26th of September, 2022.
Hitchhiking in Norway.
People are actually really nice. They smile and apologize for not being able to take me. And they look very sincere. Two or three guys offer to take me a bit further, just after the airport or so, but I decide that here is such a good spot, so I should try to get at least one hour driving from here or so. Also, there is the rain.
But soon enough, I guess what it is the most casual reaction to my hitchhiking sign happens. A man filling his car with fuel, simply look at me and say: “Yes! Come on in!”. Laugh. It is so sudden and so unexpected, that I don’t really know how to react. I ask him if I should just bring my backpacks, to what he answers also yes.
William tells me he is not going all the way to Trondheim but I am fine with that. Once in the car, I get to know he is going about 100 Km further, which is great. And we start chatting about my travels and other things. William is going to drop off his car to be fixed and he is coming back to Oslo by train. By the highest wooden building in the world, he drops me off in a gas station.
By that gas station there is another one. By the second gas station there is a McDonald’s. I ask William to drop me off in the first one. But after a few minutes there, I decide to go by the other one.
A few people have been really nice on answering me but nobody is going towards Trondheim…? Then I look up and see many spiders just over my head. One already half way to the floor. But mysteriously she misses and pass straight through the metal grid to the underground. Poor thing.
At this precise moment, the attendant from the shop come and, very politely, asks me if I can move a bit away from the door, or even inside, with the courtesy of a coffee on the house, because every time I move and the door opens, there is a bell ringing inside. Ops! So-rry!
I move away but soon after that, an elderly man tells me my chances would be better in the other gas station. Argh! Talking with the attendant, he says it might be a good idea. I go all the way back again. Two blocks.
After more than 3 hours waiting and some people being really nice and sorry for not being able to take me, a guy with blue eyes and pink lips also passes by and say he is not going that far. When he is almost leaving and tell me he can actually drive me about 15 Km, to another gas station, which can have less locals and more people going further distances, I accept. OK, OK, perhaps that was not entirely because I though he was cute, but also for this rule I have that, if you are staying in the same place for too long, better move even just a little bit than nothing, but still, that was stupidity.
Stupidity because I felt it was the wrong move. When I get inside the car, I start to have not the best feeling from him. Actually, I felt it even when I was talking to him through the window. I should know that there was something wrong and haven’t got in the car. There were three other cars I was just about to go and ask about it, but instead, I ignored my feelings and drove away with the guy I thought it was cute. If I haven’t done that, perhaps I would have arrived in Trondheim. Who knows!
He does not say or ask anything unappropriated. But I have the feeling he is about to at any moment, so I keep him busy with some topics, talking about my travels and stuff, trying to stop him of giving me motives to be mad at myself for being so stupid. Actually, it is a bit of Espen’s fault. Just saying. What can I do if I couldn’t stop thinking about him and his hug?
To make matters worse, he drops me off in a gas station which is located in the wrong side of the road. What? Just like that? Ai, ai… what to do? Luckily, I was paying attention during the drive and notice another gas station, this time in the right side, only a few kilometres before, so when these lovely elderly couple stops by and tell me they are going to Oslo, I ask them if they can drop me off back in that station. They say yes!
They are actually very sweet and I quickly tell them about my journey. I was counting on them dropping me off in the gas station across the road, so I would find my way to the other gas station, but they drive me all the way there without even asking me! When I mention how kind they are for doing that, the man only says “Ah, I hate seeing people getting wet”. Yep, it is still raining. After saying goodbye to this lovely couple, I start hitchhiking towards Trondheim (again) in this almost desert gas station.
When Larsh enters the shop and I ask him about Trondheim he says not to be going there. But when he comes out, he offers to drive me to Lillehammer, only a bit over 40 Km from here, where there is a truck stop. I take it!
The drive looks much longer for the mount of talk we have. Really good talk! Larsh is a masseuse and is also very interested in yoga, meditation, cycling and in nature. We have a lot of thoughts in common about the world so it is nice to talk to him.
When we arrive to Lillehammer it is raining and almost night time, so instead of dropping me off somewhere he invites me to sleep over in his couch. Wow! How sweet! I accept, of course!
At his condo, with the most amazing view of Mjøsa Lake, the largest lake in Norway, we talk a bit more, watch some television, drink some ginger beer, I have my dinner, he has some snacks, and around 8.30 p.m., he goes to visit a friend. I go to sleep at 10 p.m., and he hasn’t return yet.
Next morning, after breakfast, Larsh drives me out of town, to a gas station, where I can carry on with my journey to Trondheim.
10 Years Around the World 