* "Good luck and bad luck continues with the trains. I didn't know I needed a reservation from Oslo to Stockholm. It didn't say anything in my train guide and I was worried when a conductor told me the train was full. I lost my comfortable seat in Karlstad when a young Swedish soccer team invaded the car and I had to settle for a jump seat in the next car. The good news was that my train wasn't late arriving into Oslo, woohoo!!"
*"I still have not bought any real souveneirs. I figured I could always go to the Scandinavian shops in Solvang, or San Diego, San Francisco, Salt Lake City... or any other places that start with an 'S.'"
*"How I hate sitting near the restroom! For the six hours from Bergen to Oslo, I would get an occasional whiff of "public restroom" smell, even though there were 2 doors that separated me from the restroom." Oh, the annoyance...
*"Last night I was assaulted with a bag of Museli in a Bergen grocery store. I guess if this is the worst crime I have to face as a tourist, than so be it. Those crazy Norwegian hooligans..."
Referring to my trip to Voss, Norway the day before. My plan for a day-hike to a waterfall was spoiled by rain and the need to do laundry at a partially-hidden laundromat (where I met a girl from the US who was born not far from where I live and has an aunt in my hometown, small world...). But I did manage to enjoy some of its beauty.
*"Skies are beautiful as usual, in their partly-cloudy manner. I loved how in Voss the clouds would delicately drape over the hills...
I LOVED the wild raspberries in Voss. At first I didn't want to touch them until I knew exactly what they were, but I saw a woman who validated that they were safe to eat. Having been "pre-washed" by the recent rain, I could just pluck them off the bush and pop them in my mouth. Sooo good...
Having recently tried the Voss brand water back in the states, I decided to see if the Voss tap water from the train station sink was any good. The result: Best tap water ever!! Much better than I expected, I don't remember any aftertaste. Huzzah for Voss tap water!! "
"I had a moment of free time that I think, in a "tender-mercy" kind of way, was meant for me to just chill. The batteries in my camera were dead and I had at least an hour before the train back to Bergen arrived. There was a small promontory of rocks that stretched into the lake where I just sat and chilled. It felt pretty cool to be surrounded almost entirely by water. I watched tiny ripples being formed by, as I later discovered, little fish no longer than my little finger. Although I was on vacation, I have found it hard to relax. I am always thinking ahead, trying to plan the evening or the next day, thinking about work, thinking about what I was going to eat next. thinking about finances, a little scared of the fact that I will be starting my new job in a few days. But I tried to soak in the moment and eventually a feeling of peace confirmed that everything will be alright. Enjoy the moment. And I did."
Here's just a few shots of Voss and my chilling spot:
That's it for now. Stay tuned for when I hit Sweden in my next post.
1 comment:
Hooray for Voss! You should have bottled that tap water and sold it back here in the good old US of A.
Post a Comment