[Finally Finished!] Kyo Does The Land Of The Midnight Sun (aka Kyo Visits Norway)

[Kyo]

Dinner at Aker Brygge

A quick shot of my esteemed dinner companions...


RennyBA on the left - DianeCA on the right

I know our culinary connoisseurs would not forgive me if I didn't take photos of the menu, so here they are!


Starters - Go for the mussels, seriously...


The Seafood - Of Course! (That Seafood Platter sounds tempting!! A must try for next time..)


Light Meals - and Side Orders

Now let the gastronomic extravaganza commence!


Soup Starter - Louise's Fish Soup

What's in the soup?


Louise's Fish Soup - A Cream Soup served with Salmon, Catfish, Mussels, Prawns and Vegetables

*groan*

I can still remember how it tastes, one year later... impeccable!


Mussels - Steamed in White Wine with Onions and finished with Cream

It's the Starter to go for... massive servings in a big bowl that will even make Dent@SUB proud!

On to my main course, a seasonal item (you can tell from the chanterelle mushrooms which were only just coming into season fresh from the forests)


Monk-fish - Beautiful Stew of Roasted Monk-fish with Julienned Vegetables

My hosts had the same. And it was a very meaty-textured fish indeed! Thumbs up on this one!

Our day coming to a close finally, I wished my hosts a hearty farewell and thanked them for their generous hospitality over the past two days. Tomorrow, I would be spending my final day in Norway solo (aww...)!



Chocolate Shop - Peeking Into A Window...

... I saw a sign in the distance...


What is that? - Blinking Constantly

It's...


Freia - Famous Norwegian Chocolates!

As you can see, the time was exactly midnight. And this is what Karls Johan looks like at midnight -


Underneath the Freia Sign - During the Witching Hour!

It was getting really cold now, and after running around the entire day, I decided to call it a night...

Next instalment: Solo In Oslo

[Kyo]

Day 3 - Solo in Oslo

It's my third day, and the only full day I have to sojourn alone around this beautiful Scandinavian country. Earlier, I had contemplated doing a round-trip to Bergen (apparently possible, but VERY tiring in a day) - but I'd decided to settle on something less stressful and just see the remaining sights I'd missed in Oslo.

I had noticed a little fishmonger on the first day of my arrival here, rather close by to my accommodation. It looked charmingly local and it seemed to serve very fresh seafoods, so I thought I'd give that a try for breakfast...

Fishmongers for breakfast? A concept that would bewilder many an Asian, I'm sure!


O. Fjelberg - 'Fisk'

It's also a Deli but it primarily sells 'Fisk'.

I crossed the street to look into the window...


Crab Claws - They're HUGE!

There's no menu here, but don't let that fool you - it is a gourmet spread. Here's a sampling of what's on offer...


Rekke - Prawns on the left, Others on the right


First Glimpse - Of Norwegian Salmon with Dill (but of course!)


King Scallops - The kind fishmonger even gave me one to try for free! So, so good...

Now let the gastronomic extravaganza commence!


Deli Section - Egg Salad, Potato Salad and other Salads

I had a great time sampling a variety of this and that. The fishmonger was easily one of the friendliest locals I'd ever met and I'm definitely coming here again if I ever go back! Support your local fishmonger!


Breakfast - What goodness lies within?!


Unwrapped - Three mysterious parcels and a 'Fruktvann' apple juice thingo from Imsdal


Prawn Salad - With Dill


Allow Me - To demonstrate

What's this next delicacy then?


It's 'Ahi' or 'Tataki' Tuna - Seared on the outside, raw on the inside... marinated with oil and cilantro


The Last Bundle - Norway's Finest (probably swimming around a few hours earlier)

When it's this fresh, you can eat it raw!

It might be the most expensive breakfast I've had in ages... but it was so worth it! Come to think of it, should I have titled this post 'Breakfast'?!

Next instalment: The Folkmuseum

[Dent@SUB]

Mussels - Steamed in White Wine with Onions and finished with Cream

It's the Starter to go for... massive servings in a big bowl that will even make Dent@SUB proud!

Only pictures???
I want the real mussels....

[Aulia Harun]

This is one long TR Kyo! But I thoroughly enjoyed it! I liked the first pic where you formally introduced yourself as the host of the trip.. it feels like I'm actually tagging along with you!

Keep them coming, hope to see more!

[Kyo]

Dent@SUB: Not sure where to get really top-notch mussels nearby (certainly not in Singapore)... probably the closest will be in Aussieland?

Thanks for the nice comment, Aulia Harun! Today is the 23rd of September 2010 (i.e. Day 2 of the OSL DO), and I'm *barely* keeping ahead of my commitment to finish this TR within a year, since we've just made it to Day 3.

(As you point out - it's one longggg TR - and I am still toying with the possibility if I should not include my convoluted journey back to SIN to keep things shorter)...

