Around 7:30am, we entered the Oslofjord, an approximately 60 mile waterway to reach Oslo. Unlike many other fjords, it’s not enclosed by high mountains. As a result the 4 hour trip to Oslo was much like river cruising with things to see from both sides of the ship.
Despite the somewhat gloomy forecast, for most of the time there was broken cloud and warm sunshine, so we spent a good part of the time on deck, watching the world sail by. At one point we passed by a fortress with some pretty dangerous looking guns. Watch out, Putin. They’re ready for you! The GPS says it’s called “Nordre Frogn”, but there’s no information about it on the web. Headline reads, “Secret Norwegian Military Base Exposed”! 😂
After docking, and more importantly, lunch, we took the “panoramic tour”. Oslo is a beautiful city and we drove past so many exceptional buildings and fascinating places. What a shame they hadn’t factored in photo-stops to the itinerary. Oslo could easily occupy several days exploration.
We visited the ski-jump, used in the Olympics and, apparently, by King Olaf. What surprised us most, having watched winter sports often on tv, was the gradients involved. Everything was so very steep. I’ll be so much more impressed next time we watch ski-jumping on TV.
We also visited Vigeland Sculpture Park. As card carrying philistines, we expected to be bored out of our minds. Not so! The sculptures, discussed very carefully by a guide who undoubtedly knew her stuff, were outstanding. They told stories of human lifestyle and experience. Maybe, for the first time, we thoroughly enjoyed an “art” experience.
As an aside, this postcard was at risk. My Mac was refusing to charge its battery. I’d tried everything and whilst trying, the battery went flat. I sought help from local guides, who pointed me to an Apple Store no more than 800m from where we were docked. Praying to the God of Technology, I set off to visit the store. A young lady (barely out of nappies it seemed) ran a few tests and established the problem was a faulty cable. Fixed in 15 minutes. Such a relief - it could have been the MacBook Pro itself.
We had dinner in Manfredi’s. Everything, food, service, ambience: faultless.
A very good day in Norway.