Another 2,174 km! - PART THREE

After hiking around rainy Ålesund for a couple days and hanging out with the cool Czech guy it dawned on me that getting all the way up to Tromsø in time to be back in Stockholm by the 28th of September wasn't really realistic.  It was another 20 hours of straight driving north then many many hours back to Oslo and Tønsberg. To do this hitch hiking was going to take many days.  It was already quite cold where we were and the northern lights probably weren't going to be what I pictured during this time of year.  Plus, I really wanted to go dog sledding and it is still to early in the year for that as well.  In the morning I chatted with my travel companion and shared the bad news.  This now meant that we were going to turn back around, have less time to hang out and not finish the mission after all.  Ugh! I felt like an evil, evil being that morning. Luckily the news was taken quite well and we were off to hitchhike back towards Åndalsnes to catch a train back to Tønsberg in the morning.  It took us all day to get just a short distance out of town.  I think we caught four cars and we weren't even to Åndalsnes.  The good news is we had terrible places to wait for cars.

Here are a couple chronologically:

We had a competition to see who would get the car first.... neither of us did so we moved places. 

We weren't getting picked up by the gas station so we walked the open highway and picked up and dropped off just down the highway.... here.  I was pretty alright camping on that platform but we got a ride.... :/

The last spot was by a.... chicken ranch?  The sun was already going down. 

The last car wasn't just passing by Åndalsnes it was actually going all the way to Oslo.  So instead of getting to Åndalsnes and not having a place to sleep we rode with him all the way to Oslo and kept him awake.  Well.... okay.  I slept a bit in the end.  

We arrived in Oslo around 3 am and were supposed to crash at my buddy's friend's place.  The only problem is that his phone had died.  So.......... I guess we were off to find a place to charge his phone....?  In the US those are very easy to find.  Not so much in Oslo.

While studying the walls for outlets and being totally exhausted a sweet blonde girl who had just come from a concert offered us a place to sleep.  I mean... WHO DOES THAT?! Second time in a row!!! This time from a girl who was staying by herself that night.  We didn't chat much because we were so exhausted but I could just tell her personality by the decorations and belongings in her place and scent. She was someone TOTALLY worth getting to know.  She had a guestbook in the bathroom along with an organ, dainty lace curtains, an awesome CD collection.... just cool beyond belief.  I'm sad we didn't stay there for the weekend as she offered so I could become acquainted with her.  

This is a very terrible, dark picture of the place at 5 am.

In the morning we caught the remainder of our train to Tønsberg, relaxed, unpacked and slept like little babies. Going back "home" was slightly surreal but a nice feeling.  I mean, Tønsberg is now my third home. Kind of strange when you think of it.

The next day I slept in a bit and started repacking my things for Gothenburg.  The plan was to jump on a free (with voucher) ferry from Sandefjord to Strömstad then hitchhike from there to Gothenburg. After finally packing everything and enjoying one last coffee it was about 5 mins too late to get on the ferry.  It was poor planning on my part.  I should have looked up times the night before.....  This now meant I had to take a bus or train back to Oslo and from Oslo to Gothenburg.... and pay for it.  Sounds alright I guess..... except there was a 4 wait in Oslo for the next bus.  This also meant I wasn't going to arrive in Gothenburg until 3 am.  

I REALLY wanted to be able to meet up with my cousin and dance off all the built up emotions from the last month.  I was a bit down compared to when I left Sweden or the US.  It doesn't seem like that would be possible with so much beauty around, but it was true.  I think the weather and other vibes really influenced my state of mind. 

So 4 hours of waiting in my favorite bus terminal was in my future.  I decided to knit and do my best to be cool with the situation.  When I arrived in Gothenburg at 3 am I called my new host (who was expecting me) and got no answer.  It was then that I called my cousin.  GOOD NEWS! She as less than 5 minutes away from me!  So we met up, found someone to pawn Wally onto for a few hours and off to dance we were! The clubs often don't close until 5 or 6 am. The "A team" was back in action and our mission was  about to be accomplished!!!

We hung out until the early morning, grabbed Wally (the backpack) and waited for the next set of busses.  I'm sure I smelled horrendous but I was greeted "home" with big hugs and some scrumptious food of some sort... and OF COURSE the famous coffee! :) 

Ma-ma quickly scooped up all of my revolting clothes and washed them in a jiffy.  I'm not sure what she does but my laundry has never been as pristine as when she washes them.  Maybe she washes them with love? ... Like you "cook with love"?  I can't figure it out.  I took a much appreciated shower and finally slept.  We had a delish dinner the next night and I caught up with some peeps on the net then packed the next morning.

