The Down-Low on Oslo — ALEXANDRA.MBK

While I am actually traveling the world (well, Europe) right now, my first experience as a global traveler was at Epcot in Disney World. As a kid, Epcot was definitely the lamest of the Disney parks because of the lack of thrill-seeking rides, but it was always my mom’s FAVORITE and she would make sure we hit alllll of the countries. Despite my naiveté and extreme boredom at having to experience other people’s cultures (LOL - how things have changed), I always remembered Norway and the fjords. On top of this, the movie “Frozen” takes place in the fictitious Arendelle, Norway, and as this is one of my favorite movies because of the strong sister relationship (love you, Lyssy), I had longed to visit Norway even more. Matthew, who says he easily could have been a viking, was also very excited to go to Norway, and so when we found cheap and inconvenient airline tickets, we naturally booked a trip to Oslo right away.

We started our journey on a Friday, but had to first fly to Riga, Latvia and stay overnight. We ended up getting a really nice hotel for very cheap, but we got in so late and left so early that we did not get to explore Riga at all, which was a HUGE bummer. Admittedly, my knowledge of Riga stems from Hannah Brown’s stint as the bachelorette, but I hope we get the opportunity to go back at some point. Our flight the next morning was at 7:00 AM, letting us get into Oslo at around 8:30 AM or so, so we decided to take advantage of my priority pass credit card and check out the Riga Priority Lounge. The breakfast, which we gorged ourselves on, was amazing and it was no surprise that the lounge is one of the top-rated airport lounges in Europe. This was a definite highlight for both Matt and me 😂.

Our short time in Riga

After this rather long journey, we finally arrived in Oslo. First impression: it was FREEZING. I am used to cold winters as a Nebraskan obviously, but the wet cold with the wind combination was pretty brutal. It also prevented us from seeing the fjords, which was a massive letdown. If you go to Norway, go when it is warmer. But still, we took the train to the city center and headed to our AirBnB. For the first time, we rented a private room in an apartment, but the room was beautiful with abundant natural lighting. It was also very reasonably priced and I got to have an illuminating chat with the resident on the intersection of American and European politics. This was an extra good deal because of its proximity to the National Theatre and city center (~15 minutes), which brings us to our next impression: Oslo is outrageously expensive. Matthew and I were as frugal as we could possibly be, touring everything on our own and not paying for any extra, and we still spent more in one day in Norway than any of our other trips. So basically, go when it’s warm and bring a ton of money 🤷🏽‍♀️.

But back to Oslo - we started our day off at the Viking Ship Museum. The museum is known for housing three former Viking ships, as well as other relics that were found during their excavation. The most famous ship is the Oseberg ship, which is completely intact. In the early 1900s, the whole ship was excavated within 3 months, but took over 20 years to prepare and restore it. The bow and stern of the ship have extremely ornate carvings, and several viking wood carvings were found on the ship. Also found were the remains of two significant women who were buried there. It is unknown as to who the women were, but they died in 834 and were accompanied by numerous burial gifts for their voyage to the afterlife, including five beds, tents, fifteen horses, six dogs, and two cows. The other ships in the Viking Ship Museum include the Gokstad Ship and the Tune Ship. Like the Oseberg ship, the Gokstad ship was found buried below ground level. This ship was also well-preserved, and could be sailed as well as rowed. It was most likely used for “voyages of discovery,” engaging in trade, and raids. When the ship was retired of its duties, it became a burial ship for a rich and powerful man, who based off his remains, was probably killed in battle from severe lacerations on the legs. The last ship, the Tune ship, was in the worst condition unfortunately due to its hasty unearthing. Unlike the other ships, it had a very strong mast support and a different hull, which enabled the ship to be a fast, sea-going vessel potentially used for wars. These ships in person were absolutely massive, but it is so difficult to fathom actually sailing across the Atlantic in them and how freezing it would have been. After seeing a very neat video the museum put together, I am certain that I could NOT handle it, but Matt had the opposite reaction and is certain that he could 🙄.

