Oslo, Norway

Oslo, Norway

Today we woke to a beautiful sunny day with a high predicted of 20 degrees.

The Captain announced that we would be slightly late to dock due to the extreme wind during the night... apparently Force 10!! We didn't feel a thing!!!!

We have a long day in port.... 10.30am to 10.30pm so we are going to take our time getting off then just roam on our own as we are docked only a 10 minute walk from the city.

Once off the ship we walked to the City Hall which opened in 1950. Inside is decorated with delightful motives from Norwegian history, culture and working life. The Nobel Peace Centre which presents Alfred Nobel, the Peace Prize winners and their works is close by and worth a visit.

Next we strolled along the waterfront into Tjuvholmen, a new modern area that houses the Astrup Fearnley Museum, upmarket residential units and has magnificent views over the Oslo fjord. This area is a lot like Darling Harbour and Walsh Bay in Sydney.

We then purchased tram tickets for a return journey to Vigeland Park. The tram was very easy to use but you do have to remember to validate your ticket.... this time on the tram. This is one of Norway's most popular tourist attractions with more than one million visitors per year. This unique sculpture park represents the life work of sculpture Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and forged iron. Admission into the park is free. Lunch was next on the agenda.... not a good idea to buy from the cafe in the park.... $30 for two small pre-made ham and salad bread rolls!!

Back on the tram and back into the city centre. We headed down the pedestrian shopping street to the Cathedral and Central Station. There was nothing really to see at the station and the Cathedral was shut so we kept walking to the National Opera and Ballet House down by the water. Here you can walk on the roof to enjoy the views or stroll through the beautiful foyer.

We now only had one mission left and that was to visit the Royal Palace. This was going to be quite a challenge as it is located on the other side of the city and our feet were screaming to just go back to the ship which was a short(ish) walk away. Not to be defeated off we went under a considerable amount of moaning and groaning. We new we could not go inside but just wanted to look at the outside and to be able to take a photo and to tick the last thing off our to see list!

All missions completed we headed back to the ship for a cold drink and some feet up time!! An enjoyable day was had in Oslo.

Tomorrow we have a sea day to recuperate before our day in Warnemunde.

We have a booking for dinner in the Crab Shack which is a pop up specialty restaurant onboard and has a cover charge of $29US per head.

Next port of call Warnemunde which is the gateway to Berlin.

Quick facts:

Founded: in 1050AD by the Vikings

Population: 634,463 (2012)

Climate: enjoys four distinct seasons

Language: Norwegian

Currency: Norwegian Krone (NOK)

Capital of Scandinavia