Trondheim

So after making it to the train station Wednesday morning, I hopped on my 8:04 a.m. train, and was off to Trondheim.

A few words about the train ride: It was scheduled to be an almost seven hour ride through the mountains/fjords of Norway. I had no problem with this. 1) because I am lazy, and 2) because it was beautiful. However, an hour or so in to the ride, we were stopped and delayed due to... mechanical issues? (I never really know why every train I set foot on seems to be delayed because all the announcements are conveniently in languages I don't speak. So I just kind of make up why or what I think is happening.) But after 20 or thirty minutes, we were back on track--PUN INTENDED! And for the next several hours of my life, I read, wrote postcards, and just chilled out to the sounds of my iPod. It wasn't until an hour shy of our destination that I discovered the train would not be going all the way Trondheim. Because of the earlier delay--yada, yada, yada... once again, I didn't understand the announcement--we, the passengers, would be getting off at the next station and taking a bus the rest of the way. ...And that we did.

At this time, I knew I wasn't going to make it to my hostel by the appointed check-in, or even within the same hour. So trying to be a responsible back-packer, I tried calling. Tried being the keyword. ...There was no working line for the number. ...Okay. So I just didn't worry about it and headed on to Trondheim via bus.

When I got to Trondheim, I immediately set out to find my hostel. It was already late afternoon, and I needed to check-in, get rid of my (overly packed) backpack, and see the city before it got too dark. So having no idea where to go to catch the appropriate bus in the direction I needed to go, I went to the Information desk of the station. The one rude woman I met my whole time in Norway just happened to be working the desk. And I pretty much left there just as confused as I had come, only with a map in hand. ...A map I couldn't read at that. So I took to wondering the streets. Long story short, I asked about three people for directions to the bus, and all gave me terribly vague responses. Not that they weren't friendly people trying to help, they just weren't descriptive enough... So by the time I did find the buses, I was stressed out and sick of carrying my backpack. It didn't help matters that I couldn't find my bus (or any sign of existence of such bus) headed in the right direction. That is were I had my first Norwegian-tourist breakdown. And in the end, I gave up on that damned hostel--that I may or may not have still had a room in. I turned around, and headed straight back to the Best Western I had passed a few blocks from the station. And after shelling out (an expensive rate of) Norwegian krones, I had a room for the night all to myself!

Finally I threw my bag down, chilled out a bit, and then headed about town. But by that time, it was getting dark. So instead of trekking around, I opted for food. I found the nearby restaurant and ordered a cheeseburger and fries; How American! (I just couldn't resist it when I read that it came with onion rings!!) Not to mention, the herring selection just wasn't up my alley. While at dinner, I asked the waiter what there was to do about town on a Wednesday night. He said, "well not much because everyone is home watching the Olympics." (What is it with the Europeans and the Winter Olympics?! ...Or am I just the only one not enthusiastic?) So not wanting to wonder about alone at night, I headed back to the Best Western.

When I got back, I noticed a little pub next door that had quite a few people inside. Not having anything else to do, I decided to wonder in. There, I found a crowd of Norwegians all watching the Olympics. ...Go figure. Heh... But I did manage to strike up a conversation with the girl that worked there, and in turn, the guys around me.

It didn't take long to meet people at all. One of my fastest friends was Martin, a taxi driver on-duty, but with no business. So like everyone else, he decided to watch the ski relay. Martin and I talked forever because he loved American comedies (movies) and I knew all of them. So the conversation was endless. And of course being Catherine, it didn't take me long to befriend the man with the coolest mustache either. Haha... His name was Harold, he was rather "toasty", and we bonded after Norway took the silver medal. (I would like to point out that I was still chanting "U.S.A., U.S.A" at the time because we didn't finish until next to last... Go team!) I also met a couple "Chocolate Technicians" from Germany. They were two older men that worked for every major chocolate company you could think of--Hershey, being the only one I remember because it's American--by traveling the world in search of the best cocoa beans and ways to make chocolate better... Pretty much, they had the best job in the world. I spent hours in that pub, and I enjoyed every minute of it. And surprisingly, it wasn't alcohol induced!

By the end of the night, Martin asked me how I liked Trondheim, and when I told him I couldn't really give a fair answer, I explained my train delay and navigation woes. To which he replies, "Well, I've got a taxi out front and no business... want a tour?!" At this point, you just read that, and a scene from Taken flashed through your mind, I am sure... But trust me, Martin was not a creeper at all. And after spending hours with him and his friends, I felt like I could judge that. So I obliged. ...Granted, I still took the usual precautions: I memorized the license plate number to the taxi, had a "I'm being kidnapped by taxi number ....." text drafted to Shawn and Faith, and had the Norwegian emergency number on speed dial...

Martin took me all around the city, to several spots I never would have reached on foot at all. The first place we went to was an old cathedral that I had actually passed by on the way in by bus. I was lucky enough to get a couple pictures before my camera battery died, but they didn't do this cathedral justice. This was the most beautiful church I had ever seen in my life. It was amazing. It was gorgeous. It was love at first sight. If it's possible to fall in head-over-heels love with a building, it happened to me that night. Ahhh... Just thinking about it makes me feel amazed. It was that beautiful. From there, we went to see an old medieval fort, some old university buildings, another old church, and an old monastery-turned-prison on an island. Also, we drove out to see this huge ski jump ramp. I have never seen such a huge hill. ...What the heck makes people want to jump it wearing skis?! Anywho, after a great tour of everything, Martin dropped me off like a (non-psycho kidnapper), true gentleman. (...Maybe he got the idea after I talked about "my boyfriend back home" half the night.)

The people I met in Norway are some of the nicest I've met anywhere. And the people I met during my trip really are what made it such a great experience.

...So Trondheim ended up being a pretty nice city after all. I just had to quit stressin' and find a taxi-driving friend to see it! Ha! Oh, and the sunrise over the town the next morning was one of the best I've seen in a while--and that is saying something because I do wake up at 6 a.m. on a regular basis these days! It seemed like half of the sky was deep purple with hints of blue, while the other half was pink with bits of orange. Though I can't say I stayed up to watch the whole rising of the sun, I did get up for a few minutes to capture it on camera. Then I promptly jumped back into bed and slept for another hour or so before getting up to start a new day of travel (by boat). Before I finished breakfast, Martin called to make sure I was up, on time, and knew how to get to the harbor. ...Turns out I didn't have as much of a clue as I thought, so once again, he was kind enough to offer me a ride. And thank goodness, too, because I would have been late if I were on foot. So yeah... I got a ride to the harbor, said goodbye to my new friend, and climbed aboard the Hurtigruten.