Oslo!

We arrived in Oslo around 10:45 this morning (1:45 am on Monday to us) and hopped on a train to downtown Oslo to find our hostel. We walked for about 20 minutes from the train station (uphill, ugh), found our lovely little hotel, checked in, and flopped immediately on the beds. They were nice and comfy.

After a 15 minute rest and wash-up, we took a few glamour shots at the window and then called my aunt and uncle who were picking us up.

Dagfinn and Bjorg took us to the Opera and Ballet house that was built 2 years ago and is on the water in Oslo. It's gorgeous. It better be, considering the Norwegian government spent almost 1 billion dollars on it! Seriously. The whole thing is made out of imported Italian Carrera marble on the outside, and imported German white oak on the inside. Pretty sure that Norway has stone and wood in their own country, but who am I to judge their budget? Here are the three of us in front of the building and water, up on the walkway:

Notice my sassy new waterproof windbreaker? Best last minute before a trip purchase ever. You'll be seeing a lot of pictures of me in this on this trip...

Here's a picture of the view from the roof of the Opera House. You can see the Holmenkollen ski jump in the middle of the mountain in the distance. 

During the guided tour of the opera house, we got to see inside the factory room where they build a lot of the sets. This was a giant foam pig head. Okaaaaaay.....

They have a beautiful private courtyard in the middle of the building, surrounded by the dressing rooms, practice studios, and ballet studios. Pretty gorgeous.

This picture is to make my dad drool. Best... fish soup... EVER. We had lunch at the opera house restaurant and Dagfinn and I both ordered this. We agreed it deserved awards. The seared scallop in the middle and the drizzle of olive oil were perfect additions. I plan on having fish soup in all of the towns we visit, and will rate them accordingly. Opera House: 9 out of 10 stars.

After the Opera house, we went to the Viking Ship museum. My parents have taken me there before and I remembered it quite well, and knew Jeff would go bonkers over it. This sculpture in the front of the museum was a little taste of the awesomeness inside.

This was the first big ship you saw when you walked inside. Jeff was awestruck.

The museum building is so beautiful, with rounded plaster walls and ceilings, low windows, and beautiful stone floors.

I liked this shadow:

This was the outside of the museum. It kind of looks like a California Mission from this picture.

After the Viking ship museum, we went to see my cousin Jon Magnus and his girlfriend Hanna at their lovely apartment in Oslo. Check out the view from their balcony!

Super nice! They made us a wonderful dinner and dessert (we ate SO much today, must walk it off tomorrow...) and it was so nice spending time with the family. 

Here we are working on 31 hours of awake time. You can see me fading fast...

Got an eighth wind when I realized we had free wi-fi at our hostel, which is how you're getting this post now. Off to bed, waking up early tomorrow morning for our "Norway in a Nutshell" trip to Bergen!