Oslo, Norway

Today’s port was Oslo, Norway. We decided to walk through the city to get a better feel for it. We strolled from the port to the National Gallery. This was high on the girls’ list as it has Munch’s “the Scream.” This is a very nice museum with art from Munch, Monet, El Greco, Van Gogh, Vigeland, and many others. It’s a good sized collection for a 1-2 hour visit. You’re able to take pictures everywhere in the museum except in the Munch room, so no pictures of “the Scream.”

From the National Gallery we walked along Karl Johans Gate, an area with parks, shops, and street musicians (including an accordion), to the Akershus Fortress. This is an active military base with centuries of history as a fortress for Oslo. Lots of cobblestone streets and a steep incline to get to the main part of the complex. There are some amazing views of Oslo from the top, though, so worth the hike.

The last place we wanted to visit was the Viking Ship Museum. This is a great museum with 3 9th century Viking ships, 2 in excellent condition. They also have artifacts from the ships, which were used for burials. The ships were excavated between 1867 and 1904.

We made it back to the cruise ship a little early, but just before a thunderstorm hit, so it was perfect timing.