Oslo, Norway
Ok, technically we are in Gardermoen, Norway. That is the city about 25 minutes outside of Oslo where the main international Airport for Oslo is located. It was a rough night. The bed was too soft and the room was too hot. However this is just because we aren’t used to it. Up early this morning and off to Starbucks for my coffee and Brioche. Ok, no coffee, I didn’t trust them to make it correctly, so I had tea. Brought my own honey. Yesterday they said they didn’t have honey.
I worked on my Italian. Read a few emails and before I knew it it was 08:00 and time to get Mary’s coffee and blueberry muffin, although I did also buy a cinnamon roll just in case they were any good. They weren’t.
About 10:00 we took the train into Oslo. The cost of the Flytoget, the state owned train, from the airport to the center of town is 240 NK per person, or $25 per person. A taxi is about $125. That is $25 pp each way, so $50 rt. Fortunately they have a senior rate which is 50%. So we got two round trip tickets for $50. Not a bad deal.
Most all European airports now have trains that take you to the center of town for a fraction of what a taxi would cost. This train takes you directly, one intermediate stop, to the Oslo Central Station (Norwegian: Oslo sentralstasjon, abbreviated Oslo S) which is, obviously, the main railway station in Oslo. It is also the largest railway station within the entire Norwegian railway system. Like so many European train stations it is also a shopping mall, in this case a really big one.
We headed northwest out of the train station towards the Oslo Domkirke. Oslo Cathedral, formerly Our Savior's Church before the reformation, is the main church for the Church of Norway Diocese of Oslo, as well as the parish church for downtown Oslo. The building dates from 1694 to 1697. The Norwegian royal family and the Norwegian Government use the cathedral for public events.
Oslo Cathedral is located at Stortorvet square north/north-east of Karl Johans gate, between Kirke gate and Dronningens gate. The cathedral's lower end is surrounded by the Bazaar (Basarene ved Oslo domkirke), a curved long building with a tower covered in green copper like the cathedral. Right now it is being renovated so it is covered in plastic. Integrated with Basarene is the Fire Watch (Brannvakten) which served as Oslo's main fire station from 1860 until 1939, when today's main fire station at Arne Garborgs plass was opened. The cathedral, Basarene and Brannvakten are all built in red brick. Which honestly from the outside make them somewhat less impressive than you might think. However the Basarene and Brannvakten, which were built between 1840 and 1859, do make the structure considerable more impressive.
We walked down Karl Johans Gate towards the Royal Palace. We stopped at the Norwegian Parliament building. There were a number of protesters outside. They were protesting the war in the Middle East. We stopped in front of the University of Oslo building. It was more impressive.
Just opposite the university was the Hop On Hop Off bus kiosk. We enquired about where it went and how much it was. 950 NK for about an hours round trip. That is about $100. Things aren’t cheap here. However, we decided to do. It seemed at least as good as any of the panoramic motor coach tours Regent had. There was even a tape commentary, in English, along the way.
We drove past the Royal Palace, down the main shopping street, Bogstadveien. We started where the street was called Hagdehaugsveien and passed the Moods of Norway flagship store and well as many small boutiques from Scandinavian designers. When it enters the are of the city known as Majorstuen and changes name to Bogstadveien we could see everything from high-street stores to unique boutiques. All the famous brands such as H&M, Monsoon, BIK BOK, Helly Hansen and the like. Ohm, you all saw McDonalds, Burger King, Domino’s Pizza and other distasteful American chain trash.
We drove past Frognerparken. Frogner Park is Oslo’s largest park. The park is historically part of Frogner Manor and is Oslo's largest park, open to the public at all times. It includes the manor house which is the site of Oslo Museum, the nearby Henriette Wegner Pavilion, the Vigeland installation of sculpture created by sculptor Gustav Vigeland, Frogner Baths, Frogner stadion, Frognerparken Café, the restaurant Herregårdskroen and the largest collection of roses in the country with 14,000 plants of 150 species. Frogner Park is the most visited tourist attraction in Norway. As we approached we could see masses of people so we decided to stay on the bus.
The next stop on the route was the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. The Norsk Folkemuseum isn located in the Bygdoy neighborhood of Oslo. It is an Open-Air Museum with about 160 historic buildings. The main attraction is the Gol Stave Church from around 1200. This is one of the most interesting buildings, and certainly the most interesting church. All made of wood. Beautiful.
The bus continued on around Oslo. The saw the Kon-Tiki Museum, Maritime Museum, the Fram Museum, and drove around the Akershus Fortress and Castle. It had already been four hours so we opted to save something for next time we visit Oslo. We did drive by the National Opera House, which we thought was more impressive than the Sydney Opera House.
It had gone 15:00 by the time we got back to the university’s top. From there we walked a couple blocks to the Hereford House Steakhouse. They open for dinner at 15:00 so we decided to combine dinner and lunch into one meal. Besides, how can we pass up a restaurant like the Hereford House. There was a nice one in Kansas City. No, they aren’t related, or at least the waiter told us they weren’t. Nice lobster salad and anice steak.
After lunch/dinner we walked back to the train station and took the train back to the airport. We got a nice tour of Oslo. Didn’t get into much detail but still a good over view.
Stopped at Starbucks on the way to the hotel and got a tea. Couldn’t use my Starbucks card. After that is was a night. Need to be at the airport at 06:00 tomorrow for our 07:55 flight to Milano.
Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico e Maria
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