I arrived in Levanger yesterday afternoon and was met at the station by Nils and Margarita Vikander. Nils is the organiser for the Norwegian end of the exchange and is teaching a module on Friluftsliv. They made me feel very welcome and in a frenetic burst of activity showed me to my accommodation before giving me a quick tour of the town and helping me buy some food.
The journey from Windermere was pretty smooth. Windermere- Euston-Tottenham Vale- Stansted Airport- Oslo Gardemon. Negotiating the escalators on the tube was probably the hardest part. Despite the escalators being fairly short, people were still determined to push past me and my 2 huge bags, speeding their arrival at the bottom by 20 seconds at the most! They must have been late for something really important. Or do people in London simply move faster, have a faster pace of life. Do city folk die younger than their country cousins, having been worn out by the speedy pace?
I arrived in Oslo at 11.45pm and had to wait until 8.30am for a train to Levanger. Top sleeping spot in Oslo Gardemon Airport- follow your nose towards the trains (tog), take a lift down to the parking level and sneak in behind the escalator bank. Toilets are just behind you and the disabled loo has hot and cold water and a full length mirror so you can check your sartorial elegance has not been ruffled by the travelling. The space under the escalators is warm, clean and dimly lit and the noise it makes is oddly soporific, a sort of hypnotic rumble and murmur. You can wedge your bags between yourself and the underside of the escalator so if someone tries to get your kit they can’t help but wake you up. I got out my thermarest and sleeping bag and had at least 6 hours of undisturbed sleep.
The coffee in the airport was as good as any in Alaska (lots better than most in the UK) and being smiled at by pretty blondes first thing in the morning is a good way to start the day. More helpfull blondes directed me to the train station which is accessed directly from the airport. The difference in temperature between inside the airport and the staion platform was a real shock, possibly over 20*C drop.
The journey from Windermere was pretty smooth. Windermere- Euston-Tottenham Vale- Stansted Airport- Oslo Gardemon. Negotiating the escalators on the tube was probably the hardest part. Despite the escalators being fairly short, people were still determined to push past me and my 2 huge bags, speeding their arrival at the bottom by 20 seconds at the most! They must have been late for something really important. Or do people in London simply move faster, have a faster pace of life. Do city folk die younger than their country cousins, having been worn out by the speedy pace?
I arrived in Oslo at 11.45pm and had to wait until 8.30am for a train to Levanger. Top sleeping spot in Oslo Gardemon Airport- follow your nose towards the trains (tog), take a lift down to the parking level and sneak in behind the escalator bank. Toilets are just behind you and the disabled loo has hot and cold water and a full length mirror so you can check your sartorial elegance has not been ruffled by the travelling. The space under the escalators is warm, clean and dimly lit and the noise it makes is oddly soporific, a sort of hypnotic rumble and murmur. You can wedge your bags between yourself and the underside of the escalator so if someone tries to get your kit they can’t help but wake you up. I got out my thermarest and sleeping bag and had at least 6 hours of undisturbed sleep.
The coffee in the airport was as good as any in Alaska (lots better than most in the UK) and being smiled at by pretty blondes first thing in the morning is a good way to start the day. More helpfull blondes directed me to the train station which is accessed directly from the airport. The difference in temperature between inside the airport and the staion platform was a real shock, possibly over 20*C drop.
The views from the train were awesome- and endless succession of snow covered hills, frozen rivers and birch and spruce trees. At its highest elevation the train travelled at 1100 metres above sea level through a landscape several feet deep in snow. We could see snow being blown off the tops of 2000+ metre high mountains nearby, with crenellated ridges reaching to their windswept summits from the valley floor. A landscape to loose yourself in, with icefalls and crags everywhere.
My accommodation here is clean and warm; I share a hallway, lots of storage and a bathroom with A.Nother from Belgium who is not yet here. I have been provided with cooking utensils, crockery and cutlery and Margarita left a Ferrero Rocher chocolate on my desk!
Tomorrow is the first day of college; no lessons planned, only a meeting with Nils to find out more about each other. There are only 2 other students studying Friluftsliv, an unusually low number, but this means the language barrier will be easily overcome. Nils asked me if I was interested in a week long workshop on Alpine skiing. Hmmm….hard choice this one!
No comments:
Post a Comment