Oslo - what a fjord of a city

Last weekend I had the opportunity to take a cheap flight to Oslo, Norway. Oslo puts German efficiency to shame. Buses run frequently, on time and are clean. The city is clean and easily laid out for locals and tourists. Quite nice indeed.

Aside from the first 30 minutes where my travel partner and I couldn't for the life of us figure out where to catch the local #30 or #31 bus (we had arrived at the local bus station but only regional buses went there, hence the confusion.)

First thing about Norway: it is just as expensive as everyone says it is. Particularly food. A bottle of coke is approximately $6. A chocolate bar is between $3-4. The hot chocolate at 40 krone (approximately $6) was totally worth it.

Second thing: It gets a little chilly at night. Wear layers.

Third thing: Everyone speaks English.

Our hotel was fantastic. Situated just outside the downtown centre of the city but still within walking distance we stayed at Rica Hotel Bygdǿy Allé, we even had a balcony (we're on the fourth floor.)

Our first day was probably the best as the weather worked out quite well for us. We had clear blue skies and the sun was shining down for us.

With our OsloPasses in hand we headed down to the waterfront for a harbour boat tour.

The harbour was a little icy and we were there early so we decided to hike up to the Akershus Festning (the fortress). Quite a spectacular place and lots of history. The chapel is still in use by the Norwegian Royal Family. The picture below is the mausoleum where many of the royal family members are buried.

The highlight of the trip was probably when we got to go out on the water. It was absolutely stunning. The first stop was the Oslo Opera House - absolutely amazing. Would never have even known it was there unless the the boat tour went by it. The Opera House is designed that you can walk all over the roof.

We also went past the tiny island of Bleikøya with colourful wooden houses.

I have to admit that I probably fell asleep for a few minutes on the boat.

The sun, the few hours of travel the day before. It was the perfect setting for a mini-boat nap.

It was quite a lovely way to kick off Oslo.