In transit to Norway

We made it downstairs in time for breakfast and with 15 minutes until we had to be watching the first royal guests arrive, according to Tuck.  She can’t memorise her itinerary but she now knows the Royal Wedding’s program down to the minute.

We asked each other suitable questions about the wedding such as:

“Why the hell is Ian Thorpe invited?”

“Wait, so 90 percent of the guests can’t actually see anything?”

“Do you think Will might invest in some hair plugs soon?”

“When did Harry become hot?”

“Wouldn’t it be awesome if Harry and Kate’s sister hooked up and got hitched?”

“Would it be just a little bit funny if she stacked it walking down the aisle?”

We also had appropriate conversations too, about the role of the Monarch in Britain’s society, whether there is still a place for it in Australia’s society. If Harry should have been allowed to serve in Afghanistan, etc. And of course we spoke about the dress (our vote is still somewhat undecided) and about Kate or Catherine or whatever they decide to call her and about the fantasy of being a princess and whether the reality would actually be worth giving up your way of life for. 

I had to leave before the balcony kiss (shattered) to get to the bus station in time. I said goodbye to the girls once again and made them promise to leave the hotel room at some stage during the day.  As it is Queen’s Day tomorrow they’re going to find something orange to wear and join in on the festivities.  A pub crawl was also a possibility for the evening; we had stopped the day before to find out the details (we weren’t actually that interested, but the guy who handed us the flyer was hot).  I loved the contradiction on the flyer though.  “Have as many vodka shots as you can in the first hour! Please drink responsibly.” So I’ll be keen to find out whether the girls attended and whether they remember anything about it.

I spent the first 2 hours of the bus ride knitting my scarf. Yes, I brought knitting, and yes, everyone looks at me strangely. The next 3 hours were wasted away by writing, which was good.  I’m moving around so much and changing countries every couple of days that the bus gives me time to write.  Then I watched a movie called ‘Moonlight Mile’, love it. Three very good actors, Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Jake Gyllenhaal. It makes me cry but it also makes feel better as well.

We went back through Germany and some young boys got their bags searched (for weed I’m guessing) and I got questioned about my intentions for Europe...Mate, if I knew, I’d tell you.

I had been trying to stay awake until Hamburg which is where I was supposed to change buses to Oslo, but once we arrived they said to wait until Copenhagen, annoying because I had planned to get my jacket at that point. Instead I would have to wait another 7 hours.

I tried to get some sleep, luckily I had somehow got 2 seats to myself again. But sleep wouldn’t come and my mind was going around in circles.

All of a sudden we were driving onto a ferry.  I had no idea where I was exactly, but I thought the crossing would happen after Copenhagen, so I was hoping I hadn’t somehow missed my stop.

We had 45 minutes to wander around the ship, it was fantastic, I absolutely love ocean crossings (Tuck and Carli, I bet you can guess what song I was singing). I spent most of the trip outside on the deck, so cold without my jacket, but it felt great to be sailing on the waves. It reminded me of the ferry at home, I almost convinced myself I was on my way to Sorrento instead of Norway. 

Back on the bus, I slept until Copenhagen where I was left on the side of the road at 4am in the freezing cold to wait for a connecting bus.

Cold and very tired in Copenhagen.  Looking very attractive

Stopping at the Norwegian border, the sniffer dogs came on board, the handler made the dog sniff all my things 3 times, obviously only a reflection on his faith in the dog’s ability.

Arriving in Oslo 24 hours after I left Amsterdam I felt a little disorientated and hungry as I hadn’t had a chance to eat before I left Amsterdam.  So I explored the overpriced supermarket and used the bathroom to pretty much have a shower without actually having a shower, I got my 10 kroner’s worth at least.

At 11pm the bus to Trondheim left, unfortunately I was too tired to take advantage of the free wifi on board and fell asleep. The very early sun woke me up and it felt surreal to be driving through snow again as we passed over the mountain ranges between Oslo and Trondheim. 

Finally 41 hours after leaving Amsterdam I arrived, I could have nearly taken a return flight to Australia in the same time, but at least the bus journey’s are making me appreciate the size of Europe unlike flying does.