Oslo

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After a hectic 20 hour adventure of busses, planes, doubts, and shut down subways, I finally caught my breath on Wednesday when I finally arrived at Anders' house. Anders was to be my second couch surfing host and allowed me to enjoy the beauty of Norway without paying 150 Euro for a hostel. Couch surfing has a million other benefits, but in a city where a bottle of water can easily set you back 25 Kroner ($4.12) budget is an important consideration.
Aside from the dollar crunching power of the kroner, I enjoyed Norway for its landscapes and, sadly, its shopping. I found Oslo to be the perfect place to buy souvenirs for my family that I had neglected on previous travels, with Paris and London always promising a return visit, and Germany lacking the opportunity and enthusiasm. That being said, I started my adventures Thursday morning with a trip down Karl Johans Gate, the main road and shopping street in Oslo. Before diving into tacky souvenir shops and the seemingly thousands of H&M's, I went to the Nasjonalgalereit, Oslo's biggest Art museum, which house the original copy of Edvard Munch's The Scream as well as works by Picasso, Matisse, and El Greco, among others. I loved seeing the art in real life, and Munch's heavy, carving strokes into layers of paint must be seen in person to experience the other worldy nature of his art. I left the Gallery and wandered down Karl Johan's from the University to Oslo Sentralstajon, seeking refuge from the cold in shops, and spending hundreds of Kroner in the process
Feeling the guilt from Thursday, I decided to spend Friday at the Bygdøv Peninsula visiting the Norsk Folkemuseum. Hundreds of years of folk art and culture from the Vikings to Ikea style interior design fill the museum. The indoor exhibits about life and culture in different periods were spectacular, however they were dwarfed by the outdoor displays and buildings, mock ups of houses, churches, and stores thoughout different periods. Of course my actual appreciation at the time was a bit dimmed by the -14 temp and my frozen toes.
The following day was spent sleeping in, enjoying the warmth, and then followed by walk though the Sculpture Park, and a trip to Oslo's fabulous Opera house. I slower day, I hoped was a sign of my tranquil departure early Monday morning. I planned to stay home on Sunday, relaxing in a warm home over looking Oslo and it's Fjords, but when it came time to leave, Johanna, another girl surfing with Anders mentioned that she had a friend who lived downtown who had offered to host us for the evening, since we both had to catch 4am busses to the airport early Monday morning. What should have been a simple evening turned into 5 hours in a blistering hot fishing boat in Oslo's main harbor, followed by a frightening walk at 2am (I couldn’t sleep or stand the heat) down Karl Johans Gate, fully equipped with muttering homeless, and a few 'Hei Hei's from men with less than a full set of teeth. I was kicked out of the train station, and got incredibly lost searched for the portion of the bus station that was open. I finally found it with the help of a girl working in the mysteriously still open concert hall, and sat in peace until my bus arrived, beginning the 16 hour journey 'home' to Pamplona, which involved a missed bus, 3 hours at Barajas and an extra three in Avenida America waiting for the last bus to Pamplona and a half hour walk home at 1am. the joy of travel.

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