It seemed like Kuniko was able to master the air conditioner settings, and we slept in a surprisingly long time. For breakfast today we went to Izzy’s Cafe, close to our hotel located in part of an empty lot with walls covered in artistic graffiti – the art was created there as part of a contest.
Izzy’s had outdoor seating, and we moved from table to table until we found a spot that was out of the rising sun. We started with some mimosas, and then had monster coffees to go with our breakfast. Kuniko had avocado and poached eggs in a hollandaise sauce, and I had the more traditional eggs panagurski – poached eggs in chili oil, yogurt, and cheese. My dish was really good – sopping up all that flavor with the bread that came with it was a pretty decadent start to the day.
On our way back we passed through the ruins that are preserved underground in the city center. It was interesting to see how they integrated the historic ruins into the design rather than remove them, and although it was quite hot under there with the glass windows above, it was worth checking out.
After buying a strange but interesting ornament from a tourist shop underground we went back to check out and store our suitcase with the hotel. Once we were free we headed to the National Gallery to get some culture and use their air conditioning. The main exhibition was on the work of Vasil Chakarov, a Bulgarian artist that was sort of discovered late in his life.
In addition, there was a collection of national works of art, and the whole museum was housed in a beautiful building that was once a palace of its own. Our tickets didn’t get us into the national ethnography museum, but we decided to skip that and just focus on the art work.
After our museum visit we went back to the quiet neighborhood that I had enjoyed so much the previous day, and went to the restaurant/cafe called “Made in Home”. It was a nice vibe in there, with younger patrons and simple, delicious food. We had a light meal of potatoes with yogurt, garlic, fried dill and jalapeños. I had local beer and Kuniko had a glass of white wine. We were enjoying the vibe and taking our time, I made faces at a cute kid at the next table, and we were about to order a little more when we saw that the menu said “Cash only” at the bottom. Since it was our last day in the country we didn’t have much cash, but luckily it was enough. But then oddly when we left the staff asked “cash or credit?” Confusing!
With plenty of more time to kill we made our way back to the Imperial Gastropub where the owner remembered us and was happy to pour some more wines for us. We sipped these outside under a black awning, with some stuffed peppers as a side dish. Spending an hour or more just chilling out in cafes is one of my favorite ways to relax – too bad we can only do this for a couple of months back in Japan.
Our seats were right in front of the streetcar line, and we were interested to note that almost all the streetcar drivers were middle-aged women, wearing regular clothes rather than uniforms. The drivers looked a little stressed as they passed – I don’t think it is a relaxing job.
Finally we decided to head back to the hotel and pick up our suitcase. We used the very luxurious restroom there before leaving, and passed by a bunch of people taking pictures for an upcoming wedding. It seemed like our hotel was a historical landmark, and so it attracted some stylish weddings.
We rode the train back to the airport, sharing our train car with a big family. The dad was asleep and the mom looked a little stressed managing her three kids, but we shared a smile while watching some of their goofy antics.
It was a breeze checking into our flight at the airport so we killed more time eating a cheap sandwich and some red Bulgarian at a cafe restaurant near the gate. The staff was really bored, reading a book with nothing else to do. He was playing some loud and annoying (to me) music, and so I started hinting to Kuniko that it was time to move on. But my hints weren’t strong enough, so eventually I said that we have to go now – something about the music was really bugging me.
We boarded our 3 hour flight to Oslo on time, but for some reason Kuniko’s boarding pass set off some extra security check. Japanese passports are some of the strongest in the world, but they wanted to know how long she’d be staying in Norway. They didn’t care about me or anyone else, so it was strange.
We got lucky with an empty seat next to us, so we could spread out and relax on the flight. The two guys in front of me promptly reclined their seat (way back) so it was nice to have the room to slide over.
This flight was our first time to use Norwegian Air “Shuttle” – the third word in the name makes a big difference. It was sort of a low-cost carrier, and so pretty no-frills. I will always remember the expression on one of the flight attendants – she had eyes and an expression that said that she was completely dead inside.
Landing in Oslo marked a significant change in our trip. We really wanted to escape the heat of summer in Japan, and while it was much more comfortable in the European cities we had visited so far, it was still hot. Once we landed in Oslo there was no more of that, and we a week of the best weather we’ve ever had for a summer trip. The bad news was that costs for just about everything would be higher, along with the standard of living.
But this flight was the end of one part of the trip and the beginning of another, and it was memorable because of it.
Oslo airport – wow! It was beautifully designed, clean and modern, and easy to navigate. As we went through we were sad to know that we wouldn’t be back here as we’ll be leaving Oslo by train. But from the airport, there is a high speed train that takes you directly into the city center. The ticket machine was electronic and designed in a clean, user-friendly way, and we easily got our tickets and got on board the next train. It was nearly midnight, but everything was still running normally.
Our train car was marked as a quiet car, but a group of five or six family members didn’t seem to realize it, talking in loud voices as they boarded. One of them was trying to lift their taped suitcase up onto a rack, but their foot was on the tape that had come undone, and so they were straining against their own weight without realizing. It was quite a family to watch, and eventually a train attendant came by and reminded them of the quiet zone very politely. They finally figured it out.
The train was so clean and fast, with a vertical digital display showing news and information – it was nicely integrated into the design of the train and I couldn’t help thinking about the contrast with our trains back in Bucharest. We got off at the central station – other passengers ran like hell to make some connecting train, but we had a room nearby so could go slowly.
Our hotel was adjacent to the station – we walked out the door and there it was. When checking in they had some trouble with Kuniko’s credit card, but rather than futz with it he let us go ahead and get our room. The room had a nice view of the city (and the northern tip of Oslofjord. The pipes had some trouble – a little air and brown water came out at first – but then they acted OK for the rest of our stay.
So it was off the bed at nearly 1 am. No air conditioning needed – the temperature was much cooler here.
