Free time in Scandinavia - THREAD 2 OF 2 - COMPLETE! About This Page:

[LSUtigerfan]

Just caught up on your TR and your pictures are so pretty. How lucky you are to be so close to so many different countries! A travelers dream! Keep up the good work!

[chezp]

Wednesday 6 July – part three: a hard place to visit

We sat in the courtyard for a couple of minutes and then it was off to visit the cellars:



… where prisoners were once kept. It’s also home to the Royal Mausoleum, which has Norway’s most recent King and Queen in there and their parents:




From there, I took the opportunity to catch up on my trip report:



and got just one more photo:



I would have liked to have bought a guidebook about Akerhaus, as there’s a lot of history to the place, but they didn’t have one on sale. That didn’t surprise me, as for some reason, they don’t seem to do many guidebooks over here. I don’t know why, as they certainly get enough visitors over the summer months to warrant it to my mind. They’re missing a trick there.

Then we made out way out and headed over to the Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum (the Norwegian Resistance Museum), which tells the story of five years of life under occupation by Nazi Germany and it’s exceptionally moving and also a hard museum to visit. I felt very chocked when I heard about Britain and how we were pretty much the only nation in Europe not to be invaded by Hitler (some avoided it through maintaining political neutrality in the war).

The museum talks in glowing terms about Britain and as you go through the museum, you can see why. Before we came here, I knew that we had helped to et the Norwegian Royal family out of the country and they had governed in exile from Britain, but what I didn’t know was the role that the BBC had played in getting their message across to their people and how we helped to send supplied across in small fishing boats. We did a lot more during these five years than I had ever realised and I felt really proud of our country.

I would imagine when this museum was established in 1970 – to commemorate 25 years since the country’s liberation – there were some very difficult decisions to be taken about just how much detail they should go into of what happened during those years and what people were subjected to. I think they struck a very good balance, although there were points where I just couldn’t bear to read anymore and had to move on to a different section. You come out of there feeling very glad to live in a free country and with more understanding of the horrors that people had to endure.

I did grab a couple of photos in there, but I felt uncomfortable taking any more, as there was such a hushed silence in there that I didn’t want to disturb it and the noise of the camera taking photos seemed so loud in the silence.


A representation of how they produced underground newspapers during the occupation

This boot had its heel hollowed out to contain a film strip

The museum entrance

From there, we left the Akerhaus complex and walked past the Museum of Contemporary Art:



As I think I’ve said before, we’re not big art fans and particularly not contemporary art, so this wasn’t on our itinerary.

Then it was into Christinia Trov Square, the city’s first market square, which has recently been renovated and is now home to a fountain – Christian IV’s glove:






I’m glad we walked this way, as it’s a lovely square, very reminiscent of places like Paris and Brussels in Belgium with their squares.

Next: what to do next?

[lauren-roxy]

Great update Cheryl and wonderful pictures. I felt the same way when visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC for the first time, it's very moving and some of it is hard to imagine. Can't wait for more!

[DopeyGirl]

[ QUOTE ]
I felt the same way when visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC for the first time, it's very moving and some of it is hard to imagine.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was thinking the same thing as Lori!

Great update and wonderful pictures yet again!!!

[GoofyMom]

You did quite well to visit that museum, Chez. I can't bear to make myself watch/read much about anything the Nazis did. Love the photos of the Royal Apartment.

[chezp]

Wednesday 6 July – part four: what to do next?

Now we had a choice to make. Do we go for lunch at Aker Brygge or see if we could get tickets to go round the Royal Palace? I wasn’t sure. Much as I wanted to see the Royal Palace, I had fallen in love with the harbour area and wanted to spend our last couple of hours in the city there.

So I asked Mark and he picked Aker Brygge on the grounds that I had said before this vacation that I wanted to experience good Norwegian seafood. Choice made, we set off and proceeded to walk up and down the restaurants there, looking at the list of menus again and again, before making our minds up. We were going to go to the Beach Club that we’d seen earlier in the week (it seemed somehow appropriate ) but there was construction work nearby, which didn’t seem that appealing for a relaxing lunch, so in the end, we settled on a place called Front, which did look out on to the seafront.



We didn’t bother with appetisers and instead went straight for main courses. Mark went for a burger, while I had the salmon and avocado salad:



Mine was delicious and Mark’s description of his was that it was very different from what he had been expecting. It tasted home-made and wasn’t quite cooked all the way through, but apparently it was still good.

We decided to split dessert, the first time in a long time that we’ve done that. Normally, because of Mark’s dairy allergy, we don’t do this, but there was apple sorbet on the menu and we both fancied that. I wasn’t too sure about it, so I was more than happy to have someone to share with. I needn’t have worried. It was delicious and exceptionally light – a superb end to a great meal.



