Trip date: May 2024
I have been known to do odd things just to fly a certain route or on a particular plane and on this trip I flew up to Canada so that I could fly KLM Business class in order to get one of their Delft Blue miniature houses. These adorable recreations of buildings and houses in Amsterdam are filled with Bols genever and are only available on intercontinental flights booked in Business or First.
Since KLM doesn't fly out of Seattle I spent about $100 on Alaska Air for a 30 minute flight to Vancouver. This was also my first time using my Canadian passport so it seemed fitting to use it in Canada! On my 5 hour layover in YVR I hung out in the SkyTeam Lounge where I had some excellent cold peanut noodles from their noodle bar, then checked out the Plaza Premium Lounge and did some duty free shopping. It's a very nice International terminal!
I had transferred 161,500 Chase points to KLM directly for my YVR-AMS-OSL flight. This was my first time flying KLM Business class and I was super happy with my 3A window seat (but do wish I had gotten a better points transfer). My pod was outfitted with lots of space to stow stuff, an auto charging table, layflat bed and privacy door. And the bathroom was lined in miniature blue house wallpaper!
The 9-hour flight included a very nice drinks and dinner service (I had a Bols genever old fashioned, a poached lobster salad, mango rice with prawns, and a little cheese plate), some absolutely stunning views of the Rocky Mountains, a movie, and about 6 hours of sleep. I was hoping to see the Northern Lights but it never got dark on our flight path!
I will admit that when I woke up and had breakfast and everyone was getting ready for landing I was VERY concerned that I still didn't have a house! But then one of the flight attendants came around with a tray full of them! I didn't know I would get a choice! I was so excited!
I had a connecting flight in Amsterdam, and security to go thru, but my little booze house fit in my ziplock liquids bag so it was safe! I hung out in the KLM Crown Lounge for 2 hours on my layover; it is a huge lounge with lots of room but also can get very busy.
AMS-OSL... my plane got turned around mid flight! OMG I was terrified! They had pressurization issues so we had to return and wait for a new plane. As this is Europe, I was able to put in a claim for the delay and was refunded $326!
Oslo, finally! I took the Flytoget Airport Express from the airport to Oslo central station which took just 22 minutes for 240 NOK ($25) vs. 40 mins & €90 for a taxi. You can just tap your phone or credit card and they leave every 20 mins.
My hotel, the Clarion Hotel Hub, was right across the street from the station. I got checked in to my very cool designer room, took a much needed shower and headed to the rooftop bar for sunset drinks and a snack with a view- 4 hours later than planned.
Oslo is such a beautiful city! 10+ years ago I had visited in the winter, so these views were very different. And the next morning when I woke up the weather was outstanding; actually a bit warmer than what I packed for!
I walked everywhere, as the city is quite flat, and really admired how much the city has grown since my last visit and how very cool and modern it is. I highly recommend everything I did as I didn't have a dull moment!
- Walk up on the roof at the Opera House for great views of the harbor and the city.
- Visit the Munch Museum; if you are in town on a Monday it is the only museum open which is great! When I visited the city in 2011 the collection was in a small temp space while this was being built. It's a stunning building!
There's so much more at this museum though! I spent about 2 hours going through the various galleries. There are some wonderful views of the city and harbor here also!
- Explore the National Museum, the largest museum in Scandinavia (and the café & gift shop are super!). And there are usually a few really unique touring exhibits going on. I was lucky enough to catch a Kandinsky woodblock exhibit with items on loan from the Pompidou in Paris. The intricacy of the hand-carved blocks was amazing!
The National Museum also has a few renditions of The Scream as well as a great collection of other modern works, architecture, textiles, etc.
Oslo has over 50 museums to choose from; impressive for the smallest of the Scandinavian capital cities!
- Cruise the Oslo Fjord on an electric catamaran. My friends and I cruised the fjord when we were here in winter, all bundled up in reindeer pelts drinking mulled wine on a wooden boat. This time I took advantage of the summer-like weather and modern technology and saw it in much different light. And with a glass of cold wine.
The 1 ½ hour cruise gives you a chance to see the city from Oslofjord, which runs 75 miles from the North Sea to the Capital. I also saw lots of 100-year old houses, beaches, islands, and some historic ships. I've never met a boat I didn't like and really loved my time cruising around on this completely quiet one!
