Continued from Tromso
Days 5,7,11,12
As you might notice, those days are a bit of a hotchpotch. Theoretically, Oslo was our base for the travels within Norway, but in reality, that amounted to very little time in the city itself. We first landed in Oslo from Tallinn on the afternoon of the fifth day of our travel. Our first agenda was a lot of housekeeping. We changed the currency at the airport, bought ourselves a 7 day city Ruter pass, and then had to wait a while before we got a train to Oslo S. Before we get to that, a bit about the pass. We had got ourselves a single zone pass, but to get to and from the airport, you need to get an additional ticket. The pass itself is a card you can buy at the airport, and there are self serve kiosks at all stations where you can make these additional purchases. If you’re traveling posh, you could try the Flytoget train. Higher frequency, but costlier.
We reached Oslo S (the central station) in just over 20 minutes, and by simply following people, found ourselves inside a mall. Maps told us that this was the Byporten mall. This was good news because our stay was at Scandic Byporten, chosen specifically because of this location. After some unplanned exploration, we found the entry to the hotel, which is inside the mall! The rooms were functional but comfortable.
Our original plan was to catch the sunset from the Opera House but we were well past sunset time. So we decided to head to Amundsen Brewery for dinner via Karl Johan’s gate and the Grand Hotel. The brewery was packed and we just about got a seat at the bar. That didn’t stop us from trying out a fiskegryte (fish stew) and an Amundsen burger with the brew! Early next morning, after a great (complimentary) breakfast at Egon, right next to the hotel, we caught the flight to Bergen.
