Oslo is a beautiful city, but I definitely did not expect what I saw. The thing is I did not plan to go to Oslo and I did not even research about it. I was looking for cheap tickets to travel to Europe (Riga and London), and usually from Spokane (where I live right now) it costs from $1000 to $2000 for roundtrip to most cities in Europe! While looking at tickets I found a really cheap ticket for around $700 (half of that for one way) to Oslo, so I just had to get it! Especially that I am always excited to see new places.
The first surprising thing to me was that Oslo doesn’t have that many old buildings. There is so much history in European countries, old castles and very beautiful architectural buildings. In Oslo, most buildings were relatively new and had modern style. A lot of new construction too!
This is the first thing you will see when driving in to Oslo downtown from the airport.
Another thing, there are a lot of tramways, which I’ve seen a lot all over Europe, but in this city I felt like they had too many of them because electric wires were all over. It was almost impossible to take pictures of the buildings, but the city itself is very pretty and seems like a fun place to walk around and do some shopping.
Also, I never seen traffic lights with letters! Does anyone have something like that?
What I really liked in Oslo was the neighborhood called Aker Brygge. This area has a lot of restaurants, shops, and museums. It is a central area by the water with beautiful views. The area became popular in 1980s, when they started to open touristy locations.
(picture was taken on Stranden street)
This is a Clock Tower on the Aker Brygge waterfront. Great spot to take amazing photography!
A lot of sail boats and yachts all over waterfront!
Oslo City Hall is in the same area.
Akershus Castle and Fortress is near by. It was build in 1290s and is still in use. It was built to protect Oslo. Also, it has been used as a royal residential palace and as a prison.
Another really cool place to see is Ice Bar. Its a bar completely made of ice - chairs, walls, glasses, everything!
They gave us a blanket coat and gloves, so don't worry, you won't get cold if you ever decide to travel to Oslo and check out this place!
... and the last surprising thing that I discovered in Oslo is that you can find shark meat at some restaurants! It is illegal in USA, so it was pretty shocking! You may read about it and my other food experience in Oslo in my other post: Food in Oslo, Norway - I ate SHARK for the first time! ($500 dinner and pretty restaurants)
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