Oslo for an Evening and a Day, July 9-10

I was able to find a hostel with a free bed easily enough. It was also only a quick and direct walk from the central station where I had left my American friend. No, I didn't get lost this time. After a short time jockeying to keep my position, I had finally checked in.

For a Monday night, the town was buzzing with activity. Metallica was playing in town the next night and there were people everywhere looking for tickets, buying and selling t-shirts, and generally stoked for the concert. I have seen Metallica live before, they put on a pretty wild show so I could understand the anticipation the crowds were feeling. Unfortunately, since Metallica was in town, that meant all the hostels were booked for the next night. I would have to leave the city if I wanted to avoid an asphalt bed. Oh well, I would deal with that in the new day. For the moment, it was time to enjoy the city and the company of my friend.

Although it was late, Princess Hotness was eager to get out of the house for a little while. She has a room mate and their history is complicated. We met at the only landmark I could remember from my hour in the city: the tiger that prowls the fountain at the train station. It was good to see her again, although this time she hadn't spent 2 hours getting ready before going out. I almost had heart failure when I saw her in jeans,a t-shirt (not Metallica), and her hair tied back in a pony-tail.

We spent the evening sitting and working out her recent boy troubles. First at the Hard Rock Cafe but, the music was loud and prominently feature a certain band that people were excited about. It didn't take long before we had enough of the rock that ambiance (as long as it took me to drink my beer, infer what you like) and we moved to another cafe. This one though, had far more charm.

The main strip of Oslo is a walking street called Carl Johans gata. You can find just about anything here, including the predatory Nigerian prostitutes. I saw more than one unsuspecting man (or group of men) react in shock as they suddenly had a woman hanging off their arm proposing sex. The number of these women is simply astounding, within a block you could see ten women clearly looking for their prey. The presence of my Princess Guardian ensured I would not be approached in my apparent obliviousness.

The cafe we found though, was in an old and very large church that had, at some point, been converted into various shops and restaurants. The outer terrace was inset in a long curved wall that wrapped itself all the way around to the opposite side of the building. We sat in the cool evening, basking in the candlelight and the near perpetual light of the northern sky, looking through the pillars as the crowds passed, and enjoying the simple pleasure of good company and hot tea.

I spent the early part of the next day, after I had grudgingly checked out of the hostel, wandering the city. I had time to meander through the streets and see some of the city.

Sometimes it is fortuitous to look the part of a traveler, people are more likely to approach, and to be approached, by some one who looks like they are on their own adventure. That day, I was wearing my well faded Tilly hat, the one I have had since I was 14 and looks very much like the kind of thing one would wear more for practicality than style. After I had walked a while, I had decided to rest my legs and observe some of the more colourful individuals as they moved through the streets. The two drunk and/or high men who yelled obscenities at each other, made threatening gestures, then shared a cigarette held my attention for a while. Then there was the the slipper wearing man in the form-fitting, slightly translucent, black dress harassing the street portraiture artists trying to make a living sketching tourists who would for 15 minutes or so. From what I gathered, the man in the dress was living his dream and dancing for the masses in the street.

My observations were interrupted by a local man on his way home from work who came over to start a conversation with me. He was also watching some of the people who were entertaining me. It was one of his pleasures in life to walk slowly down Carl Johans gata after his day at the travel agency so he could watch the people as them went on their way. Sometimes, he said, he would stop for a coffee and one of the cafes so he could sit while he watched people go on about their business. I noticed he was not wearing a wedding ring, but I decided not to say anything. In retrospect, I think I would have liked to learn more about him, simply as a matter of course. Every person has their own story and if we take the time to listen, we can learn so much from each other. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all did that a little more? After we chatted for a little while, we exchanged pleasantries and he wandered off towards home, which while I suspect may have been empty, was still a place he was happy.

As for me, it was getting on time to catch my train to Lillehammer.