Oslo, Norway

We arrived yesterday evening and I could feel the temperature difference immediately after walking off of the plane. Oslo is colder than Reykjavik and there is still snow on the ground here. I don't mind the cold, in fact, I embrace it. I was especially excited to see city travelers with skis in hand, a common sight here in Norway. Traveling here is easy! Right from the airport was a train station and our hotel is just a few blocks from the nearest station. There is also a bus line right down the street and of course, walking is also pleasurable.

Oslo looks like any other major European city I have traveled to. I was surprised to see many foreigners from around the world living here, or at least trying to. It is very expensive, to say the least. Last night, we hit up a kebab joint and for two sodas and food, it was around thirty five dollars. I looked inside a Burger King, just to check out the prices, and a meal (hamburger, fries, and drink) costs about fifteen bucks. We are trying to be as frugal as possible. Our hotel has a free breakfast and Europeans like bread and cold cuts for an AM meal, so I am packing some food to go for lunch. 

Today, we caught a bus to the Folk Museum. It was awesome to see how the Norwegians lived from 800 A.D. to the early 1800s. It was a reenactment museum and they even had people dressed in old clothing, doing chores. The construction of buildings fascinated me because they were so well built. Even the early 800 A.D. hut-like tents had a wood burning fire place and a space to sleep right next to a fire on a bed of broken branches. It's amazing to think that this was what the Vikings lived in and at the same time were building seaworthy ships, conquering lands, and taking people as slaves. 

Later, we went to the Viking Ship Museum where in the 1800s, archeologists discovered Viking ships dated 900 A.D. that were in the ground, and used as a burial site for the upperclass. A single person, both men and women, were buried in a large ship. Inside was jewelry, food, animals, and whatever one needed for a long journey. Then the ship was placed in the ground and covered clay, mud, and dirt. It would make a mound and grass would eventually cover it entirely. The recovered ships were mind blowing. Intricate details were carved into the bow and stern. In fact, most of the artifacts I saw today were so well built and embellished with beautiful carvings, it made me think that one would have to have slaves to have the time to build something so beautiful and still have time to find food and do other household chores required for survival. 

Later in the day, we picked up our train tickets for Bergen and we leave tomorrow. The train ride is named the most beautiful in the world and both Gabbie and I are excited to see the landscape outside of the city.