In the Middle of NO(r)W(ay)HERE

As the plane approached Sandefjord (aka not Oslo), I stumbled upon the realization that I would be the first member of my immediate family to set foot in the country most of our heritage is derived from. I beat them all.

Just before landing, I spotted what must have been a Coca-Cola distribution site. I saw a parking lot where a dozen semis sat with the red and white Coca-Cola logo on their roofs. America beat me. Not that it was a surprise. I doubt there’s a single country out of the 200 in the world that America hasn’t already beaten me to.

Tim met me at the station in Ringebu after my day-long travels. His pad wasn’t the first stop. A pub was. I enjoyed an Aass or two; first one courtesy of Tim. On our way our, I also met a girl who would be a key contact during my stay.

Tim whipped up an American breakfast Saturday morning. French toast, Bacon, Orange Juice and Coffee. It was so beautiful it could have brought tears to my eyes. Maybe it did. But writing a month later, I really can’t remember. I do however recall exactly how tasty it was.

Tim is well connected on the mountain, and the connections are generous. Grateful for all he’s been given during his time at Kvitfjell, and in Norway in general, Tim felt it necessary to spread the generosity further. Working on the mountain, he gets 20-50% off just about everything. Sounds good, but still remains expensive. Even better is when he is lucky enough to earn his 100% off discount.

Tim hooked me up with most of the equipment I needed. Ski pants were borrowed from his extremely giving boss Lars. Goggles came from his roommates (plural. Different pair each day). The gloves I wore were Tim’s own. Using his discount, my two-day ski and boot rental was 50% off. After I picked up my skis and boots, Tim went over to the register to pay. Generosity was working behind the register, and Tim’s 50% discount became 100%. Tim continued the theme, buying my first day’s lift ticket for me. I got day two’s lift ticket at the same 20% discount Tim paid for day one.

Fresh snow greeted me my first morning on Kvitfjell. April 12. …and people in Wisconsin were complaining. I wasn’t. The fresh snow was a blessing. For all except Snow White anyway. In the week or two prior to my arrival, it was slowly starting to turn into spring. This meant melting snow which washed much of the spread gravel off the road up the mountain. Combining that with the fresh white stuff meant Snow White could only make it halfway up the mountain, studded winter tires and all. We were left with a detour-by-foot up the top half of the mountain. The hike was breathtaking, in more ways than one.

Tim and I stopped for lunch half-way down the hill after a few hours. Breakfast had only been a few hours earlier, so I wasn’t hungry yet, but he needed to eat before he went to work. Tim’s lunch came at half price, thanks to the contact I was introduced to at the pub. My hot chocolate and whatever Tim was drank came without a price tag at all. We fit in a couple more runs before Tim had to go to work. It gave me time to stop embarrassing myself on the mountain. I chilled in Koia for a bit. I devoured a house hotdog/sausage and hot chocolate free thanks to the man with the snow pants. I had a second, again for free, before I hit the slopes for a few more runs before they closed for the day. When I came back, Koia was crowded. I decided on yet another hotdog. Tim suggested one wrapped in “a sort of flat potato pancake” instead of a bun. Once I had it in my hands, I realized what it was. …"Flat potato pancake"?? C’mon Tim, I’m Norwegian too. I know what Lefse is. I took my hotdog and a post-skiing beer onto the patio after finally paying for something. Although I think I only paid the price of the beer. But I wasn’t going to argue.

Saturday night at dinner, I found out why Norway is obsessed with Grandiosa. I also discovered the entertainment value of most Norwegian commercials.

Skiing on day two included company. We found Vivi and Ditte, two of Tim’s housemates, on the mountain. We stopped for lunch again at the same place halfway down. Right before, I took the worst spill of my two days on the mountain. Somehow I managed to wind up turned around minus one ski. Tim was nearly to the restaurant so he didn’t get to witness it. Vivi and Ditte had to help me get my ski back on. I’d crashed on the steepest stretch of that run, which made stepping back into my ski quite a task, hence the need for help.

At lunch, I got Tim’s discount even though he wasn’t even at the counter when I ordered and paid. Half price food and another free drink thanks to the girl from the pub.

Post-lunch included time for a few photoshoots.

That evening I met even more of Tim’s friends, learned what an Irish Christmas is, and wondered what the Irish have to do with ski poles. We enjoyed ourselves, shot embarrassing footage of each other, and days later watched how selective Hollywood film editors can be ;-). At 5:40am, Ditte drove the scenic route to Ringebu. I was at the station just after 6:00 to catch my 6:30am train back to Sandefjord. I slept on the train.

I met Tina for the first time during my 4 hour stay (thanks to the train/flight schedules) at Sandefjord Torp. Tina’s a distant relative. Distant enough that I occasionally have to draw myself a map to figure how exactly how we’re related. But we’re related nonetheless. And she was kind enough to keep my company during my time in Torp.

I was back in Gießen around 9:40pm. And thanks to late-night bus schedules, I was finally back in my room at 10:30, after having walked half way across the city, before picking up the second bus I would have been on anyway. …After 16 hours of sitting on my backside, I didn’t feel like waiting for the bus.