Wherever the Wind Takes Me
Day 8 -
Today was honestly such an amazing day. It started out a little funky - we had a young guy (21) from India join our room late last night and he did not speak much English. Noe left early in the morning to catch the train so it was just me and him for an hour or two. But made the most of it !
I set off this morning to explore The Palais Royal d'Oslo (Det kongelige slott) which was simple in a beautiful way for being completed in 1849. It sits at the top of Karl Johans gate and is home to HM King Harald V and HM Queen Sonja. I was able to be there to see the guard shift change and it was a little comical. Rhey had these huge black fluffy feather looking things on their hats and you could see they all were trying to spit it out of their mouths due to the rain and wind hahaha.
After that I wrapped around the back end of the Palace to see the Royal Palace Park. There was a small section with interesting looking sculptures that I couldn’t figure out why they were there. It ends up it was Princess Ingrid Alexandra's sculpture park - created by children - for children. The sculpture park includes twelve sculptures designed by schoolchildren from across the country. The project was organised as a regional school competition. Below are is one of my favorites ***its a little freaky looking***
Next I just was walking around and stumbled upon a thrift shop. I know im traveling in a 50L backpack but what girl can say no to cheap shopping!! I ended up getting a pair of jeans and 3 thin wool sweaters for only 42 