Monday, August 31
Travel day! My flight out of San Diego wasn't scheduled until 5:15 p.m.,
which gave me the entire day to worry about whether I had finished packing.
After several rounds of checking, rearranging, and checking again, I finally
declared victory. At some point, you just have to trust that you have
everything you need.
My Uber driver was practically at my doorstep within a minute of requesting
a ride. He had just dropped someone off in the neighboring cul-de-sac, so
getting to the airport was remarkably easy.
Terminal 2 has been renovated and looks quite nice. My flight was booked
through United, although the actual airline was one whose name I couldn't seem
to remember. The flight from San Diego to Munich took a little over eleven
hours. Fortunately, international flights seem to offer more legroom than I'm
accustomed to, which I certainly appreciated. After a few hours in Munich, I
boarded another flight for the approximately two-hour-and-ten-minute trip to
Oslo. Different aircraft, same mysterious airline.
Both flights were uneventful, which is exactly what you want when traveling
internationally.
Oslo Airport made a very good first impression. It was clean,
straightforward, and well designed. One interesting difference from traveling
in Europe twenty years ago was the absence of the border formalities I might
have expected when traveling from Germany to Norway. I simply followed the
signs to baggage claim and then onward to the airport tram.
Europe continues to impress me with its public transportation. I purchased my tram pass in advance online and it was valid for up to 90 days – great for travellers that might
not make the scheduled arrival. The tram
delivered me to Oslo Central Station, and from there I fired up Google Maps to
find my hotel.
That's where I experienced my first travel failure.
I searched for the Carl Johan Hotel and started walking. The route seemed
considerably longer than expected, and there was a good reason: several hotels
have similar names. My reservation was actually at the Comfort Hotel KarlJohan, which I managed to walk right past while admiring the Irish pub next
door. I added at least another six-tenths of a mile to my walk, dragging my
luggage along for the ride.
Eventually, I figured it out. Lesson learned: make sure you have the exact
hotel name before setting off!
After checking into my tiny room and taking a quick shower, I headed out in
search of food and a pint. I was tired and hungry, which isn't exactly the
ideal combination when trying to decide where to eat. I spotted an Irish pub
and another restaurant that looked considerably more upscale. The pub won.
The Dubliner turned out to be an interesting place, with several rooms at
different levels. You definitely had to watch your step, but the atmosphere
made up for it. I ordered bangers and mash, only to discover they couldn't
provide it. Fish and chips became the substitute.
The best part of the pub was the music. In the back room, musicians seemed
welcome to join in with fiddles, flutes, and other instruments. It had the feel
of an informal gathering where anyone with the right instrument and the
inclination could participate. A great atmosphere!
I struck up a conversation with a fellow from Chicago who offered
suggestions for things to see around Oslo. I had already researched most of the
attractions he mentioned, so I assured him I wasn't being dismissive; I simply
had a list of my own. Conversations with the bartenders in both the front and
back rooms rounded out the evening.
By about 9 p.m., the combination of travel fatigue, food, and beer had
caught up with me. I headed back to the hotel, hoping for a good night's sleep.
That hope didn't last long. After going to bed around 10 p.m., I woke up at
2 a.m. The hotel room's lighting controls were confusing, but I eventually
sorted them out. Around 3 a.m., I went downstairs for coffee and met Maria at
the front desk. She was a heavy-metal and thrash-music fan, and we bonded over
our shared love of music, even if our preferred styles weren't necessarily the
same.
One hotel observation: Maria mentioned that all the bathrooms had heated
tiles, which must be wonderful during the winter months. However, a bathroom
mat would be a welcome addition. Heated tiles are nice; slipping on a wet floor
is not!
Wednesday, September 2 — Oslo at Its Best
The weather forecast called for drizzle and temperatures in the low 50s.
Instead, Oslo greeted me with cool morning air, clouds that gradually gave way
to abundant sunshine, and temperatures that made walking around the city a
pleasure.
I spent the early morning exploring the city on foot. There was plenty of
waterfront and near-waterfront high-rise housing, much of it featuring
balconies, along with restaurants, coffee shops, and all the amenities you'd
expect in expensive residential neighborhoods.
For a national capital, Oslo felt remarkably pleasant. There was some
graffiti, but not much, and public artwork seemed to be scattered throughout
the city. I also noticed very few dogs, which suited me just fine. I saw only
one Vespa-style scooter but plenty of bicycles and electric bikes.
A note for my packing list: bring a small flask for water next time. It
might come in handy on those long days of exploring!
Later, Bill texted to say he had arrived at Oslo Airport. I was already
heading toward the Central Station to investigate the shops and familiarize
myself with the place.
I also wanted to make sure we understood where to catch our train on Friday. I couldn't find our departure listed on the
station board, but some helpful staff members wearing “gilet jaune” reassured
me that the train information would appear closer to departure time. I showed
them the ticket in my Vy app, and they confirmed everything was in order.
