Day: Pre-Trip (Oslo, Norway)
Average Speed: N/A
Miles Cycled Today: About 15 km
Miles Cycled Total: About 15 km
Mood: Nervous Sorta Kinda but Not Really
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| Assembled Bike in Oslo Airport. Then Took Train. |
Woefully unprepared.
If I could pick two words to describe myself right now, those are them. Woefully. Unprepared.
Did I keep the forty pounds off that I lost last year? Nope. They came back with a vengeance.
Did I train? Nah. Less than 200 miles under my belt since June.
Did I save money for a complex European bike tour? Absolutely not.
Did I bother to plan a route? Hell no.
No destination. No ticket home. No job waiting for me when I get back.
Woefully unprepared.
Last year, I started with a detailed packing list, and started gathering supplies months ahead of time. This year I packed in under an hour.
So you ain't gettin' no packing list.
What you're getting instead is Green Saddle Bingo (my sister's idea). If you want to play along, print out one of the bingo cards here.
In no particular order, here are the possible situations which can lead to B-I-N-G-O:
Did I keep the forty pounds off that I lost last year? Nope. They came back with a vengeance.
Did I train? Nah. Less than 200 miles under my belt since June.
Did I save money for a complex European bike tour? Absolutely not.
Did I bother to plan a route? Hell no.
No destination. No ticket home. No job waiting for me when I get back.
Woefully unprepared.
Last year, I started with a detailed packing list, and started gathering supplies months ahead of time. This year I packed in under an hour.
So you ain't gettin' no packing list.
What you're getting instead is Green Saddle Bingo (my sister's idea). If you want to play along, print out one of the bingo cards here.
In no particular order, here are the possible situations which can lead to B-I-N-G-O:
1) Too Drunk to Blog
2) Run-In with Police
3) Lose Something Crucial (Passport, Wallet, Bike, etc.)
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| Get Your Own Random Card By Clicking Here! |
4) Damage Cell Phone
5) Get Lost
6) Run Out of Money
7) Chased by Animal
8) Fall Off Bike
9) Pop a Tire (tube)
10) Beg Stranger for Water
11) Language Barrier Issue
12) Accept a Car Ride
13) 5 Days without Shower
14) Sleep in/on Stranger's Property
15) Need Bike Repair at Shop
16) Have Something Stolen
17) Pedal 100 Miles in a Day
18) Start Crying for No Reason
19) Begin Cycling Past Noon
20) Begin Cycling Before 9 AM
21) Pedal 1 Day with a Stranger
22) Find Something Useful on Road
23) Give Motorist the Finger
24) Make it Home before September
Seriously. Play along. Call BINGO in the comments. Winner gets a postcard. Eventually.
I'm not going to lie- I'm incredibly apprehensive about this trip. Or at least I was. I dunno.
I was worried that maybe that whole humanity thing I experienced last year was a lark. A coincidence. Like I was just in the right place at the right time. It's just so easy to forget that human compassion always exists when day-to-day experiences don't always highlight it.
But my plane wasn't off the ground before I was reminded of its wonderful presence.
An exasperated single woman traveling with three children was sandwiched in between me and a native Norwegian. The plane was on the runway for over an hour and the children were already getting antsy.
Seriously. Play along. Call BINGO in the comments. Winner gets a postcard. Eventually.
I'm not going to lie- I'm incredibly apprehensive about this trip. Or at least I was. I dunno.
I was worried that maybe that whole humanity thing I experienced last year was a lark. A coincidence. Like I was just in the right place at the right time. It's just so easy to forget that human compassion always exists when day-to-day experiences don't always highlight it.
But my plane wasn't off the ground before I was reminded of its wonderful presence.
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| My Seat Now Comes with Child's Feet (free of charge) |
Norwegian Airlines is great for a cheap ticket- but the seat is all you buy. Blankets and headphones are going to cost you.
And this mother was unprepared for that.
Before we were in the air, the Norwegian (her name is Laura, I found out later) purchased blankets and headphones for the whole family. She comforted and played with the two children sitting next to her throughout the whole flight. I did the same with the child sitting next to me (Zora).
