnb home, which was perfect for our extended family, with a playroom for the girls and enough space for us all to feel comfortable.
We visited the very contemporary opera house and took an Oslo Fjord Boat Tour. It was so windy and cold, but the sights were beautiful and I was already seeing myself living in one of these houses by the water. After the boat tour we walked around the very beautiful neighbourhood of Akker Brygge (Very new and grand). Another day we strolled around Damstredet & Tethusbakken, with their traditional coloured houses, before having lunch at Mathallen Oslo, a food hall with Scandinavian dishes but also International food. We discovered the Vulkan neighbourhood, Oslo's  most interesting new city development project and Grünerløkka, a cool neighbourhood for cafés & street art.
After another coffee and ginger shot run, we went to Vigeland Statue Park. The kids had a great time at the cool playground there and imitating the statues. It is a beautiful park, especially in summer I think when everything is in bloom. In the evening, back at the house, it started snowing and it was so beautiful when I looked out of the window because all houses have lights at their frontdoors, and it all seemed so peaceful and calm.
Another day we took metro line 1 until in the end at Frognerseteren and we found a haven of white beauty. We were the only ones getting of the train there and we thought we were alone in the snowy forest but all of a sudden there was a restaurant with (overpriced) cheese fondue and it was all picture-perfect. After lunch we walked down to the famous ski jump of Holmenkollen. It is so high, I would pee my pants if I had to jump of there. The kids were super excited in the snow and it was a good day.
I hope to come back and discover more of this beautiful country soon.