The note says "bread for Nicole" so I could make sandwiches and take them with me on my trip.  They saved my gluten free bread. Oh how I love them! They're so, so kind.

The plan was to hitchhike to Stockholm (even though I had a few days to get there) and meet up with another CSer who was on a trip to Germany.

It really should have been a brilliant spot!

By the time I got to my spot the sun was already going down.  I thought, I'm a girl this could work... but there were NO cars in this spot.  Bummer!  So, I hopped back on the bus and went to the closest stop with free wifi.  I didn't know what was going to happen this night but I knew it would work out.

It was then started looking for options on my phone.  I happened to find a group on CouchSurfing for Gothenburg Hitchhikers which had been created less than an hour before.  Maybe they were online?  If they're a hitchhiker maybe they'll understand the situation and let me come by...?  I got an almost immediate response... and BOOM I was in business!  I jumped on a train from central station about 20 minutes out of town and arrived at my new home.

My new host was pretty cool.

.... and so was my cozy room! :)

I think we watched a movie that night then passed out.  The next day my host ran out to do some errands and I was home doing ... something.  I guess it was something useless.  Haha! Oh well.  The following day we went up north so he could do paperwork for his new sailboat.  Déjà vu??? Yeah, kinda. 

I guess there is no pic of his boat.. but I did get some of the harbor.  Too bad this is only 1/8th of the boats there...

Baby starfish anyone?

..being bored towards the end, staring at fish and cloud reflections.. and me I guess...

After finishing the boat festivities we ate at this bar that has free food with purchase of one drink then met up with some friends.  It was a good day. :) 

The next day we went shopping.

.... and watched another cool movie.  In the morning it would be time for me to pack it up again and make a move on.

The plan was now to head to Germany via Copenhagen solo since my ride had to cancel last minute.  How?  I wasn't really sure!  Stay tuned! ;)

No(r) way! You've got to be kidding me!

Whew!  What a relief! I ended up staying in the hostel in Oslo one more night to I could relax, shower again, calm down a little and hang out with some travelers. 

The funny thing about Oslo is there are so many people trying to immigrate.  It must be very hard trying to move to a country that is SO EXPENSIVE! The US dollar is alright compared to NOK but everything is expensive even in NOK.  I personally picked up the vibe about being very conscience about what you spend your money on there.  Maybe it was just me though. 

Anyhow, there were a couple cool people living at the hostel while looking for jobs and housing. None of them seemed to know exactly how they ended up there but were determined to make things work out. I tip my hat to them!

Beside that there isn't much else to say. Here are some photos from my last couple days in Oslo.

A normal sandwich in Oslo and house roasted coffee.  My absolute favorite place in town, "Gründerløkka".

Come here kitty, kitty! - I was later told that this is the square you used to go to get drugs.  Good one!

I *had* to visit the Opera house! So what if it was 4 am!

Sunrise on the Opera House roof with a cool German and this Seagull we called "Paul".

After watching the sun come up I went to sleep and shower.  Then, off to Gründerløkka one more time for a $26 sandwich and coffee from another planet! ... and the train to Tønsberg! Woohooo! 

I was very excited to visit Tønsberg. Looking at the map it seemed to be a little fishing type town right along the coast which happens to also be the oldest town in Norway. A sweet change from Oslo. Hehe! 

These are from Tønsberg:

Hehe! "Farts" Hehe!

My new, cool, cozy residence! :)

Adventure I: 

The second day/night we went skating and biking with Clara, the "nanny dog".

It's that-a-way!  ^, >  I had never actually seen one of these.

Adventure II:

Chanel art exhibition about northern women at Verdens Ende

It's a bird! It's a plane! ... It's a flying banana.

Drinking viking juice,  (Mjød, made from honey) at sunset at Verdens ende (the world's end).

Golden Holga @ Verdens ende! - Thinking of my brother Timmy!

How did I not know this was a BLUE moon at the time?!

Pretty freaking spectacular considering!!!

No one else was even shooting this. I feel blessed and astonished!

Adventure III:

Tonsberg Festning (fortress)!  It was built in 871 and resisted attacks from the Danish and 1,000 Norwegian soldiers. Neat-o!

It was quite windy. Good experience!

Opening the door to the Fortress' church!

Grass roofs! Nice! - It's still a restaurant in the summer time. I missed it! :/

I decided to paint some one else's sketch.  This is the first layer. We'll see what it looks like when it's done.

Yum yum, cheesecake! - From Jordbærpikene cafe (the strawberry girl)

So I guess you guys can see I've been relaxing and enjoying the nature here in Tønsberg. I quite enjoy it here. I guess I will be staying another seven days to spread some love and laughter.  :)

Then I should be off to Bergen, Norway.....




