Via Lithuania

On Monday, August 4^th my journey shifted from Germany and the mainland Europe to the Scandinavian country of Norway. This day started painfully early (we were leaving the Otto's house at 5:40 AM) and included just about all forms of transportation. Over the course of the day we would travel by plane (twice...we had to get off the plane in Lithuania, get sent every which way in a sleepy airport, only to walk back out to the very same airplane...with the same cabin crew and all...I love seeing familiar faces...), train, subway, bus, car, and walking (lots of walking). The day would also take us through three countries (Germany, Lithuania, and Norway), four cities (Berlin, Vilinus, Oslo, and Notodden), two student housing complexes (Kringjsa and Sogn), and the beautiful countryside of Norway. After landing in Oslo around the noon hour, we somehow made it up to the student village where I will be living for the semester, I checked in, dropped some stuff off, and made it back downtown to catch a bus to Notodden (where we would be staying with family friends Jan and Kjersti Underdal and their family)....all that and we didnt once get on a wrong train, bus or plane (we did walk the wrong direction for a bit once, but all things considered, whats additional 15 minutes?). We did finally make it to Notodden (a small former industrial town about 2 hours southwest of Oslo) where we were greeted by Jan at the bus stop. After some conversation and some 30 year old pictures of my Dad (Kjersti and my Dad met back then when she was living and working near Minneapolis...then when he studied in Norway for a year their friendship continued), we settled in for a very Norwegian meal of frozen pizzas and Fanta with the Underdal's two teenage sons Hökan and Halvard.