Planning
Re-planning
Lufthansa A330 Previous First Class DFW-FRA
Driving the Nurburgring Nordschleife
Lufthansa First Class Terminal
Oslo to rejoice Chris Guillebeau
Singapore A380 Suites Class FRA-SIN
Singapore Airways Non-public Room and Singapore 777-300ER First Class SIN-HKG
Hong Kong and the Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui
Cathay Pacific’s The Wing Lounge and 747 First Class HKG-SFO
Numerous individuals have achieved unimaginable issues. For instance: Jesus, Sean Connery, and I’m in all probability leaving out a number of others.
Roughly 3-4 years in the past (I attempted to search out the precise date by trying again by way of my journals, however then I remembered I don’t hold a journal) I began following the weblog of a man named Chris Guillebeau at www.chrisguillebeau.com. Once I occurred throughout his web site for the primary time, I had the identical first thought a lot of you in all probability did, “this man ought to’ve named his web site one thing simpler to spell.” However my second thought was, “that is genius-level stuff right here, not solely does he hack frequent flyer applications however he additionally appears to steer a reasonably fulfilled life.” My third thought was “I would like a sandwich”. Anyhoo, again to Chris. This can be a man who, when he turned 30, got here up with an incredible aim: to go to each nation on the planet by his thirty fifth birthday.
What I favored about his aim is it was very large (targets must be formidable), very measurable (as an alternative of “I ought to journey extra”, he outlined his aim as visiting all international locations acknowledged as such by the UN), and he made it very public (you want accountability when setting targets, inform individuals, it’ll give everybody a stake in it). He had traveled to fairly a number of by 30, and solely had one thing like 120 left and rather less than 5 years to do it. Straightforward, proper?
Having been bitten by the journey bug, I adopted his journey with nice curiosity, not solely as he traveled to international locations, but additionally launched two best-selling books and based the World Domination Summit. I’d examine 5 international locations he had visited in 2-3 weeks and would suppose “oh yeah, properly I had an excel spreadsheet with TWO VLOOKUPS in it at this time. NESTED VLOOKUPS. Your transfer Guillebeau”. I had reached out to him a number of instances on twitter and he was all the time conscious of his followers, which little question took a little bit of time, so I appreciated his ideas. Within the later a part of 2012, Chris posted on Twitter and Fb that he was going to fulfill his aim and, if we might make it, he was throwing a celebration in Oslo on his thirty fifth birthday to rejoice his last nation (he saved Norway for final because it was a bit simpler to get to than Tuvalu). It had been like 7 months since I had been to Oslo so I figured why not, I’ll go to Oslo once more, as a result of who wants cash anyway (Oslo, and Norway basically, is EXPENSIVE).
One other factor: I might be turning 30 a number of days earlier than the occasion in Oslo, so there was some fairly cool symbolism for me. What could be my large imaginative and prescient and aim for the following 5 years? Earlier than I left, I jotted down some concepts.
My…um…record
As you’ll be able to see, my targets wanted some honing and crafting, and since I’ve returned I’ve had a number of concepts for two and three. Additionally, I had that sandwich. However again to the journey.
I arrived in Oslo very late on Saturday evening. Oslo’s Gardermoen airport is completely attractive, plenty of good wooden trim and minimalist design cues that make it appear like an enormous Ikea. I proceeded on to the Radisson Blu lodge that’s subsequent to the airport terminal. The bizarre factor about Norway is that not one of the big-time lodge chains with which I’ve loyalty factors have any inns there (there was briefly a Doubletree in Oslo, take note of this reality), so I needed to pay for a lodge room with cash. Ugh. $200 later, I arrived at my room within the Blu, and I instantly bought the blues (HA!).
Okay, it actually wasn’t that dangerous. Besides there have been suspicious trying stains everywhere. The mattress was comfortable and it had free breakfast. These are actually the 2 methods to my coronary heart, and I figured a lot of the remainder of the journey was free so I might abdomen a number of nights paying for a lodge.
My sui…er…room
Like I mentioned, I arrived late at evening and the restaurant was already closed, so I did the one factor that felt proper…yup, you guessed it, I paid $8 for an enormous bundle of chocolate candies from the lodge minibar. Cash properly spent, and doubtless the most affordable meal attainable in Oslo.
I awoke the following morning prepared and rearing to…fall again asleep. Okay, I awoke for the second time extra prepared and re…nope, again to sleep. FINALLY I wakened, showered, and ready to fulfill up with a gaggle of individuals attending the social gathering who have been having espresso in Oslo then have been going to sightsee a bit earlier than the social gathering. Regardless of my gregarious character and basic obnoxiousness I’m truly fairly an introvert and get nervous assembly new individuals, so this was going to be a enjoyable problem for me.
I went again to the airport to catch the Flytoget Categorical practice into Oslo (“flytoget” is Norweigan for “give us all of your cash ha ha”), and earlier than I did that I went forward and checked in for my flight the following morning so I might choose an excellent seat. I headed all the way down to the practice platform and was quickly on my method to Oslo’s metropolis centre. Oslo has a very nice central practice station, however I bypassed that. Final 12 months after I got here to Oslo I didn’t actually have a map or sense of path or plan for what to do in Oslo, so I bought to know the central station properly as I confusedly tried to search out my approach round city. Fortunately I knew the place I used to be going this time, since I used to be staying at the very same lodge as final 12 months (it was a Doubletree, then abruptly it was now not a Doubletree).
