Turns out that with a 4:30am alarm, nobody wins… except those that have to drive three hours to the airport! In short, Grant drives, and Jess “navigates” by falling asleep for 1 of the 2.5 hr drive. Fortunately at the airport, the return car is not a disaster. The biggest taste of drama we get is when Jess freaks out when we never go through customs or passport control on the way out of Portugal. A wee bit of confusion, but we make it onto the flight: 4 hour flight to Oslo which quickly becomes Nap Time: The Sequel.
View of greater Oslo from above
After landing in Oslo we take advantage of their well oiled public transit system and take the train (with free wifi!) into the city. Luckily the Tourist Info is just steps outside the beautiful train station, so we duck in to pick up two Oslo passes, which are our keys to the city — unlimited museum, tram, bus, and ferry access for 48 hours!
After posing with a tiger, we embark on a 30 minute walk to the apartment, which is the most true backpacking we’ve done this trip.
Years ago, people in the country used to refer to Oslo as going to the wild city, or the Tiger City. Hence the statue right in the middle of the city!
After settling into our AirBnB, we make a beeline for the grocery store for supplies. Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world, so some bread, salami, and cheese was definitely on our itinerary. Sadly we get stiffed on beer (no booze after 8), which would become the first of many times Norwegian blue laws would keep us from sampling the local brews.
Then, after some quick research, we head to our first choice restaurant only to find it’s closed for the month of July (inexplicably!?). Slightly disappointed, we wander the city in search of other suitable options. It is during this walk that we realize how AMAZING Oslo smells (fresh, crisp air plus incredibly sweet smelling flowering trees everywhere!) and see it as a way to make up for our 0-2 batting average.
In the end, we land at a nice gastropub just off the main city park and boulevard in the center of town. Grant is treated to an epic burger and beer flight, which Jess is overjoyed by a serving bowl of tasty, steaming mussels and a proper pint. However, we were not only there for the food: we also laid out our super tourist map and strategically plotted our moves for the next 2 days. The logistics are a bit hairy, and so we also contemplate invading a nearby country, simply because it might be easier.
From there it’s a quick walk home, and a confused look at the clock when we realize it’s time for bed, but also still light out at 10:30pm! And sunrise is at 3am?! What gives?! That’s going to take some getting used to…
The land of *nearly* endless sun…
-G & J
p.s. Happy Birthday, America!!!