OUR
STORY
Oslo
A visit to Oslo
was bound to happen while we lived in Copenhagen. The Norwegian capital
is a day's drive north along the west coast of Sweden and
into Norway along the Oslofjord before arriving in Oslo. The drive up
took us across the Oresund Channel separating Denmark from Sweden
crossing on the Helsingor ferry located on the northwest tip of
Denmark arriving in Helsingborg, the Swedish port. From there the route
is along the E6 autobahn thru the Swedish cities of Halmstad and
Gothenborg before crossing the Danish border at Svinesund with much
open country along the route. The land is forested in places with many
rock outcroppings. It was late winter but almost no snow on the ground
until we reached Oslo. The road was clear and dry, easy driving all the
way. Occasionally there was a glimpse of the coast as E6 lies just a
bit inland. Being a weekend there was no truck traffic. Large trucks
are not permitted to use the autobahns on weekends in many parts of
Europe.
Our visit to Norway's capital was just a quick probe, only a couple
days, because we were conserving vacation for trips later that year.
One can see quite a bit in cities like Oslo in only a couple days
because the tourist infrastructure is well developed and the city is
modest in size. Lana had found a really good deal on a hotel that
operated as part of a hospital. Strange as that sounds it was just
perfect for our purpose. The room was equipped like a typical hospital
room with only the medical monitors and other specialized medical
equipment missing, but the provisions for these items were available.
Built like a high quality hotel it had all the expected features
including a bathroom designed for physically challenged patients. The
hospital provides these rooms for the families of patients who come to
visit patients. If possible, the patients can stay with the family
members in these rooms for several days. When the rooms are not
reserved for patients and their families they are rented to tourists
such as ourselves. The accommodation included a breakfast in the
hospital cafeteria. We arrived late in the day so went out to eat in
town that evening. To do that we took the electric trolley located very
near the hospital entrance. It was so convenient and inexpensive that
driving a car into town would have been a poor choice as we would have
had to navigate and park. The trolley took us directly into the heart
of Oslo.
We walked around in the center of town and found an open restaurant
that looked cozy and traditional. Our meal was excellent as was the
service, all high quality. The price was on the expensive side as are
most of the services and products in Norway. Everyone we met spoke
excellent English. It always makes us feel humble that the natives
speak our language but we don't speak theirs.
The next morning we ate breakfast in the hospital cafeteria. The buffet
style meal was impressive, something you would not expect in a
hospital. Several long tables were stacked with food selections many of
which we could not identify. The Norwegians are a fishing country and
their cuisine expresses that traditional. I've never been big on raw
seafood products especially for breakfast so I stayed away from those
items. But I did try the pickled herring and a few other seafood
selections that were cooked. The pastries were of course extensive and
that is where Lana spent most of her calorie allowance. One thing that
most Americans will notice in countries like Norway is how good the
coffee tastes. The US has come a long way in their coffee culture in
the past 20 years so the availability of a good cup of coffee isn't the
challenge it once was, but the Norwegians and other European countries
have been enjoying great coffee for a long time. I won't say I've never
had a bad cup of coffee in Europe but it is rare even in the lesser
developed nations. How Dennys continues to get away with the coffee
they serve is a testimonial to the American coffee dysfunction that is
slowly disappearing. Now even McDonald's serves decent coffee IMHO.
For the two days in Oslo we did the town mostly on foot. Our photos
show the places we visited and the links below help explain the points
of interest better that I can do.
Oslo
Official Visitor Guide
Wiki Oslo
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