Trysil I

August 13, 2008

The train from Trondheim was relatively uneventful. It arrived late in Elverum after traveling at about 45km/hr for roughly an hour due to signal problems. When I got off the train, I still had to get to my friend's house in Trysil and I had no clue how to do that. So I called her.

When Else didn't answer her phone, I called her parents. When they didn't answer, I called Tom not stopping to think that it was 7:30 in the morning and there was no way he'd be awake. Then I called my sister and Anna. They didn't answer either, so I called Else again. This time, she answered right away, and gave me directions to the bus station.

The bus station was a reasonable walk from the train station (not my design, but better than Seattle), but I had a half an hour so I wasn't in a hurry. When the bus arrived, the driver very kindly gave me the student discount, even though I don't have a student ID yet. It's a 50% discount in a country where everything is expensive, so I was very appreciative.

After an hour and twenty minutes' ride, Else's mother met me at the bus station in Trysil. She took me to their house, helped me get my laundry in the wash, and instructed me to wear one of Else's rain jackets. She also helped me realize what day it was. I had managed to lose a day in my travelling and ticket purchasing. I figured things would all work out, since I didn't have any hard and fast plans.

Before long we were back in the car to pick up Else from work. From the hospital, where both of Else's parents are nurses and Else works in the kitchen when she is on holiday, Else and I headed to one of the local restaurants. We met a couple of her childhood friends (Anne and Kari) who were also back in town for their summer holiday and enjoyed a pizza and a beverage.

Back at Else's house, I met her aunt and uncle and their son who will be moving into the apartment downstairs while he goes to school next year. Of Else's three siblings, two of the other's were home and the oldest was expected to arrive any time. Inga, the younger sister, was giving up her bed for me, and I gratefully passed out.