Oslo

I arrived in Oslo on Monday evening (the 16th February) after catching a plane from Kirkenes (which weirdly stopped in Alta to pick up a few more passengers before heading on to Oslo) and a bus from the airport to the city centre.

I found my hotel without too many problems, then found a great Thai restaurant for dinner. The waitress gave me a Norsk menu instead of one of their English ones by mistake, but thankfully Pad Thai is the same in any language.

The next morning, I went to the National Gallery where I saw some great pieces of art including Munch's The Scream, and Rodin's The Thinker. After visiting the Gallery, I went to a coffee shop across the road for lunch.

Lunch: a bowl of mocha and a sultana scone

Feeling refreshed after lunch, I walked up to the Royal Palace, where I witnessed what I think was the Norwegian version of The Changing of the Guard. I only saw the last 2 minutes of it, but it seemed a bit more low-key than the English version (there were no instruments, they didn't play any Beatles medleys and they weren't protected behind any kind of fence).

The Royal Palace

The changing of the guard

I then walked to Akershus Festning where I visited the Norwegian Resistance Museum and spent a few interesting hours learning about Norway's part in World War II.

The National Theatre

Stortinget (Parliament)

Grand Hotel

The next morning I walked to Vigeland Park, which features many statues which were designed by Gustav Vigeland (hence the name of the park).

Bronze statues in Vigeland Park

Granite Monolith in Vigeland Park

Sinataggen (Little Hot-Head), Vigeland Park

I caught a tram from the park to Aker Brygge (the harbour), where I had lunch at Pascal, which is inside the Nobel Peace Centre. After lunch, I looked around some of the shops, gagging at the pricetags on all of the clothes. If I had bought a dress from Esprit in Norway, it would have been 10 pounds more than if I'd bought the same item in the UK!

Nobel Peace Centre

Aker Brygge

A sculpture on Aker Brygge

I thought Oslo was a great city. There is a great mix of architecture, outdoor sights and activities, and interesting museums and galleries. I could have spent a lot more time there and not have gotten bored (although maybe a bit lonely on my own!).