(Click image for more pics of the museum, ships, and wood carvings)

After the museum, we went back to the city center and walked around the harbor a bit. We saw the Oslo Opera house, which is directly on the harbor and very beautiful. Unsurprisingly, it has won many different architecture awards. We then ate lunch and decided to make our way to Holmenkollen Ski Jump. The panorama of the city from up there alone was breathtaking and we actually went for the 2 hours it happened to be clear. The ski jump itself has been central to Norwegian skiing since 1892 and has hosted cross-country skiing and ski jumping competitions for 100+ years. Matt was particularly shocked about how narrow the landing seems for how extraordinarily tall it is. It is difficult to comprehend how terrifying it would be - you go nearly 60 miles/hour and glide for nearly 5 seconds in the air before landing. After, we walked all around the area and got the most spectacular views of Oslo. I took SO many pictures, but it was easy to see why people rave about the incredible beauty of Norway.

(Click image above for more pictures of the harbor and ski jump!)

(Click image above for more spectacular views of Oslo)

We then took a train back into Oslo and decided to walk around the National Theatre area. The National Theatre began hosting plays since its inauguration in 1899 and has statues honoring Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, two famous Norwegian writers. We walked around the area, as there are a ton of outrageously expensive shops and restaurants. It was not long until we got legitimately hungry though, so we headed to Mathallen food hall. Mathallen food hall is an indoor food market with a ton of specialty food shops and cafes from Norway. It was so eclectic and Matt and I walked around everything for over an hour before we settled on eating at Vulkanfisk, a seafood bar and shop. The next two hours of Oslo were exhilarating. Matt and I sat at the bar and got to watch the chefs prepare all of the food, and there was no shortage of drama. I don’t think we spoke a word to each other between the delectable seafood and the juicy spectacle in front of us. It was particularly fun for us as we are both reading “Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain right now.

(Click image above for more pics of the National Theatre and Mathallen Food Hall, including our dinner)

We ended up deciding to head home at this point. A benefit of not speaking the native tongue in Europe is the inability to unintentionally listen to other people's conversations. We never understand what people are saying and can just tune out everyone else. In Norway, however, it is much more common to find people who speak English, which made our trek home very fun for me and very painful for Matthew. We ended up sitting across the bus aisle from two teenage girls who were talking EXTREMELY loudly about typical teenage issues that were super exaggerated. Interspersed with loud and frequent giggles, Matt's face was falling ever so slightly. He was not the only one annoyed though - there was a man in his late 30s sitting directly next to the girls, and I said "Don't worry Matt, you’re not the only one feeling this way. Look at the guy next to them." Right as Matt glanced over, the guy dropped his head, shook it, and looked like he was actually dying inside, prompting Matt and me to bust out laughing on the bus. I still crack up thinking about this. I personally loved the girls - I thought they were dramatic, funny, and charmingly self-involved in the way only 14-year-old girls can be, but it was definitely a highlight of the entire trip for me.

(Click image above for more shots of Oslo - it’s mostly the beautiful foliage)

The next morning, we tried to make it to the Vigeland sculpture park, but ended up getting lost. Still, we saw amazing views of Oslo again and made our way to the airport. Overall, Oslo was beautiful, but very expensive and we wish that we would have gone when it was warmer. For example, our tiny breakfast that morning cost us 20 euros, and the ridiculous people in front of us at the bakery spent 60 EUROS ON BREAKFAST. When we got home though, we decided to go out to our favorite Indian restaurant in Munich (called ‘Masala’) because we wanted to celebrate Diwali. As I left, I said “Happy Diwali” to our waiter, and he ran after me and gave me a big box of mittai (a box of tasty Indian sweets). This gesture made me miss my Nani, Nana, and the rest of my family so much back at home, and it meant so much. Matt and I demolished the box, and it was the perfect ending to our weekend.

Until next time!

Alexandra