(06:40 a.m. PDT, 3:40 p.m in Oslo)
Today’s our last full day of international fun and frolic. Tomorrow we head home, and if I’m to be honest, I’d have to admit to some very mixed feelings. I’m looking forward to getting back to the familiar, but I’m going to miss the change of pace of having to adapt and survive in a foreign country. There’s something I find intensely exciting and enjoyable about being in a place where very little feels familiar. Time takes on a different meaning, and it seems as if life slows down in ways I’d never experience in the U.S. Tomorrow makes two weeks since we left home, and the photo of the sunrise I took on our approach to Keflavik seems like a lifetime ago.
It’s been a great trip from top to bottom. After two weeks of traveling with Erin, we’re still talking to one another. In fact, we’ve done pretty well on our extended adventure. We’ve been together very intensely for two weeks, and I can say without reservation that there’s no one I’d rather travel with or with whom I’ve enjoyed traveling more. We make a good team, and that’s helped to make our sojourn an exceedingly enjoyable one.
One of the things both of us agree on is that this won’t be our last trip overseas. I’m fortunate enough to have married someone who enjoys the challenge of international travel as much as I do. It can be stressful, but if approached with the right attitude it can be a helluva lot of fun. I’ve seen and learned so much, and I feel as if I’ve been able to feed that part of my soul which has been in need of nourishment. Even better, at no time have I heard the words “snipers” or “minefields.”
It’s been said that if you want to determine if you’re compatible with someone, travel with them. Few things test one’s patience faster than finding yourself in unfamiliar surroundings with someone. The odds are good that if you can survive a couple of weeks together overseas, you might just have a solid base for a long-term relationship. I can vouch for this. Erin and I have spent two weeks living out of suitcases in three cities in two countries. We’ve been together 24/7 for the entire trip…and we still seem to like each other. I think I married a keeper. Part of the reason I hate to see this trip come to an end is that I’ve had her to myself for two weeks. Now I have to get used to sharing her with the world…and I have to admit to not looking forward to that.
Tonight we’re going to celebrate the last night of our trip by having dinner at the Grand Cafe in Oslo, where Henrik Ibsen had lunch almost every day. Perhaps some of the literary genius will rub off on me.
We catch a bus for Oslo’s Gardermoen airport late tomorrow morning. Our flight to Reykjavik leaves at 2:45 p.m., and we fly directly from Reykjavik to Portland on Icelandair. We’re scheduled to land in Portland at 6:45 p.m. tomorrow, which will be 3:45 a.m. Central European Time. Fortunately, I don’t have anything scheduled on Friday, save for perhaps making love to a pot of coffee (figuratively speaking, of course). I hope to have my wits about me (and the energy) to do some writing on Friday, but that’s going to have to be a game-time decision. I have no idea how I’ll be feeling though I can guarantee it’s going to be a low-key day.
It’ll be nice to be home. I hope y’all have enjoyed what’s turned into an unintentional travelogue. It’s helped me process my experiences and put them into some sort of perspective. It’s also reminded me just how incredibly fortunate I am to have married Erin. To say she’s the best thing about my life is no exaggeration. Our honeymoon has been the trip of a lifetime and something I’ll cherish for a very long time.
It does NOT suck to be Jack.
