Monday, 26th March 2018 It was rather quiet during breakfast at the hotel this morning. The breakfast menu at the hotel remained the same everyday but the items tasted fresh and warm. This was the Monday before Easter and most of the business travellers had probably returned home for their holidays. In fact, it was the same situation when I took the train to the office. The crowds were visibly thinner this morning and some of our colleagues had already went for their Easter break. For dinner this evening, we decided to head to Agave for Mexican dishes. As usual, we ordered a couple of mains and tacos for sharing so that we could try a bit of everything. It was nice to hang out with a group of people after work so that we could ... read more

Saturday, 24th March 2018 R popped by for breakfast this morning before our long journey to Stockholm where we would be staying over the weekend. We had a sumptuous breakfast before our long, six hours train journey to Central Stockholm. We rode on the 11.16am train from Oslo Central Station. Sitting in the First Class Coach, we found the leg room in between seats to be extremely generous. It was worth spending the SEK 100 extras for the comfort. There was a small bar at the end of our car where we could help ourselves to some coffee and water as well as some fruits and desserts. There was also a meal car in the middle of the train line where sandwiches, salads and drinks could be purchased. While the 525km journey was lengthy, we found ... read more

Thursday, 22nd March 2018 On the way to the train station every morning, I would pass by the Palace building on my right. On some sunny days, the palace facade would look especially impressive when the first rays of light shone on it. The Palace faced directly on the east overlooking the Karl Johans Gate. Today is a bright, sunny day with clear blue skies as we left office. We decided to head to the Aker Brygge for dinner to take advantage of the nice weather. R brought us to Rorbua, a cosy eating spot that served Norweigian cuisine. We ordered the fish soup, salmon and whale meat for sharing. This was yet another great recommendation from R as everybody gave a thumbs-up for the dishes. ... read more

Tuesday, 20th March 2018 I woke up with a nice view of Oslo city from my hotel bedroom this morning. H lamented that this was a very typical European city shot (nice!) when he saw the picture. Today is a cloudy day to speak of as I prep myself to work amidst the chilly temperatures. Typically on a working day, our 30-minute lunch break stretches between 11 to 11.30am. Lunch is buffet style that changes daily to appeal to different tastes. For dinner, R and myself headed to Fridays which had a restaurant opposite Oslo Central Station. The prices at Fridays were almost always steep as we ordered two mains for sharing. I didn't quite like the ribs today as it was overcooked and dry. Otherwise, this was a good dinner with great service to end ... read more

Sunday, 18th March 2018 After touching down at the airport, R brought me to the railway platform to board a NSB train to the National Theatre Station in downtown Oslo. With two departing trains every hour, this is a comparatively cheaper way to travel (NOK 66) compared to the Flytoget Service (NOK 190). After depositing my baggage at the hotel, R and I headed to the Cafe Cathedral within the Karl Johans Gate vicinity for breakfast. Since this was a Sunday, most of the shops in downtown Oslo were not opened for business. In the afternoon, we did a fair bit of sight-seeing to cover areas like the Opera House, Aker Brygge as well as the Akershus Fortress where it housed a rather extensive Military Museum (free admission). We arrived at R's apartment at the upmarket ... read more