Christmas 2012 is over and within some hours we can say the same about the year 2012.
I want to thank all my blog readers for following me through this year too.

In 2012 I have delivered 167 blogposts, and since I started blogging i 2005 totally 1719 posts can be linked to the Arne´s Blog. Over 220.000 visitors have found my blog during these 7 years, and although I have been more active on my FaceBook profile last years, I will continue to posts here in the coming year.

Happy New Year to you all

Holmenkollen last Friday 2012

This Friday I took Tullen up to the Holmenkollen Ski area where she wanted to experience the tracks around the famous Ski-jump hill. Her own photos will possible be added to this blogpost when she returns, but with the weather forecast for the coming weekend, it is great to experience a really fantastic winter day at the top of our city.
Update:

Tullen´s image of the track between Frognerseteren and Ullevålseter. The track is a little bit steaper than the photo can show. But dreaming conditions for ski lovers.

Boxing Day Christmas 2012

2nd day of Christmas and Tullen skiing in the surroundings of Oslo. 

White Christmas for those in favor of that.

Season Greetings from Andalusia

The MYRAMAR FUENGIROLA HOTEL team wished me a Merry Christmas yesterday, and I return the wishes including all the best for a HAPPY 2013 to dir. Carlos (grey sweater in the middle) and all his staff including the ladies in room service and the personnel in reception and restaurant off duty when this photo was taken. See you soon.

Sunset at the Royal Castle

The sunset seen from the Royal Palace Garden can be spectacular a few days before Winter soltice. Being a neighbor to the palace we have great opportunity to register many activities at this square. The low sun setting over the Ruseløkka area 44 hours before it start to rise again, is a great memory of the light we have experienced during 2012.
It is maybe a little premature, but Merry Christmas to all of my blog readers.

Christmas in Kindergarten

It is "Nisse"day in Maja and Mari´s kindergarten. It looks that our grandchildren are as excited as expected. Christmas time is children time.

Kakelinna (Cake Linna)

From dry to soft snow. Temperature has gone up till +2 C. Expecting rain later. Time for baking with reference to Wikipedia:

Cake Linna, at some places also called lefsetøvær or lefsetøyra, a term used for a period of mild weather that often occurs in December before Christmas. Cake Linna is through folk tradition closely linked to Tomas Messe on 21 December. In earlier times, it was claimed that the cake linna was due all baking - all ovens caused mild weather. Today, this popular belief is abandoned, but the term "Kakelinna" is still used.

Snowing in Oslo

After a nice evening at Fru Burums (see previous blogposts) we had to return home in the heavy snow. The streets are almost impossible to walk in and the cars are covered with heavy white carpets. Temp is +0,6 C and we fear for the announced rain next morning.

JazzLovers with Yvonne Prytz

Fru Burum's with friends at Christmas Jazz

Jazz at fru Burums

Yvonne is great. Barmaid with a beautiful voice

12.12.12 Afternoon and Edward Munch

This afternoon we strolled down Karl Johan for some important pre Christmas issues. The main street in Oslo is embellished with lights, colors and Christmas markets. The cold is still reducing the volumes of Christmas shopping people, but in Shopping Centers the activities are high.

For 149 years ago today our famous painter Edward Munch was born and next year we are celebrating his 150 year anniversary. His painting Afternoon at Karl Johan (1892) is from the same position as my own photo (or almost). I would have liked to present the decision by politicians to build the new Munch Museum today, but as in many years before our political elite are not art lovers but budget lovers.

The world did not collapse today. Next possible date is 21.12.2012. In the mean time enjoy the art and the present view of Karl Johan.

Sunrise 12.12.12

No end of the world today. The Inca calendar must be interpreted in another way.
This morning we got up early and turned the car to the east and Sweden.
On the motorway the sun started to rise and the low sun made it almost impossible to speed drive in the traffic picture.
At Nordby we shopped food and in Strømstad our 8 bottles of wine was added to the groceries. Together with filling 51 liter of patrol on the car our savings this morning added up to almost 1k nok.
A nice Harry Tour on an ordinary Wednesday before Christmas.
And tonight we wait for the Viking Lotto.

A cold winter afternoon

Yesterday afternoon at the harbor outside City Hall. The low sun over the fjord gives no warm feeling, but strolling towards Aker Brygge and Cafe Sorgenfri and the nice welcome by the personnel can thaw any frozen body part. After a glass of wine also the inner organs feel more comfortable.
It is only two weeks till Christmas.

Cold winter morning

The moon is half on it´s way to disappear.
The sun is low on the eastern sky. Only the top floors of the buildings are caught by sun beams. The streets below are in the shadow and the freezing winter are here to stay.
 

Heart surgery on open TV

Last night we followed two operations at Oslo University Hospital on TV. An open and a closed procedure of swapping heart valves on two different patients. Both very sick patients and as far as we were told yesterday with a successful outcome.
The program can be watched here from NRK2 Open / Closed Heart Surgery

The program may be a little rough for somebody , but with my background as a heart / kidney transplanted person, I found the program very intriguing. The program takes about 2,5 hours, but well spent hours. This is really reality television.

Oslo, the city of Samis

Oslo, Tjuvholmen and Aker Brygge from "Solsiden" on this beautiful Sunday morning.

