The institute at the end of the universe

“Reality is frequently inaccurate” – Douglas Adams in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

My first full day in Stavanger was spent finding IRIS, the institute where I’ll be working for the next six months. Yes, that means it took me a full day to find it.

I set out from my apartment in the morning, intending to walk to a part of town called Ullandhaug, where both the University of Stavanger and IRIS are located. It was a beautiful trek through the city and surrounding area, but when I arrived at IRIS, significantly proud of my own navigation skills, I discovered that I should actually have gone to the other IRIS location, at Mekjarvik.

“What other location?” I asked. I had always assumed there was only one.

IRIS's Mekjarvik location

Thus ensued the lengthy process of figuring out Stavanger’s bus system. It would take too long to walk back to downtown, not to mention the 15 km out to Mekjarvik.

Bus pass and route map in hand, I hopped onto bus #8. It seemed like a convenient option, running every 15 minutes and dropping me a mere 2 km from the institute. “Peanuts,” I thought, “I can walk 2 km!” Well, as it turns out, the 2 km stretch between the last stop for bus #8 and IRIS is along what amounts to a highway, and there are no pedestrian paths in sight. Back to downtown.

I got on bus #28, which takes me straight to Mekjarvik. It’s not the most convenient option because it only runs every hour and a half, but hey, it’s better than walking along the side of the highway. I finally made it to the institute at about 5 pm. The door was open, but I didn’t see anyone inside. Not wanting to venture into an area I wasn’t supposed to be in, I turned back and just figured I would come back in the morning.

The view from my office at IRIS. Ignore the trash heap.

Just like everything else, this experience turned out for the best, because at the height of my frustration, I met an exceptionally kind and helpful woman named Ingeborg, and I think she may turn out to be a good friend. When I successfully made it to IRIS the following morning, I was immediately welcomed into my own office, introduced to smiling colleagues, and told that a few scientists had stayed late the previous night to look for me. I must have just missed them when I arrived at 5.

I actually like IRIS a lot now that I’m here. The Mekjarvik location is at the end of a peninsula, so my office has a nice view out to the fjord. I finally made it, and I’m grateful to be here.