Oslo, Norway

Wednesday 22nd May 2019

The weather forecast had been for thunder and lightening rain so we were ready for a wet excursion but again we were pleasantly surprised by sunshine and blue skies. After a nice breakfast we were all set for a day out and headed to the Royal Theatre on floor 3 to meet for our Walking Tour with Ice Bar excursion (tickets in hand this time!).

The ship was docked pretty much in the centre of Oslo so we disembarked, joined our guide and headed straight off into the city.

A very pleasant three hours walking in and around Oslo visiting many places, including the Royal Palace, Palace Park, the National Theatre, Oslo City Hall (where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded) and Akershus Castle and Fortress.

Towards the end of the walk we headed to the Magic Ice ice bar where Vikki managed to trip over the pavement right outside and that was before having the free drink!

The ice bar was fantastic if not a little on the chilly side! Wrapped up in the thick ponchos and gloves provided (Steve looking like a hunchback with the rucksack underneath!) we got in before the crowds and were first at the bar. The sparkling wine with berries, served in an ice glass, tasted like something you’d get at Ikea but as it was the only alcoholic drink it would have been rude not to drink it ;o)

While walking around on the tour Steve had massive scooter envy so we downloaded the app, found out how cheap and easy it was to get them, had a quick lunch back on the ship and headed out on a scooter hunt.

OMG sooooo much fun on electric scooters, overtaking the self driving cars, weaving in and out of people we headed round the harbour and then made for the city centre. Not quite so much fun when we hit the cobbled streets, the speed bumps or the drain dips but you couldn’t help but feel smug going up hill past everyone who was walking!

45 minutes of brilliant fun reaching speeds up to 30kph and amazingly Vikki stayed upright and no injuries were had. Last minute souvenir shopping and back onto the boat with 10minutes to spare.

We then enjoyed a G&T and a brewdog in the sun on the front of the ship as we said farewell to Oslo, suspecting that we will be back one day.