- Travel on the Rail -

Part 2

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How sleepy. I could not sleep very well maybe because of the time difference. It is 6:30 am, which is 2:30 pm in Japan. I had breakfast in the hotel. It is a real smorgasbord!; I can have bread, ham, coffee, and so on as I would like.

Eurail Youthpass

First, I went to the station to date on my Eurail Pass. It is "Eurail Youthpass" that I can use the 2nd class seat of any trains in the countries of the western Europe except UK and including Hungary for a month. It is 47,600 yen.

I am going to Oslo in Norway directly within today. The train I am getting on is #462 that is starting at 9:47 am. As believing the rumor that trains are not so crowded here, I went to the platform 5 minutes before starting after parting from the two men that we had stayed at the same hotel last night. Red cars with DSB (Danish Railways) on the side are already there, which is for Oslo. It looks like Type-50 of JR (Japan Railways) a little.

It is so crowded! Who told me the lie that it is not crowded! I managed to find a seat, but I could not check what locomotive will pull and what cars are with this train. Soon it started as the timetable. I am in the compartment for 6 people. I am Japanese so it is awkward for me to stay here with people I have never met. But it is comfortable to sit on the seat, with a height-variable headrest, and a beautiful woman just before me.

Common scenery in the suburb has passed in the outside of the window, but I have one interesting thing on the further way. It is the train to be loaded on the ferry. This train will be loaded on the ferry with the passengers and crosses the sea to the opposite side. At 10:20 am, as arriving in Helsingor where is the eastern edge in Denmark, 4 cars of the back side of the train was loaded onto the ferry, and motorcars are also coming on the same deck.

Then, the customs officer appeared. It is a international route though it will take only 20 minutes because the opposite side Helsingborg is in Sweden. They are one woman and two men, and she seems to be their boss. Below is the conversation between her and me.

The customs "Blablabla..."
Me "Pardon?"
The customs "Blabla... Do you speak English?"
Me "Ah, just a little"
The customs "Just a little... (A moment. And slowly) We're the customs officers. Don't you have anything to declare?"
Me "(Insisting 'No') Yes."
The customs "No?"
Me "Ye..., oh, I mean 'No'"

This is my ability of English conversation.

At 10:40, we arrived in Helsingborg. I am now in Sweden, my second country of the northern Europe, but today I am just passing through. Here, other cars of Swedish Railways (SJ) were added to us, and soon, lots of passengers came into the train. One girl of them is talking something to me. She must be saying that the seat I am sitting has been reserved by her. Unwillingly I gave her the seat. I have no idea about how to see the difference of reserved seats and non-reserved ones because they are in the same cars in Europe.

I cannot take my seat after that! The next cars of SJ are also in the same situation. I have no choice but to wait for my seat, but I expect it is soon. And, 3 hours later, I finally could take my seat in Goteborg at 14:15 as many passengers got off there. I am so tired that I have decided in the compartment for 8 people that is a little smaller than the ones of DSB to reserve my seat by all means before getting on a train.

I could not sleep well again. I am having breakfast as rubbing my sleepy eyes. It is 7:00 am. The sky in Oslo that is Norway's capital is still dark, where is already my third country in the northern Europe.

Hotel Fonix I am staying is charging no less than 240 NOK (about 4,800 yen) for a night, but the room is smaller and they serve the same plates for breakfast as the cheaper hotel in Copenhagen last night. With thinking so, I am staying tonight too.

Oslo Card

I am going to walk around Oslo all the day. First, I got Oslo Card at the station, which is 75 NOK to use the trams, the subways, and the buses in the city all the day. I walked around here and there hard with it because the more I use it, the more I can save money.

I caught the tram that was with 2 cars, and got off at Frogner Park. This park consists of only a sculptor Vigeland's works who was from Oslo, and also is a place of recreation and relaxation for the people of the city. But I, that is not so interested in arts, cannot see the differences of each work, so got tired of it soon.

Oslo Cathedral and a tram	Frogner Park

Next, I got on the subway. It is so strange for me. Though it is a subway, only 1 car goes out of the underground and climbs a mountain up and up. Also, we have to push the button before getting off, otherwise it will pass the station. On the subway, I suddenly thought up that I would like Norwegian to get on Marunouchi Line (a subway in Tokyo).

The top of the mountain the subway is climbing is Holmenkollen, and a skiing jump base is there, which was used for Oslo Olympic Games in winter of 1952. I could look down the city of Oslo from the observatory in the jump base.

A stave church in Norwegian Folk Museum

After that, I went to "The Kon Tiki Museum" that a Viking boat is exhibited and "Norwegian Folk Museum" that a traditional Norwegian village has been reproduced in the open air, and walked through the center of the city as singing (a melody of) "Take on me" by a-ha before coming back to the hotel in the evening. For today's supper, I ate bread with ham in the room. It is the same as yesterday. So empty...

To be continued

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