Back to Oslo and a day in Oslo:

 Back to Oslo and a day in Oslo: 

 

                                       See you in July

We enjoyed our final breakfast at Maryann’s Polarigg and got all packed up. We arranged for a taxi ride to the airport rather than the Flybus. FYI the cost is about 1/2 and if you time it right you beat the crowds for the flight check in. 

The flight from Longyearbyen is about 3 1/2 hours and this flight was FULL. Thus getting there early is well worth the efforts. 

Arrived in Oslo a bit early and passport control was more like we have experienced, lots of people. The process moves quickly. 

We gathered our bags and walked to the Radisson Red, Home of the Red Moose. :) Checked in and decided to have dinner at the hotel. We split their fish and chips and they were good. The fish had a more crisp and crusty batter, the portion was plenty for both of us. 

Back to to the room and unpack a bit and crash. 

Woke a bit after 0500 and started the coffee. We got ourselves together and made a plan for the day.  Looks we are in for a rainy day.

A visit to Oslo is not complete without a visit to Fram.  Train to the Central Station, then #12 tram to the waterfront, then the Bygdoy Ferry to the Fram. I know we probably spend more time than most there as some of the intricacies fascinate. As always a great refresher for me on Polar Exploration and the Explorers. 

Along our way, at the station we did pop into the Narvisen  and get some chocolate milk. Then to our baguette shop for a ham and cheese croissant.  

I learned these paths and bumps in the walking areas of Oslo are for the sight impaired individuals. They mark pathways, elevator loading ares , crosswalks etc.  

There is a cafe at the Fram Museum and to be honest I can not recommend this establishment for their food. I had a hot dog and it was barely OK. If not for a copious amount of crispy onions it would have been worse.

Rain was falling heavily and we decided to take our return via bus. Just as we left the museum there was a #30 bus right there and we jumped onboard. 

There was an event at the Swiss Embassy causing traffic congestion, but our bus driver did a great job navigating the mess with a extended bendy bus. 

The #30 bus route is rather scenic and should be considered as an alternative to the ferry should one desire. 

We took the bus to the National Theater stop and walked to Viking Planet. Viking Planet is an interactive museum  where one can explore the age of Vikings. I found this very well done with wide screen movies, virtual reality experiences, and interactive time lines. This was well worth our time again as a great Viking history refresher. 

We were ready for an early dinner and started looking for a place for a bite. Near the tram stop we found the Casbar. Here they have hand crafted pizza. We ordered the pepperoni as it was different with jalapeños and a chili honey. It was very very good.   

We then caught the #15 tram back to the Central Station. In the Central Station is a Co-op grocery store where Lynn got some chocolate to take home.  

We returned to the airport via the train. We checked to see what time the counter opened (0400) and then to the Radisson Red. We packed and weighed our bags and went to bed as a 0300 wake up was set. 

The beauty of the Radisson Red is the proximity to the airport and train. It is a 20-30 min walk, the rates are reasonable, and a real time saver for the early flights. 

Thus another one of our journeys ends and we had a great time, seeing new things, refreshing our experiences, meeting new friends and more.   

Let Us Explore Longyearbyen:

 Let Us Explore Longyearbyen:

We are really enjoying this property, it is so KEWL!!

We had dinner last night at Vinterhagen, the greenest restaurant in Longyearbyen. Greenest because it is a green house. Here you find greenery and Arctic Fox, Ice Bear, Musk Ox and all sorts of mining memorabilia. 

                                 Entrance to Vinterhgven 

                       Arctic Stout Stew with Whale Steak 

I ordered a stout beer from the Svalbard Brewery, the northernmost brewery, having had it before, I knew it is very nice. 

We both ordered Arctic Stout Stew from the starter menu. When served, we were told the meat used today was whale. There were potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes in a red sauce. The whale meat was very lean and tender. To me it was like a very high quality of beef. This was served with a good sized piece of garlic bread.  All was above EXCELLENT. 

While it was just a starter we both were stuffed when we finished as the portion for us was perfect. Yes things were a bit on the expensive side but that is to be expected here. 

We are up nice and early as usual having coffee and writing away. There is a coffee service in the hallway. 

I was up a few times last night checking the skies for the Aurora. It really never got totally dark and the skies were overcast and still are. One must remember we are at 78’ degrees North. 

The plan for today is to have breakfast and walk into town and visit some of the museums and Cafe Huskies and the local supermarket. Others have reported the prices not really that high except eggs. The last time we were here was a couple years ago and I thought things were more expensive. 

Our first visit to Longyearbyen was about 10 years ago and I must say things have definitely been built up in the interim. 

Breakfast was very good with so many options. I made a waffle. 

We packed our packs and were soon headed out. Our first stop was the North Pole Expedition Museum. This is an excellent well done museum. I really feel anyone coming to or departing from Longyearbyen should make this a stop. 

The great northern polar expeditions are displayed in a nice informative manner. I very much enjoyed the movies of those expeditions. There is a ship model of the Polaris, it was originally built as a tourist hunting boat to sail out of Longyearbyen. Financial events lead it to be sold to Shackleton who renamed it Endurance. We spent 2.5 hours there, probably more than most. 

 



We then walked to the Svalbard Museum. This museum does a great job of interpreting the history and wildlife of Svalbard.  I believe it should be a mandatory stop for anyone visiting the area. 

We then made a stop at Cafe Huskies for a drink, I had an iced tea and Lynn had a Chai Tea Latte. At Cafe Huskies there are usually a couple huskies hanging out demanding attention.

 

             There were three pieces of fish before the photo 

 

 

Barentz Gastropub was next on the agenda for lunch. It is located on the Radisson Blu Hotel. One reason for going there was next July we will be cruising with Hurtigruten to see the total eclipse. The eclipse journey will take us from Oslo to Longyearbyen where we will spend two nights as part of the cruise. Hurtigruten does not own the Radisson Blu here in Longyearbyen but they operate it. So we are guessing this is where we will be staying in 2026.

 

For lunch we split the fish and chips as the portion was very ample. While the batter was a bit on the heavy side it was still very good. 

As we left the Barentz Gastropub, the rain had started as forecast.

 

 Having had a very ample lunch we opted for a light dinner back at the Maryann’s Polar Rigg. 

Making a stop at Svalbardbutikken, we bought a sandwich and some pastry to have later as our evening meal. 

We are now back in our room, warm and dry and preparing for our flight tomorrow.