Surprises, nice and otherwise

Oh! Here's a fun fact! Somehow in the seemingly brief span of four months I've managed to render myself quite incredibly, stupefyingly unfit!! Now, to the discerning observer this might not come as any surprise, seeing how I've been less than indulgent in any activity that could even vaguely contribute to maintaining fitness. Still!

I suppose there's a couple of things I've skipped over since my last post. I wasn't on the boat for long, but the two weeks on there went by in a blur! I am beginning to truly detest port calls. All over again, seeing how nothing in these last seven years has given me much reason to feel otherwise. Except for the extremely rare gem such as Malta last year. Anyway, I left the Pride rather battered and bruised.

The good thing was, the port being Bergen, I got to hang out with Bolli a couple of times in the bargain. There was also the fact that we were parked right across the water from the cruise terminal. And guess what? The Queen Mary 2 showed up! Only, I was too busy freezing in the rain to manage a photo. By the time shift was over and I'd thawed sufficiently, she was gone. At least I did get a snap of the MSC Poesia, a slightly smaller version of none other than the truly humongous MSC Fantasia we'd encountered in Malta.

In the middle of the utter chaos that was the trip, I somehow ended up getting myself an overnight train ticket to Asker. This time, I took a sleeper berth and was utterly oblivious to the fascinating views racing past the window. Or maybe it just rained all the way. Asker train station looked much the same as it had when I'd left a year and a half ago, windswept, desolate and wet. Alas, there was no snow this time.

The good thing though, was that my luggage was right where I'd left it! Well, not exactly, the furniture had been re-arranged somewhat. But still, at least they were in the same room :). Of course, it was also great to catch up with some of the old faces still hanging around this part of the world ;).

Despite fears of a washed out weekend, Saturday worked out quite beautifully, with clear blue skies. A friend had recently acquired a couple of bicycles, so we took them out for a spin around the nearby fjords. That was when I got the first hints to the state of my fitness. Fortunately, geared bikes do wonders to cover for you, and the five hour adventure left me feeling quite happy.

Since then though, the weather's been more of the sad dingy greyness and less of the bright golden happiness. I was wondering how I should use the coming two weeks to my advantage, when I rather suddenly noticed the wider than usual midsection. Since it wasn't actually raining, I dragged myself out for a bit of a run. I wasn't exactly expecting miracles, but the ensuing quarter of an hour was ridiculously distressing! In more ways than one. So I suppose I do have something to do with the long hours of daylight for the next few days.

Currently: horrified!
Listening to: Joshua Radin - Road to ride on