Peace, Love, and Lutefisk: Adventures i Norge

I am now comfortably sitting in the typically beautiful Norwegian apartment of my friends Kjersti and Richard. It's covered with wood from floor to ceiling and it is so korselig! I am very fortunate to have such great friends. Richard came and picked me up at the Oslo airport and brought me back to his house before he had to go back to work so I've been able to clean up, brush my teeth (with that mysterious liquid called toothpaste that i can't take on the plane), and have a little time away from a herd of frustrated travelers. Not a bad ending. Plus it's so great to be back in Norway. I stepped off the plane into cool, crisp Norwegian air and Richard and Kjersti's apartment is next to his father's farm where they grow wheat and oats and a rolling forest. So beautiful! It's also great just to get off the airplane and feel comfortable. Even though I'm far from being at home in Norway, it definitely is a comfortable place, both the people and the environment. After spending a few days in NYC, Oslo just feels like being in Brookings. Chill, comfortable, clean, safe, and a place I really enjoy being. I even sat outside on the porch for over an hour just reading and sitting the late hanging sun. It felt so great to be chilly and tranquil. I guess I'll shake the tranquility tomorrow when I hop on a 9.40am flight from Oslo to Italy and will catch up with my brother only about 12 hours late....

Even though it will work out fine, I feel like I failed a little bit. After the mechanical problems in Iceland, I went on the internet and tried to find a way to get to Switzerland before nightfall. I had a host of options, including flying from iceland to copenhagen instead of norway, then flying to zurich and taking the last train to arrive in lugano by 2am. Despite myriad of options, the Icelandic air people just weren't very creative. They said that since I had luggage they couldn't go into the luggage and get it to put it on a different flight. Come on people, we can't win the race with that attitude! So in the end, a new ticket from Oslo, but it's probably best that I get some rest and take a break from hectic travel.

I uploaded my photos so you can see my awesome time in Iceland. Just click on photos at the top of the page. Signing off from continental Europe. *sigh*