Our alarm went at 4.15 so that we would have enough time to make our 7.35 flight to Oslo. It was an easy drive to Heathrow, we dropped off our rental car and got the shuttle to the terminal. Heaps of time.

We checked the Departures board for our flight and started to get the realisation that something was wrong. There was no flight to Oslo on the board. We tried to check-in anyway and the machine spat it out a piece of paper telling us we were in the wrong terminal and to seek help. Yes, dear reader, I had made the schoolboy error of assuming that because our BA flight to Zurich two weeks ago had left from Terminal 5, our flight today would be the same. Only it wasn't. It was leaving from Terminal 3 and the email confirmation mentioned that fact. Which I had obviously only skim read.

So we sought help, as the paper suggested. The woman on the BA desk was initially only interested in telling us off for being in the wrong terminal but once she had that out of her system she helpfully checked us in and gave us instructions on getting the train to Terminal 3. It was now 6.05 and she was adamant that we must be through security in T3 before 7am.

So off we rushed with all of our luggage. Down two separate lifts to the train station, grab free tickets for the train, find the right platform, wait for the train to go, back up two more separate lifts in T3, find the correct bag drop, choose the automated bag drop machine that would break down half way through processing us (conveniently significantly under weighing my suitcase), off to security where we were directed to the "fast" line that seemed to go slower than the regular one - and we were through. And it was only 6.35. Excellent.

At the gate we were in another long queue as only one of the two gate staff appeared to be competent and she was forever having to help the other one. They were also taking everyone's cabin bags to store in the hold. But just as they got to us they seemed to realise they weren't going to get everyone processed in time and we were waved through quickly, bags intact.

We took off on time, landed on time and then waited 45 minutes for our luggage. But then we were through, picked up our rental car - a Suzuki Across this time - and were headed north up the motorway to Lillehammer.

Our first view from a rest area beside the motorway was suitably green, scenic and restful.

We had booked a house on Airbnb. It was old, characterful and charming. In fact, it was called "Charming Lakeside Cottage" and it lived up to its name.

After unpacking, we walked up the road to the local supermarket, which delighted in the name "Kiwi Mini Preis". It was quite large and appeared to have nothing to do with New Zealand so the secret must be in the Preis, I guess. It certainly seemed pricy enough but it had everything we needed, once we had made some educated guesses about Norwegian translation (which all turned out to be correct).

Near our cottage is an 800m long footbridge across the lake to Lillehammer Central.

We walked over the bridge and spent some time exploring the town centre.

The town was notable for the many sculptures dotted around.

It also made the most of the streams pouring down the hillside.

We then walked back across the bridge to our cottage.

It is midsummer day, or thereabouts, and this far north the sun sets at 11pm and rises again at 3.30am. It never truly gets dark. Here is a photo I took of our cottage at midnight.