Oh Oslo!

 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! 

And if you are going to see The Scream you should go to the 4th floor as soon as you get there in order to find out the timing that the version you would like to see will be shown. Throughout the day they show one at a time, a painting, a drawing and a print. The others remain in darkness behind revolving walls. 

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.

You can learn about Stefan here.

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 Hotel Continental is very well known for its restaurant Theatercaféen which opened in 1900. But I was checking out their modern lobby bar, Boman. This understated and elegant space was a super comfortable spot to take a break from all my walking and their Classic Cocktail menu charmed me with one of my favorites, the Last Word. 

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. 

When I was there the cocktail menu theme was "From Canvas to Glass" & was reinterpreting works of art into delicious drinks. This wasn't my first time at this bar, I had been there all those years ago and had loved my classic martinis. So happy to see it continues to hit all the marks. 

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.  

The drinks however are all very modern, and very delicious! Such as my "Stolen Apples" with rum, gin, green apple, lapsang souchong, ginger & shiso. There's also a full menu of classics and some N/A options. All this and the bar is currently #32 on the World's 50 Best Bars list. 

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! 

Every dish was excellent, but if I had to pick my favorite it would be the white asparagus, XO sauce & chili. It was stunning (but really all the dishes had that new-nordic look and taste) and really unexpected! Highly recommend Arakataka and would not be surprised at all to see them with a 1-star anytime soon. 

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!

All Oslo photos here. 

Other posts from this trip:

Weekend in Swiftholm

Everyone Loves Gothenburg!

Team Oslo

Our last few days in Norway were spent in Oslo where Matthieu & Violaine (of team Cuba & partial team Japan) joined us from Paris. Before celebrating New Year's Eve we walked around the city and tried to check out the changing of the guard at the fort but for reasons we could not figure out it never happened. We continued our walk down Karl Johan, past the skating rink on the way to the King's Palace.

Caitlin and I prepare to knock on the King's door

The next day was stunningly bright, sunny,  and cold. We boarded a sailboat for a cruise around the harbor. The ship was decked out with reindeer pelt covered benches and hot glogg. We cruised past the very cool Opera House with its roof that you can walk on & "floating" iceberg sculpture.

Then on to Viking Ship & Kon Tiki museum. During the cruise we spotted a dolphin in the harbor. It soon was chasing and performing for the ship. Sadly one of the deck hands told us that every year dolphins get lost in the harbor & can't find their way out. He also told us that within the next few weeks most of the water there would be frozen over, the temperature of the water making it almost impossible for the dolphin to breath, he'd most likely die. Sad and way to bring down the ship Mr!

Trying to find someplace open for lunch that wasn't already packed was difficult at best. We finally had to succumb to having beers and snacks at a TGIFridays of all places. This is the curse of holiday travel sometime.

Keeping with the American theme we headed out that evening to The Nighthawk Diner, which is known to have a great cocktail and burger menu. The drinks did not disappoint and the burgers got good marks too. Filled with locals, this is quite a fun spot to go to if you ever find yourself in Oslo, holiday or not.

The next morning Caitlin headed back to London and the rest of us grabbed the subway, headed to the Munch museum- small but really great in showing his evolution of style. You should know if you go that "The Scream" is not housed here, it's in Oslo's National Museum, but there are some really amazing pieces and I'd dare say nowhere else in the world would you find such a collection of his work.

Now losing Matthieu & Violaine back to Paris, Dayne & I headed off by bus to the Kon Tiki museum. I didn't know much about Thor's sea excursions before visiting it but I was really impressed with the rickety rafts he built and sailed the seas with. The museum has the original and also a replica. I still can't understand how these people survived multiple ocean crossings- Gilligan & crew should have taken note!

We met Forest for a last aquavit at the famed Grand Cafe before all grabbing our bags and taking a bus out to the airport Radisson Blu since we had an unfathomably early flight out the next morning. Pre-dinner martinis and an ok dinner at the hotel wrapped up this awesome Nordic experience.

Gingerbread Man Christmas Tree at Airport

Things we learned that are exclusively Norwegian to us include:

- if there are lit candles outside a restaurant or bar it's open
- Norwegian hotels serve the best and most massive breakfasts we've encountered so far (Stockholm and most of Japan are close)
- we have never encountered so much free wifi in anyplace in the world! If you go, don't waste your money on a data plan, you won't need it if you pick your hotels right
- very little is open during the Christmas holiday (week between new years), it's a very family oriented time with even just a handful of restaurants and bars being open
- Norway has very strange liquor laws making it difficult at best to purchase beer, wine, or booze outside of an actual bar
- of the 15 brands of aquavit made in Norway I had 10: Line, Gammel Opland (fav), Gilde Maquavit, Trondheim, Bergen, Antarctic, Hammer, Loitens Line, Taffle & Oslo
- Norwegian aquavit is NEVER served chilled since it is aged in oak barrels
-skiing was invented in Norway


All Oslo photos here


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Norway in a Nutshell

I have no idea why I think it's so fun to schlep around on multiple forms of transportation but I do! Similar to the loop in Hakone Norway is quite famous for their "Norway in a Nutshell" tour which cuts across the country and showcases spectacular views.

Snowy Countryside Outside of Voss

We left Bergen at 8am and took a pretty standard train to the small ski town of Voss. Here we boarded a bus for a scenic drive to Gudvangen. Since we were traveling on very snowy winter roads we bypassed the 22 some odd hairpin turns that the old highway has and arrived at the mouth of the Nærøyfjord in just under an hour. We passed our first of many frozen waterfalls we would see that day, they amazed me! And then we pulled up to this:

Everything was still and quiet and sooooo beautiful! There is pretty much nothing in Gudvangen except for the small ferry that comes a few times a day. The captain told me there wasn't much on board as far as food goes so we walked a short way to the gas station and loaded up on hotdogs, chips and chocolate! Arriving back in time to board the boat we grabbed a table and settled in for the ride.

For 2 hours we cruised through the Nærøyfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord. It's one of the narrowest fjords in all of Europe, at one point it's only about 820 feet wide, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And it is stunning! The water was so cold it looked viscous.

At one point the ferry pulled up to a small town and a family disembarked. They had told us that they were vacationing there for the week and had to bring everything they would need as there was no store, phone, tv, etc. Their kids did not look happy but the adults were excited to ski and relax.

We continued on to the town of Flåm which boasts all of 400 people and left our tiny ship, grabbing $25 beers (for 2!) to wait for our next mode of transportation.

The Flåm Railway has pretty old style wood walled cars and is one of the steepest railway lines on normal tracks in the world. For the next hour we climbed up the mountain, peered down on tiny villages, went through 18 tunnels and saw the Kjosfossen waterfall, normally falling over 305 feet down and now frozen solid.

We arrived in Myrdal which isn't really a town but rather a train station in the middle of no where, around 4pm. It's used by most to change from the Flam rail to the Bergen rail which goes into Oslo. There was a small group of us at first but quickly a train came headed for Bergen which they all got on. And then there was just us & one other couple, a completely closed and locked up train station, a hot chocolate machine, Scrabble on the iPad and a few flasks of rum- waiting 2 hours for our train to Oslo.

Scrabble Competition

Outside the Myrdal Station

Our train finally came, a 4 hour ride to Oslo allowed us all to doze after the busy day. We had sent our luggage ahead so it was waiting for us when we arrived at the Hotel Bristol where we had stayed our first night in Norway. It was 11pm.

Official mode of transportation count, 3 - 3 trains, 1 bus, 1 ferry (if only they would have had a funicular or a pirate ship!!)

Full set of photos here

Beautiful Bergen

Have you ever been someplace that was so pretty it just took your breath away? I felt like that as we exited the funicular car at the top of Fløyen mountain and took in the stunning beauty of Bergen and the fjords laid out below us. It was freezing cold, but I wanted to stand there with the light of dusk showing off this pretty little city for as long as possible. 

Bergen, Norway is one of Seattle's (many) sister cities. In fact we live right by Bergen Place here in Ballard. It's Norway's second largest and was one of the most important Hanseatic League cities. We stayed at the First Hotel Marin which was the perfect central location for our sightseeing. 

Along the waterfront is Bryggen, the oldest part of the city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The funny row of merchant buildings date back to 1360. Also near by is the Fish Market, much smaller in the winter but still a great place to check out all the different live fish, smoked fish, dried fish, lobsters, caviar, etc.

In the center of Bergen is a lovely lake, frozen solid in the winter and used as a pathway across. Small sections are cleared by the city for ice skating and one area is kept from freezing over by swimming flocks of birds. A Christmas tree stands in the middle. Although our hotel manager told us she thinks it's crazy that everyone walks across it! But still, if this doesn't look like a Christmas card I don't know what does!

Surrounding the lake are the various buildings of the Kunstmuseum, housing the works of Munch, Picasso, Miro, Klee, Dahl, etc. As we wandered through the galleries we couldn't help but notice the lack of security, I think I saw one the entire time. You'd think they would tighten things up since they seem to have an ongoing problem with this around the country.

During the holidays Bergen has the World's Largest Gingerbread City on display. This cavern of sweet smelling creations included amongst other things, an aquarium, a brothel, trains and even Michael Jackson's Neverland. Last year there was some issue with a man, aquavit and midnight hunger... the gingerbread police seemed to have everything under control when we were there though. 

We enjoyed a very nice dinner at Bergen's best restaurant Potetkjelleren, the best of our trip. Meaning "potato cellar" it's in the cellar of a house, the stairs leading down to the dining room quite steep and the doorways being quite low (cute video of the space on their site). Monkfish ceviche, Jerusalem Artichoke soup, duck breast and an amazing selection of cheeses. All perfectly paired with wines chosen by the sommelier. 

And of course we found Bergen's best cocktail bar, Biblioteket Bar where JP warmed us all up with Blue Blazers!

I really enjoyed Bergen and I'm sure it's just as beautiful in the summer, but this little city really charmed me with its holiday spirit and I'm glad I got to experience that. 

Lots of pictures of snow, sleds, and gingerbread here.