Exploration in Norway

For Easter holiday we wanted to explore around and we chose to go to Norway.

In the ferry ...

So during 5 days we were there in car with Claire, Mehdi, Laura (a Lithuanian girl), Pedro (a Portuguese) and me.

So we left the Wednesday the 27^th of March on the morning to take the ferry in Hirtshals (DK) until Larvik (NW).The ferry took around 4 hours to go to Larvik. So we spend our time to play card, enjoyed the sunny view from the bridge, it was very delightful.

Arrived in Larvik

When we arrived, already the landscapes were beautiful. And more we drove to Oslo, more they were huge and breathtaking. The snow was everywhere.

After maybe 2 hours we arrived in Oslo. Not easy to find ourselves in the city because there were constructions and many many tunnels with deviation and thing to know it is that the GPS doesn’t work on it. So we turned and turned before to find our road.

But we finally arrived on the young hostel. Phew !

The next day, we got up early in order to have time to enjoy the city. We toke a map very well explained with all that we have to do in Oslo.

So, we first went to the Opera next to the sea via the central station square where we saw the Tiger. 

After that we went to the Castle where we had a beautiful view on the harbor and the city.

The Opera

Oslo Castel

The Nobel peace center

We also go back to the city center via the Nobel peace center and the McDonald to take a lunch on the sun in front of the harbor. 

Guards

The Royal Palace

Moreover we went to the royal palace where we saw the change of the guards. It was very impressive to see just how serious they are throughout the change.

From this point we also walked to the Vigeland Park. This park is very popular, it is very big and you can find playground, music bands, clowns…

Statues in the Vigeland park

This park has the name of the man who made the architectural plans of it. And also drawn and made the many statues which are there: more than 120 statues. The style is very special. Indeed all the statues are people naked in all situations: baby crying, group of children’s, man who is carrying many babies even if with his foot …

Oslo Parliament

After that we went back to the city center throughout the nice neighborhoods with big houses and villas. We saw also the Parliament and walked on the pedestrian streets. It was very nice because there was the first sunlight and many people were taking a drink outside and strolled.

That is it for our first day in Norway.

The Holmenkollen

The second day we decided to go to see the Holmenkollen in the periphery of Oslo before to sink into the mountains. The Holmenkollen is the oldest ski jump in the world; the first jump was in 1892. And now, there is the World Cup Nordic skiing events every winter and in 2011 there was also the FIS Nordic World Championship. In there, there is also the oldest ski museum in the world which retraces the ski history during the last 4000 years.

View from the road

After enjoyed this place we toke the car back and drove during less than 3 hours. When we left the main road after 1 hour we started to see more and more beautiful landscapes. The more we advanced, the more we left civilizations for wild nature.  Frozen lakes, mountains, snowed forests … It was breathtaking.

For the rest of our stay in Norway we would enjoy the nature as much it is possible, so we chose to take different cottages in very small cities in the middle of forest, or in the edge of a frozen lake …

Gaustatoppen

And has we wanted we spent our days walking in the snowed mountains (Gaustatoppen mount), enjoy the sun, tranquility, and the nature in gross state. It was revitalizing. 

And we learned also how to fish in a iced lake ! It was a great experience that we wanted to share with you. So we made a little video with the different steps !!!

And it is with this video that I will finish this article to let you enjoy a bit of our experience in Norway !!! =)

See you !

                                                                                               Camille