Day 01
After arriving in Oslo Thursday (August 6th) evening we were pretty tired and just wanted to crash. We made our way to the airbnb and met the family we would be staying with. A great couple who spoke English, Norwegian, and Spanish and their sweet little 2 year old daughter. All we had energy to do was walk down the Akerselva river that runs through the city. We found a delicious (and expensive!) Italian restaurant and shared some pasta. It was surprisingly easy to order since everyone speaks English. We are pasta with shrimp. It was one of the more expensive meals we shared at NOK 196 ($23.96).
Day 02
We woke up to rain, head cold, and plugged ears from the plane. Making the best of it we decided to turn the rainy day into our museum day. Oslo is a super walkable city which allowed us to go to many museums in one day. The Oslo Pass was amazing! The pass is NOK 1180 ($144) for 3 days and included free admission to basically all of the museums within the city, free use of public transport, and discounts at some restaurants. It was well worth it.
The Museums:
Oslo Reptile Park: This was right next to our airbnb. Great for anyone who wants to be creeped out by snakes, spiders, monkeys, and things I didn’t even know existed!
The Museum of Decorative Arts & Design: The first specifically Design museums we have been to. Great collection of design and art throughout the years. The temporary gallery of album cover art was well done and nicely curated.
The Munch Museum: The Munch museum was showing the comparison of Munch and Van Gogh. The gallery displayed both of the painter’s works of art organized by space, color, line, and life and death. It was interesting to see these two artists compared and the influences they both encountered throughout their lives.
The Museum of Architecture: The Osaka exhibit was breathtaking. An all white balloon-like structure that billowed in and out as if breathing. The architect wanted the exhibit to reflect the breathing of the earth and the flowing connection to the environment.
The National Gallery: Collection of mostly Norwegian artist (although we did see some Picasso!). The original Munch Scream and the Madonna were held here instead of at the Munch Museum.
The Akershus Castle: Beaitful large park space. We didn’t actually make it into the castle but I feel like the outside landscape was just as beautiful. Many sprawls of green here and a lookout over the Oslo fjord.
DogA: Small student exhibition of design and art projects. Free admission but nothing too special.
Day 03
We ventured to the Vigeland Sculpture Park today. The bridge at the park entrance was lined with sculptures, each one better than the next. The sculptures were vignettes of various stages of life. There was no denying the emotions and tension between the pairs of sculptures. This was one of our favorite places within Oslo. Even the surrounding park area was a peaceful expansion of greenery.
Our next stop was taking the ferry out to Bygdøy to visit multiple museums there. The Oslo Pass allowed us to take the ferry free and visit all of the museums in the area for free!
The Museums:
Norsk Folkemuseums: By far the best place we went today! The whole place showcased Norwegian villages and houses throughout the years (think a less staged Universal Studios). You could view and enter into traditional log houses where people were dressed in traditional clothing. We even got to see and taste traditional Lefse that was made over a fire! Ryan’s family makes Lefse every year for Christmas so it was cool to see it made here. Our favorite part was an apartment building that was taken down within the city of Oslo and rebuilt here. They fully decorated the apartments from various time periods.
Kon-Tiki: This museum focused on the voyage of the Kon-Tiki ship. A boat that tried to prove that indigenous cultures could sail across entire oceans via ocean currents and natural winds on boats made with the technology they had.
The Viking Ship Museum: This museum was full of excavated viking ships in various states of disrepair, some falling apart and some completely in tact. Along with the other artifacts you learned a lot about viking culture and how they lived.
The Polar Ship Fram: In here there was a full size ship from early polar expeditions. You could walk inside the ship as well as read the history of the expeditions. There was a simulator that was a giant freezer made up like the deck of a ship with wind and a moving deck to simulate what it is like to be on a ship in the treacherous weather on the poles.
Day 04
Today we went island hopping in the Oslo Fjord. It was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of Oslo, although compared to most American urban environments it was really relaxed. These islands were full of small cottages all painted the same red or the same yellow.
Nobel Peace Museum: This years Nobel Peace Prize went to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for children’s education. There was an exhibit focusing on them downstairs that went in depth into the complicated and violent state of children’s rights that exists today. Upstairs was about the history of the prize and it’s winners. The exhibits were done very well and a cool use of technology in an exhibit. It was a room with a meandering path directing you with small pylons about waist high with small lights on top and a multiple screens that followed the path. Each of these screens were activated and lit up when you passed in front of them then presented the information about the winner of that year’s Prize.
