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

[chezp]

This is thread 2 of this trip report. If you're new to this report, you might want to read the first thread, which you can find here

[chezp]

Wednesday 6 July – part one: is that woman talking about me?

We both slept a lot better than the night before, although the early morning delivery lorries did woke me once or twice, but I was able to doze back to sleep and finally woke up at around 8.15. It was quickly up and showered and then off to breakfast, as today was sadly our last day in Oslo and we still had a few things that I wanted to do.

Fed, watered and clean, we packed up, checked out and left our luggage at the hotel and then we were off again. I think our feet were complaining almost the second that we left the hotel, but I was not going to miss Akerhaus for anything – and that included the complaints from my feet!

Dating back to 1299, this fortress was first built by King Hakan V and since then it has been home to various Kings and Queens over the years. Today it’s the government’s principle venue for state functions. It’s quite a hike up there, as obviously it’s built on a hill (aren’t all fortresses? ) On the way there, we saw plenty of beautiful buildings, dating back many thousands of years:




Mark took the opportunity to goof around…



As we walked along (and my apologies to here to my many American friends but I have to tell you this one and how mad it made me), an American woman, probably in her 60’s and not exactly smartly dressed or good looking came towards me and said in a really loud voice “well, that’s not a pretty sight”. Now there were a couple of kids behind us and a building and we both turned round to see what she was talking about, but couldn’t see anything – the kids looked cute and the buildings were beautiful, so we both independently came to the conclusion that she was referring to me. What a rude woman! I don’t think that I looked an unpretty sight – in shorts, a vest top and a baseball cap (a Beach Club one too! ) and very American. Perhaps that’s what upset her. I don’t know – we haven’t got a clue what her problem was. We just couldn’t get over her attitude – and I think it’s high time she learnt to keep her thoughts to herself and keep her mouth shut. Rant over.

We got to the Norwegian Resistance Museum, which we would return to later, with its memorial to those who lost their lives during the German occupation during World War II:




We climbed up some steps and were greeted with the magnificent view over Oslo harbour, complete with the cruise ship Oriana. Now that is one ship that I would love to go on, judging by its size – I’m guessing the cabins were probably a good size and it certainly looked very luxurious.










We were going to head into Akerhaus itself next, but Mark pointed out that there was a large tour group about to do the same thing, so maybe we should wait a while before we went in. Good thinking! Instead, we headed round to the sea side of the castle, where there were some stunning views and the opportunity for Mark to play the fool!






Next: where’s the safety fencing?!

[lauren-roxy]

Great update Cheryl and once again, beautiful pictures!! Sorry you ran into such a rude woman, I am amazed sometimes at what people allow to pop out of their mouths before they think!!

[Dee161]

Sounds like you had a really great time, Cheryl. Thanks for all the pictures. Oslo sure is beautiful.

[Belle of Ohio]

Love your pictures as always. They are great. I am sorry you had to run into the rude woman.

[katspjs]

What a nutjob! Maybe she forgot to take her meds that day!

Great update - you take the best pictures!

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Cheryl More great pictures

[chezp]

Wednesday 6 July – part two: where’s the safety fencing?!

The view I wanted to see most though was the round tower, which is at the sea end of the castle complex, simply because it’s a shot that’s used a lot in the guidebooks and to me, this sums up Akerhaus. I was not disappointed with the view, although ironically this part of the castle is not open to the public, which I thought was a bit odd, as I think it’s one of the most beautiful parts. I guess there’s just nothing to see inside.



We walked around the edge of the grounds, taking in the views down to sea level and the grounds:





What amazed me was the complete lack of safety fencing anywhere in sight. There were literally sheer drops down to sea level, with nothing to stop you from falling over the edge. This is not somewhere that I would like to take a child, as I’d be too worried about them falling and tripping. It’s a mark of Oslo all over, they don’t seem to worry as much about health and safety, certainly as much as we do in the UK. I can only assume that people just don’t sue over here, otherwise they’d take a lot more care about things like this.

As we completed our circuit of the grounds, we noticed a guard coming out on to duty. I was a little slow in getting a photo of him (turning the camera off when I thought that I was turning it on didn’t help! ) but I did manage to get a better shot a few moments later once he was at his post:




I hadn’t actually realised how big the grounds were from what I had seen on the map and that struck me as we found our way back to Akerhaus itself. By then, we had walked a fair way.

We showed our Oslo passes, which entitled us to free entry and went in. The guy was on the phone at the time and a couple of minutes later, we heard a yell “you!” We turned round and he was coming towards us. “You need to pay” he told us. Mark reminded him about the Oslo passes we had and he apologised and headed back to his post. Well, that’s what happens if you’re on the phone and trying to man the entrance at the same time. You do tend to miss things.

We headed for the Royal Apartments first and toured those.








As we went round, we found that one of the towers was open and headed up there to take a look. As we came in, I had noticed that it was only open until 11.30 and would then be closed until 1.00. Well, having been round it, I can see why. It was so hot up there! We only lasted a couple of minutes, long enough to take some photos and then we were back out of there again and back to a slightly cooler area!







Next: a hard place to visit

[lauren-roxy]

More beautiful pictures Cheryl!!! That apartment is awesome!! I am sorry that this is your last day, I am really enjoying your trip report!!

[Luv2plan]

Cheryl, I've just today read through your trip report and it's fantastic!! What a beautiful country, and so many interesting & lovely sights you've seen (well, apart from that rude woman anyway! )

I know I'm going back to the beginning a bit here...but I've just seen Dublin Mudslide ice cream in our grocery store this week, so hopefully that means it will be more widely available soon!

I was also wondering if you could tell us a little bit about the "practicalities" of traveling in Oslo - as in, it seems a lot of signs etc were in English? Did a lot of people speak English? And dress? Was it conservative, funky, fancy, casual? I'm so curious!

Ok, and did anyone else think The Oseberg ship in The Vikingshiphuset looked like the scenes from the Epcot Norway film with the little boy walking all around a viking ship??

Looking forward to more of your trip Thanks for sharing it with us!!

[Belle of Ohio]

Another great update.
I am glad you made it to the top of the tower (even with the heat). The pictures are definitely worth it.

[2princessmom]

I have just caught up on your TR. What a wonderful time you are having! I recognize some of the sites from the Amazing Race. I can't wait to hear more! I also have to visit sometime!!!!

[iamgrumpy]

Cheryl what fabulous pictures, and sounds like a lot of fun! I wish I could go there someday!

Amy

[Goofy'sGal]

Cheryl, you do take the most amazing pictures! How beautiful!!! And I love that Mark takes the opportunity to fool around for your camera! LOL

[DawnDenise]

Just got caught up on your latest updates. As always, your pictures are fabulous!!! Sorry about the rude woman...the nerve of some people! Looking forward to the next installment!