Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Trondheim to Hamar!

Time for a little catch up! Yesterday morning we woke up, had breakfast, and then were on our way out the door to explore Trondheim! We got off the bus and went through the city, stopping in some stores along the way, and walked through the Bakklandet area. That was really beautiful, with lots of cool buildings along the river. It looks like what I imagined Norwegian towns to be like!

We then made our way to Nidaros cathedral, and took some time to explore it. Even though I have been to a lot of cathedrals in the last few months, I'm still amazed at how they could have been built so long ago with the limited technological abilities they had. Saying these cathedrals are huge is an understatement, and the stonework and stained glass windows and everything are so beautiful and made so intricately! It's really very impressive.

After the cathedral we walked back through the town, poking our heads into a few stores as we went, and caught the bus back to the house for some lunch before I got on the train to Hamar! I can't believe that my time in Trondheim went by so quickly. I knew that I didn't even have two full days, but this means that one third of my time in Norway is already finished. That's crazy!

When the conductor came around to look at the tickets, I had a moment of panic because he couldn't find the record of the ticket purchase. I just sat there thinking "there is no way I can have this bad of luck again!" but he found it eventually and everything was ok. Whew! Then all I had to do was sit back for the five hour train ride to Hamar!

On the train I had internet, so I was able to chat with my mom. That was really nice, and it was definitely one of those moments where you realize what technology makes possible. I was watching the lovely scenery pass by, and able to be talking with my mom about my Norway experiences at the same time, making it almost feel like she was there even though she was on the other side of the world!

I got into Hamar around 7:30 PM, and was met by Oddbjorn and Nina. Then we went home and had some dinner with the family, and the little girls were so cute! I think maybe they couldn't understand that I didn't speak Norwegian, because especially the younger one kept repeating the same thing over and over to me. It was so cute, but I wish I had been able to talk with them more! When Robert came home from his football game he brought with him a cake with marzipan in it! Yummy! Not long after our kake break I went to bed because I was so tired! Traveling really can be exhausting!

Today, the 6th, was spent driving around Hamar with Oddbjorn as my tour guide. He speaks a little bit of English, so that was good; he was able to explain to me what I was seeing around the town. The first stop was on top of a hill so that I could see a view of the area, and then we Hamardomen, the ruins of a cathedral. It's under glass, because otherwise it would have been long destroyed by the rain and snow.  The next stops were to see where all of his children live in their various homes, and then we had a nice lunch with his daughter Nina! Following lunch, we  saw the Viking Ship Olympic arena from the ’94 games. It's designed like an upside down ship, and Oddbjorn and I sat inside and he told me all about the interior and how it was built. It's a really cool design and made me really want to see some Viking ships!

After our day around Hamar we came home and had a bit of a nap before everyone came over for dinner! I was laying outside on their patio for a while in the sun, and actually got a little bit too hot and had to go inside! What a nice change! Then everyone came for dinner and we had a barbeque in their grill house. That was really fun and very tasty. I especially liked the grilled onions and apples! And of course, after dinner we had some more coffee and cake!

This has been a very fast trip to Norway! I will be getting on the train early tomorrow morning to Oslo where I will spend the next two days, and then very very early on the 9th I fly to Italy! I don’t think the strike will be over by the time I fly out, and since my flight leaves at 7:40 AM for Florence, I think I will have to be at the airport at 4 AM at the very latest. It would be a real disaster if I missed my flight out of Oslo this time!

I am looking forward to the time in Oslo, but I wish I could have spent more time in each of the places. Six days is just not long enough! So I suppose this means I will just have to come back :)

Hade!

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