In May 2014 the Eurolague Final Four was arranged in the historic city of Milano, assumed to be founded around 600 B.C. For a short period Milano was the captol og the West Roman empire in the 4th century.

Milano has been ruled by France and Spain in the early 16th century amd also by Austria in 18th century. Due to these periode, a lot of architecture is quite different from most large italian cities.

Milano offers a modern subway system, and combined with nice long walks it's possible to enjoy the different areas, parks and streets. And of course the big square in fromt of the Duomo de Milano, the large cathedral in the midcenter.

We stayed at Art Hotel Milano, a nice hotel located within walking distance from one of the subway stations, and with the canal Fiume Bisenzio close by. Along the canal we also found some nice restaurant and bars, perfect for rounding up a long time walking around the city.

In May of 2012 the Euroleauge held their annual Final Four Weekend i exotic Istanbul Together with som good friends I hade the pleasure of staying there four days and enjoying the hospitality and (for us) fairly low prices.

Taking the walk over the bridge were the locals tried their luck fishing, going through busy shopping areas and then arriving at the great mosques visible from almost everywhere, was one of several memorable moments on this trip. The basketball games was of course also on the list, as well as the bar on top of the hotel just down the street from our hotel. And not to forget the restaurant in the top floor of the same hotel.

Istanbul should be a nice target for Norwegians, flying with Turkish Airlines from Oslo doesn't cost a great deal and while you're there the money last longer than at home. I will for sure go back their for a nice weekend sometime soon. And then maybe take time to go over to the asian side of Istanbul also.

The summer of 2013 marks the revisit to Greece after 13 years spending our summer vacations elsewhere.

When our daughter Henriette was only 10 months old, we had a really nice stay for two weeks on the island of Kalymnos. After several trips to Spain and Denmark the following years, Greece came once again back in our plans this summer.

Hearing a lot of positive things about Rhodes, the island we nearly went to in 2011 popped up again when we started our plans last winter. And the facilities of the Sunwing Kallithea Beach Hotel almost immideately caught our attention.

Now, after spending 12 days on this lovely greek island, I will definetely recommend others to visit Rhodes. We have barely seen some scattered clouds one day, temperature has passed 30 degrees (Celsius) before breakfast and everyday it has been between 36-40 in the afternoon. 

The island itself, located east in the Aegean Sea and close to Turkey, is the largest of the Dodekanese islands and has a population of somewhat 115 000 people (2011). Historically the city of Rhodes is known for siting one of the worlds seven wonders; The Colossus of Rhodes. Unfortuneately it was destroyed by an earthquake in 260 BC, and there´s no traces of it now.

Staying in one of the Sunwing hotels, we had two weeks of absolute relaxing and quality time, combining the pool area and nice appartment of the Sunwing Kallithea Beach Hotel with the service of the old town and it´s many restaurants.

You can´t check out all the restaurants in 14 days, but during our stay one restaurant stood out as one above the "13-on-the-dozen-tourist-feeders" around the incredibly nice surroundings. In a small shopping street, Agisandrou street No. 18, you will find the Restaurant Lipsi, serving you traditional greek food. The only difference is that the food is really great and the service even better. Too many of the others sadly lack both.

The area also offers a lot of tours, both by sea and road, making your vacation just as you want it. The Water Park of Faliraki was probably the most memorable day for our kids (and I must admit that the water slides was great fun also for the grown ups).

Making plans for next summer will for sure start with finding reasons to go elsewhere.

In April of 2009 we were once again on the road with fellow collegues from Goodtech and their spouses, this time to Scotland and the lovely city of Edinburgh. The capital of Scotland has a long history, founded in the 7th century and with several thousand old bulidings. Some of the in fact bulit on top of others as time has gone by.

Walking in the old city, and along the so called "Royal Mile" that stretches from the Queens castle in one end and up to the Edinburgh castle in the other, you'll find nice pubs and small shops. And always a lot of tourists from all over the world.

When we were there the city streets was dug up to establish a modern tram system as the traffic was quite chaotic. The city is for sure worth visiting again, prices from Noroway by plane is cheap and maybe the tram is ready by now?

If not, a pint of local beer in the pub "The World's End" is to be recommended. Or in some of the other pubs.