Subtitle: As they say, all good things must come to an end. And
thus, on May 21, 2015, I headed back home, taking a train to the
Oslo airport from the central station, then flew to London-Heathrow,
then Newark, then Ithaca.
Other pages from the Norway trip:
DSC_8007: "Spor" still amuses me, even though I know it's just the word for track.
DSC_8008: Looking back into the train station.
DSC_8009: At out along the tracks. In the distance were some of the crazy
bridges I went over when wandering around Oslo.
DSC_8013: A shot of the countryside from the airport train.
DSC_8014: Faith is both the first and last person in line to
get her ticket. She was not able to use the automated machines in the
background. Oddly enough, they worked for me. It's usually the opposite
with things involving computers—they work for everyone but me.
AFter 15-20 minutes of standing alone in line, Faith did get her ticket.
DSC_8015: The thing to note is the first flight, direct from Oslo to Newark,
was cancelled. This was because the Norwegian SAS Airline pilots were
still on strike and they cancelled 4 long-haul flights. My flight to
London was not affected. I almost was booked on the direct flight.
In the end, they probably would have put me on the Heathrow flight, which
was $200 cheaper, but likely without refunding the difference. Faith's flight
to Oslo was almost cancelled because the Swedish SAS pilots settled their
strike while she was on the way to the airport (she was unaware that there
was a strike brewing). So in the end, it all worked out.
DSC_8016: Norway's competition to the Good and Plenty candy: "Good
& Bland". I'm sure there was another version "mit iodine"
(Simpsons reference). OK, there's actually a 't' at the end of bland, but it's
funnier this way.
One you enter the international section of the airport, you
must walk through the duty free gift shop before reaching the gates.
It's like going through a museum. It was odd.
My challenge was to spend the remainder of my
money, which was one 100NOK bill. It was close and I was almost ready to
admit defeat and take 25NOK with me (or give it to Faith to spend in Sweden)
when the cashier said she could help me spend my money and was willing to
sell me a can (tin) of candy (tindy?) for a couple of NOK less than the
price. I spent all my 100NOK without going over! All those years of
watching The Price is Right Paid Off. OK, maybe not, but I was still
unreasonably happy about that.
DSC_8017: In Heathrow, when taxiing, we passed by an abandoned Concorde.
"Yes, we already have one. It's-a-very nice." (Holy Grail
reference.)
DSC_8018: In case I want to remember what runway at Heathrow we used
for takeoff.
DSC_8023: The pretty England landscape after takeoff.
The support pylons for the flaps look like they're happy and smiling,
as if saying "Hey Reginald, feel like a riddle?"
"You know I'm always game for a noggin-knocker, I am,
Treavor." "Right then. What's my little eye in the
sky spy when we fly by on high?"
"Might you be referring to the majestic landscape that is
our beloved country, old bean?"
"Jolly good show there, old chap, that's brilliant. Well
I suppose we best get back to work, eh what?"
"Right then, we'll just trimper over to the States faster
than a scamber in a frattle shop on Ashday."
Actually, it was a United Airline plane, so they probably
were saying, "Yo dickhead. Know what I'm looking at?"
"A bag of dicks!" "How'd you know?"
"Youze always gets more elegant and wordy when you go
to Britland. And now I'll fart."
DSC_8024: And the stark Newark hellscape indicating the trip was
drawing to a close.