Oslo is located on a southern inlet. Cruise ships come up the Oslofjord and usually dock at Akershus. That is exactly what we did. This is a wonderful dock as it is close to the city center. From the dock you can see City Hall and the Nobel Peace Center. The city is small and compact. Everything you want to see is within a short distance. Even the outlying museums (and there are more than 50 museums in Oslo) are easy to reach by HOHO or ferry. Take a look:
Docking in Oslo, we had a beautiful view of City Hall and Akershus Castle from the docked MS Amsterdam.The Akershus Castle and Fortress was constructed in 1299. It was meant to protect the city and also served as a prison. Today, it remains an active military complex and also houses the Norway Resistance Museum.On our stroll along the pier to the city center, we passed this mural on the side of a small building. How very clever. What a cute idea!!!It didn’t take long to reach city hall. We exited the pier at City Hall Plaza. Directly ahead of us was the building. City Hall is also used for the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. the other five prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden.As we walked the city, we passed the National Theater of Oslo.The Parliament Building.Continuing, we came upon a florist with an interesting window display incorporating a stuffed moose!!!Here he is!!!We had seen a tiny reindeer inside the dockside gift shop. I guess there’s an affection for the wildlife!!!Hey, hey it’s the Hard Rock Cafe! But we are looking for something a little more Norwegian for our lunch break.And then, there it is!!! We find the Amundsen Brewery and Pub.I’m pretty sure they brew in another location also, but the small batch from here was on tap!!!So that is what Rog ordered–Batch 500.
Today, the day began with 11 different beers on tap.By the time we arrived, the beer menu was down to 9.After we had ordered, we spotted the folks at another table. They had a flight!!! It occurred to us, we should have done that!!!And then, lunch arrived–mussels and fries.Having fortified ourselves with a really good lunch, we walked on down to Magic Ice. This is an ice bar with branches all over. Their latest had opened in Iceland while we were in Reykjavik, but we had no opportunity to visit.So, we made it a point to visit here in Oslo!!!Literally, everything is made of ice. Even the glassware.It was a fun experience!!!As we walked back to the ship at the end of the day, we passed the Grand Hotel. Opened in 1874, it hosts the annual Nobel Peace Prize banquet, and the prize winners stay in the Nobel suite.Outside the Grand Hotel is the Fearless Girl sculpture by Kristen Visbal in 2018. We can agree, “Live fearlessly”!!!We returned to the ship by way of the Akershus Castle and Fortress.She was waiting for us!!!
Our next port is Flam, Norway where we will continue our train adventures aboard the Flamsbana.
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