प्रस्थान और आगमन

I used to always admire my parents for how long they could drive to the Baltic Sea on vacation. Staring at the highway for up to four hours non-stop must be incredibly boring, right?

Turns out, it really is... especially when you're driving alone. And to get to Norway by car takes a long time. Sure, you can compare it to driving to Croatia, which is understandably a popular vacation destination. But to embark on a journey of this length for the first time - you have to get used to it. However, it's not too challenging. Especially when you listen to an audio play at the same time.

And so, the time of the first half of the journey towards Norway passed unspectacularly. Highways look the same everywhere anyway. Only driving through the port of Hamburg and under the Elbe river was a bit more exotic.

The small but nice guesthouse that awaited me in Flensburg provided exactly what I hoped for. A room for the night, clean showers and toilets. Not much but just right.

The next day, it was time to get up early to reach the northern tip of Denmark with enough buffer. The Danish border authorities were satisfied with my provisional Covid rapid test result and let me pass easily. Denmark seems to have a good highway infrastructure overall. Because contrary to my expectations, I didn't get to drive leisurely on picturesque country roads through the sparsely populated north of the country, but the highway literally spat me out at the Hirtshals port. Well, at least on time with some buffer. After a makeshift cheese-ketchup sandwich, it was time to figure out how to get to the corresponding entrance of my ferry, which was easily manageable thanks to appropriate signage.

The ferry, or rather the mini cruise ship, offered an optimal opportunity for a break. As well as some reading material. It was a bit less comfortable on the outside deck. The Skagerrak blows the North Sea wind in such a way that you can only move forward at an angle. The first sight of the Norwegian mainland with its gray granite and flashing lighthouses in the distance created a slightly strange emotional mixture.

The time to let this sink in was limited, however, as we quickly docked and lined up in long rows of cars under the watchful eyes of customs officers to complete the mandatory Covid test. An hour later, I was once again able to witness the diverse wonders of this world as the medical staff performed a magic trick for me. In this trick, a (seemingly) half-meter-long test swab disappeared into the designated nasal opening. Physically and mentally deeply traumatized, I then turned to the border authorities to assign me a suitable quarantine hotel. They hesitated when I asked them to please declare the additional alcohol I had brought with me. Apparently, the amount was small enough not to be worth mentioning. At least I saved 16 euros.

The 15-minute drive to the quarantine hotel was uneventful. Only the roads, the snow, the towering granite cliffs by the roadside, and the man-high icicles hanging from the walls made it clear that there is indeed a different geography and climate zone here.

And so, the rocks and the ice were the first things that truly made me realize this. This is the environment where I will live for a long time. A different culture with a different language. Beautiful and scary at the same time.

15 minutes of sentimental contemplation later, I was warmly welcomed at the "Scandic Park - Sandefjord" hotel with the announcement that dinner might just fit in time. That lifts the spirits. I didn't receive dinner that night. So I still had to rely on my own supplies. In other words - cheese-ketchup sandwiches. And eggs with cucumber. It really happened... No double meaning.

So now it's time to wait out the quarantine, which I have had no trouble with to this day. Read, follow the information from Trondheim University, participate in the occasional webinar. Keep people updated (there's so much happening here, oh my God!!!), go for a walk, and do some exercise. The food is mediocre, but there's a warm meal in the evening. It's right next to me and I'm curious. Yesterday there was a good goulash with rice. Although... after all those sandwiches, any warm dish would have seemed like a divine gift. Today there's... pasta with Bolognese. Not bad...

In this sense - enjoy your meal