Oslo Norway

This morning we have a quick flight back to Oslo where we finish up the trip. For our next accommodation I have booked a two bedroom apartment in the nice Frogner area of town. We visit the rental office to drop off our bags because we are too early to check in. From here we take the bus to the Norsk Folkemuseum. Did I mention we are here in a heat wave? The highs are in the low 80°F (average 70°) but the sun is very intense since we are located much closer to the sun at summertime. It gets quite warm when you are not in the shade. Most places have no air conditioning so it is getting warm indoors during the day. From what we have been told its unseasonably hot right now. Even Bergen is more hot and sunny than usual. We caught no rain at all there.

D has another friend in Oslo so we meet her at the Norsk Folkemuseum, an open air museum that shows life in Norway during different historical periods. I knew nothing about this museum until my friend A suggested it. We spend a few hours here going from exhibit to exhibit. D has time to catch up with her friend she hadn’t seen in many years so this is an especially good time for her. We even see the church that inspired the Norway church at Epcot.

We walk to catch the ferry to town after the folk museum. We joke that we end up on the popeye tug boat route instead of the large fancy ferry we see in other routes.

We have one more dinner together and decide to head back to our very nice apartment to unwind for the evening, plus my friends need to pack for tomorrow. Both are flying home tomorrow (T is staying local because she lives in Oslo). A was supposed to spend one more night in town with me but is flying standby and the flights only look good for her tomorrow in order to return home on a timely basis.

The next morning I walk them down to the train and say my goodbyes. I don’t mind traveling alone but I really do appreciate having the company.

I think this is it for travel companions for me during this bout of travel. I might meet up with other people briefly but no one else has signed on to do multi-day travel with me. It’s understandable; I know it is a privilege and not easy to do what I do. All the things aligned in a sense (good and bad) for me to be able to adopt this travel lifestyle, at least temporarily.

After I leave my friends I go see the statue of Freya, the poor unfortunate walrus that was killed because she was a nuisance in Oslo by boarding boats and chasing tourists that get too close to her. She was euthanized because humans couldn’t handle her.

After my visit to Freya I plan to visit a sculpture garden a couple miles away. Tired of walking I decide to utilize the Lime bikes nearby (bike rental). I already have an account with Lime in the USA so it should be easy enough for me to rent. I have a short discussion with a local who is irritated that he can’t park his car because lime bikes are in the way. I tell him I am not parking them as I am trying to rent one myself. He thinks they are a nuisance but I think they are great for tourists like me. It is a short ride to the sculpture garden; it is slightly a pain to park the bike because it will not release the bike from you if you are not located in a legal parking area (strange how I was able to rent the bike from a seemingly illegal area). Eventually I find a suitable place to park and walk the rest of the way. My bike ride is mostly uneventful with the only conflicts being locals trying to pass me up and almost causing an accident in the process.

The sculpture park is small with only a couple statues one being provocative. The park is located outside the modern art museum that is currently closed because they are switching out the exhibits.

My plan for the rest of the day is to make a sandwich and have a picnic in a nearby park. I get some groceries and return to the apartment but it is another hot day and I am not sure I am up for another day in the sun. Temperatures are normally much more mild this time of year. It is just my luck that I am here the hottest time of the year.

Since I am switching countries tomorrow I decide my time is better served following up on upcoming travel arrangements. I still have over a month left of travel and not all of it has been finalized yet. Being used to staying up late with my friend I do not get to bed until after 11:00 PM. The windows are open to keep me cool and I still hear partying outside. The next morning the party is still going outside. Even after I clear out of the rental there are people in the streets in their night clothes who obviously not been home yet.

The train ride to the airport is easy and quick but the Oslo airport is the busiest airport I’ve checked into since I’ve been flying in Norway. Today there are travelers who don’t understand Norway’s self-service check in and it slows things down considerably. Luckily I am very early so I don’t sweat the extra wait time.

Now I am at the gate trying to stay awake until I board my plane. Looking forward to a nap on the way to Denmark.

Part 2: Ljubljana

In the morning I set off for coffee again and decide to visit the Metrolicko art center, a very funky art area. The area seems lively at night from all the beer cans around and bars nearby. I must return in the evening sometime.

I take a quick stop into Ljubljana Cathedral while it is open.

