Day 9: Oslo: The Near-Future Utopia

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Photo Credit: Mariano Mantel

Day 9 Oslo: The Near-Future Utopia

You know how they make those movies about the near future Dystopia? In which we’ve destroyed the environment, we treat each other like shit, and no one is able to shower any more? Well, just imagine the inverse of that.

Kind of like Star Trek, only sooner to now.

And also less spandex and more normal hairdo’s.

That’s basically Oslo.

Everyone speaks multiple languages – most notably English. The streets are pristine, and old royal-looking buildings are routinely and momentarily blotted out by passing trams, trolley cars, and slick looking German cars that don’t make any noise.

Tony set out for his 8-hour Shoulder-palooza Seminar, and I went for a little joggy-jog. (If you’ve been reading, you’ll remember that my ‘jog’ involves bouncy walking with very frequent stops for photo-taking). Here are some highlights.

Once the jogging was over, I hit the mini-gym in the hotel (which has taps for still AND sparkling water!!!) for a little upper-body biz-nass. Then a quick shower and on to the free and amazing breakfast!

Now, seriously. I know about breakfast. I’ve had lots of breakfasts. I consider myself an authority on what constitutes an impressive breakfast.

Let me tell you: #1 breakfast of all time.

And. It. Was. Free.

I was too overwhelmed to take any photos. The name of the restaurant in the lobby where breakfast is located is named “Paleo”; needless to say, there were 37 kinds of meat and eggs. I’ll try to capture it tomorrow.

Did I also mention that there are industrial-sized Nespresso machines EVERYWHERE in this hotel?

I love espressos, and own a Nespresso, but I have never seen machines this size; not I was not surprised, being in the near future Utopia and all.

Only second to espresso is my love for fizzy water.

In the US, it’s not as ubiquitous as it is over in Europe, so it’s always a plus of traveling abroad. At the Thon Rosenkrantz, there are actually taps all over the place, so you can have some sparkling whenever you like. For example, here is the Nespresso machine and the tap in the lounge (hopefully this is what it will look like in my own dream kitchen one day…)

Fortified by my pre-historic breakfast and many, many espressos, I was ready to explore the near future.

Based on my Norse research, and excited about having a Saturday in the city to myself, I set out for The Vigeland Sculpture Park. About a 2 mile walk, I stopped at the Royal Palace along the way:

Which is surrounded by a beautiful park, open to the public:

Then I continued my journey through lots of shops and people out for brunch whathaveyou on their Saturday mornings:

Finally, I arrived at the Vigeland Sculpture Park! I will let the photos speak for themselves

This is a huge park, and was filled with both tourists and locals. After roaming around for a bit, I made my way to the base of the park, where the Vigeland Museum and some tennis courts were.

Then I made my way over to a Vintage and Antiques Market I read about online, called “Vestkanttorvet Bric-a-Brac Antiques Market”.

Who wouldn’t want to check that out?

Here it is!

A combo vintage/antique/flea market, there were all kinds of one-man’s-trash, another-man’s-treasure type things. It was fun to watch the locals buy and sell, and I did find myself a few little Norwegian treasures (at a great price!).

After the market I began to meander back to the hotel. I stopped in some shops and roamed back through the Palace grounds, and made my way down to the water. There was a cultural fair in full effect! Check it:

I then walked out on the pier to find a bit of lunch. (It was 2:30 and I was barely hungry, but I knew Tony would want to eat right after the seminar – at our FREE dinner!). I picked a spot with a little outdoor seating to watch the water, look at the Castle across the water, and people watch.

It looked like this:

A Caesar salad and Sauvignon Blanc later, I nipped back to the hotel to drop off my treasures and grab a little Nespresso. Tony asked me to arrive at the gym at 4:00pm, so I could watch him in action a bit before he ended the day at 5:00pm.

I’m sorry there’s no pictures! I didn’t want to make a scene. I was a fly on the wall, and since I haven’t watched Tony speak in a few years, I was impressed with how polished and efficient he’s become.

Bravo babe!

Good news bad news?

Tony was on such a roll, he didn’t finish until after 6:00pm! He is an animal (FYI, that’s 8:30am – 6:00pm All-Day Tony-Shoulder-Palooza).

He was beat and starved!

We went back to the hotel and enjoyed another fabulous (and did I mention free) dinner! Beef, salad, wild rice, and once again, the most amazing bread I’ve ever had (so ironic that it’s made in a restaurant entitled: Paleo).

As the last bite of dinner went into our mouths, we began transitioning into pumpkins. Tony wanted a bit of ice cream, which we ran out for, and were surprised by how quiet it was. Two out of three ice cream shops closed right before our very eyes, at 7:00pm sharp! The same area that was a beehive at lunch time was completely dead at 7:00pm on a Saturday night. Maybe all Norwegians turn into pumpkins early on Saturdays?

We made our way home and settled into bed early. Today is a record for me, 29,000 steps! Now it will be the record to break. Maybe tomorrow? Talk to you then!

Love Lisa (and Tony).

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