Our First Visitor

My brother Andrew is cooler than me. He is effortlessly popular, a great athlete, and an amazing crooner on the guitar. He has lived in eight countries, many of which have State Department travel advisories, and one of which still has a problem with cannibals. He can grow a sick beard. He was here last week visiting between finishing business school and starting a new job in Florida.

One downside of his coolness is that he also has a much higher tolerance for hanging out in bars than I do. I enjoy that to an extent, but only if 1) it’s not too loud, and 2) I’m not out too late. Also, I’d prefer it if the bar is close to home, so I can go from deciding I’m tired to being in bed within 10 minutes.

One reason Gavin and I are a good match is that he shares my general sentiment on this issue. Gavin got a girlfriend (me) and pretty much never left the house again. If questioned about this, he would tell you something like “staying out late is for suckers.” A number of people have asked us whether the midnight sun is affecting our sleep habits, and the answer is no. We’re in bed at 10 every night.

Well, most nights. Andrew arrived in Trondheim having already researched all the best bars and restaurants, which was not only a great service to us, but reflected his priorities for the trip. After some egging on, Andrew convinced me that staying out until the early morning hours would be a really fun bonding experience. I agreed to this since he had flown nearly 5,000 miles, but also because it would allow me to partake in one of my favorite Whiteman pastimes, which is drinking a few beers and telling others how much you love them. This and other behaviors have led Gavin to declare that “the Whitemans are a gentle people.”

Gentle people.

So we went out and it was amazing. When we got home, I went to sleep so that I could play defense against whatever hangover would be plaguing me on the following day’s hike. Andrew called his girlfriend and attempted to sleep outside (another Whiteman tradition). As it turns out, the midnight sun is a factor when you haul your camping cot into the yard at 3:45am after a night of drinking.

Midnight sun.

It wasn’t all partying though. We shot archery together as part of a demonstration about medieval Nordic life. Think folk museum for children. I was better at it, but as Andrew would be quick to mention, I also pointed my bow at the instructor and was reprimanded. He enjoyed this.

I was still better.

He and Gavin jumped on some trampolines.

He indulged my demonstration of the bread slicer.

We checked out the local ski jumping stadium.

He brought me a jacket. I’m much warmer now!

We swam laps at the water park, and a Norwegian man went to great effort in his second language to comment on Andrew’s copious body hair. Luckily for you, I don’t have a picture to illustrate this.

My favorite thing that happened was that Andrew found an open mic night, where he played original music and jammed with some locals. See, I told you he was cool.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEo0X5ycu30&w=560&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ4lgDAYgu0&w=560&h=315]

I haven’t had any beers as I write this, but that won’t prevent me from saying that I love you brother! It was great to have you here, and I’m glad you were our first visitor, so that we (and our future guests) can benefit from all your recon. Looking forward to your return trip in December!