Monday, September 15th - The fjords and "Norway in a Nutshell"

I dropped my suitcase early at the front desk for its separate transport to Oslo via Porter Service, which worked flawlessly while lightening my load for the day. After a good breakfast at the hotel, I boarded the Norled Express boat at 8am under a beautiful sky (fourth picture above). It was a leisurely six hour, 15 stop cruise through Sognefjord to the small town of Flam. The experience and the views were incredible (large picture top of page right and first picture below). I arrived in Flam under a light rain around 2pm. After walking the length and width of the small town, I enjoyed a long lunch at the quirky, semi-famous Ægir BrewPub.

The next leg of the journey was the Flamsbana railway to Myrdal, touted as one of the most beautiful rail trips in the world. It is 12.5 miles long and takes about an hour. I boarded at the base platform at 4pm (second picture below), following internet advice to grab a window seat on the right side of the train. It is quite a climb, with a lot of great mountain and fjord scenery along the way (third and fourth pictures below). I arrived at Myrdal station (the tiny red building at the top of the fourth picture below) at 5pm. The connecting train to Oslo was delayed, then delayed, and then delayed again. I was finally on my way around 7pm, arriving at Oslo S station after midnight. I taxied to the Karl Johan Hotel, picked up my luggage at the front desk, and retired for the night. Outside of being exhausted, my end-of-the-day thought was, "I can't believe this whole day worked".

Tuesday, September 16th - Oslo Museums

After a late breakfast at the hotel, I walked across Karl Johan Square to the coast. I activated my 48 hour Oslo Pass and visited the Nobel Peace Museum, which was a bunch of nothing. I walked to the National Museum, which was okay. I walked along the harbor down to the Opera House (first picture below), which is unique because concerts and gatherings happen on its walkable roof. For me, the gem of Oslo museums was the Munch Museum, right behind the Opera House (second picture below, view from its top floor). I've long been a fan of Munch's work, beyond his famous "The Scream" (he painted many versions of "The Scream"). This is the most comprehensive collection of his work anywhere. I spent a couple hours there, which for me in museums is a long time.

I asked around about a good wine shop and found one behind the central train station. I picked up a good Burgundy and a small 10 year old tawny Port. After a casual dinner at the new Oslo Hard Rock Cafe, I walked the distance of Karl Johan Street with a stop at the local (but now owned by the global Mondelez company) Freia chocolate store for snacks to accompany my wine for next couple of days. Surprised that I had again logged over 7 miles walking, I finished my day with wine and chocolate while enjoying the view from my room overlooking Karl Johan Square (third picture below).

Wednesday, September 17th - Oslo's Vigeland Sculpture Park and the Fram Ship Museum

I woke to a bright sunny day. After breakfast at the hotel, I headed out to master Oslo's tram system to and from Vigeland Sculpture Park, which was a highlight of my trip. The park is both massive (fourth picture above) and striking with over 200 unique, mostly nude, sculptures representing 40 years of Gustav Vigeland's work (first and second pictures below). Returning to my hotel, I ditched my big camera and coat. I walked across Karl Johan Square to Pier 3 on the harbor and took the ferry to Museum Island (which is actually a peninsula).

The worthwhile Fram Museum has a full size 19th century polar expedition ship under its roof with access to every deck (third and fourth pictures below). Heading inside, I immediately regretted ditching my big camera with its low light wide angle lens, It would have delivered much better Fram shots than my Sony RX100 point and shoot did. After the Fram, I walked around Museum Island for a while before returning to Oslo on the ferry. I finished my day with a wonderful dinner at the storied 140 year-old Grand Cafe next to my hotel.