I am notorious for getting lost.  It doesn’t matter if I’ve been somewhere a
hundred times before, I can still manage to get lost.  The mode of transportation makes no
difference either.  I’ll lose my way in a
car, on foot, on 2 wheels, you name it.
Landmarks or something else that catches my eye will aid my orientation
much more than road names and turns.  I
can read a map, but if I attempt to find a place just on memory alone, I will
fail 9 times out of 10.

I have been in Chicago on a business trip since Friday and
we have gone to the same place every day-Navy Pier.  It is not too far from our hotel, but far
enough that with briefcases we take a taxi or the trolley.  I woke up early this morning to run to Navy
Pier and what do you know, I got lost.
Not totally lost, but zig-zagged around a lot and actually went 3 blocks
(and Chicago blocks aren’t small) past the hotel because I was on a street
parallel to the street the hotel is on.
Go figure.

In case you are wondering why I thought to write about this,
it reminded me of when I lived in Oslo and I would go out for a run and
intentionally get lost. That sounds a bit odd, I know, but it gave me the
opportunity to see so much more of the city than I probably would have
otherwise.  It also forced me to find my
way around.  As long as I know I am safe
and I don’t have any obligations in the near future that I have to attend, I
think it’s kind of fun getting lost in a place that you are not totally
familiar with.

I was able to find my way back to my hotel this morning and
get ready in time to meet my colleagues.
I usually don’t stop to ask someone for directions because I like to
think that I can figure it out myself.
Sometimes I can, but often I cannot.
So, then I have to ask for directions.
Here you will find a list of common questions a lost person is likely to
ask:

I hvilken retning skal jeg gå?  In which direction should I walk?

Hvor er den gaten
der?  Where is that street there
(pointing to a map)?

Hvor er jeg?  Where am I?

Må jeg gå enda
videre å nå Karl Johans Gate?  Do I
need  to go much further to reach Karl
Johans Gate?

Hvor er sykehuset?  Where is the hospital?

Er jeg I nærheten av
skolen?  Am I in the vicinity of the
school?

Hvor kan jeg finne
kinesisk mat?  Where can I find
Chinese food?

Har jeg  gått for langt?  Have I gone too far?

Hvor mye lengre må
jeg kjøre før jeg er der?  How much
longer must I drive before I am there?

Kan du fortelle meg
hvordan jeg kan gå fra der til der?
Can you tell me how I can walk from there to there?