It was while sitting there, waiting for the bill that I double checked our departure time and nearly died. I was convinced that our flight was leaving at 5.30, but when I checked, to my horror, the departure time said 4.30. We quickly paid the bill and headed off. For those of you who’ve read our previous trip reports, you’ll know that we don’t like to be late to the airport. This was what we could call late, although in fairness, most people would probably consider leaving for the airport two and a half hours before a flight, when it’s a 20 minute train ride to get there, perfectly acceptable. Not us.

I still had a final stop to make as well. A gift shop was calling my name, so that I could get a Norway T-shirt. Fortunately, I knew exactly where I wanted to go, so I dived in there, while Mark went back to the hotel to get the suitcases. It took me forever to pay in there. One shop assistant was helping a Chinese guy decide which size T-shirt he needed while another woman was helping a German couple with their tax refund form. All I wanted to do was to buy my T-shirt and go! Eventually, I did get out of there and met Mark at the hotel and we headed for the station.

We missed one train by just minutes, but it was the next one that we were aiming to get, so that was no big deal. We were on the train at 2.39 and settled down for the journey back to the airport, with me anxiously scanning the news that they put up on a TV screen in there. Today was the day that the host city for the 2012 Olympics would be announced and London was one of those bidding. I will be honest, I have backed the bid for a long time and have always believed that we could win it, but round about lunchtime, I suddenly got very nervous and to me, that must mean that we hadn’t got it.

I couldn’t believe it when the news flashed across the screen that London had indeed won. I gasped and then had tears running down my face. A couple of people turned round and I’m not sure that they really understood what the fuss was all about, but it really was a magical moment and one that I had hoped would happen for a long time, but hadn’t really dared believe until now. All the way to the airport, we couldn’t stop talking about it and what great news it was. I’m sure that there’ll be people wanting to stay with us nearer the time just so they can visit the games. I’m taking names now guys!

Next: “what do you mean – the tickets are only one way?”

[lauren-roxy]

Another wonderful update Cheryl!! I'm just sorry to see your trip coming to an end, I have really enjoyed it and learned quite a bit!! Congrats on London getting the Olympics, I would love to go! The nest installment is making me a little nervous.

[mestitch]

More beautiful pictures Cheryl!! You really saw some amazing places. I loved the look of the restaurant you ate at. I'm all about eating seafood everywhere we go! I'm very interested in your next installment!

[Belle of Ohio]

More great trip reporting. I am loving it! Congratulations on London getting the 2012 Olympics. I was really hoping they would. I heard the news live on the radio on my way to work. I was so excited I screamed. I am sure anyone who saw me on the drive thought I was nuts!

[chezp]

Wednesday 6 July – part five: “what do you mean – the tickets are only one way?”

When we got to the airport, we got a nasty shock. The tickets that we had purchased for the train were only one way. I was stunned, as I thought the price for a return ticket was pricey and now I found out that they were only valid for one way! Good grief! We had no option, but to pay up as otherwise we couldn’t get out through the gates, so that’s what we did.

We made our way into the terminal building and went to check where we should check in. I couldn’t see our flight anywhere on the board and began to panic, wondering if there was another Oslo airport (I don’t know if there are two, it was the first thing that entered my head!). Eventually we found an airline worker and asked him and he confirmed that we were at the right airport and at the right part of the airport.

We were helped by another guy, who explained that you could check in at the self service consoles, although we had an English booking reference and he wasn’t sure if it would work. We were told that if it didn’t, then to come back and see him and he would sort it out for us. Fortunately, it did all work fine and a minute later, we had our boarding passes and baggage tags….. the only problem was that we couldn’t work out how to fix the baggage tags to our luggage.

We asked another family for help, as we heard them speaking English, but despite the fact that they had managed to do their own tags, they couldn’t help us with ours. The guy who checked our bags in just laughed when we apologised and explained that we were “ignorant Brits”

That done, it was through security and this was so smooth, it wasn’t true. We literally waited no more than about three or four minutes, although there were about 20 people in front of us. Once through, I had to get some photos of the interior of this airport. It really is stunning:





We browsed a few shops – look what Mark caught!



I spent the last of our Norwegian krone on some Norwegian chocolate (it’s still sitting upstairs actually, I really must try it soon…. ) and then we were off on the next leg of our journey to Stockholm in Sweden.

The flight down to Stockholm was very pleasant, a little bit of turbulence, but nowhere near as bad as on the way out here. Very bizarrely, drinks were served during the flight and this time, they were free. Now this was the same airline that we flew out here with, who were charged 20Nkr for a tea or coffee. Now on a shorter flight (this one was only an hour long), drinks – including wine – were all free.

It didn’t make any sense to us, but we weren’t complaining, especially not as wine was one of the options. I grabbed a small bottle of white wine and ended up taking most of it off the flight at the end with me, as I simply didn’t have time to drink it. It was like our flight to Manchester last month in that no sooner had we reached altitude than we were starting our descent to come back down again.



