Oslo finally caved and gave me a sunny day. So I took a walk with the ol' camera (actually I carry it around in a new satchel I bought for my passport, so it will be with me at all times now...)
A walk around the fjord. I love these boats...
The Opera House. It's beautiful. You can walk all over it and up to the top.
Frogner Park. Very pretty.
Vigeland Sculpture Garden in Frogner Park. All nudes, all the time...
After scouring the internets for a list of Oslo farmers markets, I found one in a nearby town called Drammen. So we took a short train ride out. It was really quaint and pretty. Ate some delicious waffles with jam, and bought a pumpkin and some great veggies. There's a farmers market in Oslo I'll hit up this weekend, then they're every other weekend or so through December. Anyway, I liked this bridge in Drammen.
Observations about Oslo so far: I like it. It's quaint. It's pretty. It's relatively small for a big city. The city center reminds me of Boston, sans the hills (sweet). The streets go in circles, not a nice grid, so I've had to keep the map handy. It'll be awhile before I have them down. The public transportation is awesome. Going out to a restaurant is ridiculously expensive, so that will have to be a treat every once in awhile. Even lunch is really expensive. Drinks are also expensive, so the duty free shop at the airport will be our friend.
Groceries are actually moderately priced, so that's good. We've been eating at home, and eating very healthy. And walking as much as we did in Portland (a ton).
There's an H&M on what seems like every other block (love). And the clothes are priced fairly. IKEA has a free bus that will take you out to the store, since a lot of people don't have cars. I'll be utilizing the IKEA bus once we get into our apartment!
Other than that, people have been friendly and helpful when you ask them questions, so that's nice. Everyone seems to be a big fan of wearing boots. And there are quite a few brunettes in Oslo, contrary to popular belief. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of blondes. But I am happy to not stick out like a sore thumb with my dark hair.
I'm now in London for the next few days. My fabulous friend Jamie gave me the heads up that she would be working in London this week, so I'm visiting her for a few days. Round trip from Oslo: $95. Flight time: less than two hours. And this is why we're in Europe!
