I got up just after 5:00 am to take a run before a day on the bus. I’m not a great runner, and only recently have I started to feel anything other than dread at the thought of running, but the anticipation of being stuck sitting for 5 hours on the bus spurred me out of bed.

Laerdal is a pleasant little burg along the river, and I enjoyed the early morning solitude and birdsong for approximately 1 kilometer before alarms sounded.

Because I am a new convert to the joys of running, this was technically my first travel run. Perhaps you have gone on a run while traveling. If so, I implore you to warn your friends against the pitfalls of this potentially detrimental activity.

I was not prepared.

Though experience has taught me that jet lag affects not only sleeping schedule, but also other bodily schedules like hunger and elimination, I did not appropriately respect this fact. Being day 3 of our international journey, my body was still exceptionally out-of-sorts. Perhaps you’re familiar with the term “runner’s trots”; well… they exist in Norway, too. And they arrive with the fury of Odin and Thor, with rumbling thunder and crashing waves. I was forced to slow to a walk, then a waddle. I was once again grateful for solitude, as I suspect my grimace might have sparked a 1-1-2 emergency call. The 1 km route out became exponentially longer on the way back as I searched in vain for available facilities. The gulls squawked derisively at my plight, and the once-delightful sparrow’s song had turned into laughter at my expense. By the time I made it to the hotel, the stairs up to our room and the leg lift required to clear each step was a precarious proposition. By the time I shuffled into our room, I was exhausted – and the day hadn’t even started! Praise the Lord for modern plumbing.

After breakfast, we began another interminable journey of bus-sitting on our way to Oslo, arriving in an early afternoon drizzle. After a quick bakery to-go lunch, we hopped back onto the bus with our very enthusiastic local guide, Christina, for a riding tour of the city as the rain ebbed and flowed in intensity. She led us on a walking tour through the Vigeland Sculpture Park where we saw a thought-provoking (disturbing for some) collection of granite and bronze sculptures depicting “the circle of life” – we’re all born without clothes, you know. We reached the bus after filling our quota of bare-butt viewing, heading to the hotel to dry off and get supper before bedtime. 

On Wednesday evening, I was afforded the delightful opportunity to connect with a former student from my time at Maxwell Adventist Academy. Frida drove into the city to rendezvous for an Indian dinner and catching up on 12 years of school, work, and play since our time together in Kenya. What a wonderful highlight to my trip!