Hei Oslo!: 2 Days

Norwegian National Opera and Ballet- be sure to wear sunglasses when it is sunny out here!

Oslo is not a destination for the "cheap" traveler. Sure, there are ways to get around things, especially if you have friends there.
But just be aware.
I came to Oslo because 4 years ago when I was in Scandinavia for my semester break, I really wanted to come to Oslo, but we realized that hostels were not budget-friendly (this was before discovering Couchsurfing). So we only hit up Stockholm and Copenhagen.

This time, I was intent on going to Oslo. And to Oslo I did go. But I was not prepared for the prices. I did know that their prices were higher than the other Scandinavian countries, but how high I did not know...

I ended up walking a lot avoid paying the bus fare ($6!). But I got to see a lot of Oslo that way, so I really cannot complain. Oslo is a nice city, but it does lack a little action.

For lunch each day, I gave up on searching for a good place to eat and gave into eating a "pølser" (or hot dog) for only 15 kroner, which is about $2.50. Anything else would have cost me $10 and above- for fast food. A cafe would have run me easily around $20. Out of curiosity, one day I decided to walk into a McDonald's and check out their menu prices. There was nothing less than $10. And it seemed to me that there was not a single burger that was less than $8. I didn't understand. I still do not.

It was fortunate enough that I found a couch to "surf" on via Couchsurfing for the 2 nights that I had in Oslo. I stayed with a young married couple- The Norwegian husband, and an American wife. Kjell and Tavonna. I got to watch some of the Eurocup games while staying with them. Both of them were busy with work, so the little time I did spend with them consisted of chatting up about everything and nothing. It was great. I got to cook my own dinners at their place, which I love doing. I found myself a little Vietnamese food store where I bought rice noodles, mushrooms, and tofu; I got cucumbers at a small grocery store near their place. Made some some really good soup out of it. Soup is exactly what I needed because it was pretty chilly the first day, and miserably wet the second day. My last day with them before departing I had the chance to meet 2 french girls that were going to stay with them. We all made a small hike to a lake north of the city, where Kjell and one of the frenchies decided to take a swim. A very cold swim. Even for Kjell- a Norwegian- it was pretty cold. I just watched like I always do.

My stay in Oslo also coincided with the arrival and Nobel Peace Prize presentation of Aung San Suu Kyi. While I was walking one day down the main pedestrian street in downtown Oslo (the only time the sun was out and warmed me up), I heard a lot of chanting from a crowd in front of the Grand Hotel. I was headed that direction, and I made myself part of that crowd. Little did I know that Aung San was arriving in Oslo, being greeting by hundreds of her supporters. I got a few glimpses of her, and all I can think of is how beautiful she is.

The next day while at the waterfront near the Nobel Peace Prize Center, it turned out that that day was the presentation of the Award for Aung San. So I made myself part of the crowd once more to get more glimpses of her while she entered the center, and later exited, making her way down to the stage where a public celebration was to be made in her honor.

My endless walking in Oslo paid off. I got to see a lot of little somethings, and a few big somethings- namely Aung San Suu Kyi. But it made me realize that Oslo is a place that I know I don't have to return to. But the rest of Norway is calling me. Especially Bergen.