The joys of a mask-free trip to Norway: Part 2 (Oslo)

Just one of the 200 sculptures celebrating the human life cycle
at the magnificent Vigelandsparken, on central Oslo's western fringe

 

Welcome to Part 2 of our recent return to Norway after a 2.5-year absence, due to the pandemic.

It's many years since we spent any real time in Oslo. I think the last occasion we were there was just for 4-5 hours while we awaited our connecting flight back to London, possibly 5-6 years ago. Prior to that it must be something like 2008 since we actually spent a couple of days in the city (where did all those years go?!).

For this return visit we purchased an Oslo Pass and got our money's worth, jumping on and off buses, trams and ferries, and taking advantage of the included free entry to museums. If you're visiting Oslo for the first time we highly recommend getting a 24 or 48 hour pass. There is so much to see, and being able to give your feet a rest by using the amazingly efficient and reliable public transport system is invaluable. We can particularly recommend tram route number 12 which is a great one for tourists - just get on and ride the whole circuit to get a feel for the city before exploring in greater depth. Despite utilising public transport, we still managed to clock up 10-15km of walking each day. 

I really picked a winner with our temporary digs in central Oslo. Our home for three nights was a comfortable and beautifully decorated apartment just 5-10 minutes' walk from Oslo S (the main railway station), as well as from the fjord-side Opera House and Munch Museum. Like every other Norwegian dwelling, it combined design flair with superb functionality. We absolutely loved it.

The apartment scored bonus points for having not one, not two, not three, but FOUR different coffee makers: a gorgeous Stelton cafetière, a drip filter coffee machine, a Nespresso pod machine and an Italian metal stovetop espresso pot. Now, some of you might think that excessive. I call it freedom of choice for the discerning coffee drinker.

Yours truly in front of the entrance to our Air B&B apartment
on Dronningensgata in central Oslo.
Norway's largest newspaper - Aftenposten - was founded in the building next-door

*swoon*
Take a look at this mid-century modern aesthetic: our Air B&B apartment in central Oslo
(on the 7th floor)

View from the terrace of our Air B&B apartment in central Oslo

The architectural landscape of Oslo has undergone some quite dramatic changes in recent years, not least with the addition of the building housing the Norwegian Opera and Ballet (Operahuset) which, like multiple other visually stunning buildings across Norway, was designed by the company Snøhetta. 

This striking building sweeps down into the Oslo Fjord, and like many projects in this very egalitarian country, it has been designed to invite the public to explore and interact. A broad ramp leads up to the top of the building and behind, and down the other side. It is perpetually filled with citizens of Oslo and tourists, all admiring the views and enjoying space to laze in the sun.

The interior is no less exciting, with a horseshoe-shaped main auditorium clad in golden oak, bringing warmth to a structure that is otherwise predominantly glass, designed to optimise views of the Oslo Fjord.

Not quite as dramatic a statement as the Sydney Opera House 😉
But a stunning piece of architecture all the same - the Opera House in Oslo, opened in 2008
(with the top of the new Munch Museum peeking out from behind)

Inside Oslo's Opera House - the exterior wall of the horseshoe-shaped auditorium,
clad in oak and with sloping ramps leading to the various tiers

Also much expanded and developed in the past decade is Aker Brygge, historically a run-down wharf area but in recent decades known for hip cafés, bars and restaurants nestling the Oslo Fjord. It's a bustling and vibrant area, providing open air spaces for events and incorporating glamorous shops, amazing apartments and the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art.

It is teeming with people all year round, but absolutely heaving in summer.

The Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art
- Aker Brygge, Oslo

So many interestingly designed apartment buildings in Aker Brygge, along the Oslo Fjord

Yes, folks - here in Oslo's Aker Brygge area you may hire a floating sauna right on the fjord
(link to this company's website here)

 As much as I love modern architecture and it was a treat to see the way Oslo has been developing in the past decade or so, as regular readers will know, I am probably more drawn to historic buildings. And again, Oslo does not disappoint. Just 5-10 minutes' walk from our apartment was Karl Johan's Gate (gate is the word for 'street' in Norwegian), a wide avenue which is partly pedestrianised and runs all the way from Oslo's central railway station at the bottom to the Royal Palace at the top, passing Stortinget (the Norwegian Parliament building). Both Karl Johan's Gate and the surrounding side streets are filled with beautiful and elegant buildings.

Er... this is actually the headquarters of the Norwegian Order of Freemasons 🤭
But a beautiful building, all the same

Stortinget - the Norwegian Parliament Building

Theatercaféen
- opened in 1900 and named thusly because it stands opposite the National Theatre in Oslo 

More gracious buildings along Karl Johans Gate in Oslo.
The 'Freia' clock is iconic, representing Norway's premier chocolate company

Returning to the topic of contemporary architecture, the Munch Museum was an absolute treat. 

I loved the old museum which was opened in 1963, located in Tøyen in the borough of Gamle Oslo ('old Oslo'). It housed at least half of all Edvard Munch's works in its permanent collection. However, such is the popularity of Norway's most famous artist that in 2008 the City of Oslo held a competition for the design of a larger museum, to be located along the fjord, closer to the city centre.

The new museum opened finally in October last year (2021). I think it's a magnificent building, truly, despite its design generating love and hatred in equal measure. The views from the upper floors are incredible, and the whole thing has a feeling of space which, to my mind, is superbly juxtaposed against the claustrophobia of some of Munch's works. 

The Munch Museum in Oslo, opened in October 2021

The upper floors of the Munch Museum provide fantastic views over Oslo

Viewed from the Munch Museum in Oslo:
Foreground - Recently developed apartment buildings
Background - the series of modern buildings known as The Barcode

But of course, the really important element of this building is the art. And what an output from this troubled artist! It's awe-inspiring to see such a huge volume of one artist's work in one place.

I've always been drawn to the tortured soul, and Munch's work strikes a chord with me. I recognise the despair, the hopelessness represented in his portraits. The work is informed by his early experience of illness and grief, losing his mother and a favourite sister during his childhood. One of Munch's sisters was diagnosed with a mental illness at an early age, and he himself suffered from depression, culminating in a breakdown when he was 45.

Is it any wonder that many of his works represent the sick room, bereavement, melancholia and despair. But there is much beauty as well, and it's fascinating to mark the development of Munch's style over the decades.

Naturally Munch's most famous work is exhibited in the gallery. In fact there are several versions of Skriken (The Scream) which is acknowledged as one of the most recognisable images in the world. Currently there are three on rotation - the painting itself, a drawing and a lithograph. 

Lithograph of Skriken (The Scream) - Munch Museum, Oslo

Entrance to the Uendelig ('infinite') exhibition which occupies one of the floors 
of the Munch Museum in Oslo

'Melancholy' - Edvard Munch, 1893
Munch Museum, Oslo

'The Researchers' - Edvard Munch, 1911
Munch Museum, Oslo
This is Edvard Munch's largest work, at nearly 50 square metres. 
It had to be transported by barge and lifted by crane through a slot on the sixth floor 

'Death and the Child' - Edvard Munch, 1899
Munch Museum, Oslo

(detail) 'Death and the Child' - Edvard Munch, 1899
Munch Museum, Oslo

After a couple of hours in the Munch Museum we decided to revisit some old haunts, including the superb Vigeland Park which celebrates the life's work of sculpture Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). 

We also attempted to take a ferry from the Opera House to the island of Bygdøy which houses a number of Oslo's finest museums, as well as being chock-full of charming residential houses. It's a very well-to-do area.

