All Aboard for Oslo!

Well, we didn't actually take a boat to get from Iceland to Norway, but we were on one pretty shortly after arriving, so I thought I would start you off with that pic, instead of the one of our breakfast at Reykjavik International, which was actually quite nice (both the airport and the breakfast).  What's that...?  Oh, you 'did' want to see a pic of the cold buffet?  Well alrighty then, here you go.  Breakfast was solid, with copious amounts of gravlax, eggs, cheese, fruit, etc.  We had to fortify ourselves for the next leg of our journey, which was a two and a half hour flight to Oslo, Norway.

Upon arriving at the Oslo Airport, we met our airbnb host, who also happened to be there on a departing flight, and gave us the key to his place, a 1BR apartment not far from the city center.  Ivan was cool with sleeping on the couch, and I was cool with taking the bedroom.  That's what traveling together is all about....compromise. ;)

We met Ivan's friend Veggard, a buddy of his from Oslo, who spent a year living in Santa Barbara and studying at UCSB.  That is not Veggard pictured above, but the butcher who hand sliced our sausages for the barbeque we were about to have.  The point of the butcher photo is...well, food, but also to show just how beautiful some (many) of the Scandinavian women are, not matter if they are butchers, construction workers, you name it.  Beauty abounds in these regions, and it does not suck to be here.

After grabbing food and supplies for our dinner, we boarded a ferry in the Oslo port, and set off on one of the fjords towards the island of Hovedoya.  It was only about a ten minute ferry ride, but we were able to enjoy this stunning view of the harbor from our vantage point on the roof deck.  Oslo is truly a beautfiul town, and, at a temperature of 75 degrees, a much welcome change from our frigid adventures in Iceland.

We arrived at Hovedoya, walked around the island a bit before finding our ideal spot to settle on the shore.  Hovedoya reminded me of Angel Island, though I haven't been there in ages.  There are little red buildings housing cafes that are dotted around the island, not unlike those you might find in the Presidio.

On our way to the beach, we ran into some little friends.  These sheep were abundant in Iceland as well, but perhaps not quite as photo friendly.

Finally settling in to our ideal spot, we lit up the bbq, and grilled some very traditional Norwegian fare of hamburgers and sausages.  This was Veggard's choice, and we were guests.  Being carb conscious, I opted for a lettuce wrap, which wasn't a bad option.  A decent burger with great company and a spectacular view.

We enjoyed our burgers and a few beers, while some of the locals bathed in the sea, which we understand from Veggard was at a moderate 65 degrees.  We didn't have our trunks with us, otherwise we might have joined.

At around 8 pm, we headed back to the mainland, said goodbye to Veggard, and headed back to our apartment.  We were anxious to check out some of the local nightlife, and made our way out to a recommended area called Grunerlocke, not far from where we were staying.  We ended up meeting some locals, staying out way later than was called for, and finishing our night/morning with another traditional Norwegian meal of....tacos.  Joking aside, Norwegians love their tacos and burgers!  There are lots of places here including TGIFriday's and local burger chains, as well as Mexican restaurants and taco trucks, all catering to the locals (with some tourist business as well no doubt).  Anyway, these tacos were pretty solid...from left to right, showcased by Ivan, you will find goat (yup), steak and carnitas.  At a price of 700 krone (about $90), we were quickly learning that Norway is a quite expensive city.