June 20, 2023 to June 21, 2023
Starting on the Solstice
LAX --> Oslo
Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/BWSeG6B3KBb
6/20
Today was the day! I finally packed my stuff, and took a flight to Norway. While the process was anything but seamless, I made it on a flight. When I went to book my flight a few days ago, Norse Atlantic showed that there were no more economy seats left, so I had to spend significantly more on a premium seat. Oh well, that's what I get for booking a flight last-minute. My mom was kind enough to drive me to the airport and help me get my bike to the check in area. It took us two loops around LAX to find the right terminal. Norse Air flies out of Terminal 1, not the international terminal. After Lugging my bike to the check in counter, I realized my bike was 15 pounds overweight, another 160 dollar charge. Whatever, "just get me there" I thought. "Learn by doing" I guess.
Once I got to the correct gate, it seemed like most people on the flight were Norwegian, or had some close connection to Norway. The guy sitting next to me has cousins in Norway, and the guy behind me was a software developer from Norway who now works and lives in Santa Barbara. We took off from LAX right around sunset, but as we ascended to 370000 feet, we got to see the sunset a second time. What a cool treat.
About three hours into the flight, over what I assume was the midwest or canadian plains, we hit some very intense thunderstorms. Looking out my window, I saw what seemed like non-stop flashes of lightning. I tried to get some sleep, but the man in front of me with severe sleep apnea had other plans. He would hold his breath for 5-10 seconds, then gasp/snore loudly. I felt bad for him. Surprisingly, the two babies on board didn't make a peep the whole flight except of take-off and landing.
6/21
At some point during the night, it became day again. As we approached the coast of Norway, the only thing we could see was a wall of clouds as it poured rain below. Descending to OSL we dropped below the clouds and saw rolling green hills with glacial ponds dotting the landscape.
Amazingly my bike made it to baggage claim with no damage. I dragged my bike outside the airport and began assembling it. The wind was picking up, and the rain pounding on the sheet-metal roof.
This was where I noticed my first cultural difference: Norwegians are quiet. It seemed like every American leaving the airport struck up some small-talk with me as I was assembling my bike, "Hey man, cool bike! Where you headed?": something like that. All the non-Americans watched from a distance but didn't approach me. After I got my bike assembled, I decided to hit the road (or separated bike path in this case) toward Oslo. My original plan was to stay at the airport hotel, but I was somehow not tired, and it felt weird to sleep in broad daylight. Despite the rain I was eager to get moving. I got about an hour south of the airport before I realized how hungry I was. I conveniently found a grocery store on the side of the bike path, "Rema 1000". Inside this store I noticed again how quiet the Norwegians are. Walking around the store, you could hear a pin drop. There was no music playing, and no one was talking despite the store being full of people. Bizarre. As I was drinking a carton of apple juice and eating some tortilla chips on the curb outside the store, I realized I was getting cold now that I was soaking wet and had stopped moving. I found the nearest hostel, "HI Haraldsheim". After calling and confirming they had a dorm bed available, and a bike storage area, I made my way towards it.
It took me about 1.5 hours to cycle to the hostel. Along the way I was riding on separated bike paths through pristine rolling hills and farmland.
Norway made an incredible first impression on me. Everything was well organized and clean. I ended up in a dorm room with three 50ish-year olds, who spoke no english, only a language I couldn't identify. They all snored, but I was so tired it didn't matter. I drifted in and out of sleep until it finally got "dark" around midnight, then I passed out.
Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 32 miles (51 km)
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