One of my favorite photos from Oslo. The famous Munch museum, Oslo opera house, and the Deichman library all visibile in the background, while a young man jumps off the roof of his floating sauna in the foreground.
I didn't really know what to expect from Oslo, Norway's capital and largest city. I had always heard such good things about Scandanavian cities, but being more of a wildlife and wilderness type person, I hadn't really done a deep dive into what a traveler might experience in a place like Oslo. However, thanks to planning this trip, I'll get a first hand view of life, history, and adventure in Norway and Sweden.
Once called Christiana, the modern city of Oslo is often among the top five best cities to live in, having been chosen #1 several times. It has come a long way from its Viking stronghold roots, however there is a lot of history soaked into your surroundings as you walk around the city. It is also one of the world's most expensive cities as well. For the modern traveler it is easy to get around without a car, as the city is made for walking and biking, electric scooters are prevalent, and public transportation is everywhere.
Mary, Terry, Bob, Kathy, Jerry, Deb, Tom, Laura, and I, all met up at our modern boutique hotel in Oslo, called the Thief. Its rooftop bar seemed to be the chic place to be, and the morning breakfast buffet was amazing. It is tucked into the stylish Tjuvholmen neighborhood. Beautiful wooden boats cruised along the canals here, sometimes tying up in front of one of the many outdoor restaurants. The view over the fjord and across the bay to the fortress and old town was amazing.
Our group had a few guided tours during our couple of days in Oslo, but we also planned for a lot of free time to explore the town on our own. This was a great way to do it. We would get up and filter down to the amazing buffet breakfast. Talk about all the different museums, historical buildings, and experiences around town, then head out at our own pace. It was really fun reconvening for lunch, or dinner, and trading stories about what people had seen and discovered. I always like walking for hours in a new city, to really get my bearings and get a feel for the vibe of the place. And Oslo is a great place to do that.
The Akershus Fortress dominated our skyline, so everyone made it hear at some point in their explorations. It has a storied history, dating back to 1290's, and has served as everything, from a royal residence to a Nazi prison. The views out over the fjord from the ramparts were amazing. One of the can't miss parts of the fortress is the Nazi resistance museum. Everyone who stopped here was blown away and moved by the stories of the resistance movement during the Nazi occupation of Norway during WWII. As an American, we don't hear too much about this part of the war, and it did a good job of transporting you to that time, while you stood in the place it happened.
Walking through old town was also like being transported back in time. I wanted to stop and take photos of every building, and they just got more impressive as you got closer to the Royal Palace. In the next bay the old gives way to the new, and modern architectural works of art transport you into the future. The Deichman library, the Oslo opera house, and the Munch museum make quite the modern skyline. You can actually climb the opera house, as its slanted marble structure was designed as a climbable work of art, and is practically a city ritual. The view from the top is nice, but the I found the hidden bar on the roof of the the Munch museum next door is even better. Not to mention you can check out the artist's most famous work, the Scream, on your way up. With so much history surrounding us, it could be a bit overwhelming, so to get the most bang for our buck, we used our Oslo pass to hit up the amazing museums like the National Museum, the History Museum, and the Nobel Peace museum. It would be easy to spend longer in each, and in Oslo.
And after all this walking, (everyone was comparing their steps at dinner), everyone was ready for a little respite. But when in Oslo, you have to do it like the Norwegians, with a hot sauna and a cold dip in the fjord. I've never been a sauna person, but this was way different than I imagined. Instead of sitting and sweating in a hot room for two hours, what you do is sit inside for a bit, then jump into the cold waters of the fjord, rinse, and repeat. Our sauna happened to be a floating sauna at the end of dock. And the fjord here in Oslo is clean enough for people to want to do this. And to make things even more entertaining, there was a ladder to the roof, for some high diving hijinx, a rock climbing wall on the outside wall of the sauna, and a couple of paddle boards tied alongside.
I think Oslo really surprised all of us. It is a unique blend of history and futuristic, where you can stand where vikings once ruled at the same time as sipping cocktails over the fjord, or soaking in a floating sauna. I can't think of anywhere else that could provide this experience. And having the Thief hotel as our home base was a wonderful way to do it.
Checking out Edward Munch's most famous piece of art, "The Scream."
In the city center the public toilets take a credit card... so I did not check them out. I bet they were pretty impressive though.
We found our way to the secret rooftop bar ontop of the Munch museum. There are quite a few of these rooftop bars here in Oslo. Pretty amazing view from up here.
There were several of these beautiful wooden motorboats outside of our hotel, the Thief.
Jerry and Deb, enjoying their aparol spritz on the rooftop bar of the Munch museum, with an incredible view of Oslo.
Looking down on the bay here in Oslo. Our floating sauna can be seen on the left, at the end of the dock.
This is the Noble Peace Museum where you can read about all the past winners. City Hall is across the street, where they actually hand out the awards each year.
