OSLO
- Hannah McDonald
- Jul 31, 2022
- 18 min read
Barcode Street Food • Oslo Opera House • Hovedøya • Mellomkollen Hike • Øyungen Lake • Nordvegan • The Vigeland Park and Frogner Park • Oslo Cathedral • Parliament Building • Rådhus • Nobels Fredssenter • Nobel Institute • Royal Palace • Akershus Festning and Castle
As of 2010, 68% of Oslo’s land area is tree cover (globalforestwatch.org). Naturally, we must spend at least that much of our Oslo time (three out of four days) in the trees!
Pro tip: Food has been a constant task and struggle in Norway, since we do not have a kitchen or refrigeration. Finally, we had an epiphany! The free hotel-provided breakfasts include bread, veggies, and (when we are lucky) hummus. Fortunately for us, our hotel in Oslo includes hummus, so after buying some gluten-free sandwich bread at the store, we have all the ingredients for a super cheap sandwich lunch—yay! Each morning, we made our sandwiches and smuggled them out of the dining room, wondering why we did not realize this hack sooner.
Barcode Street Food - Arrival Night
--- Map Point 2 ---
With our train arriving in Oslo at 9:00pm, we search for still-open restaurants. Seeing as Oslo is lively well into the night, there are numerous restaurants open, although few of those are vegan. This brings us to Barcode Street Food—a fun space filled with numerous food stands offering different cuisines, communal seating, a DJ, and good vibes. Throughout our time in Oslo, we tried several stands (Jefjel Healing Food, Tunco, Der Peppern Gror, and Falafel and More), with our favorite being fancy samosas from Der Peppern Gror, Indian street food.
Oslo Opera House - Arrival Night
--- Map Point 3 ---
The Oslo Opera House is a unique community space, as you can walk up the roof without ever entering the building. The roof is essentially a giant ramp and then levels out, overlooking the harbor and the city. People enjoy the beautiful evening, lining the roof (some even scooter up it) and watching as the sun fades behind the city skyline. Below, people jump off swimming docks into the harbor, and Joelle reminds me that we too must do that before leaving. We enjoy the atmosphere, view, and sunset on our first Oslo evening.
Hovedøya - Day One
--- Map Point 4 ---
Several islands are a short ferry ride from the city, each offering something unique (learn more here). Joelle and I decide to spend a day at Hovedøya, the closest island with some beaches, monastery ruins, and a military history. The first challenge is getting to the island via ferry, which fortunately is not too difficult after figuring out how to navigate the public transportation app and zone numbers (hint: we are going to and from Zone 1). After a very short ferry ride, we arrive on the island to find lots of trees. Dirt paths wind around the island, beaches line the edges, some grass fields lie in the center, and discoveries are waiting to be made throughout.
The Beach
Our first stop is the beach. It is a beautiful, warm, and sunny day, and seeing as those are a luxury on our travels this summer, we want to soak it up. The dirt trail takes us from the front of the island, where the ferry docked, to the back of the island, lined with beaches. On the slight downhill, it is Joelle’s turn to take a tumble. She slow motion falls forward, and just when I think she caught herself, she keeps falling until she lands on her back. I cannot help but laugh; that was such a weird fall (she is okay; just some scraped hands, arms, legs, and knees).
The sandy beach is dotted with groups of people, and we join them, finding a sunny spot to spread out our towels, enjoy our picnic lunch, lie in the sun, and listen to the first Harry Potter audiobook. Eventually, we start cooking on the sand and move from the sun to the shade (where a mosquito bit me on the forehead). Ready for a swim, we wade into the water only to realize it is not the cleanest and a better Oslo swimming spot must be found. The bandaid ominously bobbing just off the shore was a real red flag (there is also heavy metal soil contamination on the other side of the island, not great). Following many hours of relaxation, we decide to explore the island.
Kanonbatterier
A dirt trail leads us to some less-busy spots that may be nicer to spend time and swim if not so rocky. Along this route, we find the Kanonbatterier. In 1807, Denmark and Norway were drawn into the Napoleonic War, and this gun battery was built in 1808, serving as a defense facility around Akershus Fortress with cannons to protect against strangers’ ships entering the city. Today, it looks like an old white building in a grassy patch with wildflowers.
Tunnel
Our next discovery is the beginning of a tunnel that extends underground and connects the island's military camps. The tunnel is over 200 meters long, 3.5 meters high, and 10-15 meters down in the mountain. The intention was to have four tunnel entrances, although it never came entirely to the North. Overtime, the tunnel has likely been used for shelters during air strikes, as ammunition bearings, and for the school on the island to teach gas defense. Today, the tunnel is gated, but we are able to walk to the entrance and look down it. Here, we notice the drastic temperature drop and what looks like water in the tunnel. It is super eerie; to the gate is far enough for me (although it might be fun to go through it if someone else goes first).
Main Monastery
This monastery was founded on May 18, 1147 by Cistercian Monks from Kirksteadi, England. In the Middle Ages, this was a rich monastery, and the abbot and the monks had significant political and financial influence at the time. In 1532, the monastery was burned and looted, and in the following centuries, rock from the ruins was taken for extensions of the Akershus Fortress. Today, the ruins remain with stones outlining what once were rooms, a well in the center, and a tower with spiral stone stairs winding up it. Children run through the ruins, playing like it is a maze, and sheep graze in the field next to it. We enjoy walking through the ruins (it really does feel like a maze), imaging what it would have looked like. Joelle comments, “there really must not have been much light with all this stone.”
Mellomkollen Hike - Day Two
--- Map Point 5 ---
Seeing as there is so much forest in Oslo, we naturally need to explore it with a hike (and we want to get out of downtown). Lucky for us, lots of hiking trails are easily accessible via bus. Searching on AllTrails, one hike looks particularly beautiful and easy to access via bus: Mellomkollen (11.3km). This will be another Oslo day in the trees!
The bus route is relatively simple with only one transfer: Take bus 37 to the end of the line, and then take bus 51 to the end of the line. It is easy to know we are going in the right direction by noticing the shift in passengers’ clothing and accessories: Soon, the tote bags and jeans on the bus are replaced with hikers and their backpacks. About 50 minutes later, we get off the bus right at the trailhead. How cool that the busses can take you from the middle of the city to the bottom of a trailhead in the forest!
The beginning of the trailhead is somewhat steep and narrow before opening to a wide trail. The river is flowing next to us, and trees tower above us. We love nature! About 1.5 miles into the hike, we find Øyungen Lake. This large, beautiful lake shimmers blue in the sun. Many people sit at picnic tables and splash in the water. This seems to be a popular camping spot. We cannot simply keep walking! So, we join in the blueberry picking and sun bathing.
Eventually, Joelle suggests we better keep going or we may never (the sun was so nice on the rock we found). Nevertheless, we continue along the lake until the trail’s loop turns us in the other direction. We climb for another mile or so before the trees open into a field, with beautiful flowers, some houses, and a view of the lake. The perfect spot for a snack break! Continuing on, this is where we start getting lost. Do we walk across what appears to be these people’s front yard? Do we walk on the road above? The map on AllTrails seems to disagree with both options, but we do not see another option. We take a gamble and choose the road, hoping it intersects with the path on the map. Fortunately for us, it eventually does (I had my doubts), and we turn back into the trees.
Hiking up for awhile longer, Joelle pleads, “can we please stop and sit on those rocks up there.” Yes, yes we can. Looking at our watches, we cannot believe we are not even half way around the loop. Joelle follows-up this realization with “you know…hiking stops being fun at a point.” Do not get us wrong, we are having lots of fun, but goodness we have a ways to go. Rallying, we keep trekking up the mountain. Soon, the trees part and we climb up some rocks to a beautiful view. Spanning before us, there are lots and lots of trees. In the distance, Oslo is just in sight. This view is a clear depiction of the city to forest ratio in Oslo.
The climb down is steep and rocky, with the path covered in thin, loose sedimentary rock (I am no rock expert, but I think that is the rock type). Making it down that, we continue on the trail. To check our progress around the loop, Joelle opens the AllTrails map. “Uh oh,” she says. Our dot is not on the line anymore…oops. She looks closely to see if this will intersect with our intended trail, and it will if we do not mind walking several extra miles. Uninterested in that option, we back track. Returning to our intended trail, we continue on, following the map a little more closely. Eventually, we find ourselves walking on the side of the road. We must be close… we are! The bus stop comes into sight, and we both look around confused…this is not where we thought our loop would spit us out.
We made it! The wrong turns put us at 8.26 miles, hiking from 1:30pm to 6:45pm (including many relaxation stops), and got us through a good chunk of the second Harry Potter audiobook.
Our feet aching, we get back on the bus and head to the city to find some dinner (see Nordvegan).
Øyungen Lake - Day Three
--- Map Point 6 ---
We did not get enough of Øyungen lake on our Mellomkollen hike, so we return for a lake day. Today, our hiking clothes are traded for swimsuits, towels, and lots of yummy snacks. After navigating the same bus route as yesterday, we begin the two mile hike to our spot on the lake (okay, so it is a lake and hike day). Along the way, we spot raspberry bushes for the first time, and of course, stop to snack on them—delicious!
Seeing as it is a Saturday, the lake is busier today, although we find comfort in knowing everyone had to work to get to this lake (it must be less busy than many other spots). We find the same rocks as yesterday, and today we get to spread out our towels and stay awhile. We snack, enjoy the view, listen to Harry Potter, and nap a bit. The sun shines bright and feels amazing, although the breeze today is a bit brisk.
Joelle decides it is time to swim, so we go find a better spot. Just up the trail, we set-up camp where we saw people swimming yesterday. Joelle walks up and down the bank, looking for the best place to get in. Unsure whether I really want to get in the cold water, I hesitantly follow her. Two others are in the area, and one of them has just been swimming. He points us to a good spot where there is some sand on the bottom instead of muck or sharp rocks. Joelle wades out, informing me it is not really that cold. I disagree. It is cold. After standing in it for a few minutes though, the submerged body parts go numb.
The man directing us to the best swimming location—David—encourages us to swim, agreeing with Joelle on the temperature (not too cold). We chat with him a bit, learning he has lived in Oslo all his life but only recently discovered this lake. Now, he comes almost daily. He is in his second semester of art school and enjoys the fantasies of nature, letting his imagination flow. He asks about our travels, whether we are twins, and our ages. Learning our ages, he is impressed, sharing he was too nervous to travel at that age and feels old now. Nonetheless, he enjoys exploring new areas close to home, reminding us you do not have to travel far to see new things.
The water is not deep enough to just jump in, making it more challenging to get the courage to submerge because I feel the cold as I go. So while Joelle plops right in, I shuffle in little by little. Ultimately I decide I have to do it. I find the rock just before the water deepens and stand there. Then I keep standing there while gusts of wind come through. Then I go for it. BURR. I quickly start to get out, when I hear Joelle say, “wait I want us to swim together!” So I turn around, frantically paddle while saying “we are swimming together, we are swimming together,” and then I just as quickly pop back out of the water. The Norway swim may have been brief, but we did it! We swam everywhere we visited this summer–Hawaii (easy), the Nature Baths in Iceland, the canal in Copenhagen, Lake Siljan in Sweden, and now Øyungen Lake in Norway.
After letting the sun warm us and changing into dry clothes (and fending off a very brave duck that came for us), we start the two mile hike back to the bus, Joelle picking blueberries and raspberries for us along the way of course. Getting close to the bottom Joelle says, “I think I hear the bus.” I do not hear it, but if it is the bus, I think we are too far away to make it. “We could just run,” she replies. We continue to walk until I actually spot the bus: “Oh my gosh, that is the bus.” We proceed to take off sprinting, making it on the bus just in time. That is lucky. It would be awhile for the next one, and we need to make it to dinner before they close (see Nordvegan).
Nordvegan - Days Two and Three
--- Map Point 7 ---
Nordvegan is our dinner spot after the Mellomkollen hike and our Øyungen lake day. On our first night, we are so confused. The case in front of us is filled with rice, a variety of noodles, a few dishes, and a lot of individual toppings. The board above has a very vague menu with three options, all some variation of rice or noodles, "toppings," and sauce (each ingredient having an individual price on them, in addition to the menu item having a price). There is no indication of what toppings or what sauce belong on each dish, so we are struggling to picture our options. Eventually, we admit defeat, and ask the woman behind the counter to explain it to us (which she does again for the several customers after us). This simplifies it remarkably, and we go for curry with rice and a Buddha Bowl. They are both yummy!
Eyeing the dessert case, Joelle looks at our options. We are always hoping for raw desserts that are vegan, gluten-free, processed-sugar free, and yummy. There are some chocolate-coconut balls that look promising, so Joelle asks the woman about the ingredients. She has no idea what is in them because they are pre-made, delivered desserts, and the packages are thrown away upon putting them in the case. By the looks of it, we remain hopeful and order two. As it turns out, they are basically giant sprinkles. Seriously, they taste like sprinkles. Not wanting a “sprinkle of death” situation (read our last Denmark blog for background), I opt out of eating mine.
Our options here are reliable and good enough that we return for a second night, craving the idea of not needing to figure something new out. It is just as good the second time (we order one repeat dish and one new dish), although we skip the giant sprinkles this time.
Oslo Walking Tour - Day Four
After three “nature days,” we spend our last day exploring Central Oslo, which is slow to rise and late to rest. Joelle has a long run, and I tag along (far behind her) so as not to miss out on any sites. A run is a great way to cover some ground in exploring a city, and at the "early" time of 9:00am, the streets are empty. After showers, breakfast, and hotel check-out, we continue our Central Oslo exploration with a walking tour (the streets now bustling with people).
The Vigeland Park and Frogner Park
--- Map Point 8 ---
These parks are the destination of our morning run, two miles from our hotel. The Vigeland Park, which is within Frogner Park, is filled with numerous statues, all by the same artist and all very naked. Dirt paths geometrically weave through the garden, some lined with statues and leading to larger works. The main attraction is a tall tower of naked, intertwined human bodies, with several smaller but similar-concept towers spanning around it. Seeing as we have been listening to Harry Potter, the art reminds us of the Muggle fountain in the Ministry of Magic after being taken over by Death Eaters. A graveyard attached to the park’s back corner is peaceful, and Joelle finds graves from as early as the 1800s and as recent as 2021. The parks and cemetery are nice places to run and explore, with the combined perimeter of Frogner Park and the cemetery being about four miles.
Oslo Cathedral
--- Map Point 9 ---
Turns out, our hotel is across the street from the Oslo Cathedral, making it the first stop on our walking tour. The cathedral dates from 1697 and has elaborate stain-glass windows and a painted ceiling. Unfortunately, we did not make it inside but saw the tall, brick cathedral from outside.
Parliament Building
--- Map Point 10 ---
This building, built in 1866, is yellow-brick and just up the street from our hotel. Passing it numerous times, I keep noticing its look of importance and wonder what it is. Today, I learn it is parliament. On the lawn in front of the building, there is some sort of rally with Ukraine flags being held high. We cannot know for sure what they are saying, since it is Norwegian, but Joelle deduces it is something along the lines of “stop greed for the sake of greed in Ukraine.”
Rådhus
--- Map Point 11 ---
Rådhus is a twin-towered, red-brick building completed in 1950 for Oslo’s 900th anniversary. While standing out as important against the other buildings, there is nothing particularly intricate about it, aside from some statues and gold details hanging off various sides of the building. Today, the building houses political administration and is where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded on December 10th each year.
Cramo
--- Not Shown on Map ---
While walking around the streets, we notice an interesting solution to what we imagine is a housing problem. There are numerous shipping containers stacked on top of and next to each other. The front of the containers have windows with their curtains drawn, indicating it may be some sort of housing. Although not certain what we found, it stands out and reminds us of the cities in the movie “Ready Player One.”
Nobels Fredssenter and Nobel Institute
--- Map Points 12 and 13 ---
Did you know Norway—and Norway alone—was selected by Alfred Nobel to administer the Peace Prize. For us, the answer to this was “no, we did not know that” until reading about it in our Lonely Planet guidebook. Apparently, a committee of five Norwegians on six-year terms is appointed by the Norwegian Storting (parliament), and this committee awards the Nobel Peace Prize to the individual doing the most to promote world peace over the course of the year.
Intrigued by this, we first visit Nobels Fredssenter, a museum celebrating the lives and accomplishments of Nobel Peace Prize winners. We avoid the entrance fee by opting to visit the gift shop, rather than the actual museum (we find gift shops usually offer a nice summary of a museum's key messages). There are several fun books, and one children’s story about how the book’s paper was made—elephant poop. It was oddly sad, with the elephant hoping that if it continued to make profitable products—poop for paper—maybe kids would tell their parents not to shoot it.
The Nobel Institute is where the Norwegian Committee decides on the Nobel Peace Prize winner annually. There is also a library filled with information on international history and politics, peace studies, and economics. We did not enter the building but looked from outside—very noble looking.
Definitely learned something new today with these tour stops!
Royal Palace
--- Map Point 14 ---
The palace is a must-visit, giving us one last chance to pretend to be royals this summer. On our morning run, we experience the large palace driveway with no people and navigate the neighboring gardens. It is truly amazing to visit these regularly bustling places when they are empty. By the time we return around 1:00pm for our guided tour, the courtyard and gardens are full of people. We enjoy our lunch on a bench in the garden and watch the guards march around the palace. Time for our tour, we pass the gates and security check before entering the palace. The palace is beautiful, and our guide shares fun information and stories. Here are some highlights:
This is a home (the Royal Family lives here) and place of work.
The only objects that can be touched are the royal carpets on the floors, and you must be under 18. Do you think Joelle and I pass?
This is a small palace compared to others in Europe with only 173 rooms. Several tactics are used to make the palace seem bigger, including large trees on either side preventing onlookers from seeing the ends of the palace and a long tour route designed to get visitors lost in the palace.
How do you start a royal family in a country that does not have one? You take someone from another royal family! This is what Norway did. Norway visited Amalienborg in Denmark (which we visited in Copenhagen) and asked for a royal. Then, the Danish King’s great grandson—Karl Johan—became Norway’s first King, and he married a British Royal, who became his queen.
All the original chandeliers were sold and replaced with simple lightbulbs when electricity was invented, as that was the new best thing. Since then, the original chandeliers have been borrowed back to create replicas and hang in the palace. Only one, which is wooden and supposed to be hung in the Bird Room, cannot be found.
Many photographs of the Royal Family are taken in the Bird Room, against a specific wall. On this wall, the painter included a miniature version of himself and, as a result, has made his way into the background of countless royal photos.
The Great Hall (the Ballroom) is large and beautiful, with four sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. These are, of course, replicas of the originals since the originals were sold and replaced with a single lightbulb dangling from the ornate ceiling. What do you do with a giant ballroom? If you are Queen (well, we do not remember which queen), you put up a projector and screen and fill it with blankets and pillows for a sleepover, of course! Very Princess Diaries. Another use? Dancing! Our tour guide encourages us to dance a little, so we can say we danced in a royal ballroom at least once in our life. Like we were not going to do it anyway…
The Banqueting Hall and The Great Hall are used to entertain guests for parties and festivities. After a multi-course meal in the Banqueting Hall at 8:00pm, guests move into The Great Hall to party. The King and Queen always retreat to their apartment at 11:00pm, but the other guests continue with the festivities late into the night. Naturally, they get hungry and need a late night snack. What is the royal snack of choice? Hot dogs!
Learn more about the Royal Palace’s Reception Rooms here.
Akershus Festning and Castle
--- Map Point 15 ---
This medieval fortress and castle, opened in 1300, was build to protect and provide a royal residence, and it is the last stop on our Oslo walking tour. First we pass long brick buildings detailed with wood, and then we walk under the tall, stone walls that protect the fortress. We follow the path through the complex, and as we walk under an archway, we notice people in costume and are startled when one starts screaming and chasing after the other. What in the world is going on? Before we have a moment to process, a woman tells us we need to go up or down the hill; we cannot stand here. We continue down the hill, still confused and trying to understand what we saw, only to find another person in costume. After consulting our guidebook, we think they are university students offering “an entertaining and anecdotal history of the palace.”
Approaching the lookout point lined with cannons, we step-up to peer over the fortress walls, only to be met by a giant cruise ship with people sitting on their balconies in robes. Safe to say, that is not the view we were hoping to find, as behind the cruise ship is the harbor and Oslo’s islands.
The path through the fortress continues through an area that looks residential. Objects line the windows of the long buildings, and we see what appears to be a library. Do people live here? Consulting the guidebook again, we learn there are still-active military installations. Maybe it is military? Or maybe it is for the university students who offer guided tours in period dress?
On our way out, we find the visitor center with a map indicating each building. That would have been helpful had we found it at the beginning.
Leaving Norway
Just like that, our time in Norway has come to an end. We feel like we barely made a dent and cannot wait to return to explore more.
But, you did not think the adventure was over, did you? We still have to get home! Turns out, that is another whole adventure:
Still in Oslo, we grab some food and our luggage from the hotel, send some postcards (apologies for the uncensored sticker in the picture), take the train to the airport, and board our plane to Iceland.
We stay the night in Keflavik, Iceland at B&B Guesthouse. In Iceland, hotels can only pick you up from the airport or give you a ride to the airport, not both. So, we take a taxi to the B&B Guesthouse, which is 2.5km from the airport (30 minute walk or 4 minute drive) and equal in price to our Icelandic campsites (yikes). We request a ride to the airport from the hotel for 7:15am the next morning, only to wake up to no driver. After numerous failed phone calls to the hotel and taxi companies, we start running to the airport, dragging our suitcases behind us (fun). Fortunately, we find a taxi along the way to give us a ride. See…the travel adventures are not over yet!
Phew! We make it to the airport with time to spare for Joe and the Juice (breakfast). We have seen these everywhere but have yet to order anything other than the small truffles in Copenhagen. It is only right that we end our trip with some Joe and the Juice smoothie bowls (yum).
Surprise! We are first class on the Iceland to Canada flight. That was unexpected…Joelle checks our tickets multiple times to verify we are in the right seats. Another bonus: We get beautiful views flying over Greenland. Seriously, stunning—mountains, glaciers, and water. Can we check Greenland off our country list now? Probably not…
We made it to Canada! Time to go through U.S. customs (in Canada). We are not expecting that one. The lines are long with few agents working, and we are confused why the most difficult country to enter this summer is our own.
Now we are on the plane home! But, the computers on the plane are not working…
An hour later, we are in the air, heading home.
Welcomed home with lots of hugs and Millie snuggles, this might be one of the best summers yet! Month long sister trip every year? Yes please!
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