Day 5

This morning we were all up between 6:00 and 7:00. We all slept pretty well. Oystein and I took a shower and we all went down for breakfast together. After breakfast we took our laundry to a dry cleaner to have it washed. The hotel prices are way crazy (like several dollars per item). Oystein asked around about laundry mats but the only ones he could find were not within walking distance or on our tram/bus lines. I think he said there was one place that we could take a taxi to. In the end we decided it was worth it to pay to have our laundry washed at the dry cleaning place. We’ll pay a little more then at a self serve, but we would have to factor in the cost of the taxi and our time. We’ll pay a lot less than here at the hotel.
Oystein headed off to work and the kids and I came back to the hotel. The kids played while I fixed my hair and picked up a bit. Then we went to the small grocery store down the street. Think 7-11 size with twice as many aisles. The aisles fit one person at a time. We bought a couple of drinks and snack items. We also went to a bakery and bought sandwiches and pastries. We took the tram to the park and the kids played while I sat in the shade. When we got back to the hotel the kids took cool baths and I read to them. They played and I wasted time on the computer until Oystein got back. He freshened up and we all walked to the laundry place. Then Oystein headed off to a work dinner and the kids and I took the laundry back to the hotel. I was pretty hot after that. The laundry was pretty heavy. It was in a rolling bag but honestly, it wasn't that easy to roll. The kids and I had dinner and came up to pack. Tomorrow we will be moving to another hotel. Did I mention that it is in the 80's and we don't have air conditioning and we are on the top floor? The hotel we are moving to has air conditioning and a pool but no free dinner. However, it costs less so we will be saving money on the last day when we have to pay. That should make up for having no free dinner.

After packing, we went to get some Gellato. Now the kids are in bed and Oystein will be here soon.

Observations: The majority of the hotels here do not have air conditioning, including ours. The weather here is warmer than normal-in the 80s so we have been sleeping with the windows open. Unfortunately, that means we can smell some of the smoke from smokers outside. It isn’t too strong but it is a bit bothersome. We could have asked to move but we are in a suite with lots of space. We have two rooms right now. The front room has a couch, two chairs, a TV, two single cots for the kids to sleep on and a desk. Our room has a small closet, cupboard, TV and king size bed with side tables. We have two bathroom areas. In our bedroom there is a bathtub, shower and sink. However, the door to the bathroom is glass. It’s partly frosted but not enough. The bathtub and shower are separate and both are big. The toilet is in it’s own bathroom with a sink.

Smoking is more prevalent here. Smoking is not allowed indoors but you can smoke on the street.

Drivers are quick to stop for pedestrians. However, the first couple of times getting on the trams, I found it a bit unorderly. When taking buses in Seattle, people seem to line up and go one at a time. Here everyone just gathers and people even start trying to get in the tram before others have had the chance to exit.

Waiting for the tram to go to the park:
at the park:

on the tram back to the hotel: (they are sweaty, dirty and hot, hot, hot)