After practically freezing on the landing strip, I finally made it into the airport. Passed right through customs. I was officially in Norway. Now, I had to find a way to my hotel room. Learned from google maps before coming here that there are trains that take you directly into the city and right outside my hotel. Decided to take one because I learned from Sweden that taxis in this part of Europe are really expensive. Plus, I get to see a little more of the countryside on the train. So, why not?
Found where to buy tickets. There was a ticket machine right outside of the train station at the airport. Saw the Norwegian language option and it all looked Viking to me. (Yes, that was a bad joke. referencing it’s all Greek). Walking outside and waiting for the train was difficult. That blast of cold wind hit me again, the moment I open the door that leads to the waiting platform. Saw that everybody was acting like the cold was normal and I pretended it didn’t effect me trying to blend in. I know stand like a sore thumb out here. However, I’m trying to not seem so much like a tourist. This cold hit deep into the bone.
The train finally showed up. Any more time waiting and I would have been a giant ice cube. My face felt like little ice needles kept poking me. Stepped inside the train and found my seat. The atmosphere was really nice. The train had a screen that played the local news. I wish the trains at the JFK airport in the USA were this nice. Regardless, I felt that nobody was even looking at me. It wasn’t until I pulled out my camera that I started to get second looks. It’s quite clear that this part of Europe has a lot of diversity. I was expecting to get a few stares like I did when I went to Winnipeg Canada. I guess seeing someone like me was not too strange over here.
The train started on it’s way to Oslo. The people next to me keep looking at me and finally one of them asked if I could take a photo of them. I swear, I’m like everybody’s camera guy when I take my Nikon camera out. I couldn’t say no because they asked so nicely. As the train was in its route to go to Oslo, one of the crew members came out and checked our tickets. Super happy it wasn’t fake. After that experience in morocco , I have been very careful with the train ticket dates and time. Getting the clear from the crew members meant it was time to relax and enjoy the views.
The more we went into Oslo, the more I felt like I was in some type of Christmas movie. It was if, I was at the north pole. The trees reminded me of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That song was stuck in my head the whole train ride! Almost felt like yelling out, if Santa was nearby. I’m sure I would have looked very crazy. Either way, the views were breathtaking. This was the winter I grew up watching in movies. In California, unless you drove to the mountains, we never had snow. So, watching movies and TV shows were our only way to see what snow looked like. I’m sure somewhere my inner child was living his best life.
The closer we got to the city, the fewer trees I saw. More graffiti and roads showed up. I knew I was close to Oslo. My journeys in Norway were just starting.
Hey everybody, sorry for not being update to with the comment. Been having a very crazy couple of weeks. Promise to go through all the comments by this weekend. Once again, thank you so much for the support!
Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!
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