Oslo Day one Life is good

A DAY IN OSLO:

We started the morning with a very nice breakfast here at the hotel. This was an excellent buffet with assorted meats , cheeses, breads, cereals, pastries, eggs, and many other warm dishes. At breakfast we met fellow travelers. 

After breakfast we packed our day bags and made our way to the waterfront where we boarded a water taxi to Bygdoy. A money saving tip is to purchase a round trip ticket rather than two one way tickets.

The water taxi makes two stops in Bygday. The first stop is where you should disembark should you wish to visit the Viking Ship Museum or the Folk Museum. We made our way to the Viking Ship Museum.

Here one finds ship excavated from a burial mound. These are amazing to say the least. Viewing these ships makes one appreciate the seamanship of the Vikings.  It is hard to imagine sailing these ships on long ocean voyages. I was intrigued by the intricacy of the wood carvings.    

Our next stop was the Maritime Museum. Here one learns of how important the sea is Norway. The exhibits are well done and many are interactive.

We made our way back via ferry and walk back to our hotel. We stopped at the Narvensen and had a hotdog for lunch. This was a much better hotdog compared to the one we had yesterday. 

As we arrived back at our hotel a group city tour was about to leave and we were invited to join this group. This tour went to Frogner Park where the Vigeland sculptures are displayed. 

From there we were taken to the Fram Museum. This museum houses the Fram  an early ship of exploration and was the first to visit both the North and South Polar regions. It was this ship that Nansen and Amundsen used in their polar explorations. It is amazing one can stand on the deck of this historic ship and explore below decks. 

Also housed in this museum is the Gjoa , the first ship to navigate the Northwest  Passage. 

We opted to spend some extra time there and make our way back to the hotel own our own. So we got to explore at a more leisurely pace.  We caught a local bus and made our way back to the hotel.

Our group reception  was great, we met several folks who enjoy travel as much as us.  Nice finger food and lots o wine.

Our bags are out and ready for pickup.  Time to try and sleep. 

SVALBARD TOMORROW.!!!! How KEWL!!!!