"Jeg er i Norge!"

For those of you scratching your heads, "I'm in Norway!"

I arrived this morning... long story.

I spent the last couple nights (Sunday and Monday) with Lottie McLeod in St Albans, having caught the train down from Edinburgh. While there, I repacked my bags, as Ryanair only allowed 15kg of check-in baggage. Thankfully they are more generous with hand luggage, allowing 10kg. So I chucked a whole lot of stuff I figured I wouldn't be needing into a box, and left it in St Albans. Things like: my suit... ties... Edinburgh info... books on Scotland... t-shirts that had been padding for my guitar...

I eventually got my big pack down to 13kg, and the daypack to about 7. My guitar weighs 2kg unpadded, so I took it like that. My bits of paper with songs on them went into the daypack to help increase its weight and decrease the weight of the guitar, which would have to be checked in.

After preparing a packed dinner of a couple sandwiches, a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar, Lottie drove me to the railway station and I caught a train in to Victoria via Kings Cross. From Victoria Coach Station I caught a bus to Stansted Airport - about an hour and a half drive. I got about half an hour's sleep on the coach.

I arrived at Stansted Airport at 10pm last night. I managed to get about an hour or so of sleep between 12 and 1am. My flight to Torp was at 6:30 this morning, with check-in from soon after 4am. I was about the 4th person to check in, so even though my bags weighed in at a little more than they had in St Albans, there was no fuss about the extra (about 1kg by my calculations, give or take). Then it was just a matter of waiting for boarding.

Takeoff was delayed about 45 minutes, just as we were starting to move away from the terminal. A little light was blinking in the cockpit, and the captain told us they didn't know what it was, but that we'd be underway in about 20 minutes. Maybe. Engineers came on board, replaced the faulty spark plug, and then we were off - 45 minutes late. The captain told us he'd try and make up most of the time flying to Norway, taking shortcuts in the airways... is that possible???

We arrived in Norway after the hour-long flight (I snoozed until touchdown) at about 10 to 10 this morning, Norwegian time (1 hour ahead of UK summer time, or GMT+2). I caught a bus from Torp Airport in Sandefjord to Oslo, about a 2-hour trip. Once in Oslo I emailed Mum & Dad, and rang my friend Tove in Kristiansand, to find out about when she's got days off, and when/where/how much buses are. I'm booked into a hotel tonight (all hostels full), then a hostel for the next couple nights before going down on the bus to Kristiansand for a couple days.

Then I plan to head up (by train+bus or plane) to Tromsø, WAY up north. Those of you with atlases handy, open to the Scandinavia page. Oslo is down in the lower part, just to the north of Denmark. Follow the coast from Oslo... west... around... then up... keep going... keep going... Arctic Circle... keep going... Tromsø! If all goes as expected, I shall be able to enjoy 24-hour sunshine - a definite first. :)

From Tromsø I will work my way down the coast again by bus and train, taking the scenic route back to Oslo in time for the 27th of July. Why then? Well, that night, Vallehovin Stadium will be packed with people (including me) who are keen to see U2 in concert, on their Vertigo tour. Should be great! Then the Friday after, I fly back to London.

Well that's it from me. Comment away!