An Awesome trip in Oslo Relaxing and Exploring

Oslo Night

Oslo was a wonderful get away for Alex and I. We had been looking forward to visiting the folk museum and I had Alex all excited about the farm animals. We arrived in Oslo in the evening and so we decided to rest up and start our sightseeing the following morning. Alex could hardly sleep for his excitement at the prospects of the following day.

The morning was chilly but it did not dampen our excitement. Oslo has many one way streets and this can be a confusing prospect for a tourist. So we decided to forego this challenge and instead rented bicycles from Skiservice Skkelutleie.

Norsk_folkemuseumOur first stop was at the Norsk Folkemuseum where I stood enthralled by the old buildings imagining what life was like on the past centuries. Alex could not understand my enchantment and he was soon off to ride the horse carts.

The Gamlebyen really takes one back in time. It is a replica of an old village where one can watch the old crafts going on such as making pottery. The folk museum had a lot to display on Norwegian culture including the bunad, the Sami culture and the tools used in the past.

OsebergWe then visited a place that had Alex’s eyes almost popping out. The Viking museum which is located a short distance from the Folkemuseum. There were three Viking ships on display that were originally excavated from burial grounds. These ships date back to over one thousand years. Oseberg built in the ninth century was found with the skeletons of two women, and also has an interesting story to go along with it. There have been many attempts to replicate the ship to see if it was actually capable to go out to sea, as opposed to just being used as a burial vessel. And in March of last year (2014) the replica of the Oseberg was successfully launched out to open seas, and traveled well in excess of 10 knots, thus proving that indeed the 1000+ year old Oseberg was indeed a capable Viking ship.

Gokstad built in the same period was used to bury a very rich man from whose grave numerous artifacts have been recovered. Tune the third ship, was a fast vessel eventually used to bury a rich man. They were really a sight to behold especially when one thought of the times they were used. To add to this there were other interesting artifacts from the burial chambers.

We then went to Kafe Akardia for lunch where I had a sandwich and a glass of wine, while Alex enjoyed a sandwich and soda. We then decided to go back to the hotel and rest a bit as I wanted us to visit the opera house in the evening.

Oslo Opera HouseThe Oslo Opera House is an architectural masterpiece. We visited it late in the afternoon after a relaxing nap in the hotel. The complex is really a beautiful site to see. We went for a tour on the roof top where we enjoyed walking on the sloping surface and later playing the musical rods. We spent quite some time there before getting down and going inside. The wave wall greeted us like something from another world with the lights playing on it forming a surreal picture. The strips of golden oak make the picture magical.
As we were not there for a show, we joined a tour going round the building. This was great for learning more about the building’s architecture. However we did not finish the tour of the building’s 1000 plus rooms! We were both hungry and Alex was getting cranky so we had to sneak away in the middle. However that is a must see for anyone visiting Oslo.

 

 

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