I think I have a better chance of winning the lottery...twice...

As I set off on this journey, I wondered a few times if I would see anyone I knew? Obviously I was staying with people I knew and traveling with someone I knew...but when would be the first time, if any time, that I saw someone I wasnt expecting to see? Would they be from home? From school? I mean, what are the odds of that?

To be completely honest I was thinking that on the morning of August 5th, as we set out in the car from Notodden, over Mt. Gausta, to Rjukan, a tiny mountain village located in the valley between mountain tops. You may have heard of Rjukan, or the hydroelectric plant located there...during WWII the plant was creating hydroelectric power, but they were also making fertilizer as well, which had a by product of "heavy water" (used in nuclear reactors). The plant was the largest power plant in the world during the early 1900s, and when the German's occupied Norway during the war, they immediately took over the plant to get their hands on the heavy water production in hopes of creating the atomic bomb. Long story short, there is a museum there now commemorating the effort from some Norwegian special forces that sabotaged the plant and the German nuclear effort. It is a very interesting little museum, and it is nestled partway up the mountain providing for a spectacular setting. It is here however, that the odds were defeated...not by the Norwegian special forces sabotaging the German war machine, but where I saw someone I knew. It is on the trail leading from the parking lot to the museum that we saw Ben Antoniewicz. For those of you who dont know, Ben and I played basketball together in middle school, and went to the same high school. I havent talked to or seen him in a couple of years, but as we were walking down the trail (he was walking up), we passed him and I turned to Amy and said "Was that Ben Antoniewicz? No, must be someone who looks like him...a lot like him." But then as we passed, a second later I heard a "Wait...Tallis?" Yup, it was Ben, and we did see him on a trail on the side of a mountain in a rather remote part of southern Norway. Yup, we were about 4000 some miles from home, with hundreds of millions of people between us. Yup, we happened to walking on that exact trail at the exact same time. If anyone can tell me the odds of that (*cough**Ken Psyck**cough*), I would love to know. We chatted a bit, took a picture to document the occasion and went our separate ways. It was so utterly unbelievable. I mean really...what are the odds? I still cant get over that part of it...

Anyways, the rest of the day was amazing too, we stopped at a small cottage restaurant located halfway up the other side of the valley for a bowl of traditional Norwegian porridge (it was made of essentially sour cream and flour). We went up a chair lift of sorts to the top of the valley on the far side where we had a magnificent view of Rjukan and the entire valley. Then headed back over the mountain, stopping at a little hotel nestled in the mountainside for some coffee and desert. Mom, you would have loved this hotel...it had so many antiques and little collectibles it was also a bit ridiculous.

So all in all it was a great day. I was convinced afterwords that Norway was the most beautiful country I had ever been to...and I saw Ben Antoniewicz.