Most people choose to go somewhere warm in the winter time to escape the cold. I chose to embrace the cold and went to Norway. It had been on my bucket list since I was a kid, so going there was really a dream come true. For my trip, I started in Oslo, made my way to Bergen and then went up above the Arctic Circle to search for Northern Lights.

Here’s a snippet of what the first part of my trip was like in Oslo:

For the first few days of my trip to Norway, I was in Oslo. It was pretty icy/snowy while I was there, so wearing Yaktrax was pretty critical for me. I saw a lot of people hit the ground a few times either walking or biking around, so I definitely recommend getting a pair for yourself if you’re going. But be sure to take them off before you enter a store.

Museums & Sauna

As always, I had to check out the museum scene in Oslo. While I was there, I went to the National Museum, where there are lots of Norwegian paintings and sculptures, as well as the Norsk Folkemuseum, which has buildings from around Norway and folk art, including Sami works.

The National Museum was really well done. It was fun to see Edvard Munch’s work (e.g., the Scream), as well as some other Norwegian works of art. I also was a big fan of the fact that their cafe’s water station has flat and sparkling water as options.

At the Norsk Folkemuseum, it was really great to walk inside the buildings and get a real feel for what it was like to live in one of those buildings. There also weren’t a lot of people while I was there, so it was super peaceful to walk around in the snow and really take my time.

I spent a large amount of time in Norway in a sauna. I’ve spent a lot of time in saunas over the years, so it was really great to experience it in Norway. For my first sauna experience, I went to SALT for a private sauna that I did in an old aquavit barrel. If you don’t want to pay for a private sauna though, there are other options available that are cheaper.

Going Out To Eat

I’ve never been a fan of American style waffles, but if you put a Norwegian waffle in front of me, I’ll inhale that in no time. If you’ve never had one before, you’re in for a treat. The difference between the two styles is that the Norwegian ones are thinner with slices of brown cheese (brunost), a dollop of sour cream and some raspberry jam. It sounds wild, but trust me, it blends together to create the most delicious food.

Besides waffles, I also went to eat at Kolonialen. I took no pictures while I was there, but trust me when I say, the food was insanely good and the service was really good. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you’re in Oslo and want a nice date night.

Public Transportation

Getting around Oslo was pretty easy as there’s plenty of trains and buses, and it’s honestly not a super big city. If you’re going to Oslo be sure to download the Ruter app to get tickets for buses/trains and to see their timetables.

Oslo is a really fun place to visit! There’s plenty to do and the people are very nice. If you do go, be sure to dress in layers (As the saying goes: There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing) and consider checking these places out. Next up, I’ll share some tips about my trip to Bergen.