The amazing architecture of the Oslo opera house. It is a very popular thing to climb to the roof of the opera building.
The waterfront walk...filled with restaurants, boats, and very good looking Norweigen people. It seems to be the place to be. Our hotel, The Thief, was located right at the end of this waterfront strip.
There is incredible architecture around every corner here in Oslo. The Munch museum is no exception.
This is where you start your day at The Thief. Coffee station in the room.
The team, feeling good after enjoying our floating sauna. You could climb up to the roof, jump into the fjord, climb the climbing wall, and get refreshed before heading back into the steam room. It was a new experience for me and I loved it.
Throw another log on the fire. I climbed up to the roof and saw the smoke coming out of the chimney of our floating sauna.
Tom, courageously tackling the climbing wall.... consequense, an icy fall into the fjord waters.
The royal palace. This is where Norway's king and queen live. After talking to some locals, it sounds like everyone here really likes the royal family.
Trekking up the famous Oslo opera house.
Inside the wonderful Deichman Library. Six floors of reading wonder and interesting nooks.
Checking out the Deichman library. If I was a librarian back in the states, this is where I would come to get interesting ideas.
I didn't get the story behind this three masted tall ship, but it was flying a Norway flag, hanging out by military boats. I did see it motor off on our second day.
The Thief's very fancy and rare collection of whiskeys and scotches. Is that a Macallan 25yr I see in the middle?
This is the winter bar at the Thief.
Before a full day of checking out the sights here in Oslo, you need a big breakfast. The Thief's buffet breakfast did not disappoint.
2nd floor on the Thief, this is where the group meets in the morning before Oslo activities.
How can you pass up a freshly baked "Scream" cookie at the Munch museum.
A rogue swan decided to walk up to the Oslo opera house for some close up photos. No bystanders were attacked while I was there.
Inside the room at the Thief, Oslo.
We got caught up in the Pride parade in downtown Oslo. It was quite the scene!
Alright, this takes the breakfast buffet up a notch. How's this for your morning honey?
The team, sweating it out, in our floating sauna. We threw some logs in the fire, sweat, jumped into the waters of the fjord, and repeated.
Easy access to the fjord waters. Usually I don't jump into harbor waters, but its Norway, and its clean...enough.
Walking through the old town of Oslo.
Its a right of passage to climb up the Oslo opera house.
I never saw these wooden boats move. Could they be permanent works of art, outside the hotel?
At the end of the dock, sticking out in the fjord, all of these little floating saunas service locals and tourist alike. We spent a few hours here this afternoon to get into the local Norweigen spirit.
View from the roof of our floating sauna. I definitely busted out some backflips off the diving board. I had to entertain all the folks walking by of course. Thanks to being all heated up by the sauna, it didn't even feel like much of a polar plunge.
Battlements of the Akershus Fortress. This stronghold dates back to the 1290's!
This stained glass window was in the National Museum, which was massive. You could easily spend a whole afternoon here.
Downtown Oslo is very pedestrian-friendly. Our group split up and went in all different directions. We covered many of the museums and sights between the nine of us, all coming back together for dinner to share stories of what we found.
It is very costly to drive and park in the downtown area, so most locals utilize their own bikes, public transport, or these electric scooters to zip around.
Akershus Fortress walls, early in the morning.
I found this intriguing owl graffiti near the Oslo port.
A side view of our Oslo hotel, the Thief.
We are in a new part of Oslo, reclaimed land that was filled in and built up in the last couple of decades. It is filled with boutique hotels, museums, and tons of restaurants. The coolest part is that it is all connected by bridges and seperated by canals. I did watch one couple leave their table from an outdoor restaurant, step down into their boat, cast the lines, and head off...presumably out to their yacht.
A big crowd for the Oslo pride parade.
These brick buildings were the old shipyard, which used to be the end of the land here.
View inside Akershus Fortress.
Restaurants around Norway.
A wildly popular street, leading up to the Royal Palace.
The Oslo Cathedral. The church bells kept ringing throughout the day, much more than just on the hour.
Discovering high elevation views around town. This is from high up in the Munch.
I really wanted to explore these hidden tunnels under the fortress.
As I crossed the street I realized I was also crossing train tracks. Even these are neat and beautiful here.
After a wonderful dinner on the waterfront, and a ice cream on the go, Tom and Laura take a moment in the late evening light.
Mary and Terry, finding their way to the top of Oslo.
Sharing a wonderful rooftop dinner at the Thief.
Rock climbing practice at the floating sauna. This was my best Tom Cruise, mission impossible move.
Mary, channeling her inner viking.
VR Viking experience.
I always like to check out the back alleys in places like this.
Wildflowers on the outside of Akershus with the City Hall building in the background.
Panorama of the city from the view of the Fortress.
As always, keep traveling and exploring. What a place!
-Dai Mar