[Kyo]

The Folkmuseum

In my quest to learn more about this enchanting country, I decided to cover some of the museums. I'll be honest - Kyo is no museum lover, normally. I find them dusty, musty, and altogether a great way to fall asleep. However I'd been reassured by RennyBA (and the cleaner at my accommodation) that the 'Norsk Folkemuseum' was definitely worth a visit. It was also conveniently a very short ride on the bus (remember, I was staying on the outskirts of town near Bygdoy)...


Bygdoy 'Island' - The bottom left blob of land (it's a mini-peninsula to be accurate)

So barely 10 minutes on their local bus later - we arrive at the first stop of the day:


The Norsk Folkemuseum - Norwegian Folk-museum


Opening Hours - And Admission Prices

Normally, you expect a visit to a museum to be something like this:


Big White Building - Boring


And you'd be right. There are quite a few of those.

Where you see exhibits like these -


Old Posters - 'Norway - Land of the Midnight Sun'

Or perhaps fashion-forward statements like these -


The Bold - Normally a Yawn...

Or these -


and the Beautiful - Normally a Double Yawn...

Perhaps a couple of well-preserved dolls like these -


Okay - These are rather cute, admittedly

BUT THERE'S MORE...


Courtyards - Fashioned as Old Town Squares


Colonial-style Shops - Sweetshops!


Inside Ye Olde Shoppe - Old-style Sweets!

And of course, funky old buildings from all over Norway (they build 'em differently in different regions, you see!)



The-One-Where-You-Play-Mini-Golf-On-Top - One of my favourites!

Next instalment: The Rest of the Folkmuseum

[Kyo]

The Rest of the Folkmuseum

More interesting architecture in this post...


Double-Decker - The Airbus A380 has its humble roots here...


Boarding Ramp - To the Upper Deck

The Norwegians also pioneered -


The 3-Class Config - F to the left/below, J upstairs, Y to the right...

Not into Oak?


No Problem! - Something Modern


Ah! - Brightly Painted Norwegian Houses! (Now we're talkin')

There's *also* the odd animal -


Haflingers (Edelweiss Ponies) - Dedicated to phaleesy

Or two...


Goats - Confused

And FINALLY, the Piece De Resistance...


A Cathedral - Made Entirely Out Of Wood!

Pictures don't do it justice... there's heaps of intricate woodwork here...


Not A Golden Goose - LH's Inspiration?

Okay. Folkemuseum done. One last photo in memory of this unpopular proposal... So close and yet so far...


RIP - Trondheim DO 2011

I decided to skip the boat ride back and instead take a bus...


Local Buses - Very Clean & Modern!


Everyone - Seems to own a boat

Next instalment: Getting Lost Around Town

[Aulia Harun]

Today is the 23rd of September 2010 (i.e. Day 2 of the OSL DO), and I'm *barely* keeping ahead of my commitment to finish this TR within a year, since we've just made it to Day 3.

(As you point out - it's one longggg TR - and I am still toying with the possibility if I should not include my convoluted journey back to SIN to keep things shorter)...

Don't worry if it is too long, just keep going Especially since I believe that the flight(s) to/from the destination accounts for 51% of the entire trip experience

Hmmm... just by reading your TR, you have inspired me to start my TR about my first ever visit to Singapore. It took place in June of 2010 and I think that making a commitment of one year is not bad! After all, it's never too late to write a TR Let's just hope I can find enough college free-time to do it

[Pinkfloyd]

Mat og Drikke - Food and drinks
Navigation thingy- Sextant

Another interesting thing is the unit of measurement for distance - "mil". Norwegians will normally pronunce this as "mile" or "miles" or "Norwegian miles" when they speak English. What they will fail to tell you is that 1 mil = 10 km.

[Kyo]

Getting Lost Around Town

Made my way back into town, hoping to catch Osloites amidst their mid-afternoon bustle and perhaps to do a spot of shopping as I'd mapped out two of Oslo's most famous shopping centres.


Oslo Sentralstasjon - Plus Famous Clocktower


OsloCity - Shopping Centre (Red Sign)

There wasn't much that appealed to me as prices were way rather prohibitive and I didn't need anything... there are the usual shops etc, but I'd recommend the first-time tourist to spend their time outdoors.

Nevertheless, I stopped by another shopping centre that was recommended due to the more unique nature of the items it stocked. I walked a few blocks to check out the area behind the cathedral to GlasMagasinet.


GlasMagasinet - Fancy Items Within

Among other things, this upmarket departmental store (with a few little boutiques) has a notable variety of glassware. I'm not sure whether this has anything to do with the name of the building - what I do know, is that I didn't see any magazines... but it's arguably the most famous/historical shopping centre in Oslo.

I decided to venture off into one of the side streets and immerse myself in the city (otherwise known as getting lost).

