I hadn’t bought an inclusive museum card this whole trip though I’ve gotten unlimited public transport at times. But the Oslo pass seemed a great deal especially since I got a 3-day one. They definitely get cheaper the more days you use. So I went to a lot of museums for just a half hour-hour and used a lot of trams, buses and metros (and ferries of course). Even if I only counted the places I really liked or a price I thought would be reasonable (I had an included tour which was pricey but good — and the museums were expensive though some really worth it), I still saved money. 

For some reason these places all love having a “museum island” — don’t know who did it first, but I’m now in Berlin and they have one along with Stockholm and Oslo!? My card included a ferry ride over (to Bygdøy), so of course I went via ferry though there’s also a bridge and cheaper bus to get there. 

Here are a smattering of the museums I had on my must-visit list. 

First, the Fram (not to be confused with the town Flåm which I visited for the fjords!). I refused to visit the Vasa in Stockholm but there are some similarities and some major differences. First, both museums extol a specific ship, which they literally built the museum up and around … so they both have this funny angled shape. And of course they’re both on islands and I think have stories about the men (yes I think men only) who were on the ships, plus stuff that was used onboard. But I think the similarities end there? The Vasa was a total failure. Sank like 1 mile from the port on its maiden voyage? I didn’t want to support terrible planning and engineering not to mention boatmanship (is this a word?)…. I think most of the sailors even died. Then 333 years later someone thinks to drag it up and build a museum around it. As I understand it you cannot even go on the ship. It’s probably too fragile from being underwater all that time. Anyway people love it but I did not go.

The Fram (and Gjøa) instead was a mega successful ship though from 1890s/1900s(?) whose sailors discovered and invented new technologies and maps that helped the world after!!? Thank you Amundsen and crew (I mean he made it eventually to both North and South poles). He was trying to prove scientific principles about arctic drift (google it) and discovered so many things along the way. Like how to not bring horses to drag stuff, who sink into the snow, but Siberian dogs, who were good companions, workers, and even had puppies on the voyage over! And since Norwegians are skiers, of course they thought of ways to make the skis and sleds more efficient. I’m not one to visit either polar cap (hello Francoise!) but the ship went on many many voyages to chart new territory. Also (so the museum says) they willingly learned from and respected the local Inuits especially about how to survive in that cold and conditions. I was fascinated. Thought I’d run in and out in an hour but was there almost 3 hours. Sadly a higher than normal percentage of men from the various voyages committed suicide— it was hard, dark, long and lonely work! They didn’t dwell on this but I was skimming the bios of most crews and that hit me … 

From there I bussed over to the Folkemuseet (aka Norwegian museum of cultural history) — like in the ethnographic museums of the Baltics, they’ve gathered, dismantled and rebuilt buildings from across Norway over the years. The main reason I went was to see the Stave Church that was there. It was cool. It was originally built in 1200s but modified after reformation and various changes through 1880. Then the king had it moved to his grounds on the island (back then — it’s public now).

Given that we’re just at the start of tourist season, there were actually young people in various bldgs to tell you more about them …. Cute idea but some looked pretty bored as it wasn’t marked and many people didn’t bother going inside places. 

Interestingly and jumping ahead, the interior painted roof of the church is preserved at the historical museum— a place I would not have gone to without the card but it was interesting to see and get the whole picture!?  And actually the museum had some interesting stuff as well. But more on that later. 

The rest of the folkemuseet was less old and interesting than the Estonian one I visited but I was intrigued by the grass roofs!? And the houses on stilts!? They said it was to store food typically and protect it from animals and snow. 

There were some royal things on the island (their summer house, for one) but I think some were closed and I also was running out of time for the ferries. So no royal stuff for me (there’s also a palace in the main area but it too was closed). I did have a royal almost-sighting though!!! In walking to the museum island ferry, I wondered why there were streets blocked off and military people lined up. 

