Oslo, Norway

September 7, 2009, Monday
Oslo, Norway

What a fun day. The drive was the most interesting since we started. There are forests and hills and lots of rocks and lake after lake after lake. We got lost and Carmen (the Garmin) got all disgusted with us and kept bitching at us to “please follow the route”. She didn’t know that there were some major detours and the route she had selected was impassable. Ah well, we did find our way and we are at the cutest little hotel within walking distance of nearly everything we want to see.

Once again we are having trouble finding a laundromat but this time we found the hotel owner and she said that she would do my laundry herself because she likes us!! I would really prefer to do my own laundry but she was quite insistent. I think that the reason for her insistence is that she saw that we had a parking space directly in front of the hotel and it is a free spot and she told us to NEVER leave that spot. It is the best place in the world and we can leave the car there the whole time we are on the ship and it is safe. She was awed that we got that spot and I think she wants to help us keep it!! I told her that I had my laundry detergent and the cute little sheets for the dryer and she was quite fascinated about the little sheets!! Apparently they don’t have Bounce over here, so she will learn something new! LOL

I’m trying to figure out what I can get her to thank her for doing my laundry!! We’ve been told that we are in a ritzy part of Oslo and that “all the major embassies are in this neighborhood.” La-de-dah!! It is nice to know that this is a safe place though and that we can leave our car parked here for a week.

We got pulled over on our way in to town by the Customs Agents. We couldn’t figure out what we had done that was wrong but apparently nothing was wrong, they just wanted to talk with us and see what we were up to. The red license plate is a dead give-away that we are foreigners and that is why we were stopped. They were very friendly and we had a nice chat and then we were on our way.

All the ATM’s in Norway are in 7-11’s!!!!!! There are 7-11’s everywhere and everybody sends you to the 7-11 if you want cash!! Of course, banks are available but the place that the common man goes is to the 7-11. Their signs are just like the ones at home and they are more common here than McDonalds!!