Blogs from Oslo, Eastern Norway, Norway, Europe - page 14

September 10, 2011 7:00 A.M. on a cool, cloudy day found us in Oslo, Norway, the last full day of our 11 day Scandinavian/St. Petersburg cruise on the Emerald Princess. Today we planned a walking tour of downtown Oslo following a self-guided tour from Rick Steve's travel book. Our walk took us first past the harbor and City Hall. A few blocks later we were climbing the steps beside the National Theater. A block further brought us to the Royal Palace. Leading up to the Palace is Karl Johans Gate (street), a main thoroughfare of downtown Oslo lined with shops, restaurants, and a couple of parks. At the other end of Karl Johans Gate we could see the Olso Cathedral and Train Station. Along the way we passed the Parliment Building and the Grand Hotel. We ... read more

Hmmm.....weather. Having awoken with the morning (lack of) sun at 4.30....the day did not improve. Heavy rain - heavy enough for us to question the sanity of going out in it. But we did as the laundromat beckoned. Only about 5 blocks away; it would not be possible to be wetter without being in a swimming pool....but surprisingly not cold. Long walk in the rain back through the centre of town. the weather certainly doesn't seem to kep them inside; coats and umbrellas and heavy boots and they are out there. No photos as it was that wet. Not the best weather for a dinner cruise on the fjord tonight. I wonder will we have fish?... read more

Continuing our tour to Holmenkollen, the huge ski jump visible in the mountains north of the city. And more importantly to lunch. About 350m above sea level, literally in the northern suburbs. views across the fjord. Noticeably cooler in the hills although we have the best sunny day. Lunch was - surprise surprise - fish! Entree: prawns (maybe better to call them shrimp) with a fennel salad and a cream cheese mousse. Main: Atlantic pollack (a fish not named after Amy Pollock) with asparagus and mushrooms and a hollandaise sauce. Beer: served English style. Cool but not cold. Then further up the mountain to the ski jump, built solely to hold world jump championships, and used maybe twice a year. Huge. Underneath it is a ski simulator. Andrew is a keen skier. So naturally we got ... read more

So what does anyone know about Oslo? Not much I would think, at least in Australia. A stunning setting at the head of a huge Baltic Sea inlet. It's not a true fjord in the English sense of the word; the Norwegian word can refer to many different types of bodies of water. It's a hilly city, with a giant ski jump on display towards the north west. Dozens of islands and a curving coastline that is suggestive of Sydney. And Norwegians.....how can there possibly be so many attractive blonde people? All the women look like they have just walked out of the Nordica Blonde tanning salon; all the men look like they have just finished chopping wood at the family holiday house in the mountains. And everyone looks beautiful. A few surprises -so many smokers, ... read more

Tuesday 12th June 2012 After a good night's sleep we were on our way to the railway station by 0700, we wanting to be early for the 0758 departure so that we could pick up some food for lunch on the way. Fred and Lorraine arrived soon after and right on 0758 the train departed for Oslo. The first section wasn't very interesting in that we only caught glimpses of the river, lakes and valleys we passed through as the train entered one tunnel after another. This improved about 2 hours into our journey and the route took us through green heavily wooded forests, passed rushing rivers, tumbling waterfalls, still lakes and other interesting scenery. There was still snow on the tops of mountains and at one stage we had thick snow all around us. When ... read more