Sunday (08/09/2015)

We arrived in Oslo around noon and went straight to the central train station to return the car we had rented. We parked in the designated spot and when we went to the store to return the keys, we saw a sign to leave the keys in a box. I found it interesting how no one helped us when we picked up or returned the car. First world indeed!

Our Hosting

We left the central train station, which is lovely, and used Google Maps to find our hotel. We chose a hotel relatively close to the station because our train to the airport on Tuesday was very early and because it was one of the cheapest options, of course.

We stayed at Comfort Hotel Xpress Youngstorget, which is a very modern and cozy hotel, and we paid 1298 crowns (140 euros) for two nights. The only detail that we didn't like is that they charge an extra fee for check in earlier (check-in time is 3pm). We refused to pay the fee (it wasn't absurd), so we left our bags at the hotel and went to lunch to kill time.

We followed the recommendation of the guy at reception and went to a really cool restaurant called Southwest, which is relatively close to the hotel. The atmosphere is great and we thought the food was pretty good too. The food prices are the same as in Dublin, but the drinks are actually more expensive. We enjoyed it and recommend it! We arrived there when it was empty and left with a waiting line. It must be good, right?

We walked around this area and weren't thrilled with what we saw. We found the buildings dull, the streets dirty and the atmosphere a bit strange, except for one street that had several bars and restaurants. We found a flea market with everything you could imagine and, to our surprise, there were lots of interested people walking around.

After the fair, we went back to the hotel to rest and we loved our room! I miss lying in a bed 🙂 NOTE: If you haven't read the other posts from our trip to Norway, we did a road trip and camped most of the days.

At the end of the day, with our energy recharged, we went out to see the tourist part of the city. We first went to the ultra-modern building of the Oslo Opera House, Opera House, and we went up to see the view from there. Very cool!

We walked to the city's Fortress, Akershus Festival, which also has a great view. Because of the good weather, it was possible to hear the parties that were happening on several boats nearby. It must be the fashion there…lol.

We passed in front of the city hall building, Oslo Radhus, which we found horrible and before reaching the most modern part of the city, we passed in front of the building Nobel Prize winner. Did you get what it is? Well...this is the building where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year.

We entered the modern part of the city and were enchanted by the buildings, restaurants and boats parked on the piers. It was exactly what we expected to see in one of the richest capitals in the world. Lots of wealth, lots of modernity and an incredible sense of security. Take a look:

From there we went to the park where the Royal Palace of Oslo, which was built in the first half of the 19th century. The park is impeccable and the palace is very beautiful on the outside.

We walk through Karls Johans Gate, which is one of the main streets in the city. There are many shops, many restaurants and many street artists playing various instruments. Most of them playing beautiful classical music. 🙂

We stopped to eat at the jail fast food Max and we were positively surprised by the cheeseburgers that we ordered. Delicious and very cheap!

Monday (10/08/2015)

We stopped at a convenience store and bought a pass that gave us access to transportation for 24 hours (we paid 180 kroner for two passes, or 20 euros). We did the math right away and it was worth it for us, since we wanted to go to Vigeland Park and to the Viking Museum, which are far from the city center.

Still on foot, we made our first stop at Cathedral Church, which was built in 1697. Its ceiling is beautiful and the church is shaped like a cross, with four rather long corridors.

We went to the bus stop and waited for bus 30 to the region of Bygdoy, where there are some very interesting museums in the city, including the Vikingskipshuset. It’s very easy to use public transport in Oslo… there are signs with the bus and tram timetables and they are extremely punctual, as well as being very comfortable. You can’t go wrong!

We paid 160 kroner (18 euros) for two tickets to the museum and loved everything we saw inside! This museum has 3 BOATS VIKINGS ORIGINALS FROM THE 9TH CENTURY that were found about 100 years ago, buried with blue clay. It is believed that they were used as tombs for important people of the time, as they found skeletons, jewelry, weapons and other items that may have been placed next to the body to help in the passage to the realm of the dead. There are so many beautiful details...so much mystery...I thought it was incredible to see the boats vikings best preserved in the world. It really is a journey back in time and it is impossible not to have your imagination running wild. You can't go to Oslo and not visit this museum, right? Especially because at the end of the tour, there are videos and texts explaining that they still haven't found a way to preserve everything they found, that is, they are racing against time to keep these treasures from decomposing. Sad, right? Hurry up then!!! Here are some photos to cheer you up:

We took a bus to the Vigeland Park, which is the most famous park in the country, which pays homage to the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. He began working on the park's sculptures in 1924, but died in 1943. All 212 sculptures in the park were created in clay by himself, but designed in stone by other artists. There are many, but the highlights are the Monolith , with 121 human figures clinging to each other, Wheel of Life and the Bridge, with sculptures on both sides.

We left there straight to the hotel and took the opportunity to enjoy the terrace, which has a beautiful view.

We slept until about 3am because we had to catch the train to the airport at 3:46am. We arrived at the airport at 5am and caught our flight to Dublin at 7am. No stress, but very sleepy.

If you want to know more about this 10-day trip to Norway, check out the posts below:

• 10 incredible days in Norway in the middle of summer (Summary)
• Arriving in Norway (a plane, bus, train and car saga)
• 1 day in Kristiansand and surroundings
• Between Kristiansand and the famous Preikestolen stone
• The famous Preikestolen
• 1 day in Stavanger and surroundings
• 1 day in Bergen and surroundings
• The largest Norwegian fjord and the largest European glacier
• Borgund Stavkirke, a medieval stave church
• 2 days in Flam and surroundings
• 2 days in Oslo, capital of Norway

If you want to book tours in Norway safely, check out the options offered by our partner Civitatis: