That Airport Feeling

There’s something so magical about airports to me, and I marvel at the wonderful feeling of it whenever I experience it. It fascinates me that this feeling never goes away!

Maybe it’s the strong feeling of Wanderlust that I always carry that keeps this magic alive. Knowing that being at an airport is the first checkpoint for a new adventure to a destination far from home. It’s especially exciting whenever I’m headed to a place where I haven’t ventured before.

This time around, I’m not traveling to a completely new destination, but in many ways, it will be a totally new experience. I’ve traveled quite a few times to Amsterdam as a kid, together with my dad. The last time I was there was about 18 years ago. I remember it as a place where I felt very much at home, and the vibe was fantastic. Maybe it’s an unconsciously feeling of going back to my roots? I do have a Dutch last name, but it goes so far back in the family history that we have no other connection to the Netherlands, other than feeling at home there and carrying the name. But even so, I have come to love the language while learning it, and I always seem to easily connect with the people and now I get to experience it as an adult for the first time. Maybe my Dutch heritage is what made my dad and I live on a boat when I was a kid and has me dreaming of living on a houseboat on the Amsterdam canals (which I totally plan on doing sometime in the future) while being a free soul and live off of my creativity? Who knows?!

But here I am now, ready to finally explore and experience Amsterdam in a new way and I’m all giddy with excitement! I’ve been wanting to go back for such a long time!

So I’m sitting here at the airport, filled with Wanderlust and excitement while I’m taking in all of the impulses of the airport around me. The people, the sounds, the music, the coffee and the smells. But most of all, I’m very mindful of the feeling of gratitude for being able to travel on a trip like this. I feel incredibly lucky and for every time that I go on a new adventure like this, it becomes more and more clear that I’m meant to wander and to explore. This is one of the many ways that I grow, and like I’ve mentioned, 2018 is all about growth! So let’s go on a new adventure!

Zie jullie in Amsterdam💛

The Time to Leave Will Come

I’ve been living in Oslo on and off for about 11-12 years now, and having spent a decade in a city, there are bound to be some memories attached to it.

I’ve gone through relationships, dating, heartbreak, friendships, disappointment and utter joy here, and pretty much everywhere I go that’s close to central Oslo is a walk down memory lane.

I did a post a few years back about my hometown being filled with ghosts of my past. I guess I have my good share of ghosts in Oslo now as well. And on the not so good days, it’s easy to mistake a city full of memories for a graveyard of dreams that didn’t come true.

I can follow the steps from first dates until breakup throughout the city. Seeing places where I nervously waited, the street corner where I got a first kiss, the club where we danced, the spot by the ocean where we spent hours talking, to the bench where it ended, and all the places in between.

I’ve had my heart broken to pieces twice in this city, and I can find the pieces spread out when I walk through it, lost in thoughts of the past.

You guys know that I like to keep my focus forward and to stay positive, but it’s also important to mention that having that kind of mindset can be really difficult some days. I have my bad days, just as everyone else does, and sometimes when they come I just can’t stand to walk around from gravestone to gravestone of lost love.

On a good day though, I can look at them as statues of where my personality and beliefs were shaped into what they are today. On good days (which are most days) I can walk from spot to spot and smile nostalgically as the shadows of past events play out before my eyes.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that staying in one place for a long time can be challenging, and I really do get why sometimes leaving to start anew can be the best choice.

Would I leave Oslo if I could? Probably. I feel very drawn to other places, and I can easily picture myself living somewhere different. But even so, I do love this city for all the journeys it has taken me on, and all the lessons I’ve learned❤

And I do look forward to new journeys and lessons that will take place in this city, before the time comes for me to move on.

 

Dear British Airways

Our relationship started a short while back and I had to say that when we first met, Friday a week ago, I was very pleasantly surprised. You made everything so easy and comfortable for me, and when it was time for food, you were thoughtful about my preferences. I was met with smiles and good fun, and I thought to myself that this could be the start of a long lasting relationship.

I even missed you when I had to get a ride from your friend American Airlines for the majority of my way back home yesterday. When I got to Heathrow though, I could see that we were scheduled to be reunited once more, if only for the couple of hours it would take me to get from London to Oslo. I was looking forward to it, I really was!

Then you stood me up. I waited and waited. For hours I sat around, just hoping to at least hear from you. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I had to hear from a third party that you were delayed because of some technical issues. That’s okay, shit happens! So I settled myself with a coffee and my book, and kept on waiting. The rumours started spreading throughout Terminal 5 about you standing us up completely, so after reading a couple of chapters I went looking for someone who could give me more information.

It took a while to even find anyone who could actually answer my questions, but when I found that person, I was told that things were very uncertain. The only thing she could tell me for sure was that our date was definitely cancelled. After seven hours of waiting I got in the line (that hardly moved) to get help from your coworkers. I knew that the chances of getting a ride home that day wasn’t going to happen, but at least they would have to help me find a place to sleep, right?

After standing in line for an hour and a half though, a female friend of yours came up to us and told us that standing in that line wouldn’t do any good. All they could do when one got up to the counter was answering questions about rebooking and reimbursement. We would all have to stand in a new looooong line just to be able to get out of the airport, then we’d have to find a place to sleep and try to get in touch with you the next morning.

I was overwhelmed, jet lagged and utterly exhausted. I ended up calling my mom in tears, telling her that I had no idea how or when I would be able to get home to Norway, and even worse I struggled to just find a place to spend the night. I had a mini-breakdown right there in Terminal 5, because I felt so stood up and left out to dry.

You weren’t there and I felt like event though we’d spent some good times together, I no longer mattered to you.

That being said, the friends of yours that I did get in touch with at the airport they tried the best they could to lift my spirit. They gave me the help they could, even though it wasn’t much. And I feel bad for all of them, as well as all of us travellers.

When all of this is settled, I think I’m going to have to reconsider our future relationship.

The fact of the matter is this:

I’m angry and very disappointed. Not for the fact that some power surge ended up with me being stranded in London for who knows how long. Not for the fact that I’m here, and I have no idea where my luggage is. The reason why this is getting to me is the utter and complete lack of communication. There were children all over the airport crying and asking about when they would be able to go on their long awaited holiday. People who’d been away from their family and friends for months, just trying to get home. Old people who couldn’t stand in line for hours just to get information.

I looked around and saw plenty of speakers throughout the airport. Why on earth were we not given any kind of general information through those? Why did we all have to seek out airport staff to get the minimal amount of information that they had been given? Like I said; Shit happens! I get it! You can’t be prepared for everything, but at least help us out when you screw up. Give some kind of information so that people know what they should be doing.

So, what now?

I honestly don’t know much. I stranded in London. Luckily there was an available private room at St. Christopher’s Inn (the hostel I stayed in last time I was in London), so I have a place to stay. They won’t let me get my luggage, so now I have to go and get some clothes and toiletries for today and tomorrow. I can’t get through to British Airways’ customer service line, and they’ve told us to not show up at the airport. The only thing I know is that I won’t get home until earliest tomorrow, but I might have to stay here until Tuesday.

So I’m pretty much stranded, but at least I’m in one of my favorite citys. The sun is out and life is too short to stay mope around, so I’m going to go and lay down with a book in Hyde Park, keep trying to get a hold of British Airways on the phone, and pretend that I’m just still on holiday.

Life is a journey, not a destination, and sometimes the journey takes us on completely different paths than what you expected.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful Sunday!