Oslo, Norway + Midway, Utah
Will we ever be able to remember what episode we are on? Time will tell. It's episode 50! Our golden anniversary! We have a surprise guest, he may just be the cutest dog ever, so check out the youtube companion video to see Oscar in all his cuteness!
Alison is obsessed with rings, which she shows off for the youtube viewers with some jazz hands. She's not one for jewelry usually, but she's really liking them now. Lulu is obsessed with honeycrisp apples, they are just the most consistently delicious. Being a texture person, they are just the best of all the apples. And being a visual person, the gradual color change from red to yellow, the ombré effect if you will, is quite pleasing to the eye. Talk of ombré leads to Alison and Lulu trying to pronounce balayage. Don't kid yourself, you have difficulty pronouncing it too. Another difficult word to pronounce is açai, known from the very hip açai bowls, which Lulu is sorry to say, is just a smoothie with toppings, amirite?
Alison is wishing for wine right now. We were late to record this video, so all we have is water in front of us. There's a giant wink that happens, we think she was hoping someone would get the hint and would seamless some wine to her. Or she wishes she had the power to turn the water in front of her into wine. Now wouldn't that be a great party trick! Lulu is wishing for a metrocard that could be refilled with an app, but then again, what if she lost her metrocard? So what she is really wishing for is an app that can replace her metro card and function like Apple Pay.
Lulu is very excited to visit the capital of Norway. Check out this lonely planet article about the growth and development of Oslo into a hip place with great architecture, shopping, and nightlife, and everything that makes it a place worth visiting. And if you are looking for a reason to relocate there, check out this United Nations' Development Programme's Report which ranks Norway as #1 on its Human Development Index for health and happiness. She stays in the top suite at the Thief Hotel, where she gets the wedding package. It's advertised that with this package she "will wake up as a newlywed", and Lulu thinks "GREAT!", I'll wake up with a husband, and there is no walk of shame because room service breakfast is included. Alison thinks her waking up with a stranger is super sketch. Forging ahead, judgement aside, Lulu starts her day with a tour of the Henrik Ibsen house and buys Ibsen's Selected Plays. Next is lunch at Dr Kneipp’s Wine Bar which features nordic foods like elk carpaccio, which Lulu orders as well as a cloudberry tiramisu and a bottle of wine. While in Norway, she wants to get the perfect cozy Nordic sweater. you know the ones, that you see on Instagram with a perfectly staged cup of coffee, fuzzy socks, and a view of the mountains? She found one at Dale of Norway.
She has to get a swimsuit and flipflops for this next activity, and wait for it, she's going to spend three grand on this Adriana Degreas swimsuit and these Gucci "Guccy" crystal flip flops. Alison does not understand why you would want to make something that looks like a knock-off. Why would you make these, and why would you buy these? She's sure this ironic marketing decision will be a phase. A dumb phase, but a phase nonetheless, she'll just have to wait this one out. Lulu takes her swimsuit and flip flops and heads to Árdna Sauna at SALT, where you spend up to three hours in a sauna with performaces by DJs, poets, and lecturers. And they have a cocktail menu and snack menu. AND it's only $40. Booking your flight now, aren't you? Next Lulu explores the retro community around Grünerløkka dedicated to 40s and 50s swing, complete with the outfits and themed bars and everything. Also, you can get a full on makeover from a lady named Miss Rockabully. Lulu obviously takes advantage of the opportunity to look like a retro pin-up girl. After her makeover she heads to 50s-themed Italian cocktail bar, Bettola. For dinner she went to Maaemo which has three Michelin stars and some epic movies on their website. She spent four hours enjoying their set menu with wine pairings. Well done, Lulu.
Alison stays in a luxury suite at the Homestead Resort which comes with jetted tub, a fireplace and a private deck with views of snow-capped peaks. The reason she she picked this location is to visit the Homestead Crater. It is a geothermal spring, hidden within a 55-foot tall, beehive-shaped limestone rock. She'll come back to this later, because first she heads to Heber Valley Artisan Cheese. She takes a tour of how they make the cheese, and how they age it in a cave, and of course does a tasting. After the tour, they of course like any good tourist attraction give you the option to buy some goods. Alison selects "The Big Cheese" - a gift basket that features: 15 wedges of artisan cheese, 3 boxes of artisan crackers, 1 stainless steel hand slicer, 1 bamboo cutting board, all in a farmstead wood crate wrapped with a bow. She gets one for herself, one for Lulu, and one for everyone present at the recording of the Youtube Companion. She even calculated how much it would cost to ship to everyone. We're impressed. Next she goes for a guided Fly Fishing adventure. Lulu questions whether she would actually do this in real life. Alison says she would, especially since they have a no fish, no pay policy! She is dressed for the part in some waders, some boots, and a rain jacket from Amazon. Thanks to her guide she catches a rainbow trout (in her mind of course, remember, this is imaginary).
She heads back to the Homestead Crater for their Crater and Soak and buys out the session so that's she is the only one soaking in the spring. Sounds like heaven, doesn't it? After her soak, Alison stops in at Blue Boar Inn, a old-style European restaurant nestled in the foothills of Midway. She indulges in fondue for two, filet mignon, and of course, a bottle of wine.At this point she is at less than three grand so she looks up Celebrity Chef Network and decides to fly in Aki Kamozawa to cook the rainbow trout that she caught.
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
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