The Minnesota Noices

Category: adventure

  • Sofia i Sogndal, Norge

    Sofia i Sogndal, Norge

    With Hil’s friend wrapping up her gap year folk school experience, our window to visit Sogndal with Sofia as our local guide was closing rapidly. On Sofia’s last free weekend at the folkehøgskule, Hil and I squeezed in a quick trip, traveling to Bergen by plane and then on to the village of Sogndal on…

  • Prague, Czechia

    Prague, Czechia

    Andrea and I have been teaming up lately for exercise, social events, Swedish practice, garden plans and now travel! We just returned from a short trip to Prague, where we managed a sampling of the city highlights. I learned a lot about Czechia, the Czech Republic in the process. The iconic Charles Bridge area of…

  • Day trip to Hamlet’s Elsinore Castle

    Day trip to Hamlet’s Elsinore Castle

    One of my favorite family adventures so far! Seriously good tourism, right in our own backyard. On Saturday I was able to check an item off the bucket list. So simple and satisfying was it that I’m amazed it took this long. Three years ago my friend Lisa shared with me her brilliant twist to…

  • Watercolor Magic

    Watercolor Magic

    This new AI photo filter is just too much fun! It’s free for the moment so I’ve been trying it on some of my favorite pictures. The results vary a lot. Weird things happen to parts of the image. it seems to struggle with people or if there are too many elements in the photo.…

  • Musical Interlude

    Musical Interlude

    Our Swedish choir leader seems to enjoy arranging opportunities for us to perform and socialize together. I suspect he also holds the goal of teaching us Swedish language and culture. This weekend he organized a retreat at a scouting camp in Österlen, Skane, a little over and hour from Lund. During our regular practices Gösta…

  • Sport Break Gran Canaria

    Sport Break Gran Canaria

    Our Sunday morning departure to the Canary Islands (Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa) got off to a bumpy start with trains to CPH cancelled. We quickly got back on track, ordering a taxi which delivered us to Copenhagen with plenty of time to enjoy my favorite airport breakfast, sausage rolls and Skyr…

  • Au Revoir, Janvier

    Au Revoir, Janvier

    On Sunday we went to Bjärred, along the shore, where Bryant and L built a camp fire and roasted marshmallows while I hiked the trail out to Löddeåns Mynning nature reserve with a bird sanctuary and viewing tower, open in winter months. We haven’t been getting out as much lately so it felt good. A…

  • Lisbon, Celebrations, and the (Lunar)New Year

    Lisbon, Celebrations, and the (Lunar)New Year

    Here we are in the time of new beginnings and I’ve yet to complete some big events of 2023! We spent a quiet Christmas in Lund, enjoying cozy time at home and setting up a climbing wall for Nori, with sound dampening acoustic panels in the living area to reduce echo. The plaster covered brick…

  • Border triangle: Switzerland

    Border triangle: Switzerland

    Dreiländereck, Westquaistrasse 75, Basel “The point at which Germany, France and Switzerland converge and boats sail off towards the North Sea is a unique meeting place for three countries, languages and cultures.” The photography in this post is also credited to my travel companions who take as many, if not more, photos than I… the challenge was choosing…

  • Easing into Autumn

    Easing into Autumn

    The days are getting shorter and cooler but the fountains are still bubbling as we try to soak up the sun whenever possible. Sofia’s visit during her first break from her school in Sogndal, Norway, where she’s spending a gap year, was super fun! It felt like old times when the girls played together between…