I have a restaurant picked out when I am reminded about the Friday food market very close to my apartment. There are so many food choices to purchase as well as wine and beer. The market is crowded making it hard to find a seat initially. Do people here work on Fridays?

I stop by a popular cafe to try the local dessert called prekmurska gibanica. Made with poppy seeds, walnuts, and cheese among other things this semi-sweet dessert should be something I like but I don’t really care for it too much. I guess I have finally developed a sweet tooth due to eating so many goodies while I am out traveling.

I end my day with visiting a rooftop bar. There is a nice view at Neboticnik but I am actually a little chilly outside and have to move indoors when a table opens up. I am chilly today but not complaining because I like the cold when I can get it. I know it won’t last long.

Back to my room to get ready to leave tomorrow. I am heading to the Ljubljana airport to pick up a rental car. I will explore more of Slovenia on the road. Luckily I’ll be back in town in about a week.

Part 1: Ljubljana, a new found love

I take a FlixBus from Zagreb, Croatia to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Now that I am in the eurozone border crossings are no sweat. During the couple hour bus ride it rains. It also rains my entire 20 minute walk to the apartment I have rented for my first visit to Ljubljana.

Slovenia is a country in the Balkans north of Croatia and south of Austria. While it was part of the former Yugoslavia, it was the first to claim its independence when the former communist nation dissolved. It was also able to leave Yugoslavia relatively easy unlike its neighbor Croatia. It has a very different feel to it then other former Yugoslavia nations since it was always popular for tourism due to its mountains and other resources.

It takes me a little while to find my apartment because while the instructions are detailed I still have a hard time locating it. I am not too far from the elevator that takes you up to Ljubljana castle.

I had planned to use this first day to catch up on some things like travel planning but arrived in town very hungry. I check into my room and go out for an early dinner at a restaurant across the street.

The rain stops and reveals a charming city. I decide the weather is so nice I need to walk around. I window shop and notice all the cafés along river that cuts through town.

Art Installation “Faces” of Locksmith Street

There is a good amount of interesting artwork scattered across the historic city.

Day 2

I wake up early get some coffee and something to eat. I head to a strukli cafe – My Dumplings of Slovenia. They aren’t fully open yet but they do sell me coffee and cold strukli to heat up at my apartment. I purchase two cold strukli thinking I have a microwave back at my apartment but apparently I do not. Because the other methods of heating are too complicated I eat a small amount of cold strukli (not the best) and save the rest for later when I have the patience to heat them up.

Today I am visiting the Ljubljana castle. I had bought tickets in advance and I plan to take the funicular to the top in lieu of the stairs or path.

The medieval castle itself isn’t too impressive in size. It was used for prisoners during various battles. I enjoy the video of the history of the castle. There is a Michelin restaurant on location that I have reservations for in over a week.

I also really enjoy the puppet museum. In the museum is a collection of weird puppets.

There is also a history museum of sorts but it isn’t too impressive because most of the items are just facsimiles of items in other museums. There is a good section on the history of the city in Slovenia during wars.

I walk down the long path to town and visit the central market.

For lunch I decide to try some Slovenia kranjska klobasa at Figovec. I get a very large smoked sausage served with dipping sauces. I order a side of veggies and there is bread accompanied by a butter mixed with some green herb that I can’t stop eating.

After my heavy meal I take a walk around the Tivoli park.

I stop for ice cream at Vigo.

This afternoon I have a Slovenian wine tasting scheduled. Looking forward to trying some local wines. In the tasting group are people from Spain, Mexico, and the UK. Our very enthusiastic host tells us all about the wines he is serving and the regions they come from. Slovenian wines aren’t made in large quantities so it doesn’t make sense to widely export them; although if you are part of the EU it is slightly easier to purchase them. I guess I need to just enjoy them while I am in the country.

There are two “surprise” wines of the tasting (although one I already know of due to advance city research). Slovenian orange wine is made by leaving the white grape skins in to ferment with the juice, like a red wine is made. Cviček is a rose like wine that is made from a mix of white and red wine. It is lower in alcohol and popular on warm days. Kind of like champagne it can only be named so if it comes from this one particular region in Slovenia. I enjoyed most of the wines I tasted but I probably wouldn’t order the Cvicek again. I do arrange to purchase a bottle of orange wine to take with me on my travels the next few days.

