Oslo, Norway (11/8/07-11/12/07)

Itinerary: Oslo, Norway (11/8/07-11/12/07)
11/8/07-11/12/07: Oslo

11/9/07: Arrived Friday morning - I had a full day to roam around before my friend Edward got off work, so I put my bag in bus station locker, grabbed a hot dog and drink (first taste of how expensive Oslo was), and made my way into town. Walked down Karl Yohan’s Gate to city center, grabbing a chocolate bun and latte along the way. Headed up to the University area and a cartoon book in the discount bin outside a book shop caught my eye – it depicted a tough looking guy braving the harsh elements on a menacing littered Manhattan street. I found my way to a tourist office to get information and found my way to a bus that would take me to the Bygdoy peninsula where many of the Norwegian cultural museums were located. At the tip of the peninsula (last bus stop) were 3 museums – Kon Tiki, The Fram (a ship) and the Maritime History Museum. Before diving into those, I enjoyed the beautifully sunny day and the lovely scenery around the shoreline. I then walked back down the road to the Viking Ship Graveyard Museum and saw some pretty cool old pieces of wood and beautiful carvings and details on mastheads and such. I wandered around the Bygdoy area before catching a bus all the way back to the bus station to get my bag and grabbed a fried salmon fish wrap at McDonalds ($7 US, but so delicious!)... it would have cost another $5 or so to add fries and a drink. It soon got dark as I walked back to the city center to meet Edward. We went to his sweet pad in Aker Brygge and went out for a very nice sushi dinner.

11/10/07: Saturday – had breakfast at a cafe in Aker Brygge and walked around the area. Edward showed me the new area they were developing and pointed out some of the modern architecture. We then crossed a street and were in an old neighborhood. It was interesting to see the sharp contrast in neighborhoods in crossing the street. We made our way down towards Vigeland park, stopping for chai tea along the way. It was beautifully sunny out with lots of people out. The statues were a lot of fun. On our way back to his apartment, we walked by an outdoor flea market, and I found a perfect little souvenir – a fat colorful porcelain bird with its beak wide open. I thought it was some kind of gravy holder, but when Edward pointed out that it was a pen-pencil holder, I loved my pen-swallow even more. We rested up a bit back at his apartment and then headed out to Akesh castle, which was just a few minutes away from his place. We grabbed a quick lunch and drove over to a viewpoint to watch the sun set over the fjord. We had dinner at a pretty cool Thai restaurant – the restaurant had an impressively authentic rustic Thai decor… and I could have easily imagined myself in Thailand except that all the patrons were pale Oslovians. We then took a short cab ride over to the bars. The cab ride was just about 4-5 blocks long, and it cost roughly $20. At the first bar, I had hot chocolate and a soda. Then we headed to a second bar for a couple of drinks, and then to a club for a bit of dancing.

11/11/07: Sunday – I made breakfast, and then went to Nobel Peace center down the street. There was an interesting art exhibit on the second floor displaying the work of three artists of Palestinian background. The first peek into the state of the region I was to explore on my trip to Israel the following week. Edward then drove us out to Bygdoy, and we roamed around the Village museum and then over to the old Nazi headquarters-turned-Holocaust museum. Had a delicious lunch back at the Nobel Peace Center, took a nap and then caught a late afternoon picture at the Oslo Film house – we watched Gus Van Sant’s first film – it was interesting to see his fascination with down-and-out disadvantaged youth in this early film, and to see groundwork for later films such as My Own Private Idaho. We then enjoyed dinner at Lofoten - the well known seafood restaurant in Aker Brygge.

OSLO PHOTO LINK