Finding sea legs

OSLO, Dec. 11, 11:25A local time

Been up for about an hour, and am still struggling to move. Might have something to do with getting two hours of sleep the night before and about six hours last night. At least the two stories were filed. Look for one on BlackAmericaWeb.com and the other on Philly.com or in the pages of the Philadelphia Daily News. I have to make sure I'm in a cafe or something by 5P local time to engage in the Daily News web chat about the Nobel Prize hoo-ha. Excited about that one! Hoping there will be some folks on the line. Scratch that. Some sane folks on the line. Should be fun regardless!

Okay. Gotta get moving. There are press credentials to pick up for tonight's concert. Donna Summer. Wyclef Jean. Toby Keith. Esperanza Spalding -- who played at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony yesterday. It's going to be a full line up.

The Obamas already are outta here, off to Denmark. I'll be following the climate change discussion shortly. But for the few hours left in Oslo, there is plenty to explore. And hark! There is a glimmer of sun out today! Be still my heart!

Demonstrations -- the freaks come out at night!

OSLO, Dec. 10, 7:15P local time

Now that the Obamas and their guests are safely tucked inside the annual Nobel Peace Prize banquet, out comes the real rabble-rousers for peace. Or so they say.

At least there wasn't an Obama-burning-in-effigy moment. So it wasn't quite tea bagger. Think more anti-WTO. About the same level of passion and grunge. The Ron-Paul-for-real-hope-and-change signs were classic!

There were "No Awards for Imperialist Wars" and "Bring Home the Troops" signs. A little drumming. But mostly, people shouted down nuclear war and proliferation. And they voiced, more loudly, a concern that continues to resonate: how do you award a peace prize to someone conducting a war?

The protesters were well on the other side of the park, and far away from the tight grip that is security for heads of states at functions such as this. No worries about the restless storming the troops. There may have some bits captured on NRK, state television.

But I'm sure as the Obamas and others ate, drank, danced and made merry, they heard little of those tramping down the street. Though later they may have smelled the remnants of the hand-held paper and wood torches.

Oslo -- arrival that never stopped moving

OSLO, Dec. 8, 10:21P, local time.

Well, I was NOT able to wrangle the window seat, so I was relegated to the aisle. By the time we took off, it was about my “normal” bedtime, nearly 1A. With just a two-hour flight, I was so just ready to shut my eyes for a few more hours than what that quick nod afforded. Landed in Oslo, and there was not much time to jump to the races.

The airport is quite modern in design, with hardwood, glass and chrome accents that are appealing. The biggest thing that strikes you when  you enter the baggage terminal is the big-behind “DUTY FREE” signage for the local shop. It almost looked akin to a small grocery store – or at least a decent-sized CVS. Your usual staples were abound – perfumes, candy, alcohol. Ever notice how the duty-free shops tend to offer those items that men usually would take to their significant other (married or otherwise) to smooth things over after a rough patch? Everything except flowers.

After taking care of myself in probably one of the cleanest and neatest public restrooms ever, I hauled my bag from the carousel and launched full blast into the day.

It's cold, but not as cold as at home. Raw would be a better descriptor. And gray. Almost like a flashback to Oregon. (Shudder) Love the train system here, with the clean seats that flip up so luggage and groceries can easily sit on the floor next to you. But they were NOT kidding about the cost of things here! Sheesh! I can’t say I can complain about much when it comes to food prices or travel in the States any time soon! Roundtrip on the airport shuttle: about $50. Quick calzone and drink: about $20. I haven’t blown this much money in one day outside of a mall in a long time. Holding the budget for the rest of the trip in tact will take a miracle.

Too late to fret over such things now. We are in full swing, after doing the post-flight-shower-and-change. The day's first official interview came at the Nobel Peace Prize museum. Two must-see exhibits are set for public viewing: From King to Obama and Obama: A call to action. The former tracks how the relationship of the two laureates and their supporters made this moment in time possible. The latter is still under construction and is set to debut Thursday. Will fill in the details about the preview I took in this afternoon after I catch up on some serious sleep.

Daddy O is set to touch down tomorrow, and watching the promo on the local news team proves it's gonna be bananas!

On a jet plane to Oslo

FRANKFURT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Dec. 8, 2009. 7:08A, local time.

Well, I can say it’s huge. Great shopping opportunities, though I am dismayed to see “New Moon” posters plastered on the windows of the bookstore/newsstand shop. I mean, really. You fly across the ocean to escape some of the mundane and less than appealing parts of our culture only to have it splattered in your face. At least it wasn’t more on the Tiger drama.

So the flight over wasn’t too bad. Never a fan of turbulence, it seems to find me whenever I fly these days. The forgiving part is that it was raining, so considering, the crew did an outstanding job. Looking further, it was a pretty sizable plane, and I had a window seat with a pretty decent neighbor, so I was good. A soldier, from Minnesota, southwestern area where it snows in the plains but no hills to ski or board. He was charming.

We both watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on our respective screens. Fresh-faced and anticipating a life in the service. Earnest. Spoke a few German phrases. Eager to get some rest. I’m sure he will have many more miles to go before that happens. I thanked him for his service, and said a silent prayer for him and his comrades. They all looked like kids, really. Younger than my cousins. I am probably almost old enough to be his mother.

As I sit charging my phone at this cubicle I’ve found, I realize the telecommunications companies have a true racket. Not a T-Mobile member, I don’t feel like ponying up the requisite Euros or dollars to gain access to my Facebook, email, or blog accounts for 60 minutes. Not when I’ll be in the air in about that time. There are plenty of other diversions I’ve lugged along on this trip, primarily on my iPod. Can’t beat music, books, and podcasts in that compact package. Kicking myself daily for not having bought one earlier, but this next-gen Nano is the truth!

It’s dark out. Rainy still. Locally, it’s a little after 7A. Will be boarding in about 15 minutes. The flight to Oslo doesn’t seem overwhelmingly crowded. Maybe I can swap out my aisle seat for a window for the two hours I’ll be on the plane.

Still trying to figure out how I will stay awake all day. Literally, we’re into Tuesday, and I haven’t closed my eyes on Monday yet, as it’s about my normal bedtime now. But after I’m off the plane, I’ll be on the go until well after sundown – especially since sundown is at 3P or so. Sheesh.

Now I know why they call Norway “Land of the Midnight Sun.” We’ll see how this sunbaby recharges with just 7 hours of sunlight to go on daily for the next week. Should be interesting to say the least!

Time to shut this down. Gotta try and wrangle that window seat in the moments I have before boarding.