Day 11: More Rain in Oslo!

Today is Tony’s only full day and our last day in Oslo. We’ve got a full itinerary.

Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating at all.

Nasty, serious rain, all day!

But that didn’t stop us. We got up and went right to the gym (where Tony and Dean just completed their workshop) for a lift. Tony squatted, I did a little RDL & glute bridge thang:

Lisa and I were able to get a legit workout in this AM in Oslo complete with squats, RDLs, and barbell bridges. Felt good to move around some weight for the first time in a few days.

A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on May 23, 2016 at 12:56am PDT

And then we hit up breakfast, for the last time! (We’re so bummed).

Showered, dressed, and out da’ door!

It was so rainy that one umbrella just wouldn’t do. On our way to the pier, we came across a metal fence and many, many military people. We made it to the other side of the street just before they blocked the way, and decided to watch for a few minutes to see what was going on.

Can you see the street lined with military?

It was serious!

We couldn’t figure out who was coming, but since the street leads directly to the Royal Palace, we assumed it was someone important. Lo and behold! A few minutes later, many police cars, a few SUVs and a gorgeous limo with two fancy-looking military men in the back cruised by.

Who could it be? Since we can’t get anything out of Norwegian news, we figured we’d probably never know, and just went on our way, happy to have seen someone important get, literally, the royal treatment.

On to the Viking ship Museum!

We needed to take a water taxi to get there. Here’s ours:

It was raining so hard! We had a good 10-minute walk off the boat to the museum, but man, it was worth it! This modest museum holds the remains of four Viking ships, dating back as early as 800AD??!!

W.H.A.T.?

These boats had been used in the water, but after a time they were used for the burials of VIP Vikings. Along with the VVIP’s (get it?!) were all kinds of neat gadgets and artifacts. After checking everything out, we took a fifteen minute walk to another museum, called the Fram Museum.

This little museum houses the very large, very serious “Fram” ship, which sailed many voyages, most notably to the South Pole and the North Pole. We got to go around, on, and down in the boat! Check it:

Just outside this museum was another dock with people waiting for the water taxi, so we walked over to get back to the city. Here’s how it was looking:

When we returned, it was 1:30, and time for a bite of lunch. Two caesar salads, one glass of house red, one Coke Zero, and one side order of fries… $75.

No joking. (Thank goodness we have not had to pay for meals here! It’s outrageously expensive).

After lunch we made our way over to Akerhus Fortress/Castle. Much like the Prague Castle, Akerhus dates back to the 13-14th century and very much emulates a scene out of Game of Thrones.

Here’s a few photos:

We couldn’t find the way into the castle, so after some walking around we went into the info center to inquire. The woman within told us, “Sorry, the castle is closed today because the President of Poland is visiting today and has a special tour.”

BOOM!!!

That’s who we must have seen in the stockade earlier! Tony was super bummed we couldn’t go into the super-medieval looking castle, but we took a deep breath and moved on.

Back in the city, we decided to pop into Parliament.

All we did was check our coat and bag, go through a metal detector, and walk upstairs. We got to sit IN the main chamber of Parliament and watch some Norwegian government in action! I wish I had pictures to show, because the room was gorgeous and we were totally close to the people working and speaking on the Parliament floor. But, I couldn’t bring my camera up. So here are two much less cool photos of the outside of Parliament:

By the time we made it back to the hotel, we had been damp and a bit chilly for a little over five hours. We needed a hot shower and dry socks! Then it was time for a little dinner – our last free and delicious meal here at the hotel! A cod stew with salad and amazing bread.

We spent the evening packing up and getting ready for our super-early departure tomorrow. I booked us tickets on the express train to Stockholm!

Talk to you then!!

Lisa (and Tony).

Day 10: A Rainy Day in Oslo

Tony and I woke up bright, early, and ready for that insane breakfast. We hit the little gym at the hotel, and got downstairs in time for Tony to eat before heading out for Day 2 of the workshop. I managed to sneak a little photo of breakfast:

Afterward, Tony headed out, and I got ready for the day. It’s rainy and kind of gross, so I tried to dress accordingly.

First, I made a game plane with one of the front desk girls, which involves looking at a map and torturing the front desk girl, because I am the most direction challenged person to walk the earth. So I terrorized this young, gorgeous blonde over the map and made her draw lines with arrows and tell me things three times, and right before she was ready to lose her Scandinavian cool, I thanked her and headed out.

Here is a plan for the day:

I set out for the National Gallery first, stopping to check out the National Theatre:

The doors opened at 11:00am and the collection was small, but impressive. There were some Norwegian artists I had never heard of, and a few others that I knew. There was an entire room with Munch (the best-known Norse artist), and people crowded The Scream and took their picture with it like it was the Mona Lisa.

