Post by Ella Grubb will say his piece about the Munch museum. How could I not give it a mention? The architecture was fascinating. I would have loved to sit in on those design meetings. My favorite place was the room where one could play artist. Engraved into a large table were a dozen of…
The washing machine episode OR how I got to meet my Airbnb host in person
Post by Ella But first, let me set the scene. Dinner at Louise. Despite good reviews and being way overpriced (okay, yes, we knew that from the menu pricing), dinner was a major disappointment. To start with, we chose Toast Skagen (a Swedish dish) which tasted like macaroni salad with too much mayo except it…
Statues continue to struggle
Post by Grubb. This example of the sculpted art is in front of a building down the block from where we’re staying. At first I thought it was a tribute to the weary traveler. Oh those Norwegians, heading out in Viking longboats, sailing to the poles to have their ships frozen in an ice floe, they…
Apartment with a view in Oslo
Post by Ella. Great views. Great location, mostly. Self check in. No keys required. The front door of the apartment building is opened with an app called UnLoc. Our host, Paul, sent us the digital key. When you are at the door, open the app, it finds the right digital key and then you tap…
Polar Exploration
Post by Grubb. After dislodging ourselves from a packed bus (Sunday in Oslo with gorgeous weather, if you’re not out and about, you’re dead), Ella and I paid a visit to the Fram Museum on the Bygdøy Peninsula. The Fram is the strongest wooden boat ever built. It hauled Raold Amundsen and his crew when they were…
Sunday in the park with struggling statues
All the apps agreed: the weather in Oslo was going to be resplendent today. So we walked to Frogner Park, the biggest tourist draw in all of Norway due to the 212 Gustav Vigeland sculptures that stand as towering monuments throughout the 110 acres of lake, lawn, and oak-lined pathways. Working with granite and bronze, Vigeland liked…
Walking the docks in Oslo
Post by Grubb. We arrived late in the afternoon by train. The weather was sunny, in the high sixties, but so it was in Gothenburg when we left. We had to do the dock walk to give a sense of where we were. The first clue was the opera house. Then there was the outdoor dining catty corner…
Breakfast in Sweden, dinner in Norway
Post by Ella. Yesterday was a travel day. One of those days where much of the day is spent waiting. Our train wasn’t until 2:15. We had a late breakfast and hung-out in our room until nearly checkout time (noon). We slow rolled the 10 minute walk to the Gothenburg train station. We walked up…
The breakfast
Post by Ella We are still in Gothenburg (Goteborg to the Swedes) at the Scandic Hotel. Leaving this afternoon for Oslo by train. We were asked to reserve a time slot for breakfast since the hotel is so full. We arrived to find a sea of people. Food stations spread far and wide. Separate dining areas…
Banished to the courtyard
Post by Ella We are generally pretty casual about when and where we eat our main meal of the day. Often we just stop at the first place where the menu looks good to us both. Sometimes, someone we’ve chatted with will recommend a place. Yesterday though, Grubb was hankering specifically for seafood so he did…
A few photos of Gothenburg
Well, maybe more than a few. https://photos.app.goo.gl/strMoDJUZ1x7fX6DA
To the top of the mountain
After the leaving the out of fashion void of the Röhsska Museum, we made an emergency stop along the Vasagatan to infuse Ella with a much needed Frappuccino. Then we maundered into the Haga district where we found ourselves at the foot of what is termed “a mountain” in the local parlance. At the top of…
I sure am glad I had that Frappuccino
Post by Ella Because not 5 minutes later, we were chugging up a steep winding path to a lookout tower with views. Apparently I was enjoying the Frappuccino so much that I didn’t take a picture of it but here’s the tower. Grubb posted more about this place. My only goal in this post was…
Beautiful day to stay away from museums
Post by Grubb. But that didn’t stop me from suggesting we check out the Gothenburg Fine Arts Museum. The first exhibit on the second floor should have been a warning. As we made all the hallway connections there were enough old masters cropping up to make me pause and be wowed. But the majority of the…
The Palm House
Post by Ella After breakfast (tell you about that tomorrow because it deserves pictures and I was so taken with all the people and food choices, well no pics), we ambled on down to the Palm House, about a 20 minute walk from the hotel. Set in lush gardens, a green house featured many types…