And so it has come to this – the final leg of a very long
journey. For this final leg we squeezed in the fjords of Norway, Copenhagen,
and London. Why did we save the three most expensive stops for last? No one knows.
We left Stockholm at 10pm and caught our flight to Bergen,
Norway – the “gateway” to the fjords. We arrived in Bergen late and prepared
for an early wake-up as we had to catch the train to the port city of Flam from
where we were taking the fjord cruise. This, however, did not prevent us from
scoping out Bergen the next morning. Bergen, like all remote Norwegian towns we
saw, was ensconced at the base of mountainous terrain right on the water. The town
was a combination of medieval architectural relics and 19th century
German fur traders’ homes that have been re-purposed for modern use. It was in
this charming town that Brian and I committed our first crime of the trip.
That morning, before the train, we were told of a hotel on
the water that served an excellent breakfast. We headed over there expecting to
have to spend a lot of money as Norway is ridiculously expensive. When we
walked into the lobby, the man at the front desk informed us where to eat. His directions
to the appointed dining area were a bit confusing, and so we ended up one floor
up in a buffet area. What a spread! They had a full Continental breakfast selection
as well as fresh fish, waffles, and pastries. At this point, Brian and I were naïve
to our situation and just dug in. If there was a global black list for buffets,
we would be on it. As we were almost always hungry on this trip, restaurants
always lost money when they let us into their buffet. As we sat there eating,
we noticed that people were just getting up and leaving once they were done.
Then came the epiphany: we had stumbled into the hotel complimentary breakfast
buffet one floor above the restaurant. With this realization came the instant
urge to escape and get away with our crime. We walked out of the dining area,
trying to look casual, but I was frantically looking for a back stairwell exit
to flee the scene. Just as I located it, a waitress stopped me, “Good morning…”
“Shit, we’re done,” I thought. Then she simply asked, “How was your breakfast?”
We told her how awesome it was and then got out of there free and clear.
Later that morning we took the train to Flam. The train meandered
through the countryside by water and through the mountains. Outside the train,
the snow cover became heavier and heavier until it seemed as though we were in
the North Pole. The snow on the Norwegian mountains made the fjord cruise from
Flam all the more beautiful. The tour boat took us on an all day cruise through
the Aurlandsfjord and Naeroyfjord. These fjords were the most spectacular and
astounding natural setting I have ever been in. The snow-capped mountains
seemed to shoot right out of the water, creating a jaw-dropping juxtaposition
between the mountain peaks and the icy clear water below. The extreme nature of
this juxtaposition was often disorienting as the reflection of the mountains on
the crystal water made it seem as though there were two skies.
After our tour of the fjords, we boarded another train to
Oslo. Here, we met with a mutual friend named Anastasia to whom we were
introduced by our Dartmouth friend Stoian – an Oslo native. She toured us
around Oslo, taking us to a nice bar and a great burger place. It’s tough to go
out in Oslo because everything was so damn expensive. I believe we paid $30 for
a hamburger and another $30 for a six pack of beer. Insane. I don’ get how
people can live there.
After Oslo, we rounded out our Scandinavian adventure in
Copenhagen. Like the other Scandinavian cities, Copenhagen was beautifully
oriented around the water making for some great meals at harbor-side cafes. Being in Copenhagen, we obviously had to hit
the Carlsburg Brewery. Copenhagen is ideal for renting bicycles. You can pretty
much go anywhere on a bike and the bike lanes are pretty legit, so we rented
bikes from our hostel and rode to the brewery. I don’t really remember the tour
of the museum, but that’s not what we went for. We went for the free beer that
comes with each ticket. This made riding bikes back into the center of town a
little more difficult.
We also visited the famous hippie squatter town of Christiania
in Copenhagen. This independent section of the city is essentially a commune run
by people smoke marijuana all day. Brian and I had heard raving reviews about
the place, but when we arrived it became apparent that those reviews all came
from people who took advantage of the loose drug policy because there really
was nothing to see there except for run-down decrepit buildings and hippies.
Although it was charming, we did not stay long and did not “contribute” to the
Christiania economy.
At night, we usually just posted up at our hostel bar trying
to avoid our roommate in the dorm. When he arrived late the first night, I noticed
his backpack and knew we were in trouble. It was not until I awoke the next
morning that the harrowing severity of the situation became apparent.
Backpackers smell. They smell terrible. Suddenly we were back in Rotorua except
all of the awful sulfuric smell was coming from Stinky Pete the backpacker who
had squatted in our room. I’m not sure why thy think it’s ok that they smell
this way. To all of those backpackers I’ve yet to meet: be a man and buy a real
damn suitcase and deodorant should be applied every day.
London. Although London
was not a true stop as we were only there to catch out flight home, we made the
most of it. Our authentic taste of London was made possible by Dartmouth alum
and former TDX president, Alex Lentz. Alex and his fiancé Katie opened up their
home to us and gave us a great send-off from our trip. When we arrived at their
place we threw down our stuff and immediately headed for the London tube to
Buckingham Palace. We only had a few hours, so, as we’ve become accustomed to,
we tore through the London site-seeing experience. Buckingham Palace, Winston
Churchill Museum, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, London Eye, and obviously got
the picture in front of Big Ben. Boom. Done with London. We made our way back
to our host’s apartment and joined them for dinner.
They took us to a
traditional London pub which I must say may be my favorite social environment. In
addition to great food and beers, the pub had a very classical, intimate atmosphere
that was great for being with friends or even just reading a book. Many of the
pubs also feature plaques that mark the spot where a famous English author used
to sit, drink, and write.
Brian and I are not famous authors, but it has been a
pleasure to write this blog along our journey and keep everyone up to date (and
hopefully a little entertained). We have since arrived home to Annapolis safe
and sound and had a wonderful culminating dinner on the porch with our parents.
This trip has been disorienting, enlightening, exhausting and exhilarating – a real
once in a lifetime experience. We’ve been to many places to which I can’t wait
to return and many places to which we will most likely never have the
opportunity to go to again. We’ve befriended interesting people along the way
with whom we will stay in touch and we’ve met some absolute weirdos that I am
glad we will never see again. It is strange to think that we are home now and
that there are no more flights to catch or sites to see; but the true finality
of our journey set in yesterday at US Immigration when the officer stamped my
battered passport and said, “You have no more pages left. Get a new passport.”
“Twenty years from now you will be
more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So
throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds
in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
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