Eurotrip 2022 - Day 10 (8/1/2022) - To Oslo

Tjorven (and the kids) drove us from her mom's house in Hamburg to the airport so that we could catch our 10:20 Eurowings flight to Oslo. They came into the terminal with us and we said our goodbyes while in the line to go through security. The short flight was mostly uneventful, except for a bit of moderate turbulence as we began our descent. After arriving, we bought a couple of return Flytoget express train tickets to the city.

Fran had arranged (through Fjord Travel Norway) a self-guided tour of Norway for us for the next 6 days. This began with a night in Oslo, and then would take us to the west coast for a couple of days for some sightseeing in the fjords. Our accommodation for the night was Hotel Bristol, which is well-located close to the city center, a block from where the bustling Karl Johans Gate turns into a pedestrian-only thoroughfare. We found the hotel without much trouble and were checked in and settled into the room before 2pm.

We soon headed out on foot toward the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The hotel clerk had suggested a couple of nice streets to walk through on the way there, so we walked through Palace Park (Slottsparken), then turned onto Oscars Gate to walk by a few of the nice embassy buildings there. Soon after we turned toward Frogner Park (Frognerparken, which contains Vigelandparken), it began to rain. We waited out the storm under a tree (on Gyldenløves Gate) and then continued on to the sculpture park. The rain held off for the rest of the day, so we were able to enjoy the sculptures in the dry (unlike the first time I was there).

We took a different path down another major street, Bogstadveien, on the way back to the city center. This allowed us to check out some shops and grab a quick snack - a pastry that somewhat resembled a fancy cinnamon roll. We made a quick pit stop at the hotel so that Fran could change her sandals to sneakers and then continued on to one of my favorite landmarks - the Oslo Opera House. We walked up to the top to enjoy the view and take in the surroundings (which included an impromptu choir performance, and a careless kid wiping out while dangerously descending the building steps on a scooter).

Next on the agenda was dinner. We walked back to a vegan cafe/restaurant that Fran had spotted down the block from our hotel. Fran got a rice-based bowl, and I got a noodle-based bowl that was recommended as their best seller. The flavorful options and our lack of substantial food that day combined to hit the spot. And in a surprise celebrity spotting, Woody Harrelson and his wife came into the cafe as we were finishing up our meal. After dinner we walked back to a gelato store that we had seen on Karl Johans Gate, before heading back to the hotel.

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Full pictures for the trip here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/44Vf8gccA5UfLjTo7