Our flight from Reykjavik to Oslo was smooth and easy. We landed around noon, and were in town by around 1:00. We had a bit of a scare trying to find the room I had reserved for the next couple nights. Apparently I had somehow got the wrong address for the place and we ended up at the empty old gallery rather than at the actual house. After an hour or so of frustration and the help of a very friendly lady at the tourist office, we got in touch with the proprietor of the place and the correct address. It was a small studio with a little kitchenette, in a very nice part of town, and right across the street from Vigeland Park. It was also right next to the tram stop, which was very convenient.
We spent most of the afternoon simply walking around town and discussing our plans for the trip. We knew we wanted to book a fjord tour, but we weren't sure which one. It's a pretty handy ticket to get: you get all the necessary transportation all in one. We had initially planned on taking a route along the southern coast, ultimately to Bergen. However, we ended up deciding on a tour of the Sognefjord via Flam, then to Bergen and back to Oslo. We figured we could take a side trip out of Bergen before heading back to Oslo. The only two parts of the ticket that had to be specifically booked were the train ride to Flam and the return from Bergen.
Once we had our travel planned out, we had dinner at a small place across the street from our studio. We then took an evening stroll through Vigeland Park. It's a shame it was cloudy, evening would have provided excellent light for pictures. As it turned out, it was nice to be able to just stroll along, not worried about capturing the moment. The park is stunning. Even aside from the spectacular collection of sculptures, it is a lovely place for a walk, or a picnic, or a game of frisbee. The park is deceptively large, with many tree lined avenues and small partitions of grassy space. A bridge lined with statues leads across the small river into the rose garden, behind which you see the fountain, which is dwarfed by the towering monolith above and behind. I planned to come back in the morning to take some pictures. Todd was planning on going for a run, which seemed an ideal time for me to lose myself through the lens.
Bed time came early, it had been a busy day, and we were still getting used to the time change and the concept of being in Europe. A first for Todd, and a first for me in some years.
No comments:
Post a Comment