I have been goofing off in our apartment in Oslo for three solid days now, while my poor husband boards a two hour train to and from a university in Gjovik, which is halfway between Oslo and Lillehammer. It’s very strange to have the tables turned, since for five years, I had a daily hour plus commute to and from my former job. I’ll confess, it’s awfully sweet to hear that alarm, and know it’s not for me!

Now, to be fair to myself, I caught a cold in Paris, which announced itself fully on the morning we were headed for our flight to Oslo. It was an extremely chaotic final packing at dawn, as I handed over my Eau de Parfums, and little escargot pans, which put us within 6 or 7 ounces of having overweight luggage. There was a lot of grumbling between the two of us, and frantic reshuffling to balance the weight, plus hauling out final trash, and staring blankly at the 7 empty wine bottles that still needed to find their way down to recycling. Then there was the tiny mid 19th century elevator, capable of one person and one bag, which meant countless trips to get our stuff downstairs before the taxi showed up.

Next, I had to help haul our 270 pounds of luggage into Charles de Gaulle, where I was yelled at by a zealous French Gendarmerie on the tarmac because I walked the wrong direction. “Hey, Hey, HEY!!”, she yelled. “Follow your path! Follow your path!” I frantically looked for a path amidst the equally confused crowd around me, fearing all the while she would toss me out of the airport, and desperately trying to remember the French word for Help! There was no yellow brick road, nor munchkins singing and handing me flowers. Finally, I look down, and right below my feet was the outline of little feet going in the direction I needed to go. So like Madeline, in two straight lines, we found our path, and made it to the plane.

We had a wonderful time in Paris, but there was very little time to stop and contemplate much, other than my lovely afternoon at the Luxembourg Gardens, where Heather and I sat at the Medici fountain, and watched the ducks and the people milling all about, while Bruce and Hannah went off to the catacombs. It turns out, they had to climb down a tight, wet, stone, spiral staircase 200 feet below ground to find the miles and miles of decoratively stacked human bones. Then they had to climb back out the same way. Honestly, I cannot imagine trading my fountain for that, but they thoroughly enjoyed it!

So I’m spending my first days here in Oslo, recuperating. Monday, I couldn’t even get off the couch. Yesterday, I ventured out for a while for provisions and lunch where I accidentally ordered antipasti instead of pasta at a very high priced market. Then I shopped for wine at the Vinmonopolet, which should translate well to anyone who can sound that out. Reminds me of my days in North Carolina, which is a dry state, where alcohol is controlled. But I found some lovely wines and some beautiful halibut, and managed to turn out an Asian inspired shitake mushroom and halibut dish along with a sauté of zucchini and summer squash.

Today, well, I lit some candles, made some tea, and read my book.  I didn’t even put my contacts in, which renders me blind as a bat.  I did manage to get some laundry going, but I am finding that some words in the Norwegian language just don’t translate well!

Shocking, to say the least!

We have the most peaceful place here with a large open living space, soft couches, lots of candles. lovely Buddhas, and a very comfy bed. I found this little oasis, about 5 minutes from the Skoyen train station and a tram station, so Bruce can easily catch his morning train for his commute. There’s a street that runs uphill right in front of our apartment, and it’s busy all the time, but not with cars. It’s full of people walking, biking, scootering, and running, Uphill, with virtually no effort. Norway is one of the fittest countries in the world, where people spend a lot of time outdoors, year round, either biking or cross country skiing. With my own three weeks of walking nearly nonstop, I’m feeling a little more alive myself, if you discount the cold, of course!

We head out this coming weekend for a new adventure in the Lofoten Islands, so I’m rejuvenating in preparation! If you look at the country of Norway, above the arctic circle, you’ll see a finger of islands that jut out to the west, forming a wall of mountains. That’s where you’ll find me next, trying to catch a glimpse of the northern lights!

Lorie McMillin, Oslo, Norway, September, 2013