Our ship arrived early since we had a short day in Oslo (7am - 2pm). We were disappointed in the schedule, as most places didn’t open until 10am. Our group was off the ship around 8:10am and walked past the town hall to the Palace. Guided tours were available at 2pm when our ship departed! We took some photographs in front of the Palace and of the guards. Nearby was a pedestrian street, which we walked along. Again, most things were closed, as it was too early. The Seven-11 was open, so we went in for coffee and sodas. Just inside the entrance were two slot machines, which Jeff tried out. No winnings for him. It was pretty funny to see gambling machines in a Seven-11. I took some money out of the ATM machine. The minimum was 500NOK. I would have preferred taking out half the amount, but ended up using the excess towards onboard tips.

Nearby was the Cathedral, Oslo Domskirke, with its bronze doors. The church was built in the 17th century. Inside was a huge cathedral organ. The architecture was quite different than the “usual” Gothic Cathedrals I visited in other countries. Next we visited City Hall, located at the waterfront of the city. There were interesting murals on the walls. This building, built in red brick, is also the location where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded.

We visited the Viking Ship museum after a short ferry (20NOK) ride and 15-minute walk. Inside the building were three Viking ships, built around 800 a.d. One was in excellent condition, which the others weren’t. There are stairs in each corner so one could see the inside of the ships. Also on display were artifacts from this era.