Lillehammer

I have to play catch-up today because the internet connection at the Radisson in Lillehammer was so poor. I had problems trying to check my email and I didn't care to try to type up a blog entry.

We departed Karlstad bright and early and headed toward Norway. At the Sweden-Norway border, I got to claim back the tax I'd paid on the Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts I bought in Stockholm and Copenhagen. I wasn't able to claim my refund for Gothenburg because I forgot to get the refund form you have to have to receive the refund. I found that annoying but, I remembered the form too late. Thankfully, I was able to get 150 Norwegian kronor back which will buy me a few Norwegian brews. FYI, in order to get any tax you pay in the EU back, you must spend $50 plus at one store. They must fill out a form they will give you that you will present to the tax refund desk at either one of the borders between countries or at your departing airport. You'll have to show your passport, fill in your address on the form and sign it. Once that's done, they'll give you your refund in whatever currency you request. Since I was going to Norway, it made sense to get Norwegian kronor.

After we departed the border, we still had a long drive to Lillehammer, Norway. We finally arrived 4 p.m. First, we visited the Maihaugen Open Air Museum. The museum has 200 buildings from Norway's past. It's a very nice museum. We received a guide name Cary who was a riot. When we entered the old school house, she had all the men sit on one side of the school and all the women sit on the other like they would've in back in 1865. Then, she asked if we knew any American songs. Some suggested Old McDonald Had A Farm. So, the entire group sang Old McDonald Had A Farm with Cary picking the animals. I'm not sure who laughed more, she or us. By the end of our brief tour, the heavens started to open up. The next stop was the ski jumps for the 1994 Olympics. The ski jumps were very impressive and it was seriously cool to stand in the landing area where it had taken place.

From there, we had a short drive to our hotel. Our guide Arvid had told us they had a phenomenal smorgasbord at the Radisson and it turned out he wasn't kidding. I couldn't believe all the food they put out. It was another one of those where if you didn't leave stuffed, it was because you didn't want to. It was a fantastic meal.

The next morning, it was wake-up call at 6:30 a.m., breakfast anytime after 6:30, bags out at 7:30 a.m. and departure at 8:30 a.m. We would have another decent drive to Fram, Norway. Stay tuned for the next chapter in my Scandanavian adventure.