Round the World 2008

When I was in Oslo in 2002 it was November, and so cold that I really didn’t see as much of the city as I would have liked. This time the weather is perfect and I’m taking advantage of it. There are bike racks all over the city and you can purchase a card which allows you to swipe it and take a bicycle. You can then return it to any of the 95 bike racks throughout the city. The famous Vigeland Sculpture Park with it’s crazy human sculptures was impressive when I saw it last time, so I had to return. Unfortunately, many of the sculptures were under scaffolding for washing, but there was still enough to see.

Since I was here last, the new Oslo Opera House opened and it is an amazing piece of architecture. It’s designed so that you can walk to the roof of the building from the outside on these large open slanting platforms. Since the building overlooks the river, I was lucky to be there as the sun was setting this evening.

I went to the Nobel Peace Center this afternoon which was more interesting than I expected and there are several art museums that I want to try to see tomorrow. For a city of only about a half a million people there is really so much to see and do here. I have one more full day before I head off to Iceland.

The only downside of Oslo is how expensive it is. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I don’t remember it being like this the last time, but the dollar has really weakened. Expect to pay $15 for the simplest sandwich. About $5 for a bottled water. I talked to some people who just got back from Iceland and they said it wasn’t so bad there.