An early start today found us being the very first vehicle in the car park of the Alnabru shopping centre, just a few minutes drive from our home bas in Manglerud, Oslo. I have never seen the centre so deserted as it is usually much later in the day that I have visited it in the past, my nsme NOT being synonymous with "The crack of dawn"! We dashed into the centre and quickly negotiated our way to the XXL store, the local branch of Norway's largest sports equipment chain. Now, for those of you who don't know, Spring brings a massive re-organisation of sports stores in Norway. Walls that had been festooned with row after row of skis, ranging from cross country and back country/mountain skis to Alpine and Rondane equipment disappear almost overnight. So too do the racks full of various ski poles, shelves full of goggles and mountains of shoes. They are replaced, unceremoniously, by bicycles of all types and there associated equipment and paraphernalia. Prior to this metamorphosis the stocks of Winter gear gradually dwindles away stock that is sold ceases to be replaced. Consequently, when we arrived at XXL, we found not one single pair of mountain boots to fit Sean, let alone skis or poles. Plan B, the nearby G Sport, a much smaller than XXL. I wasn't holding my breath. But they had skis, boots and poles!! Admittedly, not a great number of either, but much more than XXL and, more importantly, they had Sean's size. After much deliberation and running backwards and forwards by an extremely helpful member of staff, we eventually settled on a particular pair of skis and a pair of well fitting boots. 1899NOK for the skis, 895NOK for the bindings and fitting and 1499NOK for the boots. WHAT???????? Aaaaaaargh!!!! "Any chance of a discount for buying them as a ski pack?" ask I. "Yeah sure, no problem, there is 30% off anyway and I will see what else I can do!" I wasn't expecting that. 4293NOK reduced to 2400NOK! Result! I also came to the conclusion that I have some sort of ski fetish, I have this overwhelming urge to acquire more skis. Owning four pairs and relying on the generosity of in-laws for storage means that my fetish is met with a little dismay every time I turn up with yet more skis. I have now found that my needs can be assuaged by purchasing skis for others which, although costly, means less aggravation, so smiles all round.
Sean and his new fjellski (mountain skis)
After depositing the skis back at basecamp (Manglerud), we decided to catch the T-Banen (metro) into the city centre, do a little exploring and check out where we need to go in the morning. A wet and windy afternoon ensued;
Two views of the outside of Oslo central train station
After getting our barings at the railway station I took Sean to the opera house so we could get a birdseye view of Oslo. I have now seen the "barcode" skyline from a number of different angles and in many different types of light and weather conditions, and it still looks aweful to me. I suppose you have to be content and either love it or hate it, but I do wonder if the architects, in trying to outdo each other, are having a private joke at the expense of the general public! You decide.
Having climbed all over the opera house I thought it was about time I actually looked inside. "Swan Lake" is due to be performed at the end of the month and in the lobby of ther building the dancers were having a live rehearsal for the pleasure of those present. I have to admit to being quite mesmorised and left feeling I have missed out on something. Now, on the "to do" list is; watch a ballet. I don't think Sean was quite so impressed though.
As soon as I got the familiar "Dad, I'm bored" look, we moved on. This time to the palace, another location Sean had not visited. I had hoped to see the changing of the gaurd, but nothing looked to be happening. I did decide though, as those on duty appeared far more relaxed and nonchalant about their duties than their Buckingham palace counterparts, to ask one for information;
Me, "What time is the next changing of the gaurd?"
Him, "I'm not allowed to say!"
Me, "Can you tell me if it is sooner or later?"
Him, "I am not allowed to say!"
Me, "Okay, it's raining, we are getting wet, is it happening soon enough for us to continue standing in the rain?"
Him, "No, I wouldn't bother"
Me, "Thank you."
That was helpful enough for me, a British guardsman at the palace would probably be flogged for less!
Time for a coffee and a cake then, and coffee and cake time means W.B.Samsons where they do some lovely cakes and pastries. http://www.samson.no/
Finally, back to Manglerud to pack and spend the night worrying if I have put everything in the rucksack and if Sean will be able to drag me out of bed at 0600!