Problem was, I didn't know Laura had already purchased the headphones, and I had lent Zora my own really good ones. So when the gifted headphones from Laura came, Zora didn't want them. She was perfectly happy with mine. And it's hard to explain to a four-year-old that now, I had no headphones, and she had two pair. So I did what any normal person would do... and I bought my own shitty pair of Norwegian Airline earbuds.
After a lot of explaining when we landed, I eventually got mine back.
But at least I didn't have a child vomiting on me on the plane's descent.
Can't say the same for Laura.
She handled it like a champ.
Norway. Where everyone is beautiful. Gay pride flows freely. The sun doesn't really set in July. And everyone seems to be in a generally good mood.
It's like an expensive version of San Francisco without the hills.
And anyone who's been to San Francisco knows how expensive San Francisco is.
I'm pretty sure it would be easier for bars and banks to merge into one, because you're going to need to apply for a mortgage if you're in the mood for a couple of beers.
Even the bizarre artwork behind the receptionist's desk at the hostel I'm holed up in seemed ironically welcoming.
Of course, I found my way to a pub upon arrival, but I was determined to leave early, catch up on sleep, and save a few thousand dollars.
Instead I wound up meeting some Swiss students who were planning the opposite. Ramon, Vanessa, and Dean were a helluva lot of fun (okay... I admit it... Swiss people can be fun).
After a few games of shuffleboard (Ramon and I lost badly), some more beers, and a couple trips to the ATM, I knew the night was over when I found Dean in the arms of a hickey-laden woman on the street.
The sky doesn't really get dark in Oslo, so you can gauge time this way: When a young man is comfortably in the arms of an older stranger whose love marks tattoo her skin, it's about 2:45 AM.
Got a new SIM card (Get WhatsApp to stay in touch!).
A tuned-up bike.
A power converter.
Screw the maps.
Show me the way Google!
And I did get the chance to cycle around beautiful Oslo. Vigeland park- the world's largest "sculpture park" with artwork by Gustav Vigeland was particularly impressive. Lots of naked sculptures in every position you can imagine. Go figure.
Take a two-minute bike tour of Oslo with me here (recorded earlier today):
My highlight in Oslo, however, was a reunion with one of the many people I travelled with back in 1999 and 2000. Synnove Follestad (I don't know how to make the O with the slash through it... but her first name has that) is one of the most memorable people I've ever met. And it was an absolute joy to catch up with her.
She is still as funny, honest, blunt, and charming as ever, and she treated me to my first ever taste of whale meat.
It's delicious by the way.
Venison meets swordfish.
I have no clue what kind of whale it is, but Synnove assured me it's not near extinction. So screw it... it's guilt-free delicacy.
I was scared before I left home. Then nervous when I got here. Now I'm anxious to begin.
In my final post last year, I was resolute to look past birthmarks and focus on everything that is wonderful instead. I lost that focus somewhere in March 2017, and didn't work hard enough to see past a big, ugly birthmark in my field of vision. I could've, but I didn't.
It was a rough end to my last school year.
Ramon taught me a saying that they have in Switzerland- it's for when someone is stuck with an ugly situation and pretend that everything is just fine: "And now you have to sell it."
Two days ago, I was ready to use that phrase.
Not now.
There's no ugly situation.
There's nothing I need to sell.
Let's have a good time this summer.
P.S.
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| I Don't Want These |
Problem was, I didn't know Laura had already purchased the headphones, and I had lent Zora my own really good ones. So when the gifted headphones from Laura came, Zora didn't want them. She was perfectly happy with mine. And it's hard to explain to a four-year-old that now, I had no headphones, and she had two pair. So I did what any normal person would do... and I bought my own shitty pair of Norwegian Airline earbuds.
After a lot of explaining when we landed, I eventually got mine back.
But at least I didn't have a child vomiting on me on the plane's descent.
Can't say the same for Laura.
She handled it like a champ.
Welcome to Norway.
 |
| The Sky at 10 PM. |
Norway. Where everyone is beautiful. Gay pride flows freely. The sun doesn't really set in July. And everyone seems to be in a generally good mood.