More sightseeing tomorrow

Park Güell

One of the appeals of returning to Barcelona once again is to finally make a visit to Park Güell, another place I missed during my last visit to the city.

I schedule my visit at the opening so I can maybe have a visit that isn’t uncomfortably crowded.

My travel instructions have me exit at the metro stop at the bottom of the hill. I am not excited about a morning sweat.

Once at the top of the hill, I am still early and I have views of the city.

Once inside the park you can stay inside as long as you want but to see some of the more fabulous features of the park you must visit in one direction only. I start my visit by heading to the most popular spots. I am not completely alone but I have photos mostly void of people that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Like anything these days it gets more busy as the day goes on so I visit all the highlights, sometimes multiple times, and then leave. I imagine at one time this might have been a great place for a picnic, when perhaps the crowds were not as bad.

After my visit to Parc Guell I decide to walk back towards my hotel since I want to explore the artsy neighborhood of Gràcia.

I still have half a day left so on the walk back I detour over to another of Gaudì’s works – Casa Vicens. This house is the first important commission he received, said to even begin Modernisme movement in Catalonia and Europe. I am just pleased to view the interesting tile choices and wild ceilings that are in almost all the rooms. Its current layout is different than its original configuration since it is now used as an event and exhibit space.

The classy gal I am, I decided to try a local delicacy. (Well not really since it is worldwide chain and I might have fallen to peer pressure to take a picture “for the gram”.)

Finished the evening at wandering around Las Ramblas. I head back to my hotel with the most confusing lobby. You can only tell the elevator is there because I catch the door partially open in a photo. Tomorrow I visit the inside of another of Gaudì’s great works, La Sagrada Familia.

Day trip to Figueres

Today I am taking a day trip to figueres. The draw in this small city is the El Teatro-Museo Dalí, an interactive art museum created by Salvador Dali. The museum contains traditional art pieces and some interactive pieces are coin activated or that you have to view at different angles to see the “trick” (for lack of a better word). It really is a sight to see. I spend most of today exploring the museum.

During this trip to Spain I have been booking tickets for major attractions in advance because I have feared things would sell out, but I didn’t really need to pre-book the Dali – Museum since there are tickets still available when I arrive and I end up waiting around a while for my start time – in this case I wish I would have waited until last minute.

While I am waiting I step into a nearby church and wander around the Teatro building.

Finally its time for my entry. I get to begin the wonderful Dali playhouse.

Very colorful outside of the El Teatro-Museo Dalí

When you first enter the directions take you straight out to a courtyard where there is the first interactive exhibit. The museum quite busy inside but if you are patient enough you may get some alone time with certain exhibits. There is an order to the museum but no one really stops me when I decide to backtrack to revisit exhibits that were super crowded earlier. This exhibit, the rainy Cadillac starts a rain shower inside a Cadillac filled with mannequins when one puts a coin in the exhibit.

In the corridor circling the courtyard there are a number of sketches I found interesting.

In the large hall there is a picture off in the distance. When viewed up close it looks like a ladies behind from far away it looks like President Lincoln. The effect is hard to see with photos so I included a video.

There are a number of small galleries with other works of art.

Also Dali is entombed on site. You can find him in a darkened room.

One of the highlights of the museum is the Mae West room. From certain angles the room looks full of mismatched nonsense. If you climb up a set of stairs and look in just the right spot, all this nonsense forms a Mae West likeness. Initially I waited in a long line to see this effect. I later returned to the room almost empty. It pays to wander back and forth through this museum slowly.

Also in the Mae West room and other interactive rooms …

Example of artwork looking differently when reflected in metal

Like I mentioned earlier there is no time limit so I walked through the entire museum a few times. Eventually I am tired and hungry so I find a place nearby and order an enchilada like dish.

I head back toward the train station. I’ve seen all I really want to see today in Figures.

Example of the reflection of a painting in the metal

Its been a long day. When I arrive back to Girona I don’t have it in me to walk back to my hotel from the train station. I decide this is a good time to rent a bike for the trip. It is easy enough to rent the bike and I take the same path that I walked previously. The only problem is finding a place to return the bike. The return station isn’t quite as close to my hotel as I would like.

At little later I grab a quick meal nearby. I head back to my room and enjoy the free champagne and try to figure out the room lighting system one last time. Tomorrow I make my last hotel change for this trip when I travel to Barcelona in the afternoon.