I say 'attempted' because we had some unexpected excitement after boarding the ferry for the 20-minute journey to Bygdøy. The route makes a number of stops and we were approaching the first of these when the attention of all eight passengers was drawn to the cockpit (we were spread out on bench-type rows of seating, all facing the cockpit) where the four crew were located. A voice, becoming gradually louder and more anxious, exclaimed 'Oh, nei, nei, NEI, NEI !!!!!!' and we watched in horror as the crew gathered around the wheel, desperately turning it as fast as it could be turned, as we approached the jetty at full speed. Kevin informs me reverse thrust had been fully engaged but it was to no avail - we hit that jetty hard.

The impact was such that the passenger at the rear of the vessel - who did not have bench seating in front of him - was propelled to the floor, my sunglasses flew right off my face and forward several rows, and the rest of us sat rubbing our knees, having been flung towards the row of seating in front. The skin on our knees was broken through our clothes and Kevin and I nursed bruises for about a week.

My immediate thought was to locate the life jackets and prepare for sinking! Thankfully damage to the vessel was limited to a gigantic dent in the solid steel hull, and the ferry was immediately docked and we disembarked, with casual instructions from the crew to walk to the next ferry stop. We understand there was a trainee driver at fault, but nobody panicked and no details of passengers were taken etc. There were a couple of Americans on the boat and we wondered if they would be filing a claim...

With no lasting effects aside from perhaps mild scars on our knees, we walked to the next ferry stop and travelled in safety to Bygdøy. At least this incident made the trip to Oslo truly memorable!

Just one of the hundreds of beautiful buildings transported from around Norway
to the Norsk Folkemuseum on Bygdøy in Oslo.
This is a traditional timber stavkirke (a uniquely designed timber church) dating from around 1200

Re-creation of a typical small town across the 17th -  20th centuries
- at the open-air Norwegian Folk Museum on Bygdøy, Oslo

 

Farm buildings from the region of Setesdal, transported to the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo

Injury sustained from the ferry crash en route to Bygdøy

Our ferry after the crash - you can't see it, but there's a dirty great dent in the steel bow

OK, so not a great photo... but just one example of the truly gorgeous, envy-inspiring
houses on the island of Bygdøy.
Yes please - any one of the houses in this neighbourhood would suit me just fine...

The Monolith (also referred to as The Obelisk):
the towering pinnacle of Gustav Vigeland's incredible body of work in what is referred to
as Vigeland Sculpture Park - in Frogner Park in Oslo

Gates designed in the 1930s but not installed until 1952, after the artist's death
- Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo 

Another shot of The Monolith and surrounding sculptures.
Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo is the world's largest sculpture park by a single artist

Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo has multiple works where the figures are contained within wheels, continuing the park's overall theme of the circle of life

The fabulous weather in Oslo inspired us to venture to a new spot, the historic neighbourhood of Kampen in the Gamle Oslo ('old Oslo') borough. This was just a short tram ride from where we were staying, and well worth the journey despite me having the poor luck to pick the one day of the week when the café I was keen to visit was closed. 

Kampen's streets abound with colourful 19th century timber and brick cottages, all painted in jolly colours.

Timber cottage in the Oslo neighbourhood of Kampen, just 5km from the city centre

A vibrant colour scheme for this brick building in Kampen, Oslo

 I think this picture says a lot about Norway generally.
These beautiful pots of hyacinths adorn the steps outside a house in Kampen, 5km from Oslo's city centre.
They are left there in the knowledge that nobody is going to nick them.

*sigh*
Yes, Farine in Kampen was closed.
We chose to visit on the one day of the week it doesn't open :-(
(again, note the tables and chairs in the bottom-left corner of the photo - 
they do not need to be bolted down in safe Oslo!) 

Florist in Kampen, Oslo

Another example of the rainbow colours of houses in Kampen, Oslo

For us, no trip to Norway would be complete without a visit to a supermarket where, despite many shopping experiences over the decades, we are always delighted by the interesting goods on offer. I'm a huge fan of knekkebrød (crispbread), having been raised on the limited versions available to my immigrant father in Australia in the 1960s and 1970s. In other words, mostly Ryvita but we were able to obtain Kavli and Finncrisp by the 1980s - *deep joy* 

The picture below illustrates the abundance of knekkebrød choice available in your average supermarket in Norway, and we always stock up on multiple packs to bring back to England with us.

