As I’m still a budget traveller my friend and I were up at 2am to take a night bus into Trafalgar Square which is where the mega bus to Stanstead airport leaves from – an 1hr 45min later we arrive to the airport for our 6am departure. Upon arriving in Oslo we realise that Easy Jet land at an airport which is a 2 hour bus ride into Olso (rather than the city based airport) – lessoned learned – I will in future consider the total travel journey time of a trip – sometimes its worth spending extra on the flights to ensure I get the most out of a weekend get-away.
We are ‘Couch Surfing’ on this trip so we make our way to the address our couch-surfer host provided us – he was an amazing host, made us really comfortable at his flat, and guided us around the city (which is priceless), I love nothing more than to get a really local experience of a new city.
Oslo is fun, it has a thriving cafe and bar culture, top-notch restaurants, nightlife options ranging from opera to indie rock, and a large and visible immigrant community who add their own colourful touch to the city and the result is a thoroughly intoxicating place.
One of the highlights of my trip to Oslo was Vigeland Park, a sculpture park & museum displaying the works of Gustav Vigeland. The unique sculpture park is Gustav Vigeland’s lifework with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron. Vigeland was also in charge of the design and architectural layout of the park. The Vigeland Park was mainly completed between 1939 and 1949.
Their were also some street markets on while we were out and about which were amazing. We tried Rakfisk, a Norwegian fish dish made from trout, salted and fermented for two to three months, or even up to a year, then eaten without cooking. Personally, I thought it was awful but obviously something that had to be tried at least once while we were in Norway.
The first record of the term rakfisk dates back to 1348, but the history of this food is probably even older. No sources are available as to the exact invention year of the rakfisk dish or the fermentation process that produces the raw material for it. — Wikipedia
Vikingskipshuset was a cool museum that we visiting on the afternoon that it rained. Even in repose, there is something intimidating about the sleek, dark hulls of the Viking ships Oseberg and Gokstad – the best preserved such ships in the world. There is also a third boat at the Vikingskipshuet, the Tune, but only a few boards and fragments remain. This museum is a must for anyone who enjoyed childhood stories of Vikings.
All three boats were built of oak in the 9th century. The ships were pulled ashore and used as tombs for nobility, who were buried with all they expected to need in the hereafter: jewels, furniture, food, servants, intricately carved carriages and sleighs, tapestries and fierce-looking figures. Some of these items are also displayed in the museum. The ships were excavated from the Oslofjord region between the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th
Our final stop in Oslo was the beautiful harbour. We just walked around, it was dusk so really pretty – I love being near the water.
It’s been a really fun weekend, I’m looking forward to seeing more of Norway in the future.
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