Oslo

Akershus Fortress.
see all photos »

A six hour, very comfortable train journey took us to our final, and probably most expensive destination, the Norweigan capitol, Oslo. Due to the ridiculous price of hostels, and the fact that our adventure was nearing its end, we decided to stay an a hotel for our final three nights. We arrived in Oslo in the early afternoon, we took the rest of the day very easily, and only really explored a small part of the city centre.

Our first proper day exploring we started with a trip down to the Akershus Fortress on the edge of the Oslo Fjord. We wandered around the grounds, taking in the views over the fjord, and back across the city to the Holmenkollen Ski Jump, which stands out on the hill north-west of the centre. The Akershus Castle, located inside the forstress, was closed, but we weren't too bothered about that as we had no intention of forking out for the entry fee anyway. We strolled through the trendy dockland area of Aker Brygge, the first of several areas along the habour the city was in the process of 'reclaiming' for public use. We walked back through the city and up to the Royal Palace and gardens. In the afternoon, we headed towards the Botanical Gardens via Damstredet, one of the oldest districts in the city, with some houses dating to the nineteenth century. We got a little lost on the way to the gardens, and somehow ended up in a park with great views over the city back to the fjord.

Oslo, with Holmenkollen Ski Jump in the background.
see all photos »

Our last full day of traveling was another steady one. We strolled to one of the city's major tourist attractions, the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The park was quite interesting and worth a walk, although I can't say that staring at a load of nude statues of various men, women and children is my idea of a great time. In the afternoon we visited the Historical Museum. In a city where everything costs something, including all the major (and minor) museums, perhaps we should have a figured that this free museum might not be up to the standard of some the cities other attractions. Indeed it wasn't, whilst there was no shortage of historic items on display, there was very little descriptions to go with them, nor in Norweigan or English. There was a rather hefty book in the gift shop that was supposed to accompany the museum, but that came with a price tag, and in any case, seemed quite heavy reading for an afternoon in a museum. We retreated to our hotel where we spent the evening preparing our bags (& ourselves) ready for our final flight back to the UK.

Karl Johens Gate, looking up to the Royal Palace.
see all photos »

It almost felt like our trip ended when we arrived in Oslo, rather than when we left. Staying in a hotel I think made us feel as if we were just away from home for a long weekend, rather than at the end of this seven month adventure. As a result, I think we treated Oslo a little differently to other cities, that is not to say we didn't enjoy it though. It is a very nice place, and I'm sure that Norway would be an interesting country to explore, especially along its fjords.

Our third morning in Oslo was our two-hundred & eighteenth day of travelling. We had a hearty (free) breakfast in the hotel before catching a local train to the city airport. Incidently it costs about half the price of the 'Airport Train'. Our final flight left Oslo at 11:50, after over seven months, & after travelling a full circle west around the globe, we were heading home!

Vigeland Sculpture Park.
see all photos »

J.