I arrived on the station referred to as Nationaltheatret (“Nationaltheatret” is Norweigan for “..ha we’re nonetheless laughing at how a lot the categorical practice value”) and headed in the direction of the familiarity of what’s now referred to as Oslo Metropolis Centre Lodge. It’s a descriptive if not artistic identify for a lodge that was within the metropolis centre and proper across the nook from the place the social gathering could be that evening. As I turned the nook onto the boulevard resulting in the lodge, I used to be greeted by a coOHMYGOSHITWASSOCOLD.
The coldness.
I scampered in my gentle jacket (as a result of solely a moron would come to Norway in early April and never carry a heavy jacket) over to the lodge and was fortunately allowed an early check-in to my room. I like this lodge as a result of regardless of the placement the costs are affordable and the rooms are good and up-to-date. There have been additionally no suspicious stains, for which I used to be grateful. That mentioned, the rooms are small. Like actually small. Like this was the one actual angle I might get type of small.
I didn’t make the mattress earlier than I left SO SUE ME.
I met the crew at a restaurant in Oslo. So as to get there I needed to stroll previous the parliament constructing, which was good and a distraction from the chilly.
Parliament Constructing, or Stortingsbygningen
They have been, as anticipated, all very good with all kinds of various tales: the place they have been from, why they’d come, why didn’t I carry a heavier jacket, and so on. We had espresso and bought to know one another (there have been in all probability 30 of us there). One of many group was a Norweigan who occurred to reside a number of blocks away, so we volunteered him to be our tour information and present us round. A member of our group had heard that there was a well-known sculpture park in Oslo, and Jorgen (zie Norweigan from final sentence) instructed us it wasn’t too distant, just some metro stops. We made our approach all the way down to the subway, however on the best way noticed Oslo Cathedral and needed to cease for an image.
Oslo Cathedral
So, we bought onto the subway with all of the grace of a cement truck driving by way of a nitroglycerin plant and have been on our approach. A number of quick stops later and we arrived within the Frogner suburb of Oslo and made our method to Frogner Park, website of the well-known Vigelandsanlegget, Gustav Vigeland’s sculpture association. My temporary analysis (which consisted of asking Jorgen “the place the heck are we going”) led me to the conclusion that this was just like the Central Park of Oslo (my phrases, not his). We arrived by way of a set of huge gates to a beautiful park on a largely sunny day and OH MY GOSH WHY ARE ALL THE SCULPTURES OF NAKED PEOPLE.
properly HEY
So, our ol’ buddy Gustav apparently thought often about people utilizing sexuality as a way to method the divine, and these statues, have been, um, reflective of that.
“Approaching the divine”, or, one thing that rhymes with grape.
So, I’ll admit I’ve felt much less uncomfortable in my life, however the Norweigans round us have been having a grand time having fun with the sunny climate, ambling about and taking footage of all of the nudity. My digital camera wanted a break from all of it, so I took footage (under) of Nothing In Explicit
Bridge railing
Selfie of your creeped out creator
All people was having fun with themselves although, and I actually loved attending to know everybody. Everybody was distinctive and remarkably snug with the place they have been in life and what they have been doing. I’m going by way of a little bit of a transition part proper now, so it was good to bounce concepts off them and get their ideas. Additionally, it was very nice to fulfill somebody and actually really feel such as you’re assembly THEM, not some entrance or picture they attempt to preserve (that alone was definitely worth the journey, as that’s one thing with which I wrestle).
Oh sure, random individual that was questioning, there have been additionally bare infants. That is apparently one of many extra well-known sculptures within the park.
wait, why have been you questioning if there have been child statues?! And why is the sky teal?!
The Serbians have been confused too (after all there have been Serbians there)
So this entire time, there’s this large sculpture off within the distance that regarded, properly, reasonably phallic. As we bought nearer, we noticed what it truly was: reasonably phallic. But it surely wasn’t simply phallic, it was a bunch of bare individuals stacked on prime of one another to resemble, erm, one thing phallic. Did I get an image? I didn’t. I attempted to get some much less nude footage of the park, which turned out good.
The park
Liked this view, needs to be even higher when the timber are in bloom
After this, we left the park and took a protracted stroll to a metro station to move again to town centre. We walked by way of a residential neighborhood, which I beloved. It’s nice to get away from the vacationer melee and see the place individuals reside. Everybody agreed it regarded good and really peaceable.
That evening all of us celebrated with Chris on the Finish of the World social gathering. Why the Finish of the World? As a result of Chris reached the top of it, he’s been in every single place now. It’s an incredible accomplishment, and I’m proud to say I used to be there to assist him ring it in. There was a beautiful band, nice (open) bar (that become a money bar later, and eek), and a really significant thanks from Chris. I all the time neglect to take plenty of footage throughout occasions like this, however I’m certain if you happen to google you’ll discover all kinds of images of the occasion.
Oslo named a pub after me!
The band (I forgot the identify, however they have been good)
a FANTASTIC cake
I stole this picture from Chris, sorry dude! http://zeley.store/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/end-of-world.jpg
Numerous individuals have been interviewed, speaking about why they got here, and so on. Magda (subsequent to videographer) determined she needed to assist.
After a incredible night (solely barely marred by paying what turned out to be $24 for a Purple Bull and Vodka) I returned to my lodge, my coronary heart full. It’s an unimaginable factor to witness somebody doing what’s most essential to them and utilizing their items. Now think about being round 100+ individuals from 18 international locations who’re all at numerous levels of that concept and it’s laborious to not be moved.
After a quick sleep my alarm went off at 3:45am. I needed to get again to the airport to start out the journey house. The great distance house.
The cool Ikea-looking check-in at OSL