Turns out the new Danish King and Queen were visiting the Norwegian King and Queen. All things considered, there didn’t seem to be masses of people waiting and overall people were low key but definitely it was a to-do. Unbeknownst to me I was walking their path in reverse — they both came in off their boats (ships really — Norway’s was larger but more ship like and Denmark’s was more like a large yacht) — to the pier next to my museum ferry. In fact I missed my targeted boat but they run every 20 mins so it was ok. 

So I just missed the royals. Had I stayed in the royal park to begin with I would’ve seen them but I just didn’t care enough!? But funnily on my ferry ride a woman started talking to me (this happened several times. Another difference to most of Stockholm except the young girls?) — turns out she’s Danish originally and “not a royalist” but really wanted to see the new young couple. She’s lived in Oslo 20 years — now on that island— and still identifies as Danish. (I guess that makes sense. I’ve always been American/Chicagoan no matter where I’ve lived). She gave me ideas on places to go and also told me we should pronounce Copenhagen with the long A… I find it odd but that’s her take on it! People jumped up to take photos of their royal ships but I also didn’t bother. I guess I am definitely NOT a royalist! 

The other major museum I wanted to visit was the National Museum. It was impressive. Huge. Ugly building but contained more than just artwork — also textiles, pottery, crystal, furniture and some artifacts from other places (like Asia etc). They have great online audio tours so with their WiFi and my AirPods I took a few highlight tours to get an idea. And importantly, next door was a great place for coffee and bolle (like a donut) so I could be fortified and not fall asleep. It was a long day!

There’s also a rooftop that was just opening, but that day was only for VIPs. With the Oslo card I could’ve gone back again within my 3 days but I had other things to do and had plenty of rooftop views already. Their national museum, unlike some, was not just Norwegian stuff. More Munch than usual but also at least one of every major impressionist or 20th century artist. They had a special exhibit on Kandinsky sketches. 

Anyway with just those museums and the transportation, my card paid for itself but I decided to stop in a few others.

Mainly spent time at the Munch museum (btw not pronounced to rhyme with lunch — more like “monk” but not exactly). An Oslo tour guide I met in Tallinn said it wasn’t worth going to — the national museum had the better Munch pieces — but I discovered I really love the guy. The Scream is his most famous piece and he did several renditions, one now in the National, but the other three are rotated, every 30 minutes, in a dark room, to avoid overexposure hurting the pieces. I saw two of the other three at the Munch museum.

His overall themes were heartfelt though sad usually — loneliness, death, jealousy, angst, depression — to name a few — but also love (sorta – it was paired with jealousy I think?). 

He did a lot of self portraits. Anyway I loved his brush strokes and colors. Maybe he’s like a depressed Matisse. They also had a sky bar which was open; I visited and took a few photos but didn’t stay for a drink. 

Anyway, thanks to the card I had another tour I could take and I signed up for a Vigeland park tour. The park itself is free — like several sculpture parks in Oslo — but the tour was interesting and there’s also a Vigeland Museum that was included with the card but frankly was barely worth the time spent!? Maybe I was just tired.

Anyway it was quite impressive. It’s apparently Norway’s top visited attraction but that might include locals. It was a beautiful day and people were everywhere. There’s tennis and maybe a pool at the park? And it’s open 24 hours. No motorized things are allowed (oh man I saw electric scooters everywhere else but that’s a whole different topic). They have had very little vandalism or thefts which really makes me love the Norwegians.

On the other side of Oslo, overlooking the water and where the poor people used to live (Vigeland was instead in the rich area and a family donated their estate for the park) … is another free sculpture park, Ekeberg park.

I went to the Nobel peace museum and perhaps would not have bothered as it’s also pricey but there was a special Yoko exhibit and it was free with the pass so I felt obliged. Hers was mostly stuff I had seen before but she really was ahead of her time! And I liked that she’d been recognized for her peace work. 

