Norway 2024 - Day 2

#norway #travel

Today was our first full day in Norway.

A little jet lagged, we were up early and took a morning walk around Oslo before returning to the Amerikalinjen hotel for a delicious Norwegian breakfast buffet. The sausages were particularly good.

After breakfast we walked to the pier near city hall to catch a ferry over to Bygdøy, appropriately dubbed "museum island" as it hosts several museums.

We first visited the outdoor Norsk Folkemuseum which includes a number of Norwegian historical buildings, including a stavkirke (stave church).

Norsk Folkemuseum at Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway

Next, we hopped back on the ferry for a quick trip over to the Fram Museum which chronicles the polar expeditions of the Fram and other ships. The massive ship itself is housed inside the museum and we were able to walk aboard. The Gjøa, also housed inside the museum, is pictured below.

The Gjøa at the Fram Museum at Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway

After spending as much time as we could learning about the polar expeditions, we caught the ferry back to city hall just in time to board our scheduled Silent Oslo Fjord Cruise. The boat was fully electric, making for a quiet and smooth ride around the Oslo Fjord.

We heard stories about many of the surrounding islands (of which there are apparently 240k), including the morbid history of "Deadman's Bay", where boats were quarantined and dumped the bodies of the dead, and "torture island", where prisoners were hung as a deterrent.

We also saw quite a number of lighthouses and fancy homes which lined the coast of the fjord.

During the cruise we also learned that the sodded roofs (pictured above at the Folkemuseum) help keep the buildings warm during the winter and cool during the summer. In addition, they allowed goats to graze while staying relatively safe from predators.

A house on a small island in the Oslo Fjord

Returning to the pier, we took another walk around the city looking for a good place to eat dinner. We settled on Fjøla, a nice restaurant within the Oslo Sentralstasjon. Iris had their iconic Fiskesuppe (fish soup) which she very much enjoyed, while I had a pulled brisket sandwich.

After dinner, we turned in to get a good night's sleep before we continue our adventures tomorrow with a train ride from Oslo to Flåm.

Continue to day 3 or browse all posts tagged #norway.