Here are a couple of photos I took, of which I don't know their names, but looked interesting enough -


Plaza Mayor - of Oslo


Photographic Evidence - Norwegians DO do Spicy/Sour


Suspended Tin-foil Cone Roundabout - No idea... but interesting!

After what must have been an hour or two... I ended up back at the King's palace (using the back roads...)

Do note, when the flag is up, the King is in residence...


This Ain't Buckingham - No Fences!


Norwegians Are Not Racist - Leftmost Palace Guard is Black/Dark-skinned (Good on them!)

There's also a famous statue in front of the palace... here is a scene you may not see very often...


King Carl Johan - With A Pigeon On Top...

To the right side of the palace, is a quaint little park/garden where locals like to hang out. It's also a shortcut to the more bohemian side of the town.


Road to the Palace Gardens - As The Sun Sets

Walking on that road, you'll soon end up on this street...


Bohemian Oslo - Popular In The Evenings

Spent a fair amount of time here, but didn't take photos and instead decided to hop on a tram that took me back to Aker Brygge


My Tram - Oslo City Hall At Dusk

In between Oslo City Hall and Aker Brygge, lies the Nobel Peace Centre (open to visitors). The current exhibition in honour of Obama's visit was running - but it was too late to enter (they were hosting a private function anyway).


Next instalment: The Old Fort

[nickbot]

Why is the restaurant called D/S Louise?


This Picture - Reveals The Answer

Incidentally, that picture is dedicated to a certain SQTalker... I wonder who!

I think I know who you mean - we don't see her round these parts much anymore

[sqprincess]

I just had a chance to read your wonderful TR! Mmmmm... all that lovely food

Thanks for the virtual holiday Kyo! Looking forward to more!

[Kyo]

@Aulia Harun - Hmm, are you sure I should add it in here? I was thinking to do the journey home (it includes the FRA LH FCT) in a separate thread... tough decisions! I'm honoured to have inspired your first TR, and can't wait for you to write it up! Bring it on!

@Pinkfloyd: Good to meet you up last night before you return to being banished...

"Mat og Drikke - Food and drinks" <- Very useful, gracias!
Navigation thingy- Sextant <- D'oh, this slipped my mind, but of course!

"Another interesting thing is the unit of measurement for distance - "mil". Norwegians will normally pronunce this as "mile" or "miles" or "Norwegian miles" when they speak English. What they will fail to tell you is that 1 mil = 10 km."

That is rather bizarre!

@nickbot: That's truly a pity... thankfully some of us know how to locate her...

@sqprincess: Thank you for your kind comments! To know that even a year later there are still people reading this for the first time is definitely a motivator.

Obviously, I've been rather busy over the weekend and thus had not kept to my own 1-year-later time limit, but I'll try to make up for that as we're in the home stretch now with less than 24 hours left in OSL to go!

Thanks everyone for your kind and generous comments! Working on the conclusion now...

[Aulia Harun]

@Aulia Harun - Hmm, are you sure I should add it in here? I was thinking to do the journey home (it includes the FRA LH FCT) in a separate thread... tough decisions! I'm honoured to have inspired your first TR, and can't wait for you to write it up! Bring it on!

It's really up to you Kyo. Either would be good! If you decide to make a new thread for the journey home, make sure you make a note of that on this thread so that it won't appear to end abruptly

I shall write up my TR soon enough, and I'll dedicate it to you! I just need to find time to write it up

[Kyo]

The Old Fort

As things wind down on my final evening in Norway before the long journey home, the last 'major' attraction that had eluded me all this time loomed across the little harbour from Aker Brygge, Akershus Fort.

But first...


Aker Brygge - Goodbye!


Akershus Fort - Behind These Boats


Another Giant Cruiseliner - About to Dock

At the foot of the fortress, lies a very chivalrous looking fellow (and no, this is not the statue of the famous Franklin D. Roosevelt just a short distance away)


Coolest Statue In Oslo? - Who is it?!

Here's the vantage point as we start up the hill in the paths behind. No pics of the Franklin D. Roosevelt statue unfortunately (I apologise in advance as my camera's battery was about to give out and I had to save some power for the rest of the evening!)


Dusk - Oslo Harbour


Old Stone Arch - The Entrance to Askerhus Fortress


The Slope - Past the Old Stone Arch


Top of the Slope - First Glimpse of Askerhus


Askerhus Revealed - In All Its Glory

Alas, I'd arrived too late to enter Askerhus, and the last visitors (I think), were just streaming out of the gates on the bottom-right...

So, I decided to do a bit of funky photography at this point...


Black and White - Shadowplay


Cobblestone Slope - Normally quite a busy little path here...

Of course, I moved over to the castle walls to take some photos of Oslo Fjord/Harbour and Aker Brygge at dusk. Here's what I got when I went back home and put together the panorama I had in mind... it's without a doubt one of my favourite photos of Oslo -


Oslo Harbour from Askerhus - Twilight