Preikestolen Part 2

So I left off with this picture:

Though you can't tell from the picture, my wallet is actually sitting on the seat next to me. Apparently after showing the bus driver our tickets, I never put my wallet back in my bag as intended. I was getting  a little car sick from all the curvy roads, so whenever we pulled up to the ferry dock, I grabbed my bag and escaped the bus as quickly as possible. Dan and I boarded the ferry and found a spot to relax. I went into my bag to find our ferry tickets, when I discovered that my wallet was nowhere to be found. Cue panic. Dan and I race off the ferry before it leaves the dock and run over to the bus parked in the parking lot. That is when we remembered that we had in fact taken the very last bus to the dock and that no more buses or bus drivers would be arriving until the next morning. The bus was locked and the driver had already left.

After peering into the bus windows, we could see my wallet hanging out on the seat as I had left it. This is where things got interesting. You see, I was the keeper of the tickets and our cash for this hiking trip (because I was supposed to be the responsible one, right?), so with my wallet locked up in a bus we had absolutely no money or tickets to get back to our hotel. The only way to get back to our hotel was to cross the water and to cross the water you have to take the ferry and to take the ferry you need money. About 150 kroner, actually.

I was beginning to think we would be sleeping outside for the night - at least we wouldn't have to worry about getting robbed. We see a couple and a young man waiting to be picked up near the ferry dock. The older couple lived in the area and the young man (who looked exactly like Jason Segel) just arrived by ferry to attend his sister's wedding that weekend. We asked if someone could call the bus company for us. The couple generously made several phone calls for us, but since it was about 7:30 at this point the bus company was closed and no one was answering the phone. We then tried to call the police and apparently the police in Norway are different from the U.S. in that they are not available 24-hours. Good to know. We were stuck. We must have looked pretty desperate because the young man, we'll call him Jason, gave us 150 kr so that we could at least make it back to our hotel. He was so nice! I wish I would have asked for his information, so that we could pay him back whenever we were out of this ridiculous situation.

Dan was determined to get the wallet. I reluctantly suggested that he try climbing on top of the bus to access the emergency roof. I mean we could just see it sitting there. He climbed on top of the bus and managed to open the roof-top exit a few inches, enough to stick his hand in, but no further without breaking it. Cars had started lining up for the next ferry, so we had an audience of about 20 cars watching us. One of them must have called someone, because the next thing we knew a car came barreling through the parking lot and screeched to a halt next to the bus. The man ran out of his car, screaming up at Dan in Norwegian and raising his hands. This guy must have been the owner or driver or something, because he was pissed!! The older couple ran up to him and talked to him in Norwegian. I have no idea what was said, but the angry man opened the bus, gave me my wallet and fixed the emergency exit. While Dan was still trying to figure out how to get down off of the bus, I was apologizing profusely and offering him money for his trouble (which he refused). He even laughed at one point. Finally, after locking the bus back up he took off.

Jason had left by this point, so I couldn't give him his money back. As I was thanking the couple for their help, I mentioned Jason's money. The women said she lived close to the church where his sister was getting married. So I gave her Jason's 150 kr and she said would go to the church and find him to give him his money back. I don't know if it ever made it back to him, but I felt too guilty keeping it.

We then boarded the next ferry and tried to avoid all eye contact, out of embarrassment, as most of the passengers had witnessed the whole ordeal.

Needless to say, Dan and I will both be carrying cash from now on.