Two days in Oslo

We arrived in Oslo early Wednesday afternoon to clear skies and sunshine. We walked through downtown to our guesthouse ("pensjonat"), which is definitely the way to go when looking for accommodation in Europe. After a quick lunch from the grocery store - reindeer salami, cheese, and potato salad - we wandered the city for a few hours. Our first stop was City Hall. Not expecting to see much, we were pleasantly surprised by the art in and outside of the building, much of which was created before and after WWII. It was also a good way to learn more about Norwegian history and mythology.

Oslo happened to be hosting many big festivals this weekend, such as Gay Pride, Oslo Live, and a summer "cross-country skiing" event. The sounds from the crowd and bands led us down to the pier, where we were able to observe much of the festivities. We think we were even on live tv during the race! Because it had been a long day, we cooked dinner back at our hotel and relaxed while watching a little Jersey Shore (after 3 weeks without tv, you would watch it too).

Thursday meant more sightseeing in Oslo, so we started the day off by taking a ferry to the Fram Museum. This museum houses the Norwegian Ship, the Fram, and showed its successful history. This ship sailed further north than any other ship and later brought Roald Amundsen to Antarctica, where he was the first man to ski to the South Pole. It was interesting to read all about polar expeditions from a century ago.

The rain that set in cancelled our plans to walk to a nearby sculpture park, so we took the ferry back to downtown Oslo and stopped in a cafe for some lunch. We had a rich Norwegian meal of meatballs, potato dumplings, and lamb. Afternoon meant more museums as we went to the Norwegian Architecture Museum next. This relatively new museum showcased a variety of structures including private dwellings, commercial buildings and public spaces. Finally, we headed to the National Gallery to see the history of Norwegian art. The highlight was easily the Edvard Munch collection, including the very first version of The Scream (see pic - colors enhanced by Instagram). Three museums in one day is probably a record for us, so we came back and packed up for our journey home.

After three long weeks of trekking around Scandinavia via every possible mode of transportation, we are ready to head back to the U.S. to spend a little time relaxing and seeing family and friends...oh, and getting a Chicago apartment as well. We hope you've enjoyed reading and look for updates from the next trip.