Due to some unforseen flight changes (the airline called and said “we moved your flight to the following day”), we had almost 3 whole days in the wonderful city of Oslo. While our initial thoughts of the itinerary change were of annoyance, we decided that it actually worked out perfectly.
March 31, 2018
The Palace and it’s gardens:
The National Gallery: Definitely a must see! Easily the best gallery I have ever visited, with peices by Munch, Christian Dahl, Monet, Matisse, and many more. One of my personal favorites was this self-portrait by Eilif Peterssen from the 1870s – he looks just like Harry Potter!
The Vigeland Sculpture Park:
April 1, 2018 – Happy Easter! It might have been the weirdest Easter ever, but I didn’t mind it too much.
Viking Ship Museum: I wasn’t sure what we were getting ourselves into, but it was actually really cool! The museum is home to 4 viking ship burials that were uncovered from the Oslo fjord area, dated around AD 820, 900, and 910.
The Oslo museum: a cool opportunity to learn more about the city’s history. One thing that really stuck out to me that was a woman named Camilla Collett, who anonymously authored Amtmannens Døtre. The book is about the place that women held in society, their opportunities to influence their own lives, and the option to choose a spouse. At the 2013 centennial celebration of women’s suffrage, she was honoured as one of the big four in the struggle for women’s rights.
Oslo Opera House: a stunning and very modern building that you can walk on top of for a beautiful view of the harbor and mountain peaks in the distance. 
In the spirit of Easter, I had found the website of an international church online with the webpage being in English. Score! Right? Well, we got there, and they were definitely not speaking English… that was a little hard to swallow. Being away from home on Easter actually was really strange.
April 2, 2018
Did you know that all Nobel Prizes, except the Peace Prize, are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden? The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, where The Nobel Peace Prize Center is located. It has exhibitions dedicated to past winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, the current 2017 winner (ICAN – International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), and a room for a traveling exhibition (current: Generation Wealth by Lauren Greenfield). Generation Wealth was really amazing, it discusses the detrmental affects that money and greed have had on society. The ICAN exhibit was called Ban the Bomb, but, my most favorite part was the room honoring past recipients.
Overall, I absoluely loved the city and its subtle Scandinavian grandeur. Everyone we spoke to was incredibly kind and helpful, never hesistating to stop and help or answer a question. As we walked around and saw people carrying cross country skiis and wearing snow gear through the train stations, I felt right at home. Norway is definitely on my list of places that I want to go again someday.
Mad Travels 