Arrived in Gothenburg, Sweden

Friday, September 18th 2009
We are writing while taking the train from Oslo, Norway to Gothenburg, Sweden. Mariella and I had a three hour wait for the Gothenburg train so we walked around Oslo for a few hours. We exited the train station and walked down the main street, Karl Johan’s gate, which runs through the heart of the city. There were loads people walking up and down the store-lined streets. We walked to Slottsparken (a park) to enjoy the sandwiches and fruit that momma Crystal packed for us. After resting at the park a bit, we walked along Bygdoy (a warf) area, there were many restaurants and boats around. From there we explored the medieval fortress called Akershus Festning the fortress was built by King Hakon in 1299, there was an excellent view of the Oslofjord from the top of the fortress. We later learned that During WWII the Nazis used Akershus as a prison and execution ground. After visiting the fortress, we walked back down the main street to the train station. Mariella wanted a small Coke. We spent the last of our Norwegian Kroners on the soda that cost about $5.33. Norway is super expensive!
Now Mariella writing: Actually, we spent the last of our Norwegian Kroners on a chocolate ice cream bar that Craig devoured as I attempted to use up the last 18 Kroners, about $3 US, I got Haribo sour candy and a mini Mars bar and still have 2 Kroners in my pocket . Oslo was pretty cool, but if you travel to this side of the world, Bergen is way more …como se dice, scenic, quaint, not so much LA, but perhaps comparable to Laguna Beach in its coziness and its wealth. We had an awesome time with Crystal and a great few days with her husband Jon Andre. What a blessing it was for us to get a little taste of home. We cooked and cleaned and for a few moments it felt like home, well except for the occasional insane downpours. But really it was an incredible blessing to have spent time together. What a pretty amazing thing; that God would allow me to meet this girl in 2004 in LA, we hung out, had a great time, and 5 years later we get the wonderful opportunity to see her again and totally soak in her hospitable spirit. I also got to read Soul Survivor, well almost all of it, by Philip Yancey and I have a whole lot of stuff whirling around since then, so expect some posts/preaching? Here is one to get you started: I’ve often been asked and have even asked myself this question about the problem of pain. If God is all loving, then why do we experience so much pain and agony here? In Yancey’s book, one of the people he interviews, Dr. Brand, asks “Why do we experience pleasure and joy and happiness?” I thought this was a totally appropriate question. Why not make us numb to the sensation of touch and taste? We don’t really need to smell, or taste in order to survive, so why do we experience these things? C’mon people give me a piece of your mind.