Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Thank You


Thank you...Couch Surfing.  If you don't know what this is...its a website where you create a profile and search for people living in the city you wish to visit.  Then you ask this stranger that you find if you can sleep on their couch.  It is free.  The caveat is that you are supposed to return the favor whenever they travel to your city.  But when will someone want to visit Indianapolis?
Anyway...this was AMAZING!!!  Especially for a lonely traveler like me.  I had great places to stay in each of the cities that I visited.  And free tour guides.  And free friends.  And free chefs.  And free history professors.  I'm telling you, this is the way to travel.

Thank you...thieves.  Allegedly, a Norwegian hired some Polish thugs to steal the "Arbeit Mach Frei" sign at Auschwitz (Work for your freedom).  And they did!  This happened 4 days before I went there.  And the day before I went, they found the sign, in 3 pieces.  The day that I was there, they were investigating the site for about 5 hours.  This prevented me from seeing the smaller but more moving, Auschwitz I, for a very long time.  It was unfortunate for me, but at least I have a semi-neat story to tell.  Everyone has a picture of that famous sign...but I have a picture of a replica, ha!



Thank you...Polish food.  You are amazing and cheap.  I'm telling the truth...I've been to France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Norway, and Denmark...Polish food has been my favorite.  Pierogies, Golumpki, Kielbasa, Polish beer...so, so, so good!  And the best part is that Polish people eat with no abandon and no apologies.  Who cares if its too much food and unhealthy?  I'm hungry.  My mentality all along.


Thank you...Chicago.  Every time I said I was from Chicago (I know...I'm from Indiana.  Its easier to say Chicago than explaining where I'm from) in Poland, I got this response..."Chicago!  I know Chicago!  That's the largest Polish city in the world!"  My research tells me that its 2nd, but still...pretty cool.

Thank you...Serendipity.  Let me paint you a picture.  Imagine yourself walking in Oslo.  Now imagine that it's Christmas Eve.  Finally, you are all alone.

It's not like this was surprising to me.  I knew I would be.  But still, it's not the best situation.  Thankfully, I happened to walk down a certain street at a certain time and I noticed a certain stranger.  She looked my age and she looked like a tourist (map out, wandering aimlessly).  So I approached her (it took me about 20 minutes to build up the courage).  It turns out that she, too, was all alone on Christmas!  What are the odds?
Evelyne, a girl from Belgium, was doing a farm-stay (basically the same as au pair except you work on a farm) and decided to come up to Oslo for the holidays.  We ended up spending all of Christmas and Boxing Day together.  I'm so so lucky I found someone because everything was closed!  And she happened to be good company, as well.  So I'm glad that happened the way it did.  It was a Christmas miracle!

 Thank you...my right foot.  My right foot carried me through this trip...literally.  On Christmas Eve, I guess I sprained my left foot.  It was killing me!  So did I pack it in and sit all day?  No.  I'm in these cities once.  So I limped and hobbled my way for miles over the next week because I didn't want to miss anything...putting all my weight on my right foot.  So thank you, right foot.

Thank you...American dollar.  In Norway, 2 plain cheeseburgers, 1 small fry, and 1 small milkshake...$11.  Ok, so that wasn't my most healthy meal.  But $11!  That's what, $5 in America...tops.  You suck, American dollar.

Thank you...God.  What's better than a white Christmas?  2 feet of Norwegian snow, white Christmas.  I wanted to go north for the holidays, so I wanted a bunch of snow.  And I got it.  But surprisingly, snow on Christmas in Oslo is not common.  They usually get rain.  So I got lucky.  Thank you, God.



Thank you...George W. Bush.  I voted for the man, twice.  So shoot me.  I'm not saying he was the best president we've ever had, but for me, he was the better candidate both elections.  And I'd do it again.  To say this to a European!  Its like I was telling them that I voted for Hitler.  This led to some interesting conversations.  So thank you, George Bush.


Thank you...immigrants.  Quick, what's your image of the people in the capital city of Norway?  White, blonde, blue eyes?  Sure...me too.  And they are there.  But not as many as you'd think.  Especially during Christmas.  Most locals are at home with family.  That leaves immigrants (especially Muslims) to roam the streets and man the stores.  This was surprising to me.  I didn't expect to see nearly as many minorities as I did.  There's nothing wrong with this...it was just surprising.  And actually, it was good.  Where did I eat on Christmas?  Kebab place with Muslims.  Where did I go to church on Christmas?  A Catholic mass performed by Asians (Norway is protestant).  If it weren't for these people, the city might have been a ghost town.

Thank you...subtitles.  Scandinavia takes pride that they don't dub their foreign films.  Unlike larger countries, like France, these people hear English all the time.  American English.  This leads to amazing English...especially in Norway.  I met no one that didn't speak near perfect American English.  I loved it.

Thank you...fireworks.  Danes loves fireworks on New Years.  This leads to a dangerous/fun New Years Eve in Copenhagen's town square.  Literally, among the masses, people light off huge fireworks right where they are standing.  No professional show, just amateurs (although they seemed more than amateurs).

Thank you...Easyjet.  Amongst my eagerness to return home from my flight, I left my eyeglasses on the plane.  Surpringsly, they found them and turn them into lost and found.  They managed to scratch the hell out of them...but better than nothing, I guess.


F*ck You...Public Transportation.  I hate you so much.
Case #1: Christmas Eve.  Instead of dropping me off at the doorstep of my couchsurfing guest, you take me 1 stop and then quit.  You said that there were buses still working to take me home.  Nope.  So now I'm 10 miles downhill of where I need to be with 15 minutes to get there.  I literally ran threw the streets of Oslo trying to make it.  I gave up once I realized that I would be traveling outside the given map.  $35 taxi ride instead.
Case #2: New Years Day.  A bus was supposed to pick me up from the airport.  Nope.  So instead of an easy ride, I walked 3.5 miles to France.  Not so bad, you say?  Well, I hadn't slept for 30 hours, hadn't eaten for 15 hours, hadn't drank in 6 hours, had a sprained foot with a huge blister on it, had my luggage to carry, and it was raining...and it was uphill through construction sites.  I had to climb fences.  I know...let's throw me a pity party.  I have a private violinist coming to my house in about 4 hours.

3 comments:

  1. HAHAHAHHAHAHA to public transportation.

    and thank you.... noah for always making life interesting and telling fabulous stories, always with a punch line and amazing grammar.

    lots of love,
    gros bisous,
    caz-ma-taz

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  2. I am glad to have got the chance to know you! You're such a great teller! :D and I agree.. It's like voting for Hitler- but we've had our share of discusion, so I'm not posting anymore comments!! hahaha..

    Have a great trip, my friend! :D

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