My first impression of Stockholm airport was that it was obviously not as new as the one at Oslo. In fact, the outside looked ready for a makeover, but the inside of it was pleasant enough, although nowhere near as spectacular as Oslo has to offer. It was certainly a lot bigger too, although fortunately we didn’t have much of a walk to baggage claim. Actually, we could’ve done with the walk, as we then had ages to wait for our case, especially as we had seen it come off the place first, so we knew that it would be one of the last ones off.

Eventually, it turned up and we were off through customs, which had a series of flower arrangements in it. Very unusual, as usually customs is the drabbest part of the airport. It was also very unusual in that our passports weren’t checked at all when we arrived in the country. I don’t think I’ve ever gone into a country without having my passport checked before. OK, so we were arriving from a neighbouring country, but even so.

Next: did we make a mistake with this hotel and “you call this a lift?”

[lauren-roxy]

Great update Cheryl and Oslo's airport is absolutely beautiful!! Can't wait for more!!

[2princessmom]

Another wonderful update! You can count me on the list if you still have room for the 2012 Olympics! Can't wait for more!

[chezp]

Wednesday 6 July – part six: did we make a mistake with this hotel and “you call this a lift?”

We headed for the station and the Arlanda Express train, which would take just 20 minutes to get to the city centre. Billed as the fastest way to travel from the airport to the centre, of course it was also the most expensive, but thanks to a special summer deal, it was a lot cheaper than in Oslo. You could get two one way tickets (this time we knew that they were one way! ) for 200 Swedish krone (Skr) – about £15 or $25. Usually, the price is 190Skr (about £14 or $24) each, so that was a good deal in my book.

Even better, there was a promise that if the train took any longer than 22 minutes to get to the city centre, then you could get a refund. Now service like that I like. That’s what you call reliable! We were there within 20 minutes, so no refund for us to claim and we decided to get a taxi to the hotel, as it was a couple of stops away on the subway and I wasn’t sure how much of a walk we would have from there. It turned out to be a good decision, as it was quite a drive there, and one that I think we’ll repeat on the way back to the station on Friday.

I will be honest, as we rolled up to the hotel, I couldn’t help but wonder what on earth we had done. It wasn’t exactly close to the centre and it didn’t look much from the outside, plus it appeared to be in a very quiet residential area. OK, so that was an improvement on Karl Johans Gate in that it probably meant that we’d get a good night’s sleep without any noise outside, but it was a little too quiet for my liking. I know, you can’t please me!

We checked in and then were directed to the lift, as our room was on the ninth floor. This was where I really felt that we had made the wrong decision about the hotel. We couldn’t get the lift to work and had to call someone from reception over. It turned out that it wasn’t responding because one of the lifts was already there. OK, so why wasn’t the door opening then? Well, because you had to do that bit yourself.

There is no other way to describe this lift (elevator! ), other than just plain freaky! We decided that it must be the maintenance lift, as the door on the outside was the only one on the lift! Once you were in there and pressed the button for whichever floor you wanted, you just went straight up and saw the wall flash past you! It was a very strange and eerie experience – and let’s be honest, you don’t want to stand too close to that wall as you’re going up!

When we got out of the lift, the corridor was more promising and our room was at the end. We opened the door, fearing what we would find, after our experiences here so far…. And actually it was really nice and I couldn’t fault it – even the view was great!




We rook in our surroundings and then watched the BBC for a few minutes, soaking up the announcement about the Olympic Games, but I couldn’t watch it for too long, as every time I heard anything about it, I kept filling up with tears. I just felt so proud to be British and it’s not often that I feel like that.

Then it was out to get dinner. We found out where the nearest subway (Tbahn) station was from reception and set off. Again, it’s not exactly disabled friendly, with steps down there and suddenly I was very glad that we had taken a taxi to the hotel, as taking the suitcase up these stairs would not have been fun. We wanted to buy a Stockholm card, as I figured that it would now pay for itself, if we had to take the subway into the centre while we were here, but the ticket booth didn’t sell them, so we got a card, good for 10 trips – that’s what the guy told us anyway (remember this point – it’ll come back in a couple of days time! ). Then we were off into the centre of the city, with a train arriving almost immediately.

We got off at Gamla Stan, the Old Town and started to wander round the area, which was full of shops and restaurants.



I got a couple of postcards and finally some stamps to send my English postcards, as I couldn’t find any anywhere in Oslo, so even though they had been written a couple of days ago, they still hadn’t been sent yet. Now at least I could deal with that issue.

In one of the shops we passed, I spotted my little friend:



Now any city that has an Eeyore is cool in my book!

Next: dinner’s a lot cheaper here and what are they doing with this lake?

[katspjs]

I'm glad your room turned out to be nice with a pretty view. Eeyore looks like he's begging you with his sad little eyes to take him home!

Another great update. More please!!

[LisaJ]

Cheryl, be sure and let us know how the Norwegian chocolate tastes, okay? You will have to compare it to other chocolates in your travels!

So far, Stockholm looks beautiful.