 For now I'm off to the marina via bicycle!


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Oh yeah!! I almost forgot to give a shout out to all the hits on my site from Russia via some twisted "adult social network". I'm not sure how a link ended up there. I'm slightly disgusted and not available. Hah!

Better than a Rollercoaster!

Sheesh!  This weekend was crazy! Friday was great! (That was my hitchhiking day when everything went super smoothly!)

After meeting up for a beer we went to my new home and cleaned things up a bit.  Me and my new host were expecting two random German girls last minute.  We finished that and I checked in with Gothenburg and LA to let my mommas know I was ok, and obviously, wrote my last post.  You'd think these things go fast but they're actually quite time consuming.  By then the girls were just about to arrive.  They brushed their teeth, crashed, woke up the next morning and split. The next day we went for breakfast at this cool local diner with a neighbor.  It was nice and relaxing.  Plus! They had a "pissior".  I guess I forgot to mention that the bathroom at the place I was staying at was being remodeled.  I was aware of that when I signed up.....

Fast forwarding on: I had a relaxed day and caught up on my sleep then we were supposed to go to a free Manu Chao concert.  That didn't happen because I went to central station by myself then felt very weird as a solo white girl and I had just finished exchanging my cash to NOK.  So, I decided after 30 minutes of walking around looking for wifi to call my host that I would walk back home. I got lost twice. Once in one direction, then I somehow skipped over where I was supposed to be and ended up too far the other direction.  I found myself in this beautiful, steep, hilly, green, flowery park. I climbed to the top where they had a little cafe.  It was there that a random gentleman called Paul asked me for directions. After explaining that I didn't speak Norwegian he explained that he was going to a free concert that *wasn't* the Manu Chao concert.  I asked if it would be rude if I followed, he said no and off we went!

Paul

This concert was in the middle of a community botanical garden where they had freshly picked and squeezed apple juice, soup made from homegrown ingredients, organic "green" coffee, a compost and the bathroom as a pile of dirt.  So, Paul's friends were to play in a hot air balloon and the theme of the concert was "love in the air".  It was SO COOL!

He was a lot of fun!

The making of the soup..

Who thought of that?!  Great idea! (Once they got it figured out.)

Sunday morning was rad too! My host had a date with this sweet girl in the morning.  They came home later, cooked some delish food and practiced their swing. I mean!!!... COME ON!  Who does that?!!  I loved every minute of watching them dance in the living room.  

I can tell she is very incredible.

Sunday night I was supposed to leave Oslo and go dog sit for this random lady on CouchSurfing. Some thing about the way she invited me, or that she didn't use the "CouchRequest" even after I mentioned it, or that she said she was too busy to pick me up from the buss stop after I explained that I had Wally the 50lb backpack with me, or that I missed the buss and she said it was "too late" for her to pick me up, or, or, or...... SOME THING didn't seem right!  I guess when you travel YOU MUST listen to your gut.  I don't know if "she" is up to something weird, like turning little girls into soup or if she is just weird.  After sitting at the bus stop for 2 hours waiting for the next bus I decided I wasn't going to get on it.  Why did she want me to walk all the way to her house, not once but twice? Again, CSers don't act like that in general.  Maybe I'm paranoid but I rather be smart then soup!

It was now 1:00 am, dark and I had been told some weird things about being out at night.  I guess it's like that in any city though.  I saw three girls camping out in the station.  I decided to break the ice by offering them a cigarette which is like GOLD here. $1.00 a cigarette, basically.  We played cards for hours since the security guards wouldn't let us sleep. Let me tell you; they are ON TOP OF THINGS!  I'm sure you can imagine a place like a small terminal that is open all night for one bus. They knew where everyone was and exactly what they were doing. The guards would let everyone else sleep but as soon as the last one (me) tried to go to sleep they would come tell us to sit up. I guess it was for our own good.

This is a very smelly me + wally in the bathroom. Cute eh? - Yes mommie! When I grow up I want to be a bum! 

6 am rolled around, I still hadn't slept. I had no plan, nowhere to go and I hadn't showered in three days. I told myself if I find a hostel I may check in to find friends, a shower, a place to sleep and some comfort. Of course that's what happened.

So here I am! I'm very happy to be clean, safe and alive but emotionally and physically DRAINED!  I kinda feel like "I want my mommie" right now. Ugh!

... at the Hostel using their internet.

I may have a place in Tønsberg tomorrow.  We'll see where the wind blows, who knows!