Oslo: Vikings et al

I finally made it to Europe! It only took 3 flights and 20 hours, but I arrived in Oslo on Friday. Favorite moment: the people at the hostel front desk told me they liked my name when I arrived. Guess Eric is popular name in Scandanavia (Erik the Red?).  I walked around the city quickly to get acquainted before taking a 4-hour nap and sleeping another 6 hours. Changing time zones is the worst part of traveling.  When I did wake up in between around midnight, it was still fairly bright outside. From what I gather, the sun is out from 3am-12am in the summer!  Norway is very far north, probably the furthest north I've ever been. I've even been wearing a jacket here in the middle of July!

On Saturday, I woke up bright and early to begin my only full day in Oslo. Norway is probably the wealthiest country in the world, and my time in Oslo proves it. Every person has an iPhone. Most meals average between $15-40 dollars on the cheap side of things. I even spent $16 on a stupid McDonald's combo for lunch. Granted, it was probably the fanciest McDonald's I ever visited. I purchased a 24-hour

Oslo Pass, which gave me unlimited subway/bus/tram/ferry rides and access to most museums for free.  Oslo is full of museums to say the least!  I began on the ferry to Bygdoynes, a peninsula across the main port. There, I saw four museums in 3 hours. I started the Viking Ship Museum, which contains 3 full ships discovered in Norway from the 1300s. All the ships were well preserved and gave a good sense of the craftsmanship of the Viking sailors. Next, I walked to the Fram Museum, which documents the Norwegian ventures into the Arctic, North Pole, and Antarctica. Inside the museum, there are two giant ships that were created in the early 1900s specifically to cut through ice and water. Onwards, I moved to the Kon-Tiki Museum, which tells the story of Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl, the explorer who cross the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on reed-made boats. Finally, I saw the Norwegian Folk Museum that displays homes and village elements from around the country in an effort to preserve old Nordic culture.

After returning to the mainland of Oslo, I first stopped at the Nobel Peace Center. Although Alfred Nobel was Swedish, in his last will he set Oslo as the location for his renowned peace awards. The Center displays all the winners of the peace prize, with a special exhibition on the latest winner, in this case the European Union. Next door was the Akershus Slott (Castle), where many Norwegian and Swedish monarchs lived and protected themselves in a fortress. After passing through Old Town, I made it to the newest addition to the Oslo skyline, the Opera. Built in 2008, the Norwegian National Opera rivals even the Sydney Opera House with its modern design and rooftop views of the Oslo fjords. It was quite a sunny hike to the top with bright white tile stairs, but the view cannot be beat.  Except...

My last stop of the day was Holmenkollen, a famous ski hill outside the city center about a 20-minute metro ride away. The Norwegians are famous for their winter sports, holding the most medals of any country in the Winter Olympics.  Holmenkollen is a massive alpine ski slope and stadium used for events. It holds the Ski Museum and a daunting elevator ride to the top. I braved the heights and took the ride to the top of the slope to visit the observation deck. While I didn't stay out there long, it was an amazing view of Oslo, the nearby forests, and the famous Norwegian fjords (straits of land in water). Forgot to mention, I went to the large city park before that, Vigeland Park. The massive green space is named for the sculptor Gustav Vigeland, who sculptures decorate nearly every inch of the park. 

After a long, long day in Norway, I am prepping to fly to France tomorrow morning. I will be visiting the best city on earth, Paris, where I studied for a summer in 2010. More updates soon!