Oslo, Norway

NORWAY WAS AMAZING!  I instantly fell in love with this country the moment we landed at the Oslo Rygge Airport.  As I looked out the window of the bus taking us to central Oslo, I couldn't help but think 'hey, that kind of looks like Minnesota.'  A little piece of home was refreshing with the hills, snow, and trees.  Only when I got to Oslo, did I find out that there's more of me in that city than just resembling Minnesota.  Talking to my mom about what we had been up to, she told my grandma who then informed me that her side of the family is from Oslo and that she has seen the sights that I had been seeing all day.  What a cool coincidence!  Whenever we told people that we would be going to Norway for our Reading Week break, everyone asked why?  Even some Norwegians that we met asked why we would decide to come to Oslo.  But I could not be more happy with our decision.  The trip will definitely be a highlight of my study abroad experience. 

Our flight Friday morning was at 8:30 AM at an airport an hour out of central London.  As we ran to our 5:30 AM cab that was meeting us a couple blocks away, I was wide awake and ready for the adventure.  We flew Ryan Air which I had only heard horror stories about, yet our time with them could not have been easier.  No problems with our carry on bag size and weight, with tickets, or with boarding.  Everything was smooth sailing, which was needed since none of us had had our morning coffee.  We arrived at Rygge Airport around 11:30 because of the hour ahead time difference, took a bus to central Oslo, got off, and enjoyed the scene.  The city of Oslo is much like any other city: busy, loud, cars, pedestrians, etc.  Everything you would expect.  But, coming from London, it was much quieter than what we were used to.  We didn't know where to go to get to our very cheap, but very nice hotel, so we asked around.  I had read online that Norwegians were very nice and welcoming and spoke English well, but I was blown away by everyone's helpfulness.  The whole six days we were there, we ran into only one person who did not speak English and zero people who were not willing to help us find our way.  Most of the time they would say "Enjoy Oslo!" or "Have a great day!" after pointing us in the correct direction.  It was refreshing.  I guess that is something else Minnesota and Norway have in common, that whole 'Minnesota Nice' thing may just be a 'Northern Nice' thing ;)  

After checking in to the hotel, we were exhausted and were in need of some resting time.  We found the lounge of the hotel (which had a free cappuccino machine -- bonus points for the hotel!) and watched the Winter Olympics for awhile.  In London, no one seems to care one bit about the Olympics.  Yet, in Norway, it was playing on every TV anywhere we went.  It was awesome getting to catch up with how USA was doing, and we found ourselves cheering for Norway as well.  That night, we walked around forever trying to find a cheap place to eat.  One downside to Oslo is everything is SOOO expensive.  Doing the conversions in our head, a normal meal with a drink and food would probably be about $25 if not more.  And we thought London prices were large... But, we asked around and a couple celebrating Valentine's Day led us to sort of food court/market area where there were many different stands to eat dinner at and buy other food to bring home.  We settled on some paella and finally sat down to eat.  That night, we crashed and rested up for a tourist day. 

Saturday, we got an early start.  The hotel had complimentary breakfast every morning, so we decided to stuff ourselves each day at breakfast to hopefully lighten the lunch we would have to buy.  It was a great breakfast too!  One thing that I wanted out of Norway was snow.  I was really missing my normal winter in London since all we get is rain and wind.  When we opened the curtains Saturday morning, I screamed and I think everyone was a little shocked at my excitement over some flurries.  But, the flurries turned into wet, big flakes that put an inch of slush on the ground and our coats.  But, some 30 degree weather and snow couldn't stop us!  We walked to Vigeland Park to see the famous 200+ sculptures. On the way, we were able to see some of the houses and neighborhoods of Oslo.  We also realized that the Oslo Royal Palace was just to the right of our hotel and the Norwegian Parliament was to our left.  Shout out to Athena for picking a great hotel in all aspects.  The snow was really falling and we were all pretty chilled to the bone, so we used the park's bathroom hand dryers to dry our wet socks and gloves.  I was very thankful for my Hunter Rain Boots I got for Christmas because my feet were pretty dry, just cold (unlike most of my friends).  We walked around some more, then headed back to our hotel lounge for more free coffee, Sochi Olympics, and Wifi.  For dinner that night, we went to Peppe's Pizza which seems to be a very popular chain in Oslo.  Another surprising chain was TGI Friday's.  There was one practically on every corner with their "American Bar" advertisement on the awning.  Peppe's Pizza had Chicago style and California style pizza which was humorous to us since 3/4 of the group goes to University of Illinois and 1/4 goes to Scripps College in LA.  That night, we went to a pub for a drink or two then headed home for sleep and warm clothes (but also to get away from the extreme prices for a draft beer).  

