WE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVE OSLO!!!

January 11 - 13, 2008

I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE OSLO! That was the slogan for the weekend. Be prepared for all the pics. Considering we were only there for 2 nights & 2 days, there are a LOT of pictures. The reason? WE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE OSLO!!!!

SCHIPHOL AIRPORT, AMSTERDAM: In Amsterdam, you can drink alcohol anywhere and anytime without the fear of being judged. With that being said, here are F.Do and myself drinking our $1CDN Heineken Beers! Being crazy efficient Asians, we bought our 4-pack of Large Heinekens for only 2.50EUR = $3.75CDN from the Duty Free Shop (in the convenient stand across the way, 1 can was sold for 4EUR = $6CDN!!), ignored the instructions to keep our bag sealed until reaching our destination, and drank to our hearts content! WE LOOOOOOOOOVE AMSTERDAM!!!


OSLO AIRPORT, NORWAY: Everything about Oslo is efficient and fresh smelling. Even the bathrooms! I have never in my life entered a public bathroom and wanted to inhale its aromas! In addition, everything is made of wood. Here I am in the airport as we waited for our shuttle bus into the city.



Just a side note: the shuttle bus was supposed to be $25CDN per person. However, we thought it was free until after we were seated and noticed everyone else paying. Hmmm, odd we thought. Though the bus driver never asked us to pay, so we chose ignorance. Therefore, our ride was FREEEEEEEE. $50CDN saved!!! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE OSLO!!!!


RADISSON SAS HOTEL: View from our hotel room.



The previous night, F.Do and I were not able to sleep because we kept thinking about what would be served at our buffet breakfast and boy were we not disappointed when we arrived to the restaurant the next morning. They served Caviar, smoked salmon, crepes, 4 min and 6 min hard boiled eggs, fresh croissants, and the list goes on and on. We LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THE RADISSON SAS!!!



While wandering around the buffet trying to decide what else I should stuff my face with, I met Dahir, the chef. Boy did we love him. He provided us with specially made eggs and when the crepes ran out, he served them fresh to our table. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE DAHIR!!!






PARLIAMENT BUILDING: Here I am doing my "I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE OSLO!!!" jump








WALKING THE STREETS OF OSLO:



















MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY... MONEEEEEY: Norwegian Kroners




TIME TO SHOP


Even the manikins LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Oslo!!!



Crazy Efficient Shopping: why waste time taking off the jeans and boots?



This one's for you Boc!


F.Do and myself distorted




OSLO HARBOUR:



OSLO TOWN HALL:



Inside Oslo's Townhall, seriously...


A Body Bag... literally...


I LOOOOOOVE THESE OUTFITS displayed inside the townhall...


urm...


NOBEL PEACE CENTER:


Broadmindedness, Hope, Commitment... I conquer


OSLO HARBOUR:




Ships, Ships and more Ships!







VIKING SHIP MUSEUM (VIKINGSKIPSHUSET):


F.Do and myself really pride ourselves on our efficiency. Money-saving Tip: go to the museum just before closing to forgo the admission charge but still able to see the main attraction. Amount saved: $10CDN per person!


FOLK MUSEUM (NORSK FOLKEMUSEUM):




UNITED BAKERY: A cafe recommended by our concierge at our hotel. Certainly did not disappoint. Check out the foam shaped into hearts (Oslo is all about the hearts). So Cute!




HOLMENKOLLEN SKI JUMP: If you look closely, you'll see Norway's famous and the world's 2nd oldest ski jump.


Ok, this is the start (therefore, we are still smiling) of our ridiculously insane experience up in Holmenkollen. The reason we were up there was to have dinner at the famous and scenic Frognerseteren restaurant. What was failed to be mentioned to us was the exact train stop to exit. As a result, we exited too early and ended up having to walk up a deserted, extremely windy and snowy mountain!


Poor F.Do was wearing heels!


FROGNERSETEREN RESTAURANT: Approx. 1.5 long hours later, we finally arrived!



Despite the many cars that ignored our pleas for help, our frozen flesh and sore feet, we were surprisingly in good spirits and WE still LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE OSLO!


The view from the restaurant was absolutely spectacular.


The restaurant was a quaint cabin perched on top of a mountain.


Our reservations was for 8:30pm, but with the whole "situation" we ended up arriving close to 10pm and hence closing time. However, the restaurant was having an event and were more than happy to still serve us. WE LOOOOOOOOVE OSLO!!!


The most delicious butter I've ever tasted!


The restaurant is known for their reindeer meat. Yes, I ate Rudolph, but boy was he ever TASTY!!!


F. Do had the tastiest (and most creamy) fish:


They are also known for their homemade apple pie. ohhhhhh yeah... what goodness!!!


After our delicious meal, we tried to make our way to the train station, only to get lost again!


We finally took a cab to the train station to catch the last train and as you can see, we were sad... the love for Oslo was slowly diminishing...What we also do not have pictures of is how the last train only traveled to a certain stop. Which would have been fine since we could've taken a cab, however, it was clubbing hour, so it was impossible to get a cab. Therefore, we had to walk back to our hotel. We finally arrived at our hotel at 3am... It was certainly quite the unforgettable night.


SUNRISE: view from the hotel room. Sigh, with the sunrise and amazing breakfast, once again.... WE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE OSLO!!!!




TRAIN/SUBWAY: If you look closely you can see everyone is holding onto their ski equipment. It's quite the sight seeing everyone using public transportation to get up to the ski hill.


VIGELAND SCULPTURE PARK (VIGELANDSPARKEN):








Talk about efficiency. This man must be Asian!





I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE OSLO!!!



















I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE OSLO!!!



High Five, WE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE OSLO!!!



EDVARD MUNCH NATIONAL GALLERY:


Sniff, time to leave Oslo. On the shuttle bus back to the airport. Unfortunately, we had to pay this time...


OSLO AIRPORT: What I really wanted to get while I was in Oslo was a viking hat, but surprisingly, there were none to be found. This little viking statue was as close as I was going to get to a Viking...


Oslo was certainly a trip of extreme ups and downs, but all in all we left saying....

"WE LOOOOOOOOOVVVVVE OSLO!!!!!!!!!"