Now that's what you call a decent selection of crispbread.
The ones in the sky-blue boxes are among our favourites - the Kornmo brand

Other culinary temptations abound in this horrifyingly expensive city, and we were content to take a deep, fortifying breath and indulge in some of them. We'd travelled a long way and it was our first trip abroad in nearly 2.5 years, so we were determined to splurge here and there.

A spot of indulgence on our last evening in Oslo, from the Pascal Konditori on Tollbugate - literally a 2-minute walk from our Air B&B apartment. 
This apple tart and chocolate-vanilla torte were out-of-this-world-delicious 

Oslo's elegant department store Glasmagasinet has half a floor dedicated to 
Heimen Husfliden, a store which specialises in Norwegian regional costumes,
as well as traditional Norwegian weaving and knitting supplies

Traditional Sami boots, made from seal-skin - at Kirkeristen Sko near Oslo Cathedral.
Our entire family had shorter versions of these when I was a child (used as slippers),
hand-made by relatives and sent all the way from Finnmark in far north Norway to Sydney

Oslo is perhaps not as well known as the other Scandinavian capital cities which have been spotlit in recent years - Stockholm, Copenhagen, even tiny Reykjavik. However if you've never visited, I highly recommend you do. It's a template for the perfect city; it has it all: a beautiful setting on the Oslo Fjord, lovely and historic buildings interposed between cutting-edge modern architecture, and an abundance of cultural delights. With a modest population of approximately 650,000*, nothing is crowded. Everything works. It's beautifully clean and well maintained, the people are all well fed and stylishly dressed. Yes, it's eye-wateringly expensive but you will never be disappointed by quality.

* Greater Oslo has a population of 1.3 million

On our last evening in Norway we decided to splurge on a restaurant meal at a family-run Italian place just a two-minute stroll away from our Air B&B apartment (justnaround the corner from the konditori!). We knew the prices on the menu would raise our blood pressure but we'd been economising for days by buying supermarket food and packing our own sandwiches and fruit for lunch most days - not forgetting taking advantage of that free coffee and chocolates on the train from Oppdal! So we felt our splurge was warranted. 

It was a good decision - the staff were friendly, the pizza was absolutely delicious and it was a nice way to end the trip. It felt very indulgent, as you will understand from the photo captions below.

For Australian readers, that's A$15 for a glass of beer, and A$22 for a glass of wine.
We sipped slowly and savoured every drop! 

Yes, this little tableau of beverages represents something like £27 / A$47

And finally, a round of applause for a country that considers life is much nicer when things are both functional and beautiful. A country where somebody comes up with the idea of embellishing that most basic of household supplies, the loo roll, with a simple graphic that perfectly illustrates the origins of said product... and the country responds 'Well, why not?'

I would never have imagined my happiness could be increased by decorated toilet paper.
I was wrong.
Bravo, Norway 👏 🇳🇴 

I'm hoping it's not too long until we can travel again. It's worth airport delays and frustrations, as long as you are going to the right places.  And Norway, as I've always known, is one of them.

Kevin and Yours Truly, exploring Aker Brygge in Oslo

Until next time,

- Maree  xo

The joys of a mask-free trip to Norway: Part 1

View of Tingvoll Fjord from the mountain behind Marion & Erik's house
[photo by Kevin Joy]

Hello again after a lengthy absence, in part caused by both Kevin and I finally succumbing to Covid after more than two years, during which - by some miracle (we live in a school, remember!) - we had managed to avoid it. However, the timing could not have been more perfect; if we were going to get the virus, then getting it about a month before we were due to travel abroad for the first time since December 2019 was the best scenario. We were therefore able to stride confidently forward through crowded Heathrow, in the security of having been triple-vaccinated and possessing antibodies from our recent positive status.

