travelogue: oslo, norway (part 1 of 3)

norway's capital was going to be our sole destination this spring break, i complied a long list of things for my boys and i to do, but then we changed our minds to include travelling through the fjords with bergen being our final destination. and i am so glad we did because while we enjoyed oslo we loved bergen.

oslo isn't the prettiest city in scandinavia but the places we explored, the cafes we visited and the scooting along the waterfront made our two days well spent.

oslo was quiet during the easter week so i missed out on shopping but in retrospect i saved monies. guys, oslo is expensive! once the sticker shock passed, we reattached our jaws and shrugged it off. but, we were selective about our expenses and often chose to splurge for dinners. 

each of our days starts with coffee for stefan and while some cafes were closed due to easter, stockfleths, was thankfully open. i couldn't imagine travelling with my hubby who hadn't ingested a good cup of coffee!

the oslo opera house (operahuset) has become a landmark since it opened in 2008. it is a beautiful piece of architecture, sitting right by the waterfront of the oslo fjord. its exterior is all italian marble and glass. inside, there's warm oak and the huge windows make maximum use of the fjord setting. it's understandable that it has won many awards. 

right behind the opera house, is barcode project, a series of high rises, each designed by a different architectural firm. we caught a glimpse from the opera house's rooftop.

havnepromenaden (harbour promenade) is approximately nine kilometre along the seafront and from the opera house, the first stop we made was at salt.

it's a nomadic arts project with a huge wooden pyramid containing one of the world's biggest saunas and there are smaller a-frame huts inspired by the wooden racks used by the sami in the north to hang out fish. here, we ate from one of the food trucks... the most decadent grilled cheese sandwiches accompanied by a cold glass of beer.

further along the waterfront, is the akker brygge pier. restaurants line the promenade with shops behind them. the area is full of life. it used to be a shipyard but in the 80s it was reinvented to this popular neighbourhood. across the pier you can see the akerhus fortress and castle up on a hill. 

another day, we scooted to the sculpture park, vigelandsparken. on our way, we rode along karl johnas gate, the main street, to the norwegian royal palace (where the current monarch lives), through a posh neighbourhood and then finally the park.

the park is filled with gustav vigeland's 212 sculptures made from bronze and granite. it's the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist. the sculptures vary from a screaming baby to embracing couples to elderly people... representing the cycle of life. every sculpture is naked to which the artist says, "only when you start putting clothes on people, that you define either their religion or where they are from. when you are naked, you can be anyone, anywhere and any time.” 

it's easy to stroll - or in our case scoot - around here. we took time to do as the locals, and relaxed on the grass, playing cards and getting into shenanigans. 

grünerløkka is a trendy neighbourhood that has been compared to sodermalm in stockholm so we just had to visit. it is filled with galleries, bars, microbreweries, restaurants and vintage shopping. edvard munch was one of its earlier residence, before being transformed by hipsters, of course).

unfortunately, it was the easter long weekend so many places were closed. luckily, the stockfleths coffee shop was open and mathallen too. mathallen is a sophisticated european food hall with lots of great looking places to eat and drink. we settled in for awhile, lounged in a nearby park, then went for drinks.

our first dinner was SO expensive! stefan and i couldn't help but laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of our bill. and we didn't even do as the server suggested, to order one of each menu item! we still talk about it! bass oslo is a bar with food but that food is more fine dining than bar food. while a couple of the dishes were meh that halibut with peas dish was to die for. and their norwegian cheese, thybo, was really really good. more please.

speaking of cheese, don't bother with the norwegian brown cheese, called brunt ost, it's pretty bland.

ok, next, is grådi, a restaurant in the tøyen neighborhood, our favourite and actually relatively affordable restaurant! the name means greedy and believe me i wanted to keep ordering. they serve small plates so you get try lots of their menu items which is described as norwegian comfort food with a mix of nordic and asian influences. so good guys!

and a shout out to our friend, ximena, who hooked us up with the comfort hotel; a bare basics, small and trendy hotel with the most comfy beds. we stayed at a comfort hotel in bergen too. thank you.

due to our short time in oslo over the easter break meant we missed out on some places... the evard munch museum (although we went to the one in bergen), kontiki museum, tim wendelboe cafe, viking ship huset, shops such as dapper, kollekted by, and ensemble, drinks on the rooftop of the thief hotel and i could go on and on. so, if you plan on a trip to oslo, don't treat it as a stopover on your way to the fjords, as we did, settle in for awhile and explore.

now, speaking of the fjords... if you like, see part 2 (journey to flam) and part 3 (bergen).