Flying from Manila to Norway took about 16 hours, not including the 22-hour layover in Dubai. Our itinerary in Norway was to start with an overnight stay near the Oslo Airport before flying to the arctic circle for the first major leg of our trip: Tromso. Initially I booked a hotel in the Oslo city center for our first night in Norway, but decided later on to book a hotel closer to the airport instead because around early March we saw in the news that there were delays in train schedules to and from Oslo to the airport due to heavy snowfall. We did not want to risk missing our early flight to Tromso should there be a similar scenario by the time we arrive in Norway.

Prior to arriving at Norway, D and I downloaded the Ruter app, which was to help us purchase bus tickets for commuting around the Oslo area. It was 5 degrees Celsius in Norway when we arrived, a drastic temperature drop from Dubai’s 27 degrees, and for a moment I was nervous if my clothes were thick enough to keep me warm throughout our stay. The hotel that we stayed at, the Cathinka Guldbergs Hotell, was 8 kilometers away from the airport. Fortunately it was right in front of the Lokevegen bus stop, so we did not have to walk in the cold for a long time.

Our hotel was located in the same building as the Lovisenberg Rehabilitation Center. The receptionist greeted us with a warm welcome, and when we advised that we would be checking out early at 6AM the next day, he said that he would arrange for our breakfast to be packed in a box for us since the restaurant opens at 7AM.

We settled in our room where I changed into warmer clothes, then we headed out to commute to the nearest town, Jessheim, for early dinner.

We went to Jessheim Storsenter, a shopping complex consisting of shops, cafes, restaurants and boutiques. While I did some window shopping, D purchased a sim for our pocket Wi-Fi at Telia.

We had dinner at Sumo Restaurant, where I tasted the best poke I have had to date, their Sim-Sim Poke. It was salmon on rice with teriyaki sauce, edamame, avocado and strawberries. We also had Yume Sakura on the side, which was a prawn tempura maki fusion. This was our first meal in Norway, and food-wise, we were off to a good start.

The next day, we checked out early to catch the 6:10AM bus to the airport. Though the sunrise was not vibrant, we excitedly anticipated our arrival to Tromso, where the forecast for that day was clear skies. We were ready for our adventure.