Perhaps it was the length of time since we were abroad, or perhaps it was that Norway is such a beautiful place it doesn't matter how many times you've travelled there - you just want to take photos. So the story of this ten-day holiday compels me to split it into two parts. 

Part 1 will focus on the time we spent at my cousin's house and cabin, and surrounding areas.

But firstly, let's get the subject of Covid out of the way.

The most astonishing thing about this trip to Norway was that we entered another world. A world devoid of pandemic paranoia. A world that bore a striking resemblance to the one that existed prior to the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in late 2019. 

Now, my regular readers will know that throughout Covid I have proudly flown the flag of compliance with lockdowns and regulations, happily and proactively worn a face mask even when it wasn't required by law, and promoted vaccination and regular home testing with rapid antigen kits. However, after more than two years of living a very limited existence - what with the UK's appalling case numbers and death rate - bloody hell, it's been pretty defeating.

So to arrive in Norway and see *literally nobody* wearing face masks was a shock. The only indications that Covid even existed were the pump bottles of anti-bacterial gel available everywhere, the occasional sign encouraging people to keep a modest distance from each other and a Covid testing booth at both the airport and Oslo's central railway station. 

Whilst staying with Marion and Erik we had very limited circulation with others and spent most of our time in the fresh air so Covid was very far from our minds. However, by the time we travelled by train from Oppdal to Oslo we were so relaxed we didn't even give face masks a second thought. This was partly due to the statistics:

Covid deaths per million (as at mid April 2022):

• UK: 2,521
• Norway: 498
• Australia: 256

I'm not sure we would have been so cavalier, had we not had Covid ourselves just prior to our trip, and therefore in conjunction with being triple-vaccinated, were probably as protected against the virus as we are ever going to be. But let me tell you - arriving in Norway and being able to just 'be normal' again was incredibly liberating. 

The day after we returned to the UK the death toll was a staggering 651 in a 24-hour period (refer graphic above). I wanted to race to the airport and head straight back to Norway. 

Anyway... let's move on from that steaming pile of poo.

On offer at Oslo's international terminal:
a range of men's toiletries that plays on the meanings of 'bad' in both Norwegian and English.
The word means bath in Norwegian 😄

Yes, with our connecting flight cancelled (read on below), we were considering drowning
our travel sorrows in Norwegian gin. We resisted the urge.

Renowned Norwegian singer Aurora has her own brand of organic, vegan chocolate!

Our first trip abroad in well over two years was not off to the best start when we arrived in Oslo at about 21:30 to a message that our connecting flight to Kristiansund had been cancelled and SAS had re-booked us on a flight early the following morning.  An urgent message to our hosts ensured they did not have a wasted journey to Kristiansund Airport (they live about 45 minutes' drive away), and after clearing immigration and collecting our luggage we made our way to the SAS service desk with some trepidation. We had been travelling since about 11:30 that morning, and we were tired.

Of course we needn't have worried - this was Norway, land of efficiencies where all buses, trains, trams, ferries and flights run exactly to their timetables 99 per cent of the time. No queue at the SAS service desk, where we were immediately handed a voucher for the shuttle bus to take us to our overnight accommodation, about 10 minutes from the airport. Upon arrival at the hotel (modern, gorgeous, spotlessly clean) we were promptly checked in and invited to have a late supper. The hotel had been informed there were a number of people like us whose flight had been cancelled, so they had refreshed the buffet and we partook of as much food as we wished from a selection of eight hot dishes (including three vegetarian), a selection of salads, cheeses and smoked fish, bread, plus three desserts. All this at 23:00. Not for the final time during this trip (and every other trip to Norway), I exclaimed to Kevin, 'This country is so civilised.'

Are you now hearing the theme tune to the TV series Get Smart inside your head?
Heading to our pristine hotel room for a few hours' kip

We only managed five hours' sleep as we had to leave for the airport by 05:30 the following morning, but the bed was one of the most comfortable I've ever slept in, there were no hitches with our flight and by 09:00 we were hugging my cousin Marion and her husband Erik at Kristiansund Airport. By 10:00 we were at the house, in the hamlet of Gyl, just outside Tingvoll in the county of Møre og Romsdal.