A Swedish guide told us Alfred Nobel decided to gift his money into perpetuity for the prizes because a newspaper had erroneously printed a not-so-kind obit for him when his brother died. And he wanted a better legacy! He didn’t have kids … I also found out his millions were made from his scientific discoveries concerning dynamite. Ironic this guy then creates a peace prize!? It’s the only one awarded by and in Norway. People aren’t sure why and of course the Swedes were pissed as Nobel is totally Swedish. But it’s said he had pity for the fact they were always treated as second class citizens by the Swedes and he wanted them to have something!?

Other places I visited just because I could for free included a maritime museum next door to the Fram. A very nice TI woman said I should go see the oldest intact boat … esp since the Viking museum is currently under renovation. 

There was also an Oslo city museum at Vigeland park and I had time before the tour started. So I ran through. Nothing special and geared towards kids. Sorta like the Helsinki one but that one was free to everyone! 

In addition to free parks, the city hall and fortress were mostly free, and I used the heck out of my free tram rides to see parts of the city and some waterfalls (created for the hydro power I think).

And of course another fjord-island local commuter ferry. Where I met a nice woman who was going to grill with friends on one of the islands. She was very sweet and offered to take my picture onboard. That makes two nice stranger women chatting with me — though both on lovely open air ferries and also now that I think of it, neither were originally Norwegian. The first Danish and the second Filipina. 

City hall was also very nice. There was a wedding going on so their Munch room was closed for the ceremony. It sure beats our version of getting married at city hall!

So a note on Constitution Day. It’s always May 17 and a really big deal, particularly in the cities. Oslo is the biggest because the royalty and parliament are there and they lead the parade with horses and all. They pull out traditional costumes (a guide told us the full kit is about 7-8,000 euros which they usually get for confirmation and I guess try to stay the same size for the rest of their lives!!?? The boys can wear full outfits or just a dark blue suit with a special tie.) Anyway of course when I booked the Norway part of my trip from Chicago I had no idea this was going on. So I left Oslo the day before but would get to Bergen that afternoon and still see something!?

(Btw I also missed the Dutch King’s Day which is also a big deal but Luca said it’s more like an orange St Patty’s day — everyone has the day off and gets wasted. But they wear orange because it’s the royal family’s color). 

So to finish off Oslo … I stopped in one microbrewery and one “brown bar” (really a dive bar — thus named because of the nicotine smoke staining everything). Tried a craft stout (kinda like Guinness only better was how the bartender put it and he was right). And sat for a while to plan my future touring. It finally struck me that I was hearing a lot of American English. And it was two guys debating — for I think a good hour — about the next Sith and Anakin vs Luke vs Palpatine etc.  I hadn’t been paying attention but it started to permeate my brain after a bit. I guess it was like a week after 5/4 so there’s their excuse. Or maybe that’s every convo for them. When they left I heard the two replacement guys talk about Detroit’s chances to get into some championship (don’t even know which sport!?). So I guess I know who the Oslo microbreweries appeal to though of all places, that bartender spoke the least English. 

When I got back to the airbnb I met some of the other residents for a night or two. One young woman, from Lisbon, was checking out the country to see if she could live there since its economy is so much better than Portugal. (And I ran into her at the museum island!) A few Americans and an English dude. All youngish singles but maybe that place caters to singles? We all had to share a bathroom but for the most part no one was out and about at the same time and the owner came by daily to clean and check people in —so it worked out. I even did laundry there and he had a room where he was constantly drying sheets and towels so even my jeans dried in 4 hours!!?? I feel like that airbnb  was more like the hostel vibe I was thinking I’d get in Stockholm. 

Meantime while I’m in the countries famous for northern lights, I read that some are visible in much of the US, including the Chicago area. Wtf!!??? I couldn’t see them in Scandinavia!! But it was beautiful nonetheless. 

It’s taken me almost the entire 6 hour train ride from Berlin back to AMS to add the photos and annotate them for this post (the text I whipped off last night in my airbnb). I don’t know why this photo stuff is taking so so damn long!??? But I’m getting there I hope.