Then Bill arrived and we walked back to the hotel together. I pointed out a
few things along the way, but it soon became apparent that he was running on
fumes. Understandable, considering his travel day. Once we reached the room, he
sat down and began taking off his shoes. That was my signal that he was done
for the moment!
I left him to recover and headed off to the Oslo Opera House.
What an unusual building! It’s broad, sloping granite surfaces invite
visitors to walk right up onto the roof, providing wonderful views of the city
and waterfront. Of course, they also invite visitors to trip, twist an ankle,
or take an unfortunate tumble. I couldn't help wondering how often someone had
to be carried away in an ambulance!
Eventually, I returned to the hotel. I was sitting downstairs when Bill
texted to say he was awake and getting into the shower. Our timing was perfect.
After he cleaned up, we headed back to the Opera House together. The views
were well worth a second visit, and I was able to demonstrate my concerns about
the potential ankle-breakers and skull-fracture hazards.
We continued walking around the waterfront, eventually discovering the
fortress I had spotted earlier from another vantage point. By then, we had
earned a break, so we found a place for a pint and decided to split a burger.
An oversized beer and half a burger each turned out to be an excellent dinner.
We then walked back toward the hotel along Karl Johans Gate, the main
boulevard leading to the Royal Palace. Initially, we had been looking for
something resembling a ceremonial arch, like the entrances to Chinatowns in
many American cities. We eventually learned that gate means street in Norwegian. No arch required!
We also noticed numerous flags flying at half-mast and what appeared to be
preparations for a significant event. Large, shallow planters had been
positioned along the boulevard, adding to the sense that something important
was about to happen.
I noticed many pedestrians had bought flowers. I thought, how nice of them to bring flowers
home.
At sunset, we were at the Royal Palace and had the opportunity to watch the
ceremonial lowering of the flags.
The road leading up to the palace was lined with flagpoles, each attended by
two guards. One observation: the guards appeared to be in their late teens or
very early twenties. At precisely sunset, someone blew a whistle, and the flags
came down in unison.
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| Karl Johans "Gate" with flags at half-mast. |
Once their flag was lowered, the guards roughly rolled it up and stood
motionless, waiting until the last flag had been brought down. At the sound of
another whistle, they unrolled their flags and carefully folded them. Once
finished, they again stood motionless until everyone had completed the task.
Another whistle and they marched up the hill.
After allowing a considerable gap, we followed them toward the palace.
That's when we began to understand what was happening. We learned that
Norway's King Harald V had recently died and that the palace was serving as the
setting for the mourning ceremonies. The following Wednesday, a parade was
scheduled to accompany the king to his final resting place.
Remember the pedestrians with flowers?
Everyone was bringing flowers as tribute to their King. The palace and its grounds were beautifully
decorated with an extraordinary number of flowers.
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| Tributes and Flowers at the Palace |
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| View from the Palace, to Karl Johans "Gate" |
It was quite something to witness. What had started as an evening stroll had
turned into an unexpected opportunity to observe an important Norwegian
ceremonial tradition.
Thursday, September 3 — Art, History, and Old Oslo
The next day was devoted to a visit to the National Museum of Norway. The
primary objective was to see Edvard Munch's The Scream. Bucket-list
item accomplished!
The museum was amazingly empty, which meant we could spend as much time as
we wanted standing in front of this priceless masterpiece. The museum had an
interesting collection of European art. Recognizing that it couldn't acquire
original works by all the great European masters, the museum had commissioned
artists to create copies of important masterpieces. One of the paintings we saw
had been produced by an assistant of Leonardo da Vinci. They even had a version
of the Mona Lisa. Another interesting piece was an interpretation of
Rodin's sculpture The Gates of Hell.
It was one of those museums where you could easily spend an entire day and
still not cover everything.
In the afternoon, we set off on a long but very pleasant walk. The weather
was terrific: sunny and about 68 degrees. Our destination was Damstredet and
Telthusbakken, two streets known for their traditional Norwegian architecture
and historic wooden houses.
What a contrast to the modern waterfront buildings! These streets offered a
glimpse of what older Oslo must have looked like, with charming houses,
traditional architecture, and a much different feel from the newer parts of the
city. Well worth the walk.
We stopped along the way for a beer and split a poke bowl before heading
back to the hotel. By then, we had accumulated enough walking miles to justify
a one-hour nap. Sometimes a little afternoon downtime is just what the travel
doctor ordered.
That evening, we returned to the Royal Palace for the second night's viewing
of the ceremonial flag-lowering at sunset. Having witnessed the ceremony the
previous evening, we knew a little more about what to expect, but it was still
fascinating to watch.
Remember the large shallow planters?
Almost all were adorned with flowers!
Afterward, we headed to The Whiskey Bar for a nightcap. A fitting way to
close out another full day in Oslo!
More Oslo pics here.
