Norway post #1
Eric is taking a nap so I'm going to take a minute to scribble down some thoughts.
I've never been jet lagged by 9 hours before. Definitely discombobulating. We left Seattle on Sunday afternoon around 5 PM and arrived in Iceland at 7AM. It never got dark. I didn't get to see out the window though, we had aisle seats and all the window blinds were closed. Hopefully on the way back.
So no view of volcano, active or no.
Upon arriving in Iceland, we had to go through another round of security (they don't trust the security at other airports, I guess). I got a pat-down, which is new for me. We immediately got onto our next plane and off to Norway.
First snack was at the airport. We had pizza at a stand. Nothing spectacular but not too crappy either. I had sparkling water and Eric had an orange soda full of aspartame (ick!) There is an express train from the airport into the city so we decided to take that.
The train experience was our first example of "They do things a bit different in Norway." When we bought our $30 tickets at a kiosk, I did notice that there were two different kinds. I just figured one was cash and the other credit card or something. Remember I was sleep deprived and a bit loopy but still. We get on the train that appears to be going to the center of town and settle in. When the conductor comes by she gets an odd look on her face when she takes our tickets. We don't have the right tickets. Yes, they take us into town but not on that train. Yes, Norway has at least two different train companies and we bought the ticket for the wrong one. Fortunately, instead of making us buy tickets again (pay the "stupid tourist" tax) she lets us stick around without paying. My guess is that for every dumb tourist that gets on her wrong train, there is a dumb tourist who bought a ticket for that one and got on the other train, so it works itself out.
The airport is nowhere near Oslo so the ride was about an hour. I saw the occasional nice view, but mostly half-napped. The hotel is right next to the train station so we find it with a minimum of wandering around. I'd say it was about 4 or 5 PM when we arrived. Our hotel room has a nice view of the square outside the station, the people watching is good and I was able to see the midnight sunset out our window.
The room is tiny but nice. We have a lovely wardrobe but no drawers, makes unpacking a bit interesting. Our bed is made up of two twins placed next to each other. Eric has already fallen through. Oops! The weirdest thing was that we couldn't get the lights to work last night. We thought perhaps we had blown a fuse. Turns out there is a "main switch" for the room power that requires our room key to stay in it in order for it to operate. Our unused train pass seems to work just as well ;)
Took a bit of a walk before dinner last night, just down Johans gate, which is the main drag. Also poked around the opera house a bit. Beautiful building. It is designed so you can walk a sloped path directly up to the roof. There were plenty of people wandering about.
When I travel, I worry about clothes to bring. I want to be comfortable, but I also want to fit in a bit. I made that mistake when I brought mostly shorts to Mexico and discovered that no one shows their legs. Don't know why but that's the way they do it there. Here is mostly jeans but also middle aged women who look like they are about to go hiking, wearing those pants with the zip-off bottom so they can convert to long shorts. Also lots and lots of women wearing leggings and longish shirts. You know, like we wore in the 80's?
Norwegians walk fast. I am so used to doing the "Seattle saunter" that I forget about the purposeful gait that can be found in the Northeast of the US and here too. I felt like I was on I5, with people constantly jostling to get past me. They also tend to swarm, particularly school aged children. It isn't just on the street, people are booking it down the hallway of the hotel too. I guess they have important places to go and things to do.
The hotel Thon Opera provides a complimentary breakfast buffet. Quite nice. Eggs, including sunny side up, soft or hard boiled. Fruits and yoghurt. Baked beans, liverwurst, fresh bread, cheeses, etc. The room was full of very serious, very busy Norwegians. I'd say the average age in that room was about 50. No children at all. I think the youngest person looked to be in her mid 20's. Almost everyone wearing business suits. Guess this is a business hotel, not a pleasure hotel. The guidebook says that hotel rates in Oslo are at the lowest in the summer because Norwegians take their vacations in the woods, not the city. I did spot a few folks in their early 30's. These guys stuck out being the only ones wearing t-shirts. All of them were advertising computer projects. Ah, these are the Norwegian Developers Eric will be presenting to tomorrow. I expect to see more once the conference starts. They were also the only ones smiling at breakfast.
By the way, you will note there haven't been pictures posted from my travels. I hope to take a few here in Oslo but really didn't take many in NoLa. I figure all the buildings have been done to death and the things that are really interesting are hard to portray in a picture. How things feel, how they taste or even smell, how people treat you and the reactions you have to them. It is easier to do my snapshots in words. Hope you enjoy them!