how to eat a buffet breakfast like a backpacker

The Oslo guy we were staying could no longer host us as he had to help out some friends who were having a family emergency. He booked us a great hotel at mates rates that ended up being only a few dollars more than the hostel we were at! It was so nice to just have our own room with space and comfy beds! Much appreciated :)

Another perk was the full buffet breakfast provided. We had a train at 8am the next day and although it was only a 15 min walk to the station, the buffet that usually started at 7am was operating Christmas schedule and didn't start til 7.30am.

Now, those that have experienced the expense of Norway would understand the value of a free buffet. We weighed up the odds and decided that scoffing as much as we could to last us until lunch, quickly sneaking some extras into our bags and then running to the station so we didn’t miss our train was one of our brightest ideas yet. Having to pay for a days’ worth if food (if not more by the rate we were packing) would cost the same as the train ticket itself so we were prepared to take the risk.

There was a smorgasbord of delights from a full hot breakfast of bacon, eggs and mushrooms to a large selection of cold meats, fresh fruit, cereals, yogurts and nuts. We weren't quite sure where to start but we didn't have time to think about the best strategy of attack. 'We piled a plate of hot food and took about half a loaf of bread between us. Mai got her hands on a bowl of almonds, dried apricots and prunes and I scored some fresh cucumber, capsicum and fruit. These items would play a significant role in the savings department.

Then we had to run. It was just under 1km and running that far with all your luggage after you've just consumed your weight in eggs doesn't feel like your regular morning jog. When we only just made the train; we were sweating so much we ditched all our layers and stopped to catch our breath before looking at each other to giggle. Mai said she spewed a bit in her mouth. Writing that even cracks me up!

The buffet was actually quite impressive so we were kind of bummed we couldn't sleep in and go about our brunching  in a leisurely and civilised manner. But this is backpacking after all.