London to Oslo

18^th July

Early morning start as we are going to walk off the ship – means we take our bags with us rather than them being collected the night before and placed in a room in the port area. Last few times it has been a bit chaotic getting them and we have to hang around on the ship longer as well. We were off by 7:30 and as there were no cabs around we decided just to walk to the train station less than 2 miles away. It is certainly not as far as the walk to get to the ship! Got some directions from the gate guard – a different one than last time thankfully. The next train to Clapham Junction was in 20 minutes, so by the time we got our tickets and got to the correct boarding platform we were able to board. The tickets were rather expensive at 30 pounds each for a one way fare, but at least the train is comfortable and fast as we get an express service that takes around 1hr and 45mins. The scenery is mostly fields of wheat which is nice, but both of us are rather tired so not paying too much attention. The only hassle is that the train is not set up to deal with people with luggage, so thankfully we just took over an extra seat each for our bags.

Got off at Clapham, then wander in the direction of Grace and Andrews. Passed a post office so thought we would send back another bag of stuff that has been accumulated once more. Also sending the bag this time as it is not as practical as we thought. Post office didn’t have a box large enough, so went to the local supermarket and found a couple of apple boxes. They were NZ apples! And furthermore the boxes were made from Carter Holt Harvey – so they are now on their way back home. The stuff weighed a little ofer 8kg – including the bag, then add the box and it put it a little over 9kg. A short walk further and we arrived at Grace and Andrews, we had the key so no worries, however the door did not want to open at first and had just called Grace when Chris managed to open it. Andrew was fast asleep so didn’t want to wake him. Internet was available so spent most the day catching up on emails, photos etc. Andrew woke around 4pm, so had a chat and got ready to head into town to go and see the musical Wicked. Left around 5:30 and walked to the train station. Arrived at the station right outside the station and decided to pick up our tickets before things got really busy. Had arranged to have dinner at a Thai place, but found it was closed so went to a place next door called The Noodle where Grace met us. We enjoyed a very filling meal there before heading across the road and into the theatre. The musical was great, about the untold story of the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz. The wicked witch is said to have been good, and the spells she cast were to save the lives of those going to die. The straw man is her lover and they eventually elope together after an illusion she is killed when water is poured over her. A different and interesting take on the idea. Back to the train and home for a bit more chat and sleep.

19^th July

Lazy start to the morning before eating and heading off on a walk around the area. The main street has market stalls selling a variety of things ranging from fruits to breads, cheese’s and even hand tools. We were getting to the point of having walked enough, so decided to check out what was on at the movies. We caught our first red bus and headed to the nearest theatre. Sitting up the top of the bus gives a great view as you drive around the city. It would be tempting just to ride random busses around to take in the sights. WALLE was showing in 40mins, so went and bought a drink and checked out the latest I-Phone on display. Pretty cool, but we wouldn’t use half the features. The movie was pretty good, especially given the lack of dialogue!

After the movie it was back to the house for 30mins to freshen up before going up the road for dinner at a place Grace and Andrew hadn’t been to before. Had a very nice meal there of steak and chips before heading home to pack and get some sleep. Booked a taxi pick-up for 10:30 so didn’t have to stress tomorrow.

20^th July

We slept in as late as possible before having a quick breakfast and saying our good-byes. Thanks for the bed guys! The ride to the airport was only 35minutes so arrived in good time. Checked in and chilled out in the business lounge while we waited for our flight to start boarding.

It is just a short flight of a few hours so no dramas there. Sat in the very first row so even got off the plane first for a change! This meant we were first through an empty customs line and then spent the longest time of the plane waiting for our bags. Never mind, our bags arrived and we found how to get a ticket for the express train to Oslo. It was leaving in 3mins, so enough time to get to the train. Loving that everything is so well on time! Arrived in the Oslo station after 30mins or so and decided to catch the bus out to the camp site. As we were looking for a bus somebody yelled out “Sandy”. We both turned around, not sure why, but still did. Turns out Carl Barlev is living in Oslo with his new wife Lisa. He had just been out shopping and was walking home. We started talking and were invited for dinner and a proper catch up! Great J Wandered back to his place and met Lisa and had a great dinner. Time flew and we had to get going to our camp site. They walked us to the bus station and said our good-byes. The ride to the camp took around 45mins, and the bus had the stops scrolling on a screen which is a fantastic idea!

The camp site is very large, and when we went to check in we were just told to go and find our guide who is in one of a few cabins. We go and meet Justin who seems pretty cool. He asks about Robyn and how long she has been on drugs – what?? He is just fooling around and says Robyn is full of life, followed very shortly after by Robyn coming screaming over for giant bear hugs. We meet some of the group before hitting the pillow with Clint and Kaz. There are no bed sheets etc, so figure we were supposed to bring our own, no worries, we just slept in our clothes and will do when needed as do not want to carry a sleeping bag for a week.