What I do for Love

Two full (24 hour) days of no sleep, restless nights, naps, another night of time change (setting clocks forward is cruel, especially twice!).
My journey back began by turning the clock forward, so I would have a maximum of 6 hours sleep, then proceeding to only sleep 2 hours.  Naps were all I could get.  Hopefully it means I never got my body adjusted to 8 time zones away, so I should be good in a few days at home.
I was overly optimistic when at 4 AM I could see the surrounding mountains clearly and packed away my rain jacket.  When I stepped out at the early hour, I realized my mistake, but then it was just to make the 10 minute walk and dry out elsewhere. Waking at 4 AM, out the door at 4:30, a short walk through the rain to the bus stop.  Then the bus-- Being early Sunday morning, the Saturday night revelers were still on the streets, but no one was smiling on the bus!  It was very poorly equipped, unlike the "real" flybussen, with no racks for luggage.  The entire floor space was 2 and 3 deep with luggage, people standing, no way to step around bags... it was a mess but at 5 AM no one had the energy or desire to complain.
Getting off, the first dozen people walked over the bags and grabbed their own, finally making a path.


At the airport, the time change had everyone bleary eyed.  As I waited for my flight to Frankfurt, I thought of the others being called to more enticing destinations like Rome, or Alicante.  Even Amsterdam seemed more festive than Frankfurt.  The passengers on my first flight despondent from lack of sleep and having to choose ham OR cheese. Both? No, however, Lufthansa has lovely German high quality leather seats.  Very first class! Then flying in, I remembered how amazingly forested it is around the airport in Frankfurt. That cheered me up a bit, but mid-Atlantic I realized I had another 12 hours before landing in Durango.  A journey from snow country (Norway) to snow country (Colorado).
After the first day of Spring, Norway has more hours of sun than the States.  It increases several minutes a day, but you wouldn't know it.  I last saw the sun above the clouds, briefly between Oslo and Bergen, and was thoroughly delighted that it made an appearance just as we stepped out on the street for our walk to the court house.  I immediately demanded that the wedding party stop mid street so I could take a picture in the sun!  
(A little snafu here:  I used Celina's camera which didn't get loaded into my files of pictures, and she is now on her way to Tunesia if she managed to conquer the British Airways strike, and I won't have those pictures for at least 10 days.)
It was beautifully clear the rest of the day, and in the evening the moon shone brightly. Then back to rain. I've come to expect that life goes on, with umbrellas and boots. 

Statistics: I was away from home for 5 days, 14-1/2 hours; At C's 3 days, 16-1/2 hours.