Norway!

My first time in Norway! I was insanely excited to land in Oslo and finally finally visit one of my best friends, Madeleine. We met by chance in our Microeconomics class two years ago while she was on an exchange program from Norway in Berkeley. We clicked immediately and have been talking about me visiting Norway ever since. I can't believe I finally made it!

On my first day in Oslo, I aimlessly wandered around Karl Johans Gate, the main street in the city center, which starts up at the royal castle and leads down through the city. Not only is it lined with designer stores, shopping malls, cafes, pubs, and restaurants, it also houses some of Oslo's main government buildings and tourist attractions. I passed by the National Theatre, the Parliament Building, the University of Oslo, and the Royal Palace (of course). 

Do you see the castle in the distance?

The castle! Honestly, a bit disappointing...they could have made it a little prettier?

May 17th is Norway's National Day and I happened to be strolling on Karl Johans just the day before, so I bumped into all these parades and celebrations leading up to Norway's 200th year of signing the Constitution! Everyone is so patriotic and involved!

The spirit was just so amazing and got me super pumped for the actual May 17th celebrations! After I had lunch and strolled around Karl Johans shopping and sightseeing, I met up with Madeleine in the evening after she got off work. We drove up to Hollmenkollen, the ski jump, which I learned is a professional sport and one that Norway really excels at and takes pride in. After a skiier jumps off, he/ she is rated by a judge on how far the jump is, the landing ability, and any additional tricks. It's as much art as sport! The ski jump was so cool - nothing like I'd ever seen before!

So THAT's what a ski jump looks like...

We climbed up to the top - here's the view of the seating for the audience.

 After stopping at Hollmenkollen, we drove up to one of the highest viewpoints in Oslo for a traditional fireside Norwegian dinner at the cutest cabin-turned-hotel-restaurant and a foggy view of the city.

I asked Madeleine why there were grass-topped roofs on the hill. Apparently, in olden-day Norway when most people were farmers, the goats would climb up on to the roofs and eat the grass and the farmers could use the land for other purposes. Intriguing!

A few pics of the inside...and the only other place I have seen a moose's head as decor since Abercrombie & Fitch...

The cabin-restaurant had such a unique cozy feel to it and we enjoyed a bowl of Rømmegrøt sprinkled with sugar, cinammon, and a fat slice of butter. It's a traditional Norwegian sour cream porridge and the drink to accompany is what they call "syrup," and is what I call Kool Aid. 

What made our visit even more special was that the chef stopped by our table to explain how the Rømmegrøt was made, how it was eaten traditionally, and why the Norwegian farmers started making it in the olden days. He was adorable!

All in all, my first day in Oslo was a success...hope you enjoyed this post! Stay tuned for my next post on Viking ships and getting ready for the 17th of May celebrations!

Xoxo