We therefore took the trip with no plans in mind other than some vague thought of skiing.
Day 1 – Was a typical Ryanair flight morning i.e. up at 3:15 for the slog to Stansted to catch a 6:30 am flight. We arrived in Olso safely, however just as London Stansted is by no means anywhere near London, Oslo Torp is nowhere near Oslo. Ed had had the foresight to book a rental car and so the 115 km drive was relatively painless, until we reached Oslo. Mental note, avoid driving in city centre Oslo at all costs. It is a brain teaser if anything. We spent the rest of the day mucking about the city e.g. walking down the Karl Johans gate, the main thoroughfare and heart of the city. Oslo’s a great walking city – compact but filled to the brim with museums, restaurants, bars, theatres etc. We ended the day with a dinner at Gamle Radhuset (Old City Hall). Ed got to sample Norweigan lamb – really tender and tasty stuff. Some of the best we’ve ever had. I had the reindeer (as one does in Norway). Excellent as well, though I did look longingly over at Ed’s lamb more than once and he did offer a bite or 2 or 3 of it.
Some pics from Day 1: (L-R) Karls Johans Gate, Parliment, Reindeer
Day 2 – We headed down to Aker Brygge (the waterfront) in the morning to check out the fishing boats, Oslo’s distinctive city hall (where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded from), the Nobel Peace Centre, and the waterfront. Our plan was to catch a ferry across the fjord to the Viking Ship museum. The ferries were operating in winter hours i.e. not at all. So we trudged backed to the hotel and hopped into the car for the short drive over. The museum showcased 3 ships that had been discovered 60 years or so years earlier in the area around Oslo. Viking chieftains were often buried with their ships, and all of their worldly belongings, plus a hefty supply of food (cows, chickens etc). So on display where ships (2 of which in excellent condition) and the recovered artefacts. It boggles the mind to think how the Vikings managed to get as far as they did (Africa, East Asia and even North America) on these small boats. From the Viking Ship museum we went around the corner to the Norway Folks Museum (nothing to write home, or on the blog about). We headed back to the city, and spent the afternoon on the Eduard Munch museum to see “The Scream” and his other great works.
We ended the day with dinner at Engerbret Café, a quite historical restaurant in that is was a usual haunt for Ibsen and Co. We started with the Norweigan king crab (gorgeous, as they say here in the UK) – sectioned and sautéed in butter and garlic. For mains I had the lamb, and Ed a steak. It must be noted at this point in time that everything in Oslo costs and arm and a leg. Beers cost the equivalent of 5 – 7 pounds . Wine is twice the price you would pay in the UK. And for meals, you either eat at McDs (or something similar), or be prepared to fork out £150 for dinner for 2 (with wine) for a non-fancy restaurant meal. With that said though, the quality of the food we had was all excellent.
Some pics from Day 2: (L-R) Viking ship, Checking out fishing boats
Day 3 – We decided to drive about for the day. First we headed up to Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Norweigans seem to be a very athletic bunch. And Oslo in particular seems to offer a plenitude of opportunities to get active. It has skiing slopes with 20 minutes of the city, cross country skiing tracks all over, mountains and fjords for hiking etc in the summer. It was not uncommon to see someone casually walking along in the city centre with skis over their shoulder, in the same way they would be walking with groceries. We’re quite jealous really.
At Holmenkollen it was a proper family day out. Families were out in full force (baby trolleys and all), all skiing. Kids that could barely walk were better at skiing that most. Mind boggling stuff.
From Holmenkollen we drove a bit further out (40 km), and up a mountain for excellent views of Tyorfjordan. At the top we stumbled upon the Oslo paragliding club out for a day, or jumping off of mountains with small wind breaking equipment, as one does.
One the short drive back to Oslo we contemplated on Norway’s ranking on the Happiness Index. It’s no wonder they consistently rank 1 or 2. Taxes are high and things costly, yes. But the Norweigans are an extremely friendly, laid back and healthy bunch. Likely a function of the health and safety high levels of social services tends to bring, and the natural wonders (lakes, mountains, forests) at every corner. Olso, Norways capital and largest city, is the prime example of how good city-life should be.
Some pics from Day 3: (L-R) Holmkollen Skijump,Out and about
