There was not much to do in Aalborg because we were to far from the city. So to pass time after arriving some took a bus into town, some played cards, some took advantage of the hotel and exercised. The Scandic Hotel offered bikes and a gym. A few of us took advantage of the broken water massage and got free massages due to the coin machine being broken.
On the 27th we got to sleep in a bit before getting on the bus which was very handy. I think a lot of us needed the sleep. Everything is so exciting and new that it is easy to forget about time and the need for sleep. For instance I just got back to my room and it is about 11:30pm. It is easy to get carried away talking to people from the area. Anyway back to yesterday. We took a bus to the Port of Hirtshals Pier to get on the ferry around noon. The ferry ride was about three hours long and it brought us to Kristiansand, Norway. That ferry could have lasted several more hours and it still would have been a blast. They had a store, cafeteria, restaurant, casino and a lot of different seating. We were able to go on deck and experience the speed and wind. People with long hair had to undue all of the snarls in there hair but it was worth the hassel to go outside, which many people did multiple times. After the ferry arrived we got on another bus that took us to Grimstad. We are staying at the Rica Grimstad Hotel. Some watched the big soccer game while others had a pizza buffet.
This is outside on the ferry.
On the 28th there was a little bit of confusion as to when we were supposed to be on the bus, but everything worked out. We went to the Elkem Solar Factory. We listened to two lectures. I am not sure what I can say about them being that we signed a document stating that we wont disclose information to third parties. We were given a nice tour of the place. However, because we were a large group we were restricted in what we could see. In order to go in we had to put on big red coats, hard hats and steal toed boots. Some people wore shorts and were given blue pants to wear, while others had to small of feet or ran out of shoes and had to go to another location to find some. Anyway, the visit to Elkem was very fascinating. After Elkem we got together with the Universitetet Agder. Some students and faculty joined us and together we got on a sailboat. We couldn't of asked for better weather for the boat. The sky was clear but for a few wisps of clouds. We had a meal of shrimp sandwiches. I was expecting the sandwiches to be premade. Boy was I ever wrong. They cooked the shrimp and we assembled the sandwiches ourselves, which involved getting the meat out of the shrimp. Some of us never opened a shrimp before and learned that it can be a messy process. The shrimp was very fresh and the bread was delicious. We were on the boat for about five hours. Some of us were able to help raise and lower the sails while others were able to steer the boat. The boat was a great way to meet some of the students and faculty from the university. After the boat ride, which ended in Grimstad, we walked back to the hotel. The town is a nice small town, at least small by our standards. Most places are painted white. So far Norway is quite similar to the Minnesota north shore.
This is before the tour.
This is almost everyone on the boat.
And this is our meal.
Tomorrow we are off to Oslo.