In front of the Royal Palace

Norwegian Museum of Cultural History 

Sunday was museum day.  We went to the Tourist Information Center and bought an Oslo Pass which provided free transportation, free entry to 30+ museums, and discounts to restaurants and cafes.  Buying the pass was definitely worth the money because we made it to six museums that day and rode the bus a lot.  We started at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, then headed to the Viking Ship Museum, The Kon-Tiki Museum, the Norwegian Maritime Museum, and the Fram Museum.  My favorite was probably the Fram Museum because it was all about polar ships and arctic travel.  There was a lot of interactive items that were probably made for children to try out and learn from, but hey, it helped me understand as well!  The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History was in a very close second because it had different areas that were inside and outside.  Outside had a ton of old Norwegian houses that were placed in a way to create an old town.  It gave a really cool visual as to what Norway used to look like.  There were also lots of cool artifacts indoors.  I was very jealous of all the cozy slippers and coats they got to wear, even though they really needed it in the cold weather.  After lunch that day, we went to the Nobel Peace Center.  I did not know that the Nobel Peace Prize was given in Oslo every year before researching what to do when we visited.  The museum was amazing and inspiring of course.  There was one exhibit that looked at how much money different families from all over the world spent on groceries in on week with pictures of what food they bought.  The American families were of course very typical American families with their take out and frozen pizzas.  Another exhibit in the center was about Chemical Weapons and what is being done to destroy them all.  It was a great thing to learn about considering the US and Russia were the only countries to not destroy their chemical weapons when everyone else did.  We went to a pub that night for dinner and to the Hard Rock Cafe Oslo after (just to say we did slash we didn't know where else to go).  While the night was still semi young, everyone else went back to the hotel and my friend Rachel and I sat on the pier overlooking the Oslo Bay.  The stars and moon were out, the water still, and everything was quiet.  It was amazing.  We talked for hours and looked around at the sights.  It was a great time to reflect and realized that wow, I was in Norway with my best friend and many new friends.  How did this happen?  and how did I get so lucky?  Only once we couldn't feel our toes anymore did we head inside to bed.  

Akershus Fortress on the Oslo Bay

Nobel Peace Center

Monday was my favorite day in Oslo.  We caught the Frognersetern subway line up to Voksenkollen and headed to Oslo Vinterpark.  After renting skis/snowboard, boots, snow pants, jacket, and helmet, we headed to the slopes!  I had not snowboarded since 8th grade, but it was practically like riding a bike.  The views were breathtaking, the sun was shining, and everyone made it down the mountain without any injuries.  It was Rachel and Athena's first time skiing, but they were troopers.  I wish that we could have gone back another day to the Vinterpark, but everyone is still suffering from sore muscles and bruised limbs.  We got home, did our usual afternoon/early-evening rest in the lounge with the Olympics, and headed to a cheap(er) Thai restaurant for dinner. 

Tuesday, we set out to do some hiking around the same area as the Vinterpark.  We had heard of great trails with even better views.  As I asked the Tourist Information center about getting some trail maps though, his confused look and then smirk ruined the plans.  He laughed and explained that the trails are too snowy and icy to walk in the winter.  Usually only cross-country skiing goes on at this time of year.  Note to self: next time you head to Oslo, go in the summer because I truly think it would be a completely different experience.  So, we headed out for Plan B which consisted of going to see some other important landmarks.  The Opera House was a must-see and I am really happy we got the chance to experience it.  We were able to walk up to the roof that overlooks Oslo and the bay.  It was beautiful.  We then headed over to the Akershus Fortress which I had admired many times from the pier.  We learned on our way over that Disney's Frozen does take place in Norway and is inspired by the Scandinavian culture.  The castle that Anna and Elsa grow up in in Arendelle is inspired by the Akershus Fortress.  The castle was really cool and again provided some great views.  We continued to walk around and found ourselves at the Museum of Contemporary Art which had a cool exhibit on an artist.  Since it was our last night in Oslo, we figured why not go to a nicer restaurant that we had been eyeing since we got in.  They had an outdoor patio with sheepskin and blankets on the chairs and heaters overhead.  We were able to sit outside on the pier to enjoy our absolutely delicious risotto.  It was probably the best meal that I have had since I left the US.  We asked our waitress for any cheap bar suggestions in which she told us a couple.  After sitting at one for awhile, the crew went back to the hotel, but Rachel and I assumed our normal night position on the pier.  I could never get tired of that view and the outdoors.  That is one thing that I miss from home, the outdoors.  I was happy to have gotten my fix in Oslo. 

On top of the Opera House

Akershus

We got back to London last night after a long travel day since the airport we left and arrived at were both an hour ride out from the city.  It was strange, but cool, to be looking forward to going home, which meant London.  Once we got off the train from the airport, the warmer air and busy streets felt more like home than I thought they ever would.  Today, Athena and I have time to regroup, repack, and then get on a 7:00 PM train to Edinburgh, Scotland tonight.  We are really using this open week to our advantage!  

If you would like to see more pictures from my Norway adventure, feel free to check out my album on Facebook! 
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