Evacuation! Evacuation! (Oslo Travel Log #7)

Travel day for me. Unfortunately, my train and plane times don’t match so I have a lot of waiting at the airport. But the time isn’t wasted: I have meetings on the go.

Bon voyage

I take a last few photos in the hotel before I go. Always check the fire exits wherever you arrive.

Evacuation plan

For some reason I really like that one. I find somehow nostalgic and poetic. I tried to capture hotel life and balance the shot.

Bed and chair

Last time I see my bed. The important things are there: the bed and the travel laptop (yes, I have a travel laptop).

Unmade bed

This one is an inside joke for some people. In the early 2000s, a British stand up, Bill Bailey, was always complaining about ironing boards in hotel when he was touring. He demanded to have a proper fancy press in his rooms, but rarely got one. When I opened that cupboard I had never looked at until I was about to leave, I discovered an ironing board. So I had to take a photo.

Ironing board

On we go. Better not ask what these marks on the door are. I framed the door handle at the bottom left with the card reader above to follow two sides of the square frame. I thought it worked.

Door handle

The streets of Oslo at 5am are pretty quiet. Busy compared to where I live, I can see two people there, but quiet by big city standards. I’m waiting for the tram from Majorstuen to get me to the station.

Waiting for the tram

The station is like home away from home. I’ve been here so many times at all times of the day and in all seasons.

Oslo train station

Waiting for the train to the airport. Today is plane, train, and automobiles. Fortunately, no trace of cursed John Candy.

Waiting for the train to the airport

The weather is nasty. There is a thick fog. I hope things will go smoothly. If it was the UK most of the planes would be cancelled already.

Fog

While I’m waiting for my flight I’m amusing myself taking photos. This place is as Italian as I am.

Italian café?

I liked this shot. There was just the right number of trolleys in the middle. Being a square frame, I decided to put them bang in the middle.

Trolleys

Ladies and gentlemen, today I’ll be your weirdo taking photos on the plane.

On the plane

I thought the ceiling had interesting tones and an interesting symmetry. I hadn’t seen that configuration before (737).

Ceiling

Finally at the train station. Today I’ll be your weirdo taking photos around the station.

Train station

While I was sitting waiting for my meetings, I started to take photos of people walking in front of my. I found those really interesting. After I took the first photos, I wondered: who are these people? Where are they going? How is their day so far?

Walking past

One of the things I liked was that technically these photos are duds: they’re not sharp because the exposure times were too long. It was fairly dark. But somehow it adds to them. It’s their movement, their purpose captured in blur.

Walking past
Walking past
Walking past

I noticed a pattern: a lot of people walk with their nose in their phone.

Walking nose in the phone
Walking nose in the phone
Walking nose in the phone
Walking nose in the phone

This last one is completely missed but it’s somehow my favourite.

Missed

Strangely, people are waiting under the announcement boards like it’s the 80s, but at the same time have their nose in their phone. They can have that same information online. They don’t have to follow their conditioning.

Waiting under the board

The roof of the train station was interesting. To me it’s modern Victorian.

Train station roof

And on we go. 3 hours to the automobile of the journey and then home.

Train home

See you another day.

#Photography #BlackAndWhite #BlackAndWhitePhotography #Oslo #Travel

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