 The photo of the harbor skyline is taken 5km after start below the Akershus Fortress on our 9,13 km walk. Average speed 5,6 km/h during 1h 37 min. A nice Sunday city stroll although the temperature was around minus 8 C. Forecast the coming week is down to -16C tomorrow night.

Oslo, is the largest Sami city in Norway. Today we also could see some rain deers at Karl Johan. The lack of snow in the streets (see photo below) was no challenges for Rudolph and his friends. Training for Christmas has started.

Summarizing autumn 2012 in Andalusia

A week has passed since we packed out belongings and left Fuengirola, Malaga, Costa del Sol and Andalusia for this autumn. After five weeks at Myramar Apartment Hotel we had to (with sadness) return to Oslo and the really cold winter.

Our hotel is located close to Soheil Castle and the huge shoppingcentre Parque Miramar with 43.000 square meter shopping area and 140 different shops. A place to be when the rain is too heavy outside.

 

On a rainy day this autumn the Castle Beach looks like this from the go-cart area on top of the shopping centre.

After staying at Myramar for some years it is natural that we got friends from Norway also on long term stay conditions. Mario is a brilliant servant and delivers Happy Hours Brandy with coffee to Knut, Lillian, Karin, John and Aud. Some of these people have been here during autumn, winter and spring for many many years.

Another friend living half of the year in Marbella, is my heart transplanted companion Audun. This photo is showing that we take every possibility to celebrate with a Cava. This time at Cafe Bogart we marked that it was 22 years since Audun got a new heart.

The Osborne Bull on top of Los Boliches, Fuengirola reminds us of the Veterano Brandy

When staying in Spain it is natural to take a glass of Cava instead of a beer. The small Cordoniu Benjamin is a dry and good refreshment before lunch or dinner.

or at a break when walking the 20km from Los Alamos and back home to the hotel.

This photo is from Benalmadena Costa

A long term stay at Costa del Sol also require visits to Malaga City. Here we are visiting our favorite Bodega Bar El Pimpi. Being in Malaga without tapas and wine at El Pimpy is a crime.

During this year stay we also went to Ronda (for our first time) to see the spectacular gorge with the bridges. My sister Gerd took us thereby car and the tour up the mountains itself is recommended.

During the civil war a lot of people were killed in this gorge when the "enemy"-soldiers were dropped from the bridge. I do not think it is possible to survive such a fall.

Marbella is another regular place to visit. A shopping tour to La Canada, lunch at Plaza Naranja and a drink at one of the places along the seafront walk is mandatory. This is at the city park.

Above Fuengirola the white city of Mijas can be found. From the far top of the city it is a fabulous view over the cost and Fuengirola. We recommend the bar Sierra Mijas, but be there before it closes at 4pm.

There is a lot of places to be mentioned along the Paseo Maritimo, but here we only cover GaliGali across the road from Crispy Cod.

and not to forget the very good restaurant La Farola. Go there and be satisfied at lunch, dinner or even for only a glass of wine.

Hopefully these images give you a good understanding of why we return to this places in Spain, and why we will return for another six weeks from the middle of February next year.

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From sunshine to snow

 In my last blogpost I said goodbye (and Hasta Febrero) to Spain 2012. Today we visited our closed cottage where the first snow in Oslo has fallen

The temperature was around + zero but we did not take the opportunity to build a snowman. Everything was as it should at Solvang this part of the year.

Departure 2012

 Our 5 weeks have come to an end.
Today we are leaving Myramar Fuengirola director Carlos and his staff, friends on long stay conditions, the apartment, Costa del Sol and all the other Andalusian beautiful places. This flower goes to them all. Muchas gracias.

As yesterday afternoon the temperatures during our stay have been around +18 C all the time. Some days up to +24 C and some chilly nights down to +10 C. Heavy rain some days, but not so much wind. An umbrella has been protection  against the water. The weather forecast today says +21 C in Malaga and probably will the days ahead also be great.
The long term weather forecast for Oslo tells that we can expect cold and snow next weekend. Maybe we return a week too early, but we are looking forward to see our grandchildren presently staying in our flat.

Hedda, Mari, Henrik, Maja and Helene at our kitchen table last night.

The day before departure

 Tomorrow we once more will be onboard one of these airplanes high up in the sky. Our 5 weeks in Spain have come to an end and returning to Oslo and "bad weather?" will be a challenge.

 Down here the last week has been fantastic. Temperatures between +22 and +17. Sunbathing in front of the pool, lazy walking around in the area, relaxing over a glass of wine and eating on our favorite restaurants.

At La Farola yesterday I had a delicious Leg of Lamb. Try it!

Hand cleaning the pool

A very interesting day.
Handymen have during the day prepared the child pool for next season. Washing the bottom of the pool by hand is not only a hard day´s work, but soon also a hard day´s night. And the large pool is waiting for their energy next week.

The workers also have contact with the world outside through mobile phones is no surprise, but the show must go on. It is not like driving a car when talking, but almost there.

I do not recommend the working position for anybody, and without any deep knowledge of the chemicals they are using, I would say that according to Norwegian labor laws, the work had to be stopped immediately .

After three hours work 25% of the pool were finished. 75% to go.

At five o´clock they are close to 50% of work done.

Hand cleaning process will hopefully give the expected result for Director Carlos.
I am very impressed of how the workers are progressing. I have to make a last photo of the pool before I leave Myramar this time. (Wait for another blogpost).
I am confident that the pool will be to everybody´s satisfaction when we return in February 2013.