It's like an expensive version of San Francisco without the hills.
And anyone who's been to San Francisco knows how expensive San Francisco is.
I'm pretty sure it would be easier for bars and banks to merge into one, because you're going to need to apply for a mortgage if you're in the mood for a couple of beers.
 |
| Nothing Says "Stay at Our Hotel!" Like this Mural. |
Even the bizarre artwork behind the receptionist's desk at the hostel I'm holed up in seemed ironically welcoming.
 |
| Ramon, Vanessa, and Dean |
Of course, I found my way to a pub upon arrival, but I was determined to leave early, catch up on sleep, and save a few thousand dollars.
Instead I wound up meeting some Swiss students who were planning the opposite. Ramon, Vanessa, and Dean were a helluva lot of fun (okay... I admit it... Swiss people can be fun).
 |
| Dean Finds Love in Oslo |
After a few games of shuffleboard (Ramon and I lost badly), some more beers, and a couple trips to the ATM, I knew the night was over when I found Dean in the arms of a hickey-laden woman on the street.
The sky doesn't really get dark in Oslo, so you can gauge time this way: When a young man is comfortably in the arms of an older stranger whose love marks tattoo her skin, it's about 2:45 AM.
 |
| My Number is in Body of this Text if You Need it... |
Got a new SIM card (Get WhatsApp to stay in touch!).
A tuned-up bike.
A power converter.
Screw the maps.
Show me the way Google!
 |
| Lots of Bodies, Piled High |
And I did get the chance to cycle around beautiful Oslo. Vigeland park- the world's largest "sculpture park" with artwork by Gustav Vigeland was particularly impressive. Lots of naked sculptures in every position you can imagine. Go figure.
 |
| View from Vigeland Park |
 |
| Vigeland Sculptures |
 |
| Scariest Scuplture Ever. |
Take a two-minute bike tour of Oslo with me here (recorded earlier today):
My highlight in Oslo, however, was a reunion with one of the many people I travelled with back in 1999 and 2000. Synnove Follestad (I don't know how to make the O with the slash through it... but her first name has that) is one of the most memorable people I've ever met. And it was an absolute joy to catch up with her.
 |
| Synnove and Me and Fine Norwegian Dining |
She is still as funny, honest, blunt, and charming as ever, and she treated me to my first ever taste of whale meat.
It's delicious by the way.
Venison meets swordfish.
I have no clue what kind of whale it is, but Synnove assured me it's not near extinction. So screw it... it's guilt-free delicacy.
 |
| A Whale of a Meal |
In my final post last year, I was resolute to look past birthmarks and focus on everything that is wonderful instead. I lost that focus somewhere in March 2017, and didn't work hard enough to see past a big, ugly birthmark in my field of vision. I could've, but I didn't.
It was a rough end to my last school year.
But there've been no birthmarks on the last two days here in Oslo, and the one that I couldn't look past at home is not going to cloud my vision anytime soon.
Ramon taught me a saying that they have in Switzerland- it's for when someone is stuck with an ugly situation and pretend that everything is just fine: "And now you have to sell it."
Two days ago, I was ready to use that phrase.
Not now.
There's no ugly situation.
There's nothing I need to sell.
Let's have a good time this summer.
P.S.
That moment when Google Translate is not at all necessary.
Didn't see the sign for the female rest room, but I'm curious...
Glad you arrived safely...loved the first blog....so glad your vision is clear!
ReplyDeleteHappy day 1! Love to read your blogs. Safe, fun, amazing travels🚴
ReplyDeleteSo happy you are happy. This trip will free you of that black cloud that threatened to rob your spirit. You are too vital for that.
ReplyDeleteRide on my friend. And hold any letter down on your phones keyboard to get a list of related options.
ReplyDeleteøK. Gøød.
Safe travels, love to read about your adventures! I wish you clear skies and cucumber lime Gatorade 😄
ReplyDeleteYea ! Have been waiting for this ! :-) Praying for a safe trip, memorable and inspiring experiences, and inner peace... Have a great time, can't wait to follow your journey.
ReplyDelete