Day 7 and 8....More around Oslo

Yesterday we got up and headed to the ferry to take us to a little island that had some beaches for us to swim and relax on. We went and swam in the Oslo Fjord and just relaxed for the afternoon. It has been such a long time since I have swam in an ocean that I was really surprised when I tasted salt in the water. Mike was laughing so hard at me because I couldn't get over it. Both Mike and I also cut up our feet on all the mussels that were attached to the rocks right near the shore, it was not a sandy beach like you normally think of. Even with our bleeding feet the sun, warm water, and the experience were well worth the pain!

Then we all came back and got ready to go to the "non rehearsal-rehearsal dinner" that Anette's dad was hosting at his house. There we were able to meet some of Barrett and Anette's friends that will be at the wedding. There is such a mix of people here with friends from Norway, the US, Sweden, and Australia. It is also fun to get to know everyone before the wedding tomorrow. We stayed there for the majority of the night eating, drinking, and talking.
Today Mike and I got up and walked around the non touristy part (if there is one) of Oslo. We went back where Barrett and Anette live and walked around their neighborhood. We grabbed some lunch and then used their passes to get bikes to ride around other neighborhoods that were too long to walk to. Once we parked the bikes we then walked and looked in some shops. I wish more were open but most were closed because a lot of people in Norway are on "holiday." The shopping for both clothes and things here are so amazing. I wish we both had more money and more luggage space! We then went and relaxed in the park and relaxed. Tonight we are going to do some more chilling. We are going to go pick up Barrett and Shenen and go to the park and BBQ for dinner. Then we will probably be back early to get some sleep before the wedding tomorrow!
It has been so nice here and HOT. So much warmer than any of us planned for. There is not a lot of places that have air conditioning for just this reason, including our hotel! It is really difficult to sleep at night, not only with the time change (8 hours difference) but also with sweating all night long. Oslo also has a huge train system that runs thought the entire city and our room sits right above a major road...no fun in the morning. The last few nights we have gotten in pretty late, like 8 or 9pm back in Denver, but 4 or 5 am here! So then when the train starts running it is right after we have gone to sleep. There are many factors but the thing is that neither of us is sleeping well or a lot. Napping has also become a key to making this manageable. It might be a long week next week when we are back at work!
I also have to give a quick thank you so much to our neighbors Doug and Kylie who are watching our cats, tomatoes, and house! Kylie has been sending me the most hilarious updates on both the cats and tomatoes! They both are taking such good care of our stuff that they are making our vacation that much more relaxing. It is great to have such great neighbors and friends!