Oslo, Norway (Part 2)

Day 3 - Thursday July 26th

We grabbed breakfast to go from the hotel and took Eddie to work for a 9am meeting.  He's off to work to deal with customer issues and I take off to explore more of this country!
I went back to Holmenkollen Ski Jump to check out the view from the top on a rare sunny, warm, clear summer day (21C)!!!  Pretty amazing!  The people that do this must be crazy though --

 ... and from the bottom to give you some perspective!
You can't even see that people are standing at the top...

Then I drove to Vigelandsparken (Vigeland Park) and Museam to see the famous sculptures...

Vigeland Park is the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist, and is one of Norway's most popular tourist attractions.  The unique work of Gustav Vigeland contains his life work of more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite, and wrought iron.  

After a nice lunch in the courtyard of the sculpture park, 

I drove to Bygdoy and went to the Norskm Folkemuseum (Norwegian Folk Museam)

The Norwegian Church

I love the grass on the roof tops!  

After Eddie wrapped up his day at the office, we met Per and Anita at the marina.  Per took us out on his 36' Norwegian crafted Sailboat to cruise around the Oslo Fjord and little bays.  At this point there was <.5 knots of wind, so we just motored around.  The weather was perfect (shorts and t-shirt with a fleece for later).

We anchored and went for a swim; you could describe the water as... refreshing!  It was apron 69-70F, and the main creature to watch out for was the jellyfish. But as Per clearly stated, "They won't be in the bay because they like it where the water is cold..."  I guess it's all relative ;)

Once we were back on the boat and in dry clothes, we enjoyed a typical Norwegian summer meal of fresh prawns to be pealed and eaten on freshly baked bread with butter and a bit of lemon with just a bit of mayo and fresh dill complimented with sparkling water and a bottle of white wine.  To follow for dessert was strawberries and cream -- all of my favorites!

Before we knew it the sun was setting...  In Oslo, their means it is rather LATE (after 10:30pm).  We pulled the anchor and started our journey back to the marina, along the way, Per insisted that we set the sails because the wind had picked up a bit (2 knots) and he wanted us to believe him when he said this was a "Sail" boat.  He did just that, set the sails, cut the engine and just heard the water under the boat as we sailed back by sunset --- WOW!  What an experience and an amazing opportunity -- This will be hard to top!  Thanks Per and Anita -

Day 4 - Friday July 27th

Again this morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast to go from the hotel, then took Eddie to the office...

I started out my day on the water again - I can't get enough...  

From the Bygdoy peninsula, I caught the ferry to City Hall, then took a mini cruise around the Fjord --> City Hall --> Oslo Opera House --> Bygdoy --> City Hall.  I just enjoyed being outside and on the water ;)

      After returning to Bygdoy, I found a quiet little beach... what they call a beach, I would call a sunny spot on the rocks by the water -- either way, I used my backpack & rain jacket as a pillow and took a bit of a nap as I listened to the water softly crash on the rocks.

 Eddie called and said he was finishing up at the office, so i headed back to the car and found a parking ticket (that i could not read).  I asked the lady in the museum, and they said it happens ALL the time because it's so poorly marked!  Oh, well.  This just adds to the adventure - 

I picked Eddie up and we went back to Bygdoy to see some of the museums --
things stay open later there because it stays light so long!

Fram Museum (Fram is said to have sailed farther north (85°57'N) and farther south (78°41'S) than any other wooden ship.  The ship is preserved in the museum and you can walk aboard and explore the actual ship.)

Kon-Tiki Museum (Kon-Tiki was the raft used by Norwegian explorer in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands. Starting April 28, 1947, Heyerdahl and five companions sailed the raft for 101 days over 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean before smashing into a reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands on August 7, 1947.  The salvaged raft and maps are on display.) 

Vikingskipshuset (The Viking Ship Museum) presents great Viking ship discoveries from Gokstad, Oseberg and Tune as well as other finds from Viking tombs around the Oslo Fjord. The museum displays the world's two best-preserved wooden Viking ships built in the 9th century, as well as small boats, sledges, a cart with exceptional ornamentation, implements, tools, harness, textiles and household utensils.)

Then we had a nice dinner on a tiny little island, Little Herbern.  

We had to take the shortest little ferry ride to get over (about 10 yards across).  

The only thing on the island was a yacht club -- and the locals said not may foreigners found this place!  Definitely off the map -- I just happened to ask the right person where the locals eat around here ;)  

This was a very special trip for us -- I really enjoyed seeing a different part of the world and spending some time together.  Eddie just kept saying how much more fun it was to travel when I was there to share it with -- even if I did leave him at work and go explore.

Since the night was still young and we had daylight left, I took Eddie to Vigelandsparken to see the famous sculptures and take an evening stroll.  We returned back to the hotel about 10:30pm.

Day 5 - Saturday July 28th

We slept in a bit this morning then had a nice sit-down breakfast at the hotel.

Today was a bit rainy and overcast, but we went out anyway to explore the city and visit  the Nobel Peace Prize Museum ().  We had lunch and met our goal of riding the T-Bane, the Tram, the Bus, and the Ferry!  

Eddie took a nap and I caught up on this blog and enjoyed the view from the 17th floor of the hotel.

Once it cleared up and stopped raining, we walked down town for an appetizer & drinks to Rock'ola Cafe OSLO.

Day 6 - Sunday July 29th

We woke up and had a nice breakfast at the hotel.

The weather looked clear, so we went to Oslo Summer Park to the Ropes Course (Klatrepark) or Climbing Tree Park with lots of obstacles and zip lines overlooking the city from the mountain top.

I think Eddie and I will agree that the zip lines were our favorite...

... and the views were simply stunning!

... a long cable zip through the tall evergreens!

These rope obstacles are far harder than they look...

Then we went on a little road trip expedition... 

1st to Hadeland Glassverks, in Janiva

 Then to Sosterkirkin (Sister Churches) in Gran

Then completed our trip by returning to Oslo

We had a great day--- started with a big adrenalin rush for 3+ solid hours,

then a relaxing drive through the rural farmland outside of Oslo.

Day 7 - Monday July 30th

We woke up early and headed to the airport.  Eddie and I were on the same flight for our first leg, then he was off to Aberdeen, Scotland and I was headed back over the ocean to my girls...  I had a wonderful time, but couldn't wait to get my arms around Ali & Avery!!!

Thank you so much to Nana Pat (and Ron) for allowing me to go with Eddie on this international trip!

Now i'm ready for a big diet coke... with refills ;)

Biggest culture impact -- paying $3.20 for a .5L Pepsi MAX = Diet Pepsi

Norweigan Language -
most Norwegian's speak English and 1-2 other languages, but i've realized that their written language is phonetically based and you can often sound out what the word is... 

• kable = cable
• konferansesenter = conference center
• klatrepark = Climbing Tree Park
• Hvor jobber du = Have a job do you? or Where do you work?
• takk = thank you

THIS WAS A GREAT TRIP WITH LOTS OF GREAT ADVENTURES
AND LOTS OF MEMORIES THAT WILL BE TREASURED FOREVER!