Norway, Day 12: A Lovely Day in Oslo
Since the forecast was for a beautiful day, we decided that we should spend the day outside and doing things we've never done before in Oslo.
First up: figuring out how to get a pass for public transit in the city center. Easy.
Next: travel to the city center. Since our flight tomorrow morning is ridiculously early (7:00am), we decided to stay at the airport and then go into Oslo's city center, which is a half hour ride on the express train.
We went over to the terminal to get the express and, on the way, grabbed a coffee and a . . . cardamom bun. Not bad, although a little subtle on the cardamom.
Then, off to the city center, where we grabbed a couple of sandwiches for lunch and another . . . cardamom bun. This one very cardamom forward. Delicious. And then to the ferry! Oslo has a great system of ferries to access many of the islands in the fjord. Our first island of the day: Hovedøya. Monastery ruins. Nature preserve. Walking trails.
After a ferry ride back, we grabbed our second ferry of the day, to: Gressholmen. On the way, we ate our yummy sandwiches. On the island: More nature preserve. Beaches. A lighthouse. And ice cream.
Then, we traveled back to the mainland where we took the metro to Nydalen, so we could walk along a river trail. The Norwegians do a lot of things right. Great transit system. Beautiful outdoor spaces. Hardly any litter anywhere! Public bathrooms in a lot of convenient places. But, sometimes their signage, especially along trails, can be lacking. So, even though this seemed straightforward, like just follow the river, we ended up off-course at some point and had a bit of difficulty getting back on. IAPOTA (It's All Part of the Adventure). 
Our destination for the afternoon was to get to a food market (like Faneuil Market in Boston). We enjoyed a beer and a moment to sit. Then, we found a bus that took us to the central train station in Oslo. And, then back to the airport, where we took care of a couple of things, packed up, and had dinner at the hotel restaurant.
And, because we are in Norway and there's no way one can avoid the World Cup, we watched a bit of the Norway/Côte d'Ivoire game. Yay Norway!!
Now, it's off to bed for a very early start tomorrow.
This featured blog entry was written by ORWAT from the blog O Reisert Where Art Thou:Svalbard & More.
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