My favorite was called September, by Erik Werenskiold (1883)

I got myself a few postcards and started the long walk to the Botanical Gardens.

I made my way though a different part of town that seemed more every-day than touristy, and could easily tell I was approaching the Botanical Gardens, as runners, strollers, and happy off-leash dogs started to lead the way.

The National History Museum lives inside the Botanical Gardens. I did not visit that museum today, but did check out the Gardens. Have a look:

The Munch Museum was… well… different.

The idea is to change the exhibit regularly by comparing and contrasting Munch’s work to another artist’s.

Currently, the artist of comparison was Robert Mapplethorpe.

Mapplethorpe is… well… a colorful person, to say the least. I don’t mean his works – they’re mostly black and white photographs – I mean him.

Please Google Mapplethorpe if you get the chance. I’m not sure the American version of Google will have his pictures available to view, but just know that he was mainly interested in (male) sexuality, sexual identity, and nudes.

One thing I loved was to see all the families, young, old, conservative-looking and otherwise, all viewing the exhibit without embarrassment or awkwardness. (We Americans could learn a lot from Europeans). I will not include a photo with a penis here – mainly because my Grandmother (HI MEEMS!!!) might be reading this. But here’s a tame example:

I especially liked the many photos he had of this subject, Lisa Lyons (pictured above), because she was the first woman to win the International Federation of Bodybuilders World Pro Championship.

So in her day, she was considered insanely muscular and “masculine”. Today, wouldn’t you agree that she looks like your standard “fit” actress or fitness model?

Anyway, after the museum I headed back home, this way taking a different route, and making my way to Central Station in Oslo. Tony and I have a crack-o’-dawn train to catch on Tuesday morning! So I wanted to know exactly where to go while were still in Zombie mode and schlepping our luggage.

I made my way back to the hotel and enjoyed an afternoon espresso and sparkling water.

Tony made it back around 6:00pm, and we popped up to the lounge for our free-hotel dinner.

Delicious! Again, my favorite bread ever.

There are pieces of carrots and sunflower seeds and it is so heavy and chunky it barely stays together. Also there was this fresh cabbage and fennel salad and a fabulous chili that had chunks of beef and pork.

After dinner we digested a bit, and then met up with Dean and Lindsay for dessert and goodbye.

D&L head back to London tomorrow, and home on Tuesday. They’ve been great traveling companions and we’ll miss them!

We returned to the hotel just after 9:00pm and were beat. I told Tony we should go to bed, because I have a FULL itinerary planned for his one and only free day in Oslo, tomorrow!

See you then,

Lisa (and Tony)

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).

Day 8: Goodbye Prague, Hello Olso!

Tony and I woke up and shot out of bed so we could pack up our bags, clean out the apartment, and head over to the airport. I had one last espresso from Bake Shop, and we both enjoyed our last bowl of Czech granola.

We have loved our apartment and are sad to say goodbye!

Our driver arrived promptly at 10:00am and off we went.

Once we were all checked in and seated at our gate, Tony received a text message notifying him that unfortunately there would be nothing to eat or drink on what was supposed to be a lunch flight. Apparently, restaurant and hotel workers in Norway are currently on Strike… Uh oh.

I grabbed us a few overpriced sandwiches, and on the plane we went. I think there were two flight attendants, and basically they were present just to seat us, make sure we stayed seated, and then got us off the plane.

The weather is not good. Check it out:

Once in Norway, we got ourselves some train tickets, into the city we went!

Every screen was digital, every surface was clean and modern-looking, and every Norwegian was tall, blonde, and fluent in English. We stepped off the train and were immediately lost, but soon approached by a friendly Norwegian who put us back on the right track.

Tony and I promised one another that we would “pay it forward” when we’re back in Boston. The next time either one of us sees a lost tourist, we’re going to stop and help.

Via Tony’s credit card points, we’re staying at the Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz, which also happens to be the #1 Oslo hotel on TripAdvisor.

It’s beautiful, high-tech, and includes FREE breakfast AND dinner!

You may have heard, Oslo is a super expensive place. Basically a city on the opposite end of the spectrum from Prague.

And it shows.

Everything and everyone is modern and gorgeous.

We had a very nice dinner with cod, peas and potatoes, salad and the best bread we’ve ever had. The dinner room is in the sexy little lounge on the top floor of the hotel.

After dinner we met Dean and Lindsay for dessert. They’ve been chilling in Oslo for a few days now, and gave us some tips and suggestions. We turned in early before Day 1 of Tony’s workshop tomorrow.

Talk to you then!

Lisa (and Tony).