November 2008 - Thanksgiving with the Kristensen family

In November Allan & Lotte visited us. We met them in Birkeroed where they lived a few hundred meters from us and their oldest son went to the same pre-school as Caroline. We spent some great days together. We ate a lot,

we hiked a lot,

and the kids had a lot of fun playing with our new Rockband game. They were playing loud rock music (Nirvana and Metallica were the favorites) for hours and hours straight.

August 2008 - My parents are visiting us

In August my parents came to Novato and spent a month with us. We had a lot of fun and Caroline enjoyed spending time with her grandparents.

My dad is helping out with good advice and expertise. I couldn't have done it all without him - thanks a lot!

While my father was helping me out, Caroline enjoyed spending quality time with her grandma!

finally a little time to rest with a good glass of the local "brew".
and of course we found time to visit Gloria Ferrer and taste some of the best "Champagne" that Napa Valley can offer.

May 2008 - New House

In May 2008 we bought a new house here in Novato - we have fallen in love with the area and figured out that real estate was now so reasonably priced that it couldn't go any lower (well, ok - it could). We ended up buying a 3400 sqft home from 2001 with a decent sized back yard. We started re-modelling the house quite a bit. Here are some pictures from before the remodelling:

during the demolition stage - when everything was a mess!

during the re-building - here I am laying the new hardwood floor. I'm not going to put down 1600 sqft of hardwood floors again any time soon :-)
and the final result with newly painted walls, new furniture, new kitchen and new hardwood floors!

April 2008 - Oahu, Hawaii

In April we went on a week-long trip to Oahu. This was the second time we visited Hawaii and it was exactly as spectacular as the first time we went. This time around we spent each day with the same three basic activities:

Some quality time at the beach...
some sightseeing (here we are at the famous Shaved Ice place: "Matsumoto")
and some serious tasting of the local cuisine - our best stop was the famous Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the North Eastern coast of Oahu. The shrimp was fresh and LOADED with garlic! Yummy!

February 2008 - Yosemite in Winter with the Hougesens

In February our good friends Morten & Hanne from Denmark visited us with their two daughters. We went to Yosemite - the first time we had seen the park in the winter time. It was a very different atmosphere than in the summer, but very pretty.

Here are the three girls: Laura, Caroline and Signe in front of "El Capitan".

and the "Tandrups" in front of Yosemite Valley...

The winter landscape created some fascinating views.

January 2008 - Ski trip to Lake Tahoe

In January we spent some gorgeous days in Lake Tahoe skiing the Heavenly Ski Resort.

The weather was spectacular and the views from the ski slopes are amazing.

The weather changed a little bit the last couple of days, and Caroline enjoyed every second! She is becoming quite an avid skier.

After a long day on the slopes, there is nothing better than a warm hot tub with a view of the slopes and the snow.

December 2007 - Trip to India & Bangkok

In mid December 2007, I had to go to India again. The destination was - once again - Mumbai, but this time I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to Goa before my 5 days in Mumbai and a short week-end in Bangkok on my way home. Here are some impressions from Goa:

I stayed close to the beach at a nice vacation resort. The beaches were not super inviting for swimming.On my second day I chartered a local taxi-driver and had him drive me around and show me some af the amazing architecture in Old Goa. This is a monastery where I stopped and talked to one of the munks - he was about my age and was from the UK and had lived at the monastery for 16 years.Above is a picture of the Se Cathedral in Old Goa.

And this is what Goa looks like right outside of the churches.

Back in Mumbai, I spent a day sightseeing - I took a boat trip out to Elephanta Island right off the coast of Mumbai. Here are the two famous landmarks that suddenly became the centre of the world's attention due to the terrorist attacks not too long ago: the "Taj Mahal Hotel" and the "Gateway to India".

Elephanta Island is famous for its magnificent caves that are filled with religious displays that are up to 4-5 meters tall. All carved out of rock in the walls of the caves.

On my way home a made a quick stopover in Bangkok - and took a tour of the city. The Royal Palace was one of the highlights.

The Royal Palace is home to the "Emerald Buddha" which has a very important political and religous meaning in Thailand. Three times a year, the king changes the clothing of the buddha in a ceremony.