Tiger-Tiger, Lillehammer and Håkons Hall

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Antoine and Steffan, two dutch backpackers who lodged in my dorm room for my last 2 nights in Oslo. Not as crazy as Antti, however more fun to hang around with. Their first night there they were determined to go to a night club called "Tiger-tiger" in downtown Oslo. They went and came back excited because this attractive blonde girl gave them free tickets to return for the next evening. Steffan was pumped and KNEW he had a chance. I agreed that on our last night in Oslo, since they were leaving for Bergen, I'd go out with them to the nite club. After making our way to the club...which was completely dead...the boys decided that maybe we should hit up a little pub with live music down along Karl Johans Gate. I'm glad we did because we were treated to a single musician playing acoustic versions of EVERY song imaginable. I was quite impressed when he began to play the band Europes, "Final Countdown" and surprisingly it was excellent...which sorta gives me ideas for back home now. THAT aside, the boys decided that it was the right time to head back to the club. When we got there...a lively blonde ran towards them and welcomed them. Antoine leaned in and told me, "That's the girl." From that point on, Antoine and I watched as Steffan worked his 'magic'. Two hours later, Steffan left the bar after having danced BY himself for the whole 2 hours. Nothing against him...he was an awesome guy...but when a dutch man comes up and asks you, "I wash hoping that we could poshibly dansh together!?"...the chances you dance with him are not so much. They were a blast to hang with for two days and we'll meet up again in Bergen when I make it there. Our last visitor was a 55 year old gentleman from Sweden who was riding his motorbike up towards Trondhiem and back through the north of Norway and Sweden. He was a nice man...liked to sleep in the nude...sadly he was in the bunk above me. I made SURE that I got up this morning before he did...(no pun intended!), didn't want to wake up to a 55 year old man struggling his way down a bunk bed naked.

I parted ways with Antoine and Steffan and found my way on the train up to Lillehammer. The train made its way through rolling country and alongside lake Mjøa, which is quite long. I was too busy reading when we flew by the town of Hamar, which housed the speed skating and figure skating during the Olympics...and also has the crazy looking arena that looks like an overturned Viking ship. I was quite upset that I completely MISSED that photo..however, I am makiing sure I get it on the way back. I pulled into Lillehammer, which is a quiet unassuming place and no need to travel any further for my lodgings...since my hostel was above the train station. Talk about convenient. It was roughly 1pm and I just started to meander the streets, to get comfortable with where things are. My walk turned into a full scale walk to the Håkons hall, which housed the Ice Hockey for the Olympics. The arena was great. Inside they had the Norwegian Olympic Museum and a run down of every event that occured during the Lillehammer Olympics. Håkon hall is also the place in which Greg Parks missed a crucial shoot out which led to the Swedes beating Canada in the Gold medal game. Dean and I coached alongside of Parks when we were with the Crusaders...and to finally be at the scene of the crime...was extra sweet. Just above Håkons hall was the ski jump and also the site of the opening AND closing ceremonies for the '94 Olympics. The hike up the steep hill was torture, however the pay back was unreal. I made it all the way to the top off the jump tower, even got to watch a few practice jumps from some CRAZY kid who must have been training. From the top of the tower you got a complete view of Lillehammer and surrounding area.

When I was in Australia, I stayed in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. Most travellers tended to stay in Adelaide for one night then catch the first train out of there. I, however, enjoyed Adelaide a great deal. Met some great friends (who toured me around the English Countryside this trip!!!) and absolutely fell in love with the place. Lillehammer has sort of done the same thing. The city and area is quite similar to Kelowna, BC and is a completely beautiful place. I look at the size of it and kinda think it great that such a quiet, little 'town' could hold one of the most successfull Olympics ever! I'm not really sure how to explain the place and why I'm loving it soo much...but just understand that for ONCE words fail me. My plans for tomorrow are to walk the trails around the area more extensively and to take a dip in the open air pool, which is really a resevoir of the river that is coming from the mountain above town. At the end of the day, I was given an unreal day here in Lillehammer today and hopefully it stays like this tomorrow.

Now I can't really leave a blog without telling an 'odd' story that happened to me while here. As I was on the ski tower, I went to buy myself an ice cream. I stood in line behind older German tourists (seriously EVERYWHERE!!) and the gentleman was sort of getting sick of speaking German to them...I got this knowledge when I got to the counter and he said in broken english, "Do you speak at least some english?" I told him yes...and he asked where I was from and I told him Canada. For some reason he kinda took an interest in making sure I see ONE specific place. He got a map out and started to point out an open air museum, stating that it was FREE from 5-10pm to go in there. I wondered to myself, "hmm, WHY would people pay to go to this museum from 9-5 when they could go for free later?" His statement made no sense. He was VERy serious that I go there for at least ONE hour. Throughout this people kept coming to the counter and he would keep telling me to wait so he could finish. Finally I thought, well who cares...I know where the thing is and I think you've told me everything you need to tell me. He kept trying to tell me to wait..finally I just said I was going to go. I went up to the top platform, where the skiers start their descent, and he showed up behind me with a postcard that he had written on. He looked at me...made sure I got it...and left right away. On it he had written, "From me at the tower, for my guest Don" the near the bottom placed his e-mail!?!?!?!? What the F--k? I will finish this story by telling you that I did NOT go to the open air museum...in fact I walked 2 km's out of my way to get back down to the hostel. To take a line from Antti, I dropped my hat on the ski jump tower and gladly kicked it all the way down to Lillehammer.

Ha Det Fra Lillehammer!!

Don

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