My introduction to Norway - Oslo

Landing in Oslo

I land at Oslo airport and there is snow EVERYWHERE. I have been driving everyone insane with my constant chatter about snow and now there are piles of it all over! I snap away like a crazy person through the airport windows whilst everyone tries to get past me to the arrivals gate.  

Mmmmm Elk burgers

My friend Ola's flight lands and we head to our hostel - which we later rename the men's halfway house, its nice enough but something isn't quite right.... - and then out to explore. The streets are all festively strung with christmas lights and there is an ice skating rink set up in the middle of the city next to the christmas markets. We walk past stalls selling elk burgers, reindeer sausage, mulled wine - but without alcohol - we soon discover that alcohol doesn't seem to be that popular here, mittens, mittens, mittens, waffles (scene of the hilarious comment "coffee, tea or me?" by a very cute young Norwegian) - everyone we meet is SO friendly.

Oslo Harbour

Unfortunately the prices are not - a medium McDonald's meal is around AU$16 and that is what we live on along with pizza (local specialty skink and mushrooms.......ha ha ha skink is Norwegian for ham).........not quite a healthy diet but healthier for our unemployed bank balances!

Holmenkollen

View down the ski jump

Next day we head out to the Holmenkollen ski jump - about 25 minutes by train from the city centre and fairytale winter wonderland scenery along the way. We walk up to the jump and it is so foggy we can barely see the base - but 10 minutes later (after Ola has taken a ride in the downhill skiing "stimulator") it is crystal clear - amazing how quickly the weather can change. We take a look through the Ski Museum which includes a stuffed polar bear, elk and husky and then up a very steep funicular to the top of the ski jump. It is a loooooong way down and the views of the surrounding countryside are amazing (after the fog clears). Despite the snow on the ground we have not yet seen it falling, even though Ola is finding it hilarious to look at the window and tell me it’s snowing every 5 minutes to watch my face light up and then crack up laughing. Bitch. We stay out taking photos until we can’t feel our hands and then walk back down to the train and head back into the city centre.

Oslo Royal Palace

Ticket inspectors await at the gates but we have our valid tickets so no problem – or so we think. Apparently tickets start from the time you buy them at the machine, not when you validate them, so we had purchased 2 tickets each for our journey out and none for the return…………he is very scary and angry explaining all this and that the fine is NOK900 – that is AU$151!!!! Luckily he believes me when I explain that I am a stupid tourist and I manage to escape without the fine – so I can afford dinner after all. We head to McDonald’s (I never want to eat it again.) and I am peacefully sitting there eating my McPepper burger when Ola says very seriously and slowly whilst staring over my shoulder “I don’t want to alarm you, as I’m not quite sure (at this point my heart starts beating like mad and the news reports of the recent and horrific Norwegian gunman start flashing through my head) but…………I think it’s snowing outside!!!!

It's snowing!!!

And it is!! It takes me a few minutes for my heart rate to go back to normal and then we head down to the christmas markets and drink alcohol free mulled wine and watch the ice skaters as the snowflakes fall on us. Beautiful!