While I was celebrating all my high school friends getting old at my 40th reunion ;), Ed was celebrating cherry blossoms, so I have two sets of pictures. The first is from Phoenix, which is, of course, the desert, but they had a wetter than normal spring, so the cactus were in bloom like I never remember seeing them. The second set is from a photo tour Ed and friend Ingrid took, looking for the prettiest cherry trees in Bergen. Bergen had a colder spring than usual, so when the flowers popped, they popped big time!
My driving teacher in Norway was curious about how kids get to school and what the rules are for drivers in the US. So I took a couple of pictures in the morning before school opened. First, there's a solar-powered crosswalk signal which flashes lights in the street and talks in English and Spanish to the kids telling them to step near the edge of the road so the drivers know they want to cross, then look both ways and cross when it's safe. There are at least 5 lanes to cross here. Also in the picture is a school bus. In the US, kids ride separate busses, and drivers must stop for them when the busses stop. There is no passing of stopped school busses if it's a 2 lane road. If there are 4 lanes of traffic, and the car is coming toward the stopped bus, it can proceed with caution. In Norway, kids ride public busses and cars are allowed to pass stopped busses.
Another traffic rule is that cars must go slow in a school zone when school is in session. Slow means 15 miles per hour, or 25 kilometers per hour, and since the normal speed is 50 mph (83 kph) on that street, getting drivers to slow down is a job for Supervolunteer! When he sees a kid coming to the crosswalk, he wades out into traffic with his vest and stop sign. Hooray for the volunteers! In Norway, there are very few places in the whole country where you can go over 80 kph. In towns, you have to be able to stop within a very short distance in case someone steps into the street. Pedestrians are king here!
It was nice to visit Phoenix and thaw out, and it was nice to come home to Bergen and cool off!
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