Oslo

Our second stop on our spring break adventure was Oslo, Norway. The experience we had here was one for the books. After getting in extremely early from a night spent on a long, uncomfortable bus ride - another memorable story - we powered through our exhaustion to explore the city for most of the day. Unfortunately, we realized after getting to our Airbnb we had been scammed by the host. The place looked nothing like the photos and after attempting to run the washer, we ended up with a flooded bathroom, ruined clothes, and discovered that the bathroom pipes were being held together by an intricate duct tape job. Our soaking wet clothes traveled in a plastic shopping bag after our night here until we could find a dry cleaner.

What we saw:

Damstredet - Charming small neighborhood that is filled with well-preserved wooden, colorful houses from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Karl Johans Gate - this street is the main street of Oslo. It houses lots of shops, a Hard Rock Cafe, Parliament, The National Theater, The Royal Palace, and lots of other neat sights.

City Hall - This was my favorite place in Oslo. Leading up to the entrance along the outside walls on both sides are engraved wooden art pieces by famous Norwegian artists. Inside, you can walk around the bottom and top floors to see all of the preserved historic rooms as well as be in awe as you take in all of the paintings on the walls done by famous Norwegian artists, including Munch. I read that is where the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is held.

Munch Museum - home to a lot of Munch's famous works, including The Scream - however it was on tour when we visited - but there are a lot of great pieces from similar artists from the same time period.

Frogner & Vigeland Park - these two parks are a 2-for-1 deal. They are filled with over 200 *very interesting* sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. If you're in Oslo, this is a must.

Parliament - there are guided tours at 10 and 11:30 am, which we skillfully missed, but the building is located at the end of Karl Johans Gate and was a cool sight to see.

Royal Palace - this is by far the most laid-back *still active* palace I have visited in Europe. It was a beautiful, bright yellow and surrounded by a park with a playground with fun pieces of art. There was also a frozen pond that we walked on because when in Norway why not? (also, yes we tested the thickness of the ice very carefully before getting on it mom)

What we ate:

Rice Bowl - Thai restaurant with large portions at decent prices (for Scandinavia) we were all super hungry and decided to each get our own plate, but we definitely should have just split because the portions were huge and kept us full all day.

Espresso House - This chain is located primarily in Norway, Sweden, and Finland and is the best. It's kind of like a Starbucks but with delicious coffee, freshly baked pastries, and more.

Verdict:

I'm glad we made this stop. Looking back now at all of the mishaps we had with things being closed and our Airbnb issues makes me laugh, however, I don't see myself venturing back to Oslo.