The entrance to the old wing of the house, which dates from 1841

Endless snowcapped mountains over the Tingvoll Fjord, at sunset

A long walk in the fresh snow was one of our first priorities on arrival

The stream behind the house

Norway often gets a lot of snow in spring, but Easter falls very late this year and it's rare for it to snow quite so much well into April. I like to think the weather gods were smiling on me particularly, because regular readers will know how much I love winter and despise summer. During the first six days we were to have a combination of crisp, sunny days and lengthy periods of snowfall, with temperatures usually hovering a few degrees either side of zero. *bliss*

This won't come as a surprise to those who know me personally, but one of the things I was most excited about for this visit was getting to meet the 'wild' cats who had just started to adopt Marion and Erik around the time we were last in Norway, in August 2019. I was not to be disappointed. Big Puss and Little Puss (as Kevin and I nicknamed them) made frequent appearances on the deck outside the dining room, patiently waiting for tidbits as the snow fell - see video below. 

Mealtimes were very entertaining as the cats performed various feats of gymnastics to attract Erik's attention. However Marion and Erik have been careful not to indulge the cats too much; they are periodically away at their cabin in Oppdal and at their house in far north Norway in summer, and these fluffy creatures need to be able to fend for themselves.

Big Puss performing amazing feats in exchange for treats

Patiently waiting... Little Puss on the left, Big Puss on the right

What a beautifully relaxing time we had for the next few days, going for long walks in the forest behind the house and around the village and visiting favourite haunts such as the magnificent Tingvoll Church. Built in Romanesque style, it dates from somewhere between 1150-1200 and is one of the few remaining stone churches in Norway. Tingvoll Church also played its part in Norway's development as an independent nation, being one of 300 churches across the country that acted as a polling station for the Norwegian Constituent Assembly in 1814, a group which wrote the country's Constitution.

Beautiful Tingvoll Church, dating from sometime in the 12th century

The splendid 'ribs' of the roof structure at Tingvoll Church

Sunlight casts pretty coloured shapes through the stained glass windows
of Tingvoll Church (and those walls are 1.8 metres thick, by the way!)

The elaborately decorated altar piece at Tingvoll Church

A frigate, probably dating to the 18th century, is suspended from the church ceiling
of Tingvoll Church

End-of-pew decoration at Tingvoll Church

Whilst staying at Marion and Erik's house we took a day trip to the island of Smøla, about two hours away by car, including a couple of short trips by car ferry between islands. 

The island is a hub for deep sea fishing and - fun fact - grows a significant proportion of Norway's carrots! It also has one of the largest wind farms in Europe. It's a beautiful place dotted with charming fishing villages and is rich in viking history. Just a couple of years ago archaeologists uncovered traces of a ship from the Viking Age which is deemed of international significance. Additionally, it was the site of a standing stone dating from 1034, the oldest artefact confirming Norway's Viking Age conversion to Christianity. The stone was removed to a museum in Trondheim in 1913 but a replica has been installed where the original stood for 900 years.

Smøla has a flourishing white-tailed eagle population, and we saw several in the short time we were driving around the island.

One of the multiple car ferry trips we were obliged to take in order to reach the island of Smøla, not far from Kristiansund

Another ancient stone church - in Edøy in the municipality of Smøla.
It dates from around 1190

Kevin and Yours Truly in front of Edøy Church, with dramatic snowcapped
mountains behind

Norway has a reputation for striking architecture in unusual places.
I spotted this tiny cabin as we were driving around

Colourful fishing huts and boats in abundance on Smøla

Charming fishing villages are dotted all over Smøla

Some of the mountains surrounding the island of Smøla

After four nights at the house, Marion and Erik drove us up to their cabin in Oppdal so that we could get to meet the newest members of the family, their daughter-in-law and first grandchild who has just celebrated her first birthday.

