Last Day in Oslo

First thing when I woke up this morning I opened the shade and said, "Oh crap." Turns out my last day of events in Oslo was going to be a foggy one. I kept praying that it would blow over but no luck. Despite the weather I hurried to get ready and down to the bus since I wanted to pick up the World Championship stamps on my way in. When I got to downtown I ran over to the post office which happened to be next to McDonald's. Those directions from Hanne made it easy to find. (About to finish my first trip to a foreign country outside of North America without eating ANY McDonald's. Very excited about this fact.) After picking up the stands I headed to Holmenkollen. I got a text from Bjornar on the way asking what I could see. I told him I wasn't there yet but wasn't hopeful. I was right. I never even bothered going to my ticket area, and fortunately nobody asked to see my ticket.

When I got to the top of the hill I decided to stop in the sponsor area to use the bathroom. Turns out that they weren't being real picky about tickets in that area along the side of the big jump. So I found a spot with a view of the finish area and the video board. After awhile I realized that Tara was down below near the edge of the stands so I headed down there. It also put me in a position to actually see the guys as they came up after their jump. To watch the jump today you listened for the bell that indicated they were on the jump. Then you heard the slap of their skis hitting the ground and then finally you saw them ski up to the finish. Even when the fog thinned enough to see the red lines near the landing area you still didn't see the guys. I figured if I wasn't going to see the jump I could at least see them and cheer loudly. I think Todd is the only one that heard me as he came up the steps because he turned around, smiled and pointed in my direction. And I knew I wasn't reading the start list last night, but I didn't see Bryan so I thought maybe Nick was competing. But it was Bryan, Taylor, Todd, Johnny and Billy today.

Todd after his jump

The view at the jump today

Since I had opted to "watch" the jumping it was too late to get a good spot along the course for Cross Country. And that sport is so popular with the Norwegians I knew I couldn't fake my way into the stadium to see anything. So I headed into the cafe to warm up and watch on the tvs in there. I found a spot out of the way and settled in. I considered going out and finding a spot if the U.S. teams made the finals. But everytime I looked out the window behind me I couldn't even see the jump arena that was 20 feet away. So while I was thrilled that Kikkan, Sadie, Andy and Torin made the finals, I stayed put to watch it on tv. In the end our girls finished 9th and our boys were 10th.

My Cross Country view

When the cross country sprints ended I decided it was time to go back outside and find a spot to watch the Nordic Combined race. The amount of people leaving now that XC was over was amazing. So I decided to press my luck and see if I could get into the stadium area. I got over in that area with no problem and considered my options. The view wasn't much better than I would get in one of the standing areas and you couldn't see the video board to help. I had decided maybe I'd go back to my usual spot when I found the rest of the Americans. They told me to join them. I debated with Fred the pros and cons but decided in the end it would be more fun as part of a group cheering. The group included Penny, Fred, Todd's wife Sunni Lodwick and some of the Lodwick friends. We were situated right on the stretch when they came back into the stadium on each loop and the run into the finish line. Todd was starting in 12th position a bit over a minute behind the leader. Billy was in 20th, Johnny in 36th, Bryan in 41st and Taylor in 50th. We had high hopes for Todd and Billy to move up. And with each lap they got closer, but they needed a bit more time to catch the leaders. In the end Todd was 5th and Billy was 6th. Which did get them on the stage at the medal ceremony and a handblown Norwegian glass as a prize.

Todd coming into the finish

Billy finishing

After the race we moved toward the end so we could watch the flower ceremony. We were in a good position to yell to our athletes as they walked by. Some smiled and kept going, but others stopped to chat. We waited and waited but never did see Todd. I heard later that he had gone to a spot his fan club had previously used thinking they would be there. We all finally gave up and headed down the hill to catch a train into town. Grant fed us cheese while we were riding back to town. I have to recommend the Norvega white cheese. Still not a fan of the brown cheese over here, just too sweet. (Although it was better to eat on a waffle.) And so ended my Oslo 2011 World Championships.

Me and the Lodwick fan club



Penny & Fred

Me & Billy Demong

I headed for home and dinner with Hanne and Bjornar. Which was delicious!!! My compliments to the chef. We watched the medal ceremony on tv, and just for kicks I took pictures. I'm pretty sure if I had gone I wouldn't have done so well since I'm so short. I tried it the other night with bad results. So at least this way I got to actually see our guys receiving their prizes. I was also throwing things in my suitcases and trying to get organized. One of the requests I had was for Lefse from Carolyn. I bought a pack last night that did not have to be refrigerated. When we were paying Hanne noticed that it was moldy so she went and got a different pack. Tonight I looked and the package I had was moldy. Bjornar wrote an email to the company and the CEO called him. We are getting some replacement items in the morning on our way to the airport courtesy of the CEO. Impressive! I thought that Hanne and Bjornar might get a voucher or coupon, I never expected them to call. So hopefully I make it home with some fresh Lefse for Carolyn to try.

The picture of the boots below are the ones I borrowed from Hanne after I soaked mine twice. I am not going to mention what they are made of, but they are cute and warm. One of the girls that works for the Ambassador said she has a pair but will only wear them in Norway. She is afraid that if she wears them at home she'll get hit. I doubt I could afford a pair, but if I could I'd consider it.

Hanne's boots that I borrowed

My trip to Oslo ends in the morning. I had a fabulous time and cannot wait to come back and see this country in the summer. I hope also that someday I will have the opportunity to spoil Hanne and Bjornar in my country. They made this trip the most amazing experience ever. I couldn't have done it without them. Thanks so much! We are pretty sure now that I am heading home that our cross country athletes will podium and our nordic combined team will probably take gold on Friday. There will also be a display of Northern Lights as far south as Oslo. I told them they couldn't tell me if they saw the Northern Lights. The rest I hope actually happens. Tomorrow I'll be cheering in spirit for our women's relay team of Kikkan Randall, Jessie Diggins, Liz Stephen and Holly Brooks. GO USA!!!