Crash and Freeze

At one point in my life, I worked in Trondheim, Norway. During the time I worked there, Trondheim was celebrating it’s 1,000 birthday. A millennium celebration.

This event was fascinating enough but then I discovered that at one time in its history, Trondheim was host to a famous Minnesota resident; Lief Ericson. Leif Ericson lived in Trondheim around 1000AD as a military retainer (read: old Norse hit man) of King Olav.

Now old Lief holds a special place in my heart. Growing up in Northern Minnesota, I often heard and read about the legend of a blonde Sioux Indian tribe. A whole tribe that apparently carried the genes of Lief Ericson himself. Old Lief was obviously busy during his stay, impregnating a whole tribe of ancient Minnesotans. Other than the blonde hair gene, the only evidence he left of his stay in Minnesota were a few controversial ruin stones.

So on my first visit to Trondheim, I was keen to experience the Trondheim that Lief would have seen. But it was dark. Dark and cold. Nonetheless, I wandered around with my friends until I came upon a hill with a strange contraption embedded in it.

My discovery came after a gorgeous meal and great quantities of wine and schnapps. At first, I couldn't quite figure out what the contraption was but it was then explained to my by my local colleagues. "It's a bicycle lift".

The problem was, I didn't have a bicycle. Soon my colleagues, in their best socialistic demeanor, produced a bicycle. I tried a few times to mount the beast, only to flail into the nearest snowbank. Evenually I got the hang of it.

I started up the hill, the heel of my right foot implanted firmly on the lift foot-pedal. I climbed the hill faster than expected and tried my best to steer the bike at the same time. About mid-point, it all went wrong and I crashed and slid down the hill, ending up frozen in a snow-bank.

I'll bet Lief would have made it.