Last Day in Oslo

I går var vår siste dag i Oslo.

We meandered around the city again, intermittently napping and still trying to shake this jet lag. I didn’t think a six hour time change was going to be this hard, but admittedly I didn’t have the most helpful sleep schedule to start, so it’s realistically much more than that that I’m battling. Fortunately, last night got me to a pretty normal sleep amount and time, so here’s hoping we’re almost there.

On to more pictures!

We started the day at the National Opera & Ballet House, which overlooks this beautiful harbor-like area and has an accessible rooftop for some stunning views of the city. The Havnepromenade (havne means harbor) snakes around the waterfront and took us to our next impromptu destination:

Akershus Fortress has served many purposes for Norway, from acting as a residence for royalty to military defense headquarters. It is now open to the public as a historical landmark, although some official state functions still take place there. A courtyard tucked away in the center of the fortress is also set up as a theater space.

Within the fortress itself, we found the Norwegian Resistance Museum, a strikingly thorough monument to the people who fought against the German occupation of Norway during WWII. It was both a shocking tribute to the dedication and patriotism expressed by many Norwegians during that time and also a harrowing reminder of the price of war. One of our relatives was a radio operator for the resistance during the war, so it was especially chilling to learn more about the dangers those people faced in order to maintain their loyalty to Norway and its independence.

It is absolutely essential that I share this photo of my fish burger purchased from a nearby food truck. White fish burger patty, bacon, brown cheese (a Norwegian favorite–if you haven’t had any, what are you waiting for?), lingonberry sauce, and sour cream. Truly delicious!

We rounded out our walk back to the hotel stopping by the Norwegian Parliament building, outside of which there were early gatherers for what we heard was going to be a protest about climate change. Good on them.

This morning, we board the train from Oslo to Myrdal, then from Myrdal to Flåm. The latter of the two legs is supposed to be one of the most famous train rides in the world, so we’re hoping for some incredible views. The next set of photos should be a little more landscape-heavy as a result. Not a bad thing.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading so far. I’ve truly enjoyed hearing from you and hope this has been at least a little entertaining to read. Takk!