thirty by thirty: my oslo stopover

thirty countries by thirty. i suppose it’s a silly distinction, and not one that i actually achieved, having gone to my thirtieth country, norway, at about three months past my thirtieth birthday. so the term “thirty during thirty” is really
more accurate. (prepositions are so pesky, aren’t they?)
this is one of the things that brought me to norway, not to mention that i’ve been hoping to go there for awhile and it is the last of my ancestral homelands to be checked off the list.

the other major reason is that it cost the same to obtain a ticket with a stop in norway (if not cheaper) as it did to fly directly to iceland. so the choice was made – norway would be the thirtieth! now i can stop counting. phew!

there’s a lot written about the capital, oslo, in the travel blogging world. most of it neutral, some of it negative, and could think of nary a single post of someone having fallen in love with it. as i only had one full day to take it all in, i went in with about as open a mind as i could, and thanks (like really guys, thanks!) to tips from natalye and dianna, i feel like i really took advantage of it.

in the mid-morning, we took the ferry to bygdøy penninsula, home to many (if not most) of oslo’s greatest museums. as it was a gorgeous day, i knew i didn’t want to be cooped up in any of them besides oslo’s norwegian open-air
folk museum, which would really not be cooped up at all! it’s hard not to draw any comparisons to this one and  stockholm’s skansen. i will say both are absolutely delightful and worth your time! and man, the harbor is gorgeous on a day like that.

the late afternoon we spent at frognerpark with the statues, the seagulls (i’ve never been so happy to see a seagull!), and seemingly the rest of oslo, enjoying this gorgeous warm day.

i liked walking around oslo’s majorstuen district, and couldn’t help but notice how nice and forgiving the people there are. lots of trust, lots of benefits of the doubt given: when i accidentally boarded the flytorget instead of the nsb train with barely a slap on the wrist. (the flytorget is super nice, by the way!) when the cashier at the deli gave me my tram tickets for free after he printed them but the card reader terminal didn’t work). it was a positive first look at the capital for sure. not to mention how nice all of the houses there are; we could not find one “off” one.

stopovers are strange… just a taste to want more, not enough to really feel like you got to know a place. but, hej norge! i made finally made it… and i have a new list of places i’d love to visit upon my return.
have you made it to oslo yet? is it on your list?

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this post is a part of wanderful wednesday.

ps, did you know that if you book with norwegian air in norwegian language instead of english, you will save 5% on the total price? file under “travel tips to remember”!