- Walk all over Oslo! The city is absolutely beautiful, mostly flat, and very safe.
While traversing around keep your eyes peeled for Stolpersteine, or stumbling stones, small gold squares embedded in the sidewalks outside places where Jews and other victims lived. These places are the last known homes of victims and will generally list their name, birth year, and fates. There are hundreds around, reminding us of the victims deported and killed by the Nazis in WWII.
The Palace is on one end of the city while the Opera House is at the other. The waterfront is where you can rent a floating sauna or just sit and take in the views. And in between are gorgeous parks, tons of cute shops, cool public sculptures, and a few big grand hotels whose lobby bars just beg you to sit for a drink...
- Get a cocktail, or many! Oslo has some fantastic cocktail bars and bartenders using interesting ingredients not always found in the states. As I love a hotel bar, I checked out 2 on this trip (besides my own).
The bar also has one of the largest private collections of art by Edvard Munch in Norway. No Scream though!
Over at The Grand Hotel, the lobby bar Othilia is luxurious & a little showy.
The Grand Hotel is a stunner and is definitely worth a walk around before you leave!
At Svanen, or The Swan, the cocktail bar has taken over the space that was a pharmacy from 1896 to 2014! The Swan Pharmacy's interior is still intact, with marble and wood counters and columns, adorned ceiling, and lots of those cool apothecary cabinets. And swans, lots and lots of swans.
I'd say the most famous cocktail spot in Oslo is Himkok (they also own The Swan) and it's marked only by a small H outside the front door. They are #14 on the World's 50 Best Bar list so this is definitely one you don't want to miss!
Inside you'll find a full distillery making Aquavit, Gin, and Vodka, which the bar uses to create inventive cocktails. There's another bar upstairs that specializes in high-volume draft cocktails. And an outdoor terrace in the summer for beers. It's a whole little city of booze! And on top of it, the bartenders are super nice and happy to give recommendations for other interesting spots around town.
- Eat local and new nordic cuisine. My timing (Sun-Tues) did not allow for one of the big Michelin starred restaurants this time but I still had some absolutely lovely meals!
Fiskeriet actually has 2 locations, both are busy seafood markets selling freshly caught fish. And both offer delicious menus of seafood along with some lovely wines. I sat outside and had an absolutely incredible fish & chips along with a minerally glass of Alsatian white wine. I also did a bit of shopping, not for fish, but they have all sorts of food-centric goodies!
Vaaghals is known for their house cured ham; think country ham meets prosciutto. I settled into a chair draped with sheepskin outside on their terrace and ordered the cured ham which comes with butter, homemade chicken liver paté and bread delivered in a cute paper bag. It's fantastic! My main course of perfectly grilled hake (white fish similar to cod) and roasted potatoes was similarly great! And during dinner you can create a 3, 4, or 5-course tasting menu from the offerings.
For dinner one night I walked out to the new-to-me neighborhood of Tjuvholmen. This area used to be shipping docks and then in 2005 went through a 9-year redevelopment which turned it into a stunning and modern area with apartments, marinas, offices, parks and the Astrup Fearnley Museum. It was great to see the finished efforts!
The restaurant Sjomagasinet which in their own words is "part restaurant, part seafood bar & delicatessen, part wine bar and part event & meeting space." The name actually means "sea store" and it's an absolutely gorgeous space.
While my dinner was flawless with wonderful flavors and presentation, service was quite lacking. But not for the other tables around me, which were mainly large groups. I was definitely rushed along as a solo diner.
By far, my best and favorite dining experience in Oslo this time was at Arakataka. There's an open kitchen on one side of the busy restaurant and the other is a wall of windows looking out to the neighborhood. The menu is set and you can choose 4 or 6 courses with optional add-ons. Wine pairings are also available. Basically this restaurant felt like it was saying "yes" to everything as long as you were enjoying yourself!
And with that my visit to Oslo was over. I walked across the street to the train station the next morning and boarded a high-speed train to Stockholm.
Oslo has changed so much in the 10+ years I had last been there. I was so happy to go back again as I loved it much more than I did the first time! Also my KLM Delft Blue house looks adorable on my bar cart... it probably needs a neighbor!
