27 June 2021 Let the Quarantine Begin!

Part 1 of our travel is underway! We arrived in Oslo Saturday morning after an overnight flight from Boston via Amsterdam. These were my first flights since the pandemic began 15 months ago, and it felt very strange to be around so many people in such close quarters. Most were following the mask-wearing rules so that gave me comfort.

The flights were uneventful, and after a very long wait to get through passport control we were given a COVID test - my fourth test of the week! (Long story, but I just needed to make sure my results were available within the time window to board the plane...) Despite the COVID test to get on the plane, another test to get in the country, and our vaccination cards, we will need to quarantine for at least 7 days. I guess the Norwegian government is just really worried about the spread of new variants, since less than 40% of the Norwegian people have yet been fully vaccinated.

So after some hours of waiting, we were driven to our quarantine hotel. It’s a nice clean room which will be a comfortable place to stay for the next week. We were surprised to be taken to a hotel right in the middle of downtown Oslo, and the rules are not as strict as we feared. Although we can’t visit each other’s rooms, we can hang out together outside the hotel, and we are free to explore around the city - as long as we don’t go inside other buildings or use public transit. (We are allowed to go into shops for emergency or “essential” items.) They are requiring us to check back to the hotel every four hours - I suppose they want to make sure we don’t escape! They fed us dinner, and I was happy that the hotel was able to accommodate my vegan diet.

After dinner, the four of us met up and took a nice long walk around the Oslo waterfront. It’s a beautiful area of town - full of lots of eclectic architecture, bars and restaurants, and even people swimming in the harbor. Since sunset isn’t until 11pm, people seem to stay out late to enjoy the short Oslo summer.

I took a nice run along a beautiful bike path this morning and later today the four of us will meet up to strategize what the best way will be to use our quarantine time to get ready for the research expedition.

All in all, while it’s inconvenient to have to quarantine, I understand that the Norwegian government is doing this to be vigilant against another outbreak. And, really, with the nice accommodations, decent food and the ability to get outside and see the city, I can’t really complain!