Alagaesian

Interesting weekend in Geilo.  What normally would’ve taken 3 hours by train took 6 hours due to the snow storm and delay stops going to Geilo.  We got to Geilo nearly 11 pm and were grateful to have a friend waiting for us in the taxi queue.  Otherwise would’ve have to wait for a taxi in the loooonngg queue for probably another hour. 

All roads were closed on Friday due to the storm and there were quite a few cancellations and more delays.  But we won’t let any weather stop us from our skiing trip.It was another challenge getting to the cottage with 1 1/2 meter snow surrounding the area.  Plus going in at dark didn’t make things easier…  So it was a great relief when we finally got to sit on the sofa with the fireplace crackling and dinner right in front!  

We went skiing on the Havsdal slopes Saturday with strong winds that it was almost impossible to see the mountains with the snow blowing all over.  A couple of ski lifts were closed and only a handful were seen braving the winds… including the author.  On the other hand, we had perfect skiing conditions on Sunday with sunshine and a nice fresh mountain breeze.  The weather probably played a huge factor for me improving my alpine moves!   

It was a rather expensive weekend though and especially with the next few weekend trips back to Geilo.  Roundtrip train tickets from Bergen costs about 800 NOK which is almost the same as paying for a roundtrip flight to London or Paris! 

Technorati Tags: geilo, bergen, train, skiing

11 June is the big date.  Been waiting for a group that I can relate with to perform in Bergen for years… Not that there’s nothing big on the concert calendar in the past.  There were concerts of the Rolling Stones, Pink, Amy Winehouse (that was the time when she got caught up with substance abuse in the hotel room).  Pretty big names, but I was happy to miss them as I haven’t really been listening to them.   

Foo Fighters on the other hand, is a different story.   

Technorati Tags: foo, fighters, bergen, concert, norway

After months of planning and anticipation, finally found myself skiing and enjoying a Canadian christmas holiday. The flight was loonngg and Air Canada doesn’t even have tv monitors on each seat, but it does have a big leg space so that compensates a lot for not having tv. 

Travel time all in all took about 24 hours getting to Calgary. Of course, the partying started immediately leaving me dazed and confused and jet lagged still the next day. 

Apart from the food, the highlight is definitely the skiing in Nakiska, site of the 1988 Olympic alpine skiing games. Being a humble beginner and all, I tried to stay away from the steep slopes but later found myself tumbling every few meters on the green silver run. Could’ve gone to the green bronze run instead if only my cousin wasn’t so keen to kill me. I’d like to think though that i had a lot of improvement since my last try a season ago. 

The tumbling and acrobatic displays entailed a very painful aching body the next few days… Quite a holiday… 

Technorati Tags: canada, calgary, christmas, skiing, nakiska