Something Like a Religious Pilgrimage

Like all true Nordic skiers should, I completed my pilgrimage to Norway this past weekend. The cheap plane tickets brought us to a small airport just south of Oslo, so after a short 45 minute bus ride, we arrived in the city just as the sun was setting, despite it being only 4 o’clock. After a 650 Kroner (over $100 american--food is really expensive there to say the least!) meal of reindeer and fjord-fresh shrimp, we toured around the city for the rest of Friday night. On Saturday again we did more exploring, only taking breaks when we needed to relieve ourselves from the frigid –15˚ C temperatures. After a few mishaps with public transportation, we made it up the hill to Holmenkollen, where we saw the ski jump and part of the world cup course from last year. Surprisingly, the ski jump didn’t appear to be all that big, however, the stadium seating surrounding the landing was rather impressive. Following the long, cold day of walking around the city, we treated ourselves to a home cooked dinner of spaghetti and shrimp, which we cooked in the hostel’s communal kitchen. Sitting in the lounge, with a big plate of shrimp and pasta, watching the men’s classic Kuusamo 10km while in Norway, I could not have been much happier.

On Sunday, we met up with SLU’s favorite Norwegian, Knut, for a walk in the city’s surrounding wood. With the few centimeters of fresh snow that had fallen the night before, and it still coming down, the woods and city were blanketed with the best type of that fresh Norwegian white stuff. We walked through the trails a bit, eventually onto part of the FIS course and ended up on the top of a small ridge, over looking the city. We ended the hike in a rustic lodge, where we were treated to Norwegian pastries and brown cheese. After a small tour guided by Knut, we left later that night for a small fishing village near the airport where we stayed the night.

In the morning, as we boarded the plane, I realized that despite not actually having done any skiing, the trip was well worth it and would definitely get me through the tough week of essays and presentations that was to come. Between naps on the plane, I thought about how beautiful and wonderful the country was, trying to figure out when I would next be able to return.