Bob and Ann in Scandinavia 2007

Please visit today's slide show.

Scene from the Ferry

We had a breakfast buffet on board in the same restaurant as last night’s dinner. I got the last slice of melon, snatching it out from under the hand of 15 determined women who were dominating the fruit bar. We had lots of cereals, breads and hot food. The pressed coffee was strong and plentiful.

After breakfast, we went onto the upper deck and watched the scenery as we sailed up the Fjord of Oslo into Oslo. The fjord reminded a lot of us of Puget Sound with its rocky beaches, small islands and small hills rising from the shore. The real fjords come in a few days when we visit the western part of Norway.

Karl Johann Gate (Street)

We docked at 9:30, got off of the ship and dumped our luggage on the bus. We drove a few blocks into the center of Oslo and then took a walking tour over Karl Johann Gate. Lisa pointed out many ATM’s, City Hall, the Parliament Building, the National Theater, the Royal Palace and many other important sites. We ended the walk at the Resistance Museum where we saw how the Norwegians coped with the Nazi occupation during WWII.

Ann Eating Lunch on the Park Bench

Lunch on our own found us at Deli de Luca for a good relatively inexpensive sandwich and salad. We ate on a bench on the adjacent parkway.

After finding an ATM, we bought ice cream, checked in at the Thon Hotel Cecil and hopped back on the bus for visits to the wonderful Vigeland Sculpture Park and the Holmenkollen ski jump museum. We went to the top of the ski jump and looked down on the jump and its landing area. Very scary! We also rode in a simulator that took us over the jump and down the downhill course at Cortina.

We ate take-out dinner from Deli de Luca in the hotel’s breakfast room with most of the rest of our group. Prices are very high in Oslo so we tried to conserve as much as possible.