Trip to Norway: Part 2, Oslo

It was quarter to ten in the morning on the train from Göteborg to Oslo, and the cloud cover outside made it look like it was more like five in the evening. I am not sure how much the darkness has to do with being far north, or just the weather. We passed through forests and farmland. Winding dirt roads popped in and out of the wooded hills, with houses scattered among the trees. The trees were tall, skinny pines which showed signs of standing up to strong winds over the years with their twisted tops. A lake stretched along side the tracks, lining the landscape of fields are forests. Patches of birch trees added a lightness to the dark forests, and the red barns and yellow houses stood out in the brown, green scene. Everything was wet and reflected the dark sky. The trees were so dark with rain that the almost look burnt and black as they stood up against the grey sky.












I reached Oslo around one in the afternoon and was picked up at the train station by a friend of a friend, Petter, who I met in the states, and lives in Oslo. It was fantastic to be shown around by a local and have a place to stay in the city. Petter and his girlfriend Kristine showed me all around their fantastic city and took me to more than just the usual tourist attractions, although we did have to see those as well.


We visited the sculpture park in the rain after I arrived, and I experienced the weather of Oslo at it’s best. Petter and Kristine fixed an amazing Norwegian dinner for me. We had salmon, potatoes, a buttery sauce, and a cucumber salad. After dinner they took me to a brewery in the city that had fantastic beer, and showed me a fantastic night on the town.












The next day, Sunday, was a whirlwind of sight seeing. We started down by the water, visiting the fortress, seeing where the Nobel Peace Prize is given out, and touring around the waterfront.












We then made our way up the mountain and into the snow, and ate lunch at a fabulous café that looked out over the whole of the city.












Although it didn’t take long for the fog to set in, we had amazing weather and it didn’t rain at all. We visited the famous ski jump and biathlon course, saw the ski resort at the top of the mountain, and then stopped for tea at Petter’s parent’s house that looks out over the city. We ended our exhausting day of sightseeing with a walk in the woods with Petter’s dog. We were too tired to cook that night, so we went out for sushi and saw American Gangster in a fancy theater.











My visit in Oslo was so amazing, and I never would have been able to see as much without such fantastic hosts. I really feel like I have a good sense of the city of Oslo and the mountain above it. It’s not a huge city, even though it’s the biggest in all of Norway, and I would go back there in a second if I had a chance. The most incredible part of the city is that it is on the water and in the summer everyone sails and is outside in the sun, but it takes only a few minutes to drive or take the train up into the mountain and hike or ski in the winter. Such a healthy place to live with so many reasons and opportunities to be outside!