1.9.18 - Oslo

Ahhh the joys of a good nights sleep. Managed a pretty solid 6 hours or so then a couple of hours more before getting up at 6.30. Fiddled with some pics. 

Time to shower then downstairs to check out and in again as our booking was done in two separate transactions. 

Then upstairs for the most amazing breakfast spread. I will let the photos speak for themselves. 

Vitamins available at breakfast

These were hot and full of an amazing array of
hard boiled eggs, bacon, tiny sausages, sausages,
baked beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, porridge,
some green gunk, mushrooms and others I can't
recall.

The tiny sausages. 

Great selection of cheeses, juice, fruit, vegies etc,
helped when we were making lunch.

Tracy raiding the meat/seafood area for lunch,
hams, prosciutto, salmon, and other things.

Nutella, peanut butter, jams and marmalades.

Yoghurts, milks and fruit, cottage cheese.

Dried fruits, granolas, muesli, nuts etc..just such
an extensive range to choose from.

Bread rolls, crackers, crispbreads, Danish pastries, croissants,
pancakes and donuts. 

I made myself a yummy muesli with fruit, seeds and yogurt also taste tested some little meatballs and a pancake. All delicious. 

We also made our lunch for the day. Gotta love ziplock bags. 

After meeting Suzie and Tracy at  breaky. 

Then off to National Theatret train station, where with the help of a local and Google we found thee is a difference between train and metro. Once we nailed the Frognerseteren line we were off to Holmenkollen. Holmenkollen is home to the massive ski jump built for the 2011 World champs. 

The train was chockers, the weather sunny and warm. There was something going on we suspected as the vast majority of passengers were dressed for sport/fitness of some kind. Pretty much everyone bailed out at our stop and as we climbed up the steep path to the ski jump we figured out that they are here for a “Toughmudder” type event called Toughest. The ski jump was a part of it. Man it was steep. 

Here's where we went. 

Good views over Oslo and the water. A museum also which paid tribute to many Arctic/Antarctic explorers - Amundsen was the one I knew. 

This was a statue we saw on our walk to the station.

Down the escalator to the National Theatre Train
station...wrong way as it turned out. 

We found our way to right location within the
station to catch the TBane metro.

A sculpture of a skier coming down the jump.

Looking up the to the top of jump.

The view from half way down. There were lots of
people scrambling UP the jump as part of 'Toughest"
an obstacle course.

Tracy looking for that elusive Oslo Pass...yet again.
She was able to find it every other time it was needed
today.

Amundsen, an Antarctic explorer.

In the funicular looking up.  

In the funicular, looking down.

It was a long way up, and we started half way up the jump.

A pano from the lookout. Looking over Oslo. 

Once we had a look at the view and a bit of look around the museum, we made our way back to the city centre via metro train.

Wandering back through town, we came across a parade of some sort, with marching band, we struck them a couple of times. 

The band crossing the road near the waterfront.

Some of the different cultural groups.

Chinese segment. 

We sat on some lawn overlooking the waterfront and enjoyed lunch in the warm sunshine. Suzie and I went over the Nobel Peace building for a loo, and had a look around the museum. It was here we met our walking tour - with Scott. There were 17 of us for the English speaking tour. Scott is from England, but had been living in Norway for three years. He did a good tour.

Looking up the Fiord, from the Fortress over to
the area, I think it is called Aker Brygge.

One of the town squares, the Old one, executions
etc happened here in the old days.

More of the old square, the hand pointing sculpture was Khristiana,
pointing to 'Here' something will be...and I can't remember what.,
the other part of the sculpture represents the gallows, as witches
and others were hanged here.

That's Scott and our group.

The huge Opera house. Marble and you can
walk on it and kids slide on it in the snow.

Munch at the University. Famous for his painting, the Scream,
he donated hundreds of paintings and thousands of drawings
to the city. Some are here in the Uni, but it was shut.

The tour lasted about two hours, Tracy bailed a little earlier to return to hotel, we asked Scott about good eating places (recommended - Stortorvet Gjestevieri) and then Suzie and I experienced a bit of Hygge/Kushli, with a coffee, biccie and milkshake and watched the people along Karl Johans Gate (street) 

Some other notes from our walking tour.
Our walking tour with Scott began at the Nobel peace centre at 2 o’clock. We walked and learnt a lot. Suzie and I retraced some of our steps from yesterday. The city was amazingly busy with people everywhere not only the parade but the children’s Festival was happening in the old Fortress area and lovely weather seemed to bring everyone out.
We learnt about:

• Oslo’s link to Roosevelt, 
• the regeneration of the waterfront to bring the people back to the area. It’s been transformed from an industrial area associated with shipping to an area alive with people and a very exclusive place to live.
• Shiny tiled roofs - designed to allow snow and ice to slide off - very dangerous to pedestrians
• Freia god of female fertility and pleasures. Also the name of famous Norwegian chocolate. The large white and red sign has been dominating the city skyline since 1919. It has been lit up every night since only being turned off during two world wars. Good chocolate too, we are yet to try.

The language, is quite simple and descriptive, eg.

• The big thing = Stor tin get
• Stortorvet = the big square
• Oslo Domekirke = Oslo dome church or Oslo cathedral.

• the Danish word hygge (pronounced hoogoola.) There’s no direct English translation for hygge, but the word evokes both coziness and togetherness. “It’s not just cozy with a blanket and a glass of wine,”  “It’s also interpersonally cozy—so having a few people with you talking about issues and things you care deeply about. Having some candles lit, maybe a nice warm drink in your hand. Feeling safe and content.”
• Another word janteloven  was also explained as… a reason for Norwegian society being the way it is.
  Janteloven (the law of Jante) at its simplest describes the way that all Norwegians (and in fact, other Scandinavians too) should behave: putting society ahead of the individual, not boasting about individual accomplishments or being jealous of others.

Dinner stop.

My Seafood Bisque.

Tracy's crab.

Suzie with her bisque

Seafood bisque with muscles, scallops and
microherbs - peppery and delicious.

My orange chocolate cake with meringue and sorbet.

Tracy's pannecotta with seasonal berried. 

Suzie and Tarte Tartin

Tracy with her Pannecotta.

The menu

We couldn't read it first, all in Norwegian, then
our excellent waiter - Hendrick, turned it over
to reveal English, thankfully.

And the bill.  That translates to about $75 a head.

I think they say it how it is. 

A gym

That Freia sign.

A Nespresso window display that took our fancy

CAMERA PICS

Looking down on breakfast

We made a 'Hall of the Mountain King' and had it
as a theme when I was in grade 6.
Peer Gynt is a play written by a
famous Norwegian Composer Ibsen.

Homenkollen Ski Jump

Crowds of people on the way to Toughest...like Tough Mudder,
obstacle course.

Walking UP the ski jump...#$^& it's steep.

View over Oslo

Looking down...imagine skiing off that!

Eras Festival parade in centre of Oslo

 Walking tour.

Looking over Aker Bryrgge

 My walk around town at day's end.

Town Hall clock

Parliament. The bloke who carved this lion was a
prisoner, due for execution, he did such a good job they
commuted his sentence to life. He was then asked
to carve a second one, was pardoned, then went to the
US and killed someone else!!