As we didn’t need to leave for the airport until noon, I made use of the time by going to the gym and then some gardening before leaving. Karen cooked us some Bacon & Sausage Rolls for brunch just in case there was no food to be found anyway in Oslo that we could afford.
Packing for this trip had been interesting as we were trying the Ryanair no luggage option. This meant we could only take a limited size bag that would fit under the seat in front. Now we were only going for 3 days so shouldn’t be too much a problem.
It was just the fact I still wanted to take my MacBook, kindle and all the wires to charge those as well as our phones and watches. I also must travel with all the tablets just in case cellulitis flares up in my legs. On top of all that we were not expecting Oslo to be warm or dry meaning we needed thick and waterproof clothes all of which meant it was a challenge fitting it all into a very small bag. But I managed it – just.
We also opted not to pay to choose our seats and went with random allocation during the online check-in. We were all given window seats all at least 4 rows apart from each other. But heigh ho – I saw that as a minor victory over Michael O’Leary.
The drive to Stansted was horrible. The Elveden bypass was slow which we found was due to a lorry breakdown. We took 30 minutes longer than it should. I had booked parking on the Mid-range Car Park. The shuttle bus soon whisked us to the terminal where although Security looked busy, we quickly made our way through.
Heading to the Escape Lounge we were disappointed that to find it was full and had to be put on a wait list. However, it only took 10 minutes before we got a text to tell us that a table was available.
The food was not great and indeed we all just mainly had cheese and biscuits but we did make good use of the free alcohol. The time passed quickly and we made our way to the gate and onto the plane.
The flight was smooth and quick. I passed the time reading ‘The Mouse on Wall Street’ another in the Leonard Wibberley ‘Mouse’ series. I think these books are still as funny and relevant as they were when they written 60 years ago.
Once landed and through Passport Control, we headed to the Train Station in the airport to catch the express train to Oslo Sentrum. We found buying the tickets and locating the correct line all very easy. The train ride was very smooth and as day turned to night, we could see snow still lying next to the tracks in places.
Finding our hotel though was less easy. What should have been a 15-minute walk turned out to be double as Apple Maps seemed to struggle with all the tall buildings around us. Karen was now hobbling and couldn’t manage to carry her bag so I took it for her. Carrying two bags though did nothing for my back.
Despite this our first impressions of Oslo were positive. It seemed modern, busy and safe. Eventually after stopping in a small store to get some drinks, we found the Smart Hotel. After checking in we went to our rooms. Well, I say rooms they were rather compact pods. Ours was quite sweet. It felt clean and new, even if only one of us could be standing at any one time. It reminded us of being in a small cabin on board ship. But as we didn’t intend to spend any time in here other than to sleep we were sure it would be fine. Our only point of contention was the bed which only had access from one side. I lost the argument and was allocated the side against the wall.
We met the following morning at 8.30am to see what the breakfast looked like. It wasn’t included in the room rate and as we hadn’t prebooked worked out at £18 each. We decided to go for it as we had no idea what prices were elsewhere and the offerings looked good. Besides Karen & I were desperate for several cups of tea as there were no facilities or indeed space for them in our room.
It was a good decision and we all filled up on the hot and cold offerings with the intention that we would not then need much for lunch later. I managed to secrete 2 boiled eggs in my pocket for later – just in case.
After cleaning our teeth, we then set out for the day. We were greeted by blue skies and sunshine. There was still a nip in the air but we didn’t need coats. It was lovely.
Our first stop was just a short walk away – the Royal Palace. It is a fine-looking building with a lovely vista down a road. We could walk up to it and the guards standing in front of it. Not that there was any reason they shouldn’t all be female but they were, which was good to see. I tried saying ‘Hi’ to one of them and was even more pleased when she said ‘Hi’ back.
I wanted to ask if King Harald was at home but thought better of it.
From here we walked down to the Nobel Peace Centre which was another impressive building. We half wondered whether to go in but decided to give it a miss for now. Instead, we wandered slowly round the bustling wharf area. It seemed the people of Oslo were out in force making the most of the weather. There was a Starbucks and it seemed rude not to stop and have a drink outside in the sunshine. Oslo as a City lost a few marks as they did not sell tea of any description or flavour.
Then we walked round to the Town Hall. A Germanic stern looking building dating from the 1930’s. This is where the Nobel Prize giving ceremonies are held and it is free to enter so naturally, we went in. The space in which it is held is very impressive with what you can call very big murals. It is also a place for weddings and there seemed to be a never-ending production line of them taking place. I felt I was gate crashing at least 5 at the same time. Some of the older generation guests were in their traditional Norwegian dress which looked very smart.
Our stroll then took us to Akershus Fortress after a sit down looking down onto the busy harbour. The building particularly interested Neil as one of the buildings in Epcot is based upon it. Part of it is still used as a military barracks and the Prime Minister’s Office.
From here we walked around to the National Opera Theatre which has won awards for its design. It is quite stunning in that you can walk up the sloping roof either side to a viewing terrace on the top. It is quite steep in part but we joined what seemed like hundreds of locals doing the same and glad we did as the view was great.
I spotted that there was a nice-looking café inside the building and so we stopped for a drink and snack sitting again outside in the sunshine.
At this point we turned around and headed back in the direction of the hotel walking through the main shopping drag. We went in the first couple of tourist shops we had seen and had a quick browse.
We came to the Cathedral and popped in for a look. It was quite austere but in a nice way.
Then as we walked further, we stopped for a moment trying to decide whether it looked more interesting to take the left or right fork back to the hotel when a lovely woman asked if we were lost. We explained we weren’t and she then said ‘that’s an English accent – I am from Nottingham but live here now’. We chatted for a bit and she explained that everyone was and about as it was the first day of sunshine and warmth they have had since last summer. It had snowed last week and was predicted to do so again next week. We couldn’t believe our luck in being here now and missing that.
Slowly we made our way back to the Hotel where we chilled in our respective pods for a while before heading back out again for dinner.
We had chosen the Cathedral Café as our dinner venue and somehow headed in the wrong direction for a while but soon got back on track. The Café had good ratings and was in a lovely setting. We sat outside on the terrace of the round sided building. The service was good as were the Pizzas. They had an extensive selection of Bianco Pizzas.
We sat for a long while chatting after paying the eye watering bill just to extract more value from the cost before heading back to our hotel pods.
My impression of Oslo today has been very positive apart from not being able to get a cup of tea and the overall cost. Very walkable, very friendly, very interesting, and very safe would be my summary. We had walked over 8 miles and 20000+ steps but it hadn’t felt like it. We did kind of feel we have ‘done’ the centre parts and will venture further tomorrow.
