Norway - Oslo - the Start of the Norwegian Adventure

August 23, 2014

The majestic fjords and unbelievable natural beauty of Norway have put Norway high up on my top places to visit for a while, and after finding some cheap airfare, I decided it was time for a visit.  My twin brother, Craig, also decided to come along, so the two of us spent 9-10 days exploring the country.  Oslo, the pleasant capital, was our first stop.  As expected, it was a nice, clean, peaceful city, just as you'd expect from the Norwegians.

(The Barcode district of Oslo - a row of futuristic looking buildings along the waterfront.  Walking down to the buildings, an excited local asked us if we were there to see the unique bird in the area, but we were clueless, so she explained.  Apparently, a lone sea gull only found in Siberia and other parts of Eastern Europe made its way all the way to Olso, so there were a lot of photographers that were very excited about getting pictures of the bird.  We were not among them.)

(Looking down on the city from the top of the opera house.  The opera house has ramps up both sides, so people can walk up to the top of the structure for views of the city and harbor below.)

(Typical Oslo street scene with some tram tracks and picturesque buildings.)

(Walking down Karl Johan's Gate/street towards Det Kongelige Slott/The Royal Palace.  Check out the bird in the top of the picture.)

(The parliament building, enjoying a bit of sun on a mostly cloudly, slightly drizzly day.)

(Looking for a quick, cheap meal, we wandered into 7-11 for a snack and found a tasty chicken and spinach calzone.  For those that don't know, Norway is SUPER expensive, so finding cheap food isn't always easy.)

(The Nobel Peace Center, from which they give out the Nobel Peace Prize every year thanks to a huge endowment provided by Alfred Nobel back in 1895.  They tried to give me an award when I walked in, but I told them to save it for someone else - it would be hard to take that prize home as a carry-on.)

(A trendy area right on the waterfront of Oslo with some good looking apartments by Aker Brygge)

(Walking back from Aker Brygge, the skies cleared just enough for a rainbow overhead.)

(Strategically placed rainbow, falling right into Akershus Slot/Castle.)

(The Royal Palace features a long walkway leading up to the yellow building, and you can see Craig hanging out on the steps on the right side of the picture.  As I was the one with the camera, I was often lagging behind.)

(The view above one of the high walls of Akershus Slot/Castle as darkness started to set in.)

(The opera house, with its ramps leading up to the top of the structure.  Apparently the building was also designed to resemble an iceberg to fit in well during the winter time.  Though, I've never seen an iceberg that held concerts and operas, so I think this one has a slight edge here.)

(Yes, it's pathetic that we got kebabs during our night in Olso, but this was amazing.  The oven cooked pita/shell was perfect, and this was literally the top 1 or 2 kebabs that I've had in my life (the other being in far Southeast Turkey).  We were sad we wouldn't be back in Oslo to have it again.)