If you read last week's column, you know that Don and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary recently. We decided that we wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. Very special.
What we came up with was a cruise. In Norway. In January.
Now, you probably know that Norway in January is not exactly a warm climate. In fact, they have this thing called "winter" there. So you might be asking yourself, "Self, why would a Florida girl like Laura go someplace where the chances are she's going to be freezing at some point?"
Three words. The Northern Lights.
Don and I have wanted to see the Northern Lights for a very long time. Yes, we have pictures of them, but somehow it's not the same as actually seeing them live.
Guess what? Best time to see the Northern Lights is around this time. So Don and I, having never claimed to be sane, decided a Norwegian cruise in January was just the thing to do.
Of course, we may be crazy, but we aren't stupid. We realized that our existing wardrobe was inadequate for the trip we had in mind. This meant we had to go shopping for new clothes, preferably things that would prevent us from becoming human popsicles.
This took multiple shopping trips and consulting with people wiser than we are about what to bring to this cold foreign land. We wound up buying a lot more stuff than we needed, but Don told me that was OK because we could use some of it in those rare occasions it actually gets cold in Sebring.
Packing everything we wanted to bring with us proved to be an adventure in physics. It didn't help that Don wanted to bring everything plus the kitchen sink. Don't get me wrong, we needed almost everything we've brought but someone explain to me why my husband thought it was a good idea to bring the bathroom scale to Norway. (Don proudly refers to himself as a "board-certified nag" when it comes to "therapeutic lifestyle choices).
Getting to Norway isn't a simple affair. It has taken a day and three airplanes to get here. Because our second plane was late getting to Denmark (I am sure there is a good reason we had to go to Norway via Denmark) we came close to missing our last connecting flight. It is not fun trying to rush through an unfamiliar airport when you are sleep deprived. Trust me.
By the way, what I noted of the Copenhagen Airport as we rushed along was very pretty. I must see it again sometime when I can actually appreciate it.
Nevertheless, we did get to Norway with all of our luggage and most of our mental faculties. After a much needed nap, we decided to explore the town of Bergen where we will be boarding our cruise ship.
My next column will be about the trip itself. That is assuming I don't lose what's left of my brain in one of the may fjords around here. Stay tuned.
Sunday, January 20, 2013 - www.newssun.com/col-012013-ware