The Scandinavian Countries have been for a long time on the top of my priority travel list of places to visit in Europe. This Christmas, our holiday in Oslo, Norway was a dream come true. It was also the longest flight I've ever taken in my life, but, despite my fear of flying I truly enjoyed the flight on Norwegian Airlines which connects Larnaca to Norway.
DAY 1 - Saturday, December 21
I got up early in the morning with the excitement of a little girl who is about to discover a magical place in a fairy tale. Having consulted the weather on the Internet, I saw to my surprise that 2-3 C / 37-38 F was considered relatively mild weather for a Scandinavian country. I couldn't believe it was the same temperature we had got at night in Larnaca two weeks before! Hoping that we'd get some snow for Christmas, I spent the whole morning packing and organising my file with information I had got from the Internet on things to do and see in Oslo. Our flight left with a 30-minute delay at 8:45 pm.
Although it was an uneventful flight, I was quite nervous on board as I had never been on such a long flight before or on such a huge aeroplane. Alkis kept chatting to me explaining as always when we fly together that air travel is much safer than car travel for instance and that Norwegian Boeing 747 is also known as ... the Queen of the Skies!! Despite my nervousness, I managed to eat my chicken wrap, which was very tasty, while engaging in pleasant conversation with Alkis who had asked me to show him my file on Oslo. At 0:55 local time we safely landed at Gardermoen International Airport in Oslo, Norway. The taxi ride from the airport to our hotel lasted about 45 minutes and cost us 1422 NOK / €170 / $230 !!!
This was our first taste of Oslo as the most expensive capital city in Europe. Unfortunately, it never occurred to me to check on the cost of living in Oslo before booking this holiday. Most probably, if we had known, we wouldn't have chosen Oslo as a holiday destination but ... no regrets!
We stayed at Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel - the tallest hotel building I've ever seen! It consists of 21 floors and we had a great room on the 11th floor! I was so excited as I had never stayed on the 11th floor of any building before!
DAY 2 - Sunday, 22 December
After a 5-hour flight and a 45-minute taxi ride, I slept like a log and got up at about 09:00 only to find out that it was still..dark! Then I remembered my file and the information on Oslo. The sun (if there's sun) rises at 09:14 and sets at 15:20. But at 09:00 it was.... night! Alkis was fast asleep but I woke him up. I didn't want to miss breakfast although it was served from 07:00 to 11:00 am on Sundays. Alkis reluctantly got up and had a look out the window.
- Are you joking? he said. It's still night time. Go to bed!
- No, it isn't, I answered. It's ten past nine in the morning. I'm hungry and if we don't hurry, we'll miss breakfast! According to my information, the sun hardly ever rises here, but it's morning!!
It was like 05:45 in Cyprus when we had breakfast at 09:45 in Oslo. It was still dark. Much darker than in London last Christmas! The breakfast buffet consisted of a wide variety of breads, cheeses, jams, salads, fruits, fresh juices, eggs and bacon, baked beans, sausages, croissants, potatoes, apple pie, pancakes to mention only a few. And ... divine norwegian coffee!!!
After this hearty breakfast we set out to discover Oslo. To our surprise, the sun rose at 11:30 am and we took a bus to Aker Brigger - Oslo's most famous bridge by the Oslofjord. In the summer there are mini-cruises along the fjord, but we really enjoyed this morning walk on an unusually sunny day in late December in Oslo.
DAY 3 - Monday 23 December
On the eve of Christmas Eve, we went downtown as most museums and galleries were closed. We thought we'd do some Christmas shopping in Oslo but everything was so expensive! I only got a belt for my jeans because I had forgotten to bring one and some souvenirs. Clothes, shoes and accessories are extremely expensive in Oslo. Ah well, everything is very expensive there! The cheapest meal you can have at a restaurant costs about €80 / $110 without any drinks and the cheapest bottle of wine costs €60 / $80. A litre of mineral water costs €8 / $11.
DAY 4 - Tuesday 24 December
Christmas Eve was very disappointing in Oslo. All restaurants were closed and we were informed at the last minute that the Summit Bar at our hotel as well as its two main restaurants would be closed from December 24 to January 3. What's more, practically all restaurants and bars in Oslo were closed as well. There was not one single website to inform guests about this tradition. Most guests in our hotel - especially Brits, Americans and Germans thoroughly complained about not having a Christmas Eve Dinner or Lunch at the hotel. We also complained because Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are special to us and we look forward to a festive dinner or lunch. Radisson Blu Scandinavia in Oslo only offered ...snacks on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day and on Boxing Day. The sad thing is that the hotel did not include this information on their website and what's more they did not even bother to inform us once there!
Anyway, despite our disappointment, Alkis and I had a great Christmas Eve as I almost invariably see that silver lining in every cloud! Alkis was miserable and blamed the hotel and he complained just like the Brits , the Americans and the Germans. But I think we should respect traditions in other countries when we travel. Surely, the hotel should have informed us in advance that their restaurants would be closed for Christmas. I also think that the official Oslo website should inform visitors that practically all restaurants, cafes and bars are closed at Christmas.
If you ask me, I greatly enjoyed my bagel with salmon on Christmas Eve and Alkis ....relunctantly admitted that his burger was just great.
Day 5 - Christmas Day - Wednesday December 25
We had a wonderful Christmas Day in Oslo despite the fact that almost all restaurants were closed. Mona Lisa wasnt't! That's one of the best French restaurants I've ever been to in Europe - not including Paris. It was, I think, the one and only restaurant open in Oslo city centre on Christmas Day. We had a great festive Christmas lunch there: Onion Soup for Alkis, Smoked Salmon for me, and then we shared a divine Chateaubriand for two plus apple pie and ice cream for dessert.
Day 6 - Boxing day - Thursday December 26
Just like the Cypriots, the Norwegians do not celebrate Boxing Day the way the Brits do. All shops are closed. So today was sightseeing day.
DAY 7 - Friday December 27
On our last day in Oslo we did some more sightseeing and had a great italian dinner at Boletini Restaurant, opposite our hotel.
DAY 8 - Saturday December 28
Today was departure day. All good things in life eventually come to an end. Norwegian Airlines flew us back home safely. I'll keep Oslo in my heart as yet another great travel experience. In Norwegian, Oslo means "the fields of the gods." While flying back home, I had the impression that Oslo emanates an aura of charm and relaxed timelessness.
Recent Comments