We took the scenic route, spending much of the day meandering through a beautiful wintry landscape, with the snow becoming more abundant as we climbed altitude into the mountains. A very welcome pitstop was made at one of several towns in Norway whose names consist of a single letter - the last letter in the Norwegian alphabet, Å (pronounced phonetically 'aw'). The most famous of these is in the Lofoten Islands above the Arctic Circle, but we were very happy to stop momentarily in the lesser-known, more southerly version, in the county of Trøndelag.

Quaint coffee house in the town of Å in Trøndelag

How pretty are these cups? ♥️
No matter where you go in Norway, the filter coffee is vastly superior to that you'll
get anywhere else. We think it's the water.

It was a tad chilly when we arrived at the cabin mid-afternoon: minus 6ºC and snowing, but with the wind chill making it feel like minus 10ºC. Marion and Erik quickly set about getting the fire blazing and heating up food, so Kevin and I girded our loins and headed out for a bit of exercise. It was invigorating, to say the least! We tried to walk up to the top of the road but despite Norway's amazingly efficient and regular snow-ploughing, about two-thirds of the way up the snow became too deep and we abandoned that plan. Some time later we saw the plough making what was probably its second or third circuit but it was too late in the day for another attempt.

So, just a teensy-weensy bit of snow up at the cabin in Oppdal

Icicles decorating the side of the cabin in Oppdal
[photo by Kevin Joy]

In front of the cabin, driveway recently ploughed
Ignore my facial expression - not a grimace, I'm loving it...
[photo by Kevin Joy]

...as you can see from this pic of the two of us. This is me in my natural element ❄️

The next morning we were up bright and early to catch the train to Oslo, where we'd be spending a few days before flying home. It had snowed through the night and we were slightly reluctant to leave both that environment and of course Marion and Erik, however the metropolis beckoned.

For some reason, when I booked our tickets months ago I uncharacteristically decided to splurge and purchase First Class tickets for the train journey from Oppdal to Oslo. I think I was probably worrying about the volume of people who'd be travelling around Norway in the week prior to Easter which is a hugely important holiday in Norway - second only to Christmas. I didn't want to be sharing a crowded carriage with rambunctious students heading home for their spring holidays. Yes, I have reached the age where such things are intolerable.

Well, what can I say - I am now ruined for economy train travel! We had so much space, incredibly comfortable seats, ability to charge our phones / laptops, and free coffee, tea, bottled water and chocolates (yes, you read that correctly - free chocolates!) for the entire journey. The free refreshments made the additional ticket cost worth every penny, as in horrifyingly expensive Norway you pay about GPB 4 for a takeaway cup of filter coffee. We got our money's worth on this train journey!

And best of all, there were only about 20 passengers sharing the toilet facilities. 

Aside from the creature comforts, the five-hour journey was a delight, with stunning scenery when we weren't shimmying along tunnels through massive mountains, and of course we arrived in Oslo exactly at the scheduled time.

Icicles at Oppdal train station

Norway's regional railway stations are historic and beautiful
[photo by Kevin Joy]

Not the greatest photo through a sleet-spattered train window,
but for about two hours it was an endless vista of frozen waterfalls and lakes, and 
snowy mountains

The self-satisfied grins of two people making the most of the
FREE COFFEE AND CHOCOLATES on the train from Oppdal to Oslo

Another of Norway's beautiful railway stations, through a sleet-drizzled train window.
This one is Konigsvoll, not far from Oppdal

A bit less snow and the landscape becoming more agricultural after
leaving the higher mountains of central Norway and heading south to Oslo

So, there you have it - a fabulous first half to our long-awaited return to Norway.

Part 2 (Oslo) will be published shortly... but for now we bid farewell to Tingvoll and Oppdal.

Views across the Tingvoll Fjord, en route to Oppdal

Until next time,

- Maree  xo