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9[◆.......................................................................]0110
Ç
üTheNorwegiansgoDutch!
Part3
AliensinAmsterdam-TheAftermath!
Ç
ThefollowingpersonshavecontributeddirectlytothispartoftheQuest
article,inorderofappearance:
* KaiHolst
*LeifEinarClaus
*RichardKarsmakers
ü##########################################################################
Ç
üAmsterdam,January2nd,1993
Ç12:05
WejustgotoffthetrainfromUtrecht.Thebeginningofourreturnisa
fact.Wehaveleftthattownofimmortalfun,greattimesandnicepeople,
andarecurrentlyonthelookoutforahotel,thingsthatareworthyof
beingfilmed,aplacetochangemoney,lockersfortheluggageaswellas
stunningfemales(Seetheabovepartonfilming),"we"meaningmyself,
LeifandRichard.Thetrainjourneywaseventless;Richardwasreading
somethingbyTerryPratchett,andLeifandIwerehavingfunstudyinga
sixteen-yearsoldwhoseemedtosufferfromaseverehangover(it'salways
funtocommentloudlyonpeoplewhenyouareaforeigner!).Wearegoing
tosomebook-,computer-andmusic-shopsheretoday,butfirstwehaveto
actuallyfindahotelwherewecanlive.
Kai
14:38
Findingahotelwasn'tthathardinfact.Itjustmeantstandingina
queueattheTouristInformationCentreforaboutanhour,constantly
fendingoffevilpick-pocketsand(Hey,thisisline42onthePortfolio!)
sleazygaysofferingcheaplodging...Yeah,andalsotheoccasional
scumbagtryingtosellmesomecocaine("äThisisAMSTERDAM,Ç"äÇRichard
remindedustimeandagain).Whymebytheway?DoIlooklikesomeone
desperatelywantingatripofsomekind?Well,IguessIprobablydo!
Anyway,wefinallygotusahotelandhadtobethereearlierthan3pm,
meaningwehadtogotherestraightaway.Somewhatconvenientreally,
sincewecouldstoreourluggagethere.Nowaythatwemanagedtofindus
alocker!
Rightnowbytheway,wearesittingataMcDonaldsconsumingsomeproper
junk-food(Actuallywearefinishedeating,that'swhyI'mtypingnow!),
observinglifearoundusandlifearoundusobservingusback.Interesting
experience!
ThehotelwascalledVerdiandlookedlikeanicelittlebackstreethotel
withatinyorientalwomanbehindthecounter.50guildersisprobablya
normalpricetopay,althoughthatleavesatleastmewithverylittle
lefttoshopfor.
Oh,we'releavingnow!Richardconstantlygoesaroundfindinginteresting
littlebitstoputonhisvideo-tape,soIlookforwardtogettingthat
vid!
Leif
17:20
Inthisverymoment,Richard'strainisdisappearingintothehorizon,or
Çrather,outoftheCentralStation(Almoststartedtopictureasunsetand
alonelytune!).Weshookhishandandsaidgoodbye,werefilmedforthe
lasttime,andthenhewasgone.Ialmostfeelsadbecauseofthisbecause
ofallthegoodtimeswe'vehadwiththisguyandhislovelycompanionin
life(notLeif).Ahhh,nostalgicmemoriesrunthroughmyheadaswestand
inthemiddleoftheCentral.Peoplearewatchinguswithdumblooks,so
wehavedecidedtocatchthefirsttrambacktothehotel.Thetram,by
theway,isnumberfive.
Kai
20:00
Yeah,it'smeagain.Wearecurrentlysitting/lyinginourbedroomat
Verdi's.Leifiswritingsomepostcardstofriends,whereasIalready
finishedthatafewminutesago.IwrotetoJen,theloveofmylife(Not
Leif)andsomeofmypenfriends(Bothbeinggirls),plusanoldclassmate
whomIhadpromisedacard.LeifandIaregoingtogooutlateronto
havesomethingtodrinkandeat(Inthatorderofpriority),andweare
excitedaboutwhatwemightdumpintoinacitythissize.Hopefully,we
willmanagetostayoutoftrouble.
Well,onlythreekBsofaronthePortfolio.NowIshallrest.
Kai
20:20
ThefactthatIwaswritingpostcardswhileKaiwaswritingonthis,
derivesfromthesimpletruththatweactuallyhaveonlygotonepen!
Multitasking?Nope,nowayman!FeelslikeafuckingAmiga(Swearingis
inevitablewhennamingsuchalamethingy).
AsKaisaid(Wrote),wewillbegoingoutsooninordertofindsomething
tosatisfyourdigestivesystemwith.Butrightnowwearejustrelaxing
inourtinyhotel-room.AndImeantiny!Itwouldprobablybemorethan
bigenoughforthoseorientalmicro-organisms(Someverycuteonesbythe
way,althoughtheybarelyreachmywaist!)downstairs,butforfullsized
Norwegianvikings(Ahem!)?Ithinknot!
Leif
20:42
Partytime!Excellent(Wayne'sWorldquote)!Headingfortown!Hopefully
alsoforfun!Bye!
Leif
üRichard'sapartment,Utrecht
Ç 20:48
Sadness.Sadness.Evenmoresadness.
Orperhapsnot.
ItisstrangelysilenthereinUtrecht,Looplantsoen50.TheNorthern
chapshavebeendroppedinAmsterdam,afterashoppingspreethatmade
sureallof'emgotallthepresentstheywantedtotakebackhome.We
partedat17:19,whenmytrainleftbacktoUtrecht.
Somethingwillbaffleyouasyoureadfurtherentriesinthisreal-time
article.Firstofall,youshouldrealizethatallentriesafter10:45are
madeintwocompletelyseparatepersonaluniverses.Oneuniverseconsists
oftwoVikingsandtheirAtariPortfolio,andtheotherconsistsofmeand
myAtariST.Thesehavebeenmixedtogether(forconvenienceI'llusethe
Çpasttensehere,thoughatthismomentintimeit'sfuturetenseforme)
latertoformanintricatedouble-viewoflifeintheNetherlands.
Orsomethinglikethat.
Anyway.InAmsterdamwedidsomemorevideotapingandlotsofshopping,
likeIalreadysaidabove.Leifboughtaparticularloadofstuff,varying
fromT-shirtstoperfume(yes,forhismother).KaiboughtsomebooksI
seemtorecall("MostlyHarmless"forJennifer,whoissortofhis
girlfriendbutshelivesintheUnitedStates).IboughtsomeCDsaswell
-theAmsterdamCDshopBoudisque(oneofthebestintheNetherlands,
togetherwithWhiteNoiseinUtrecht)hadsomecheapversionsofRainbow's
"DifficulttoCure"andDeepPurple's"Machinehead"soIcouldn'tletthem
liethere.OntopofthatIboughtFatesWarning'sexcellent"Parallels".
Idon'treallylikeAmsterdam,bytheway.Theresomuchscumliving
there.Wehadbarelygottenoffthetrainandsomeguywalkeduptous
tryingtoselluscocaine.Ithinkourfreeapproachtothedrugsproblem
ispullingourcountrydownthedrain.Ofcoursesomeofyouwillsay
"Good.Atleastitwillcreatesomeheightdifferences!"butIjusthate
thegood-for-nothingweaklingsthatruleourcountry.They'reallso
bloodyafraidtotakeimpopularmeasures-oratleasttheyseemafraidto
takemeasuresthatmaycausetheloudminoritytostarttoyell.
Iwillquitethis.Areal-timearticleshouldbelight-hearted,nota
loadofpoliticalbullshit.
Thiswillbethelastentrybyme.
Richard
üAmsterdam,SundayJanuary3rd,1993
Ç00:02
Wearebackalready.MainlyduetoLeif'slimitedbudget,butalso
becauseofusbothdesperatelywantsomesleep(IthinkRichardknowswhat
I'mtalkingabout!).
Wehadanextremelyniceexperiencewhilewewereoutontown.Ifyou
everhappentogooutinAmsterdam,youshouldtrytolocatethestreetin
whichthe"HardrockCafé"issituated.Inthatsamestreet,aplacesimply
called"Coffeeshop"issituated(Slogan:"Getdowntoit").Whenwewent
intherewehadalreadyinmindtohaveadecentdrinkinsteadofthetoo
usualHeineken("Heinekenislikemakingloveinacanoo:Fuckingcloseto
water!"),andweaskedaboutcontentsandnamesofthedrinks,andüWEGOT
ONECALLED"KAMIKAZE"ëFORFREEü!!!ÇIfirstcouldn'tbelieveit,butthe
placesimplywasgreat;theatmospherewasnice,thebartenderswere
reallynice,andwethoroughlyendorsedtheplace!!!Andohyeah,the
"HardrockCafé"wasquitenice,aswell.PoorlittleGard;hejustdoesn't
knowwhatheismissing...
Kai
00:27
Well,it'ssortofbedtimenow.Itmustbetheearliestgoingtobedon
thewholeJourney.Maybenotsuchabadideahavingforonceagood
night'ssleep.
Wehadanicetimeoutontowntonight,tryingsomereallynicedrinkson
Coffeeshop.Kamikazewasthefirstonewegot,forfree(Whatanicebunch
ofladstheyareindeed!).Itwasrealgoodinfact,notsostrong(not
exactlymakingyoufeellikewantingtodropyourdive-bomber-planeinto
thenearestAmericanwarship!),butwithaniceflavouroflimeandlemon.
ThesecondoneupwasingeniouslycalledOrgasm,andlastwasPanama,the
strongestofthelot,roundingoffanice(Nicewordthat;"nice"!)
eveningoutontowninAmsterdam.
Seeyoutomorrow,goodnight!
Ç
Leif
10:31
Thatwasbreakfastconsumed.I'vealsohadtimetotakeashowerinthe
probablycommonforHolland,non-Niagrafallswaterpressure.Youalmost
havetoputyourfacewheretheintendedwaterstreamissupposedtobe
andseeifyoudrown,justtomakesurewaterisreallyrunning!
Nicebreakfastbytheway,withsomekindofoperaplayinginthe
background(ProbablyGuiseppeVerdijudgingbythenameofthehotel).
NowwewillgooutinAmsterdamagain,butthistimejustforsight-
seeing.
Leif
10:44
Yeah,thebreakfastwasfast,easytoconsumeandsomehotcoffeecured
myacheingthroatprettyfast.Notcompletelythough,soIamstill
coughingeverynowandthen.Weareinnottoolonggoingtohaveanother
strollthroughAmsterdam,insearchofinterestingsightsandthe
occasionaltouristtrap.Thishotelwearestayingat,Verdi,isownedand
runbyaveryorientalfamilycalledKotero.Wehavesofarmetthemother
andtwoyoungdaughters(maybe14-15and18-19yearsold,respectively)
here,andtheyallprovideexcellentservice.ThisisalsoaplaceIwould
warmlyrecommend.TheiraddressisWanningstraat9.
Ourbudgetsarerunninglow,butwe(atleastI)havestillenoughtoget
us/mesometax-freestuffatSchiphol.PoorLeif(notlife)who'salmost
totallyoutofcash.Life(notLeif)sucks!
Iamdesperatelyhomesick.Ilongtogetbacktodecentshowers,hot
rooms,non-flatlandscape,thesnow,myfamily,mycomputer,myCompact
Disccollection,ourHOUSE,myclassandevenmycats.Thisjourneywas
notlikelastyear,whenIlivedawayfrommyfamilywhileattending
school.Ididn'treallymissthemthen,butIdonow.IsupposeLeifdoes
sotoo,buthemostprobablyjustlongstogetbacktoallofhis12-year
oldgirls...(Perhapsit'sabouttimetostopteasinghimlikethat;heis
actually21yearsoldandasgrownupasonemightexpecthimtobe).
Timetorest.
Kai
üRichard'sapartment,Utrecht
Ç 16:06
IguessI'llwritesomethinganyway.Thesheerthoughtthatmytwo
NorwegianfriendsarestillroaminginAmsterdam(whereallshopsare
closed)doesnotgivemepeace.AlthoughIsleptwelllastnight,Ithink
IwillnotäreallyÇsleepwelluntilIknowthey'rebackhome.
OurplacelooksOKagain.We'veremovedmountainsofhairfromtheedge
ofthetoiletseatandthedeepestbitoftheshower'sfloor,aswellasa
bitten-offnailfromtheguests'bed.
Iamlisteningto"DifficulttoCure"now(thetitlesong,even),which
incidentallyturnedouttobeaCDofanexactlengthof42minutes!
Outsideit'sstillcold,andinsideit'ssortofwarm.Iguesswe'llhave
towatchourgas-andelectricitybillnow,fortheheatinghastoiled
almosttwiceasmuchlastweek,andlightshavebeenoninourplace
almostpermanently(especiallyinthetoilet,wheretheNorwegianseemed
tobeunabletofindthe'off'positionoftheswitch).AndI'mnoteven
mentioningmyaudioequipmentthathassweatedalmostperpetually.
Iwillquitecomplainingnow.Ihaveanentireweekaheadofmythat,
Çapartfromtryingtogetmybiorhythminorderagain,Iintendtouseto
mastermyviruskillerversion5.7.IguessIwillcurseplentilyduring
thattime.
Richard
üSchipholAirport
Ç16:13
Ourplanedoesn'tleaveuntil20:15whichmeanswehavelotsoftimeleft
forexecutingvariousactions,egwritingonthisarticle.
Earliertodaywespentacoupleofhoursstrollingaroundtown,glancing
atlotsofmuseumswecouldn'taffordtoenter(Thetortureandthesex
museumwereofspecialinterest,butweweresavingourmoneytobuysome
boozeattheairport,sotoughluck!).Wewouldprobablyhavespentlots
moretimedoingthathadn'titbeenforthefactthatitwastesticle-
freezinglycold!Ihaven'texperiencedsuchacaseofseriouschillsince
itwas15belowzeroandblowingastormbackinmycurrenthome-townof
Vadsø.Rightnowwehavejustfinishedoffwritingafewpostcards,twoof
themforRichard.Ihaveafeelinghewillbeslightlysurprised!
Leif
16:31
Heprobablywillbesurprised.Justassurprisedastheloveofmylife
willbewhensherecievesthethirdcardfrommyJourney.Hey!Iknowyou
aretiredofreadingabouther,buthavemercywithme;Iwon'tmeether
againuntilthesummerof1994!Sob!
Inlessthanfourhourswewill(Should)beairborn,thoughstrange
thingsareknowntohappen,especiallyinsituationslikethis.
WehavehadalotoffunreadingtheJanuaryissueof"STMagazin-
68000er",whichfeaturedalotofinformationabouttheFalcon,evensome
aboutitsCookieJarcontents.Thiswillundoubtedlybeinterestingfor
Richard,andwillthereforeNOTbeincludedhere.
Therearepeopleeverywherearoundus,andalotofthemhavestared
dumblyatuswhilewehavebeentypingtheseentries.Leifeventooksome
picturesofmepretendingtobetypingsomething.Thisstartedsomekind
oftrend,andsecondslateranoriental-lookingfamilytooksomesnapshots
ofthemselveswhilstinthemiddleofajunkfoodmeal.
Leifjustwentofftoseeifwecancheckindownstairs.Iamstill,as
webothdidaminuteago,sittinginasmallrestaurantcalledTouchDown
onthesecondfloor.Itisactuallyquitenice,withpick-yourself-what-
you-want-service(Ienone),andaclearlookaroundyou.Wewillcheckin
assoonaspossible,andmailsomepostcardsinthepostofficefound
somewherebehindthecustomsarea.
Hestillhasn'treturned,butIwillstopnowanyway.
Kai
16:51
Ijustreturnedfrommysearchforsomeonewillingtotakeourluggage,
sothatwedon'thavetodragitaroundwithusallthetime,butnoone
seemedliketheyparticularlywantedtorelieveusofourburden.That's
noproblemreally,sincewestillhavegotmorethanthreehoursuntilthe
planeleaves.Butitwouldsortofhavebeennice(anddefinitelyalot
lesstiring!).
Leif
Ç17:04
WeseemlikewemighthaveaslightspaceproblemonLeif'sPortfolio.It
hasnoadditionalmemoryinstalled,whichmeansthatwehavenoroomfor
morethansixkBmoreofthisstuff,andasweplantowriteabitonboard
theplaneaswell,wewillsoonhavetostop.
IamcurrentlylisteningtoWhistlerCourboisWhistleronmyportableCD-
player.Theyarejustbrilliant,andIsuredislikethefactthatthey're
releasinganewalbumnomorethan3(Three!)daysafterweleaveHolland.
Butenoughofthiscrap.
TimetoletthePortfoliorest.
Kai
19:13
Wehavenowcheckedin,beentothepostofficewiththethreepostcards
wewrote,bought1litreofJägermeistereach,boughtsomelightchocolate
tofeedourhungrystomachesandwearenowsittingatgateC11,awaiting
boardingonflightSK546toOslo,whichwillcommenceat19:45.Inan
hourwe'llbeintheair.
CrazyscreamspenetratethehallasIrealizethatI'llsoonbebackin
goodoldNorwayagain.GuardslookstrangelyatmebecauseofmyCD-
player,whichisstrappedbeneathmyjacket...
Inotherwords,theendingofthisreal-timearticleisnear.Whenwe
landinOslo,IwillprobablygobynightbustoØvreÅrdal,whileLeif
willspendthenightatamutualfriendcalledSvein'shouse.Hewillthen
"port"thePortfoliostufftodisk,andIwilledititandmailitto
Richard.Lateron,thisentirearticlewillbefoundinbothüSTNewsÇand
Scriba.
Ourplanejuststoppednexttotheterminal(At19:24),soIguessina
minutetheplacewillbecrowded...
Timetoshutoff.
Kai
19:31
Now,theplaceiscrowded!
Leif
19:32
Now,itisn't!Allkindsofpeoplewerejustleavingtheplanewe
probablywillbeboardinginafewminutes.Ihopetheyhavehandledit
withcare!
Thetaxfreeshopdidn'tcontainasinglebottleofPlantiac!Canyou
believethat?That's...that'seh...BLASPHEMY!!!That'stheword!Haven't
theDutchpeoplegotatinylittlebitofpride?Can'ttheyseethe
despairtearingtwopoorNorwegianstotallyapart(Waitasecond,gotto
fetchalimb!)havingtoleavewithoutanydivinefluid?Dotheynotsee
thequalityofthisthingtheyarekeepingawayfromtheworld?Well,the
latterisprobablyjustthepoint;theywannakeepitforthemselves,
selfishbastards!
Enoughofthat.Exceptformegoingtocrymyselftosleepthecoming
nightsbecauseofthethoughtofnottastingmorePlantiacinalongtime,
everythingisOKIguess.Wewillbeboardingsoon,andwewillwritemore
onboardtheplane,althoughitprobablywon'tbewiththesamepassionas
whenwefirstcamehere...
Ç
Leif
20:12
Ihavebeenbodysearched!Ihaveactuallybeentrulybodysearched!It
wasdisappointinglynotbyagood-lookingair-waitress,notevenafemale
atall,butinfactablackmale!Veryexciting!Thatkindofthingalways
happenstome;sweetlittleinnocentme(IthinkIhavealreadysaidthat
somewhere)!Ialwaysseemtohavesomekeysorcoinsorbelt-buckleor
somethingmakingthesecurity-systemgobananas.Untilnowthathasonly
meantremovingitemsonebyoneandthengoingthroughoncemore,butthis
timeIactuallywasbody-searched!IfIgetnightmaresafterthis,I'll
suethem!
Leif
üFornebuAirport,Oslo
Ç22:12
We'resafelyonfirmgroundagain!It'salwaysarelievingfeelingwhen
youfeelthewheelstouchingsoilagain.Now,we'rewaitingforour
luggage,whichiscomingrightnow.Gottarun!
Leif
22:20
Pastcustoms!Oh,herecomestransport.Willwritemorelater!
Leif
üOslo,MondayJanuary4th,1993
Ç01:13
IwasgoingtowritelotsmorebothontheplaneandonFornebu,butthe
latterwashinderedbysimplylackoftime(Ihaveneverexperiencedso
littlewaitingafterlanding!)andtheformerbyahyper-activeair-
witresstryingtomakeusbelievesomeshitaboutthePortfoliomessingup
theplane'snavigationalsystem.MytinylittleinnocentPortfolio!It
probablydoesn'tradiateanaythingmorethanwouldbeabsorbedbytheseat
infrontofus,andthatshouldactuallysufficetoguideustoHeathrow
insteadofOsloorsomething.Idon'tthinkso,butshewouldn'tlisten...
Kaididn'treachhisbuslastnightbytheway.HewasêthreeÇminutestoo
late!Well,thatonlymeansanightonthecouchforhim,causeit'shis
turn!(Andhewillhavetowaitanotherdaybeforereunionwithhis
charmingsisters!).Hewillbegoingearlytomorrowmorning(I'mnot
leavinguntil15:10,soI'msleeeepingtomorrow(Ortoday,actually)),so
sadlyhewon'tbewritinganythingmoreonthisarticle.Thatleavesyou
withyourstrulywhowillprobablyguideyouallthewaytoVadsøwhich,
ifIhaven'tmentioneditbefore,islocatedapproximately2500kilomtres
northofOslowayabovethepolar-circle.
Wereadsomenewspapersontheplane(Heaven-sentNorwegiannewspaperswe
hadn'treadforoveraweek!)tellingusaboutsometornadohavingwrecked
almosthalfmyhometown.MaybeasightworsethanUtrechtafterNewYear's
Evewillgreetmethere.Thepapersalmostmademeexpectakindof
warzoneorsomething!Icertainlyhopemycarisstillinworking
condition,otherwiseIthinkIwillbecomeslightlymad!
It'sgettinglate,soalthoughI'mabletosleepforalongtimetomorrow
(Whichstillisactuallytoday.I'mnotgoingtosleepthatlong!)Ithink
Iwillsimplysaygood-nightnow.Good-night!
ÇLeif
üHøybuktmoenAirport,Kirkenes
Ç19:38
Delays,delaysandfurtherdelays.Oh,howIhatethem!Theplaneout
fromOslowasalreadyhalfanhourlate,andthenweweredelayedanhour
furtherinTromsø,andnowlastIhavetowaitanotherhourherein
Kirkenesfora10minutesflightacrossthefjordtoVadsø.Flyingsucks
sometimes!Ididn'thavetimetowriteanythingearliertoday,basically
becauseIwasasleepfortoolong.Kaiwokemeuparound8.30tosay
goodbye,andIthinkImanagedtogivehimahalfunconsciouswaveofmy
handbeforeIpromptlyreentereddreamland.
Aftergettingupataround11.30SveinandIwenttodowntownOslotodo
someshopping.SveinhadmanagedtosellmyPhilipsmonitor(Ihavesold
allmycomputerequipmenttomakereadyfortheFalcon!)andIwasrich
again(?).Sveinisbythewayanoutstandingperson,andbothmeandKai
areverygratefulforhimdrivingushereandthereandlendingusbeds
andfeedingusetcetera.Thankyou!
NowI'mtiredofwaitingandthemostpreciousiteminmyliferightnow
ismybed!Orratherthememoryofit!I'mactuallyabithomesick,
althoughIonlyhavemyone-roomapartment(Idoatleasthaveadecent
shower!)tolookforwardto(Andallmy12yearoldgirlfriends,of
course!).HopefullyIwillbetheresoon.
Leif
üAthomeinVadsø
Ç20:36
Homeatlast!
Statushereafterthetornadoisn'tthatbadafterall.Ihadafriend
pickmeupattheairport,andhetoldmethatthetornadohadbeenbad
withhousesshakingandsomeroofsleavingtheirbuildingsbehind,but
nothingasbadastheytriedtoputitinthepapers.Wearesortofused
tothiskindofweatheruphere!
MycarwasevenstillstandingexactlywhereIputitwhenIleft.The
onlyproblembeingthatitwon'tstart.Flatbattery!Nicewelcome!This
meansthatIwillhavetogetupearlytomorrowandtrytocatchabusfor
work.JustwhatIneeded!
Thiswillprobablybemylastentryintothisarticle,andprobablyalso
thelastentryoverall.Ihopeyouhaveallenjoyedreadingaboutour
Journey,andIwouldliketosaytoyouallthatyoushouldneverhesitate
whenconsideringtotravelsomewhere.Itmaybeexpensive,butjustdoit
(SponsoredbyNIKE)!Travellingisalwayssuchanexperiencethatitis
almostworthanything,andtheymakegreatmemories!Iwillneverforget
ourJourneyforaslongasIcaretobeactiveonthisplanet.Thinkabout
thatthenexttimeyoubuyallthosefancyclothes,newCDs,games,books
andsoon.Insteadofallthosesoonforgettableitemsyoucouldconsider
somethingthatwillforeverliveoninyourmemory.Thinkaboutit!
That'senoughmoralefornow,andthisisgood-bye!
Leif
üØvreÅrdal,WednesdayJanuary27th,1993
Ç14:56
Finally.That'sallIcansay.ItreallytookLeifaheckofalongtime
togetthisprosetome,withtheresultthateverythingfollowingitwill
alsobedelayed;üSTNewsÇIssue8.1,üSCRÇIssue2.1,ourreceivingtheNobel
literatureprizeetc...
YoumightwonderwhyIhaveletthreeweeksgobybeforewritinganything
else...ThreereasonsIshallgiveyou:ü1)ÇThisisbynowthelongest
Çlastingreal-timearticletoeverbecreated,spanninganentiremonth!
(Thusturningitintoarecordarticle,inspiteofmanynegative
predictions!)ü2)ÇIdidn'twanttowriteanythinguntilIhadreceivedthe
thingsLeifwroteafterIlefthimhalfunconsciousinOslo.ü3)ÇIwas
exhaustedand,asyouwillreadfurtherdown,notfeelingquitewell...
Butletmebegintheaftermathwithashortresyméofwhatmybusjourney
homewaslikeonthemorningofMonday,January4th...
ThebuslefttheNorWaybusterminalat09:20,fiveminutesdelayed.I
hadthreehundredandthirtyboringminutesaheadofmethen,alongthose
roadsIhadgonealongsomanytimesalready.Eventhoughthenatureall
aroundtheroadismagnificentmostoftheway,6½hoursisanuisanceif
you'resittinginthesameseatallthetime.SoIusedmyportableCD-
playertogetintoagoodmood.Becauseoftheratherniceweatherwith
occasionalsun,thebuswasterriblyover-heated,andbecamemoreandmore
uncomfortable.Asteadilygrowingheadacheandanalreadystrongcold
didn'tmakethingsbetter.Queensrÿche'säOperation:MindcrimeÇwasabout
theonlythingthatmademegetthroughthefirsthalfofthetrip.At
12:45therewasathirtyminutesstopinFagernes,andIusedthe
opportunitytobuyfreshbatteriestolasthome.
ThelasthalfoftherideIlistenedthricetoWCW'säWCW.ÇThoughit
becamerathermonotonousafterthesecondrun,Ireallylovedit!The
memoriesofChristmas'91cametomebecauseofthesongcalledäFata
MorganaÇ,alongwiththememoriesoftwohappyeveningsIspentinthe
companyoftheonewhowastoconquermyheart,butwhoisnowseparated
frommybyapproximatelyseventhousandkilometres.Lifesucks.
ButImadeithome.At15:30thebuswasfacingthescaringdescentdown
themountainsideofÅrdal;Acliffwithanaturalangleofverynearly80
degreesintowhicharoadhasbeencarvedandshapedduringthelast
century.Naturenevermeantroadstobebuiltthere.IchangedtheCD
playingfromWCWtoMauriceRavel'säBoléroÇ.Itlastsforapproximately
fifteenminutes,aboutthesameamountoftimeasthedescent,andits
volumeandtensionbuildsupjustlikeminewheneverIgoupordownthat
cliff.
Andat15:45I"landed"inØvreÅrdal,over-heated,uncomfortable,bored
andslightlyhappy.Ajourneywhichhadgivenanever-lastingimpression
onmehadcometoanend,andIwasathome.Orrather,attheplaceIam
unfortunatelyforcedtocallhome.Sigh.
Havingmissedthelatebusthedaybefore,Imissedadayatschool,and
believeitornot,Iwasactuallyeagertogetbackthere!Iknewmyclass
wouldbeeagertohearaboutmyimpressionsandexperiences!
Justhowwrongcanonebe?DuringthefivehoursIspentatschoolthe
followingday,onlyonepersonevenrememberedI'dbeenabroadwithoutme
mentioningitfirst,andthatpersonwasnotoneofmyclassmates.That
justwenttogivemeanotherbadimpressionofthesocietyofthisdamned
place(Note:Damned,ünotÇdamn!)!Withanyluck,Iwon'tbeherethenext
schoolyear.
ButwherewasI?Ispentfivehoursonlyatschool,yes.Ileftat12:40
becauseIfeltbad.ThecoldIhadcaughtduetomebeingunpreparedfor
theintensecoldofTheNetherlandshadblossomed,mythroathwassore,
andmyvoicewasnearlygone.Iwenthome,madeacupoftea,fetchedthe
mail(Nothingforme,asusual),andwenttobed.Theecoldwasasouvenir
I'dratherhavebeenwithout!Itlastedforwelloveraweek,stealing
anothertodaysofschoolfromme!ü$(#%$%!!!
Ç Thereisnotmuchmoretotell.IDIDmanagetofindapresentforthe
oneofmyheart,inspiteoftimeandmoneypressure,andIhaveaddeda
littleextrasomethingtoit...
IhavebeguntowriteanäEncyclopaediaHollandicaÇ,whichshouldalsobe
tofindinanarticleclosetothisone,presumingIeverfinishit.
Leifhasmadeasummaryof42thingswedidinHolland.
I'vedonesomecorrespondenceIwassupposedtodobeforeChristmas.
Ç Richardhasn'tsentmeacopyoftheHomeVid'yet.
AsfarasI'mconcerned,thisistheendofthearticle.Timetoquit.
Kai
üTHEEND!Ç