Thursday 29 November 2018

Oslo in the Rain

Today, we had a very slow start. Breakfast was in the apartment sometime around noon and by the time we finally made it to Oslo Central Station, it was after three. It was beginning to get dark. We grabbed some lunch in the food court and bought a two day Oslo Pass.

This is from the food court looking up into the station.
Outside the station was a tiger (of course).
By now it was after four and all of the museums were closed. We settled for a tram ride to the Oslo Sculpture Park. It was huge and dark and wet and rainy, but we walked anyway. The ground was icy and we had to be very careful with our footing. Many dogs were nevertheless enjoying walking their owners. Every few minutes a bicycle buzzed past us. We later read that cyclists routinely switch to studded tires in the winter. Walkways went in every direction. I suppose the park must be a shortcut to everywhere.

Because it was dark and wet, we had a somewhat unique view of the many sculptures. Using a flash, it was possible to get clear pictures of the art, but little or no background showed.

Perhaps we should have been miserable, but we enjoyed our walk.

A bridge over a pond was lined with people playing.

In the centre of the park was a group of these (whatever they are). In the dark behind, several giants are holding up a large cauldron.
Back in the centre of the city we found a pedestrian shopping street which provided us with another lovely walk.

Nobody is dining here at the moment, but if they were they would have heaters over their heads, furry chairs to sit on, and blankets to throw over their knees. Civilized.

There are scores of these huge planters on the street full of plants that are growing in the winter (lichens, mosses, some greenery).
We walked through a nursery where you could buy these and other hardy plants. Christmas decorations for sale included absolutely gorgeous wreaths made with white moss.

Trolls are mythical forest creatures that apparently originated in Norway. (Who knew?)
I bought a little one to keep.

Without warning we came upon a Christmas Market. It was quite magical.

Only a few people are skating, but they are being watched by a pair of young statues.

Throughout the market area were several large tripods filled with warming fires. Each was surrounded by benches.

There were not many rides, but Deb decided that she absolutely had to ride on the Ferris wheel.

By the time we got to the top, it had started to rain harder. The camera had to be wrapped in a waterproof bag. (No pictures from aloft)

As you walk through the tunnel of lights, you can buy treats and gifts.
Before heading back home, Deb needed to visit a washroom, so we searched until we found the appropriate little oblong building. We could not find an entrance but did find a little coin box on the side. I did not have the necessary five kroner coin so I had to tap with my Visa. Magically, the end of the building became a door and slid open so that Deb could slide in.

On the side I noticed a sign in French that I could read. It said, "After each use, this facility cleans and disinfects itself." What a world we live in!

After Deb was finished I noticed that there was a bank of twelve free toilets right beside us. Back on the pedestrian street I noticed another public facility. It had an attendant and it cost twenty kroner.

Ours was not the cheapest, nor was it the most expensive, but it was the most entertaining. Me, I waited until we got back to our apartment.


Eirik's Place

From the train station it was only a short walk to our new home. Most of the trip was indoors so we didn't even have to get cold. We stopped at an expresso bar to pick up a key but it turned out that Eirik had not left the key there. He was at the apartment.

We had not received the last email to tell us he was in Building A, Apartment 19, but we met a lovely young lady at the door who helped us find Eirik. We were home!

Eirik has a lovely apartment which he is graciously sharing with us. We have one room of our own and we have everything we need. We just sat and chatted, getting to know each other and getting quite comfortable. Then we were back out on the street to find something to eat.

We ended up in a little Somalian restaurant where no English was either spoken or written. We ordered something to eat using pictures and pointing. It was wonderful. Soup arrived (split pea?) followed by a large flatbread (much like naan, but crispier and lighter). The main course was a mixed grill (kebabs of chicken, beef, and ground beef). The ground beef was actually my favourite. Everything was hot and perfectly cooked with some very interesting spices (unidentified). On the side was an array of vegetables, some familiar, some not so much. The flavours were wonderful and everything blended together. Other than a spoon for the soup, there were no utensils, so we happily ate with our hands. If this restaurant were in my neighbourhood I would gladly eat here at least once a week.

Before going back to the apartment, we stopped in a grocery store to buy eggs, bread, coffee, milk, etcetera for the morning. This in itself was a bit of an adventure since nothing was written in English. We were not entirely sure what we were looking at. Happily, each person we spoke to responded in English, but we are still not quite sure that we actually have butter for our breakfast, and we have settled for Diet Coke rather than Diet Pepsi. They do have Pepsi Maxx, but I tried that once at home. It has no sugar but is still syrupy sweet. All things considered, we are going to be quite comfortable here.

Living

Dining

Cooking

Sleeping



London to Oslo

In London we were met by a very energetic lady with a wheelchair for Debby. Deb did explain that she really didn't need it but she was rebuffed. Apparently, Deb's name was on her list and so she simply had to ride. I had to run to keep up. This time, we were glad to have help.

The trip through the airport was very long and would have taken us twice as long without our helper. We had to travel endless corridors and a train before we were anywhere near our point of departure. We were shuffled to the front of every line so waiting was minimal. Still, passing through customs was difficult. For the first time ever, we had to dig through our bags and pull out every little container of liquid (toothpaste, shampoo, makeup, any size). Everything had to be visible in clear plastic bags. Still we were stopped because Deb forgot a bottle of water in her coat pocket.

In the end we were placed in a lounge to wait out our five hour layover. We roamed and we read and munched and we waited.

When it was time, Deb was placed in another wheelchair and delivered to our gate. The ramp to our plane was not working so we had to take an elevator down to the tarmac and climb a long set of stairs to board. We settled into very small seats with no special privileges or services, but this time it was just fine. The whole flight was just a couple of hours.

In Oslo, Deb was again met by a very efficient attendant. We were hustled through the airport. This time we weren't even slowed down at customs. Our helper took us to the Oslo train. He helped us to buy the tickets we needed and he delivered us right to the door of the train we needed. Before we knew it we were in the Oslo Central Train Station (too easy).

Suddenly, we were adrift without anyone to help us. We didn't know how to get to our Air BNB and we didn't have a helper. The tourist information centre was down a long set of stairs. Oh no!

Deb settled down to enjoy a coffee and I wandered off. The pace had suddenly changed and there was no longer any rush. I returned with a map and directions to our new home. Deb meanwhile had been communicating back and forth with Eirik our new host and everything was go.


Getting to London

This may not have been the longest trip ever, but it certainly has felt like it. More or less recovered, I have risen from almost twelve hours of hibernation and Deb is still asleep. We may have just beat the discomforts of jet lag by staying mostly awake for thirty-six hours or so before succumbing.

A shuttle van picked us up at just after noon on Tuesday. Somehow our bodies feel that was yesterday (but today is Thursday).

For the first time ever, Deb had upgraded our first and longest flight (to London) to business class. When we arrived at the airport we discovered that this included access to the British Airways Premium Lounge. We sat in a lovely dining area sipping cocktails (of course they were doubles). We weren't exactly starving but I did have to sample the roast beef with yorkshire pudding. Deb ate some of her gnocchi with pesto sauce. Then there were several choices of wine and champagne available but we chose to sit in lounge chairs and enjoy our coffee until our plane was prepared for us.

Deb then used her cane to our advantage so we could jump to the front of the boarding line. Once on the plane our seats were alternately facing forward and backwards. Each had a bank of controls  which would allow it to sit up straight or to lie down flat. Blankets and pillows were waiting for us. A stewardess handed us menus for a three course dinner and a checklist for breakfast when we woke up. While we waited, we were each handed a glass of champagne to sip.

Since I had recently eaten, I opted just to have the ahi tuna appetizer and a cheese tray for desert. Deb went for the whole meal and greatly enjoyed her chicken tikki masala. Before dinner was served we of course had to have a cocktail (or two).

Oddly, this very comfortable situation did not immediately translate into a good sleep. We each watched a different movie and then stretched out. In my case, I had been asleep for about two hours when a stewardess gently tapped me on the shoulder to say that my breakfast was ready. I had peameal on a bun and Deb chose scrambled eggs. Soon we arrived at Heathrow.

Norway (What?)

This year, instead of doing something normal, let's go north. Who needs sandy beaches and sunshine when you can bundle up and watch the northern lights.

In truth, this whole idea began a year or so ago when Deb was becoming convinced that she was gradually losing more of her eyesight. Her doctor kept telling her that she was holding her own, but she could sense the inevitable. It is still possible to opt for surgery to remove scar tissue from her retina, but that didn't come with a guarantee and she just isn't willing to take the chance.

A decision was made that the Aurora Borealis (you know, the northern lights) were in our near future. Would it be in Alaska, Iceland, Sweden or Norway? Where?????? Much research had to be done.

Then serendipity struck. Brenda and Mark (from Tandem Eyes) booked a spot on a Hurtigruten Cruise in Norway. Research be damned. Apparently (according to the propaganda), this was the "Most Beautiful Cruise in the World" and it was in one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights.

We were off to Norway.