Norway

Oslo is another cold place, but not as bad as Moscow, though it looked it upon arrival. I took the bus to my hotel, the Radisson Scandinavian, and by the time that I was settled into my room it was already dark – at 3:30pm. Oh yeah, getting on the bus, I noticed that the guy in front of me was participating in the same fair that I would be (he was perusing the itinerary). Apparently he was not aware that he would have to pay for his ride, for upon ascending the stairs and speaking to the driver he became flustered and scrambled to find a form of payment. He was holding up a whole line of cold, irritable people, so I paid for him. This is important later…

I really couldn’t think of any good dinner options, so I just dropped in the nearby 7-11 (these things are everywhere in Scandinavia). They actually had a pretty good spread of meals ready to eat. Think Parker’s if you are from Southville. I took some pasta and beer back to my room and finished off Lost. As with season one, more questions than answers. Wasn’t ready for bed yet, so I took a late night walk around the park.

At 10am we had a seminar on the Norwegian government loan and grant system for students. Exciting stuff. The fair started at 11 and went until 5. As in Copenhagen, many of the participants got together afterward for dinner. I sat at a table with my buddy The Professor from the bus. He had two student reps with him – Michael and Nina, brother and sister, German but at a university in the Netherlands. After dinner many of us went to the bar at the top of the Radisson to take in the 21st floor view of Oslo. I convinced Michael, Nina, and a zany Scotswoman to accompany me to a nearby bar I’d heard of named F6. It was shagadelic.


The next day 11 to 5 again. Went to a nearby Greek restaurant afterwards with the wonder twins and the Professor. Following that, we chilled out at the hotel for a bit, then joined a house party that the twins had been invited to by a girl they met at breakfast. This girl was staying at the hotel while visiting her brother. So we mixed it up at the house party for a bit with some Swedes and Norwegians, then joined this whole group as they moved on to a bar/club. It was not too annoying – there were actually some side rooms with small bars that were not blaring music. When the club closed, we went back to the hotel. Drinks, by the way, in Norway (and Scandinavia in general) are absurdly priced - everywhere. You have to just buy and not think about it. We are talking $10-$12 a beer here. Meals are similar. Think of a bad price in America, then double it.


In the morning I joined Nina for breakfast (Michael did not make it up) and hopped in a cab immediately after for the train station. I took a four-hour ride to Kristiansand, the southern-most city in Norway. At the station I was met by Anita, one of my house-mates from my days bartending in Guatemala, whom I have not seen in the three plus years since. We dropped my thinks off at her apartment, walked the town, grabbed some pizza, met a friend, and went to see Borat with a horde of Norwegian college students. After we had a pint at a nearby Irish pub. I was fading fast. Although I'd planned to stay up all night until my early flight, I just could not do it. Besides, the weather was crap and no one was out on Sunday night, so it was not worth the effort. I took a four-hour nap at Anita's then caught a cab to the airport for my 6:30am flight to Copenhagen, then to ATL, then to Southville, and here I sit. So, yes, pictures will be posted soon...

Warsaw and Berlin

Ah, once more through the Russian airport gauntlet. Wasn’t as bad as arriving, actually. And, due to time zones, our flight landed in Poland just 15 minutes after it took off in Russia. El Guapo and I almost didn’t get our luggage though. See, our next flight, leaving Warsaw for Berlin, was less than 24 hours from our arrival, so the stop was treated as a layover by the woman checking us in at the Moscow counter. We almost spent our few hours in Poland with no fresh clothes. However, we realized the mistake and convinced a porter to pull our bags. No worries.

We were on the bus for the hotel by 10pm. We were all checked into the hotel by about 11pm. After watching another episode of Lost (getting close to the end now), I was in bed by 12am. We were all checked out of the hotel and on the bus for our school appointment by 8am. What we got to see of Warsaw consisted of everything on the ride between said hotel and said school. I guess I’ll just have to watch The Pianist again. The school visit was nice – the provided plenty of coffee.

Déjà vu, back to the Warsaw airport, and then Tegel airport in Berlin, where just a few short weeks ago I adopted by pet rubber duck. I considered leaving him on the luggage belt for someone else, but just couldn’t part with him. Our hotel was right downtown again. The Anglo-Czech and I got the name and directions to a “typical” German restaurant and bar from the concierge. However, in the three lefts she gave us, she forgot to mention a right. We ended up walking quite a ways before coming to grips with this. An hour later than planned we found the Republique Berliner. It was worth it. Good hearty food and beer priced by demand, on a sort of stock-market system like I’ve seen once before at a place in DC. I had the Curry Wurst. Fusion cuisine at its best.

The next morning, yet another school visit, seminars, and a college fair. It was the best attended of the lot, and actually quite fun. Good students. Afterwards I said goodbye to the rest of the group. They were continuing directly to the airport to go to Nice and the ECIS conference. I was staying one more night in Berlin and flying to Oslo the next day. Back at the hotel, I used my solitude to get some catch-up work done, then went out to dinner. After that I joined a walking tour of the city that was recommended on WikiTravel. A group of about 40 walked to four consecutive bars and then took the train to a club. I met many interesting travelers – mainly the budget type, backpackers. Boy, if looks could kill, when I told them what hotel I was staying in for work…

The club at the end was exactly what you’d think of when you think “Berlin Nightlife.” They might have shot scenes from xXx there. Despite my reluctance to do so, I left my new friends early and took the bus back to my hotel. Actually two busses – the train was no longer running. I still don’t know how I managed to navigate that one with no mistakes. Sometimes I amaze myself. After some sleep, I was packed and off again to a new city.