This morning I received some not unexpected, but still very, very sad news. My dear loved mother, at 90 years died peacefully at the home in which she was cared for the past several years. It’s devastating to lose your mother, like someone cuts away a piece of you. I saw her just before we embarked on our trip. We said our goodbyes even though she wasn’t aware of her surroundings or who I was. Nevertheless I felt that she acknowledged and recognised my presence, and that we wouldn’t see each other again in this world. Now I am not religious and personally do not believe in a God/Creator, but mum was a devoted, rusted on catholic, and for her sake I hope I’m wrong and that the god that she believed in and served in this life is now looking after her. Mum is gone but we who knew her and have memories of her she is still with us. Rest in peace.

 

Alarm went off at 3.30 am for a departure from Dubai at 7.15 am. 7 Hour flight to Oslo across Iran, Caspian sea, southern Russia and Sweden to arrive at 11.30am to a balmy 2 degrees.

Oslo, population of 700,000 has a railway from the airport to the centre of the city, which we took and arrived at hotel; in about 15 minutes. Walked around town and reacquainted ourselves with the main drag after about a 15 year absence. Everything is ruinously expensive. The exchange rate is 6.15 Kroner for an Australian dollar. There is a 24% GST applied to everything, which adds a great deal to the cost of items, including food. Everyone we have met speaks English fluently, puts most of us to shame with our single language culture.

It snowed on the Monday from about lunch time, only a gentle portend of things to come further north. We are moving onto Tromso on Wed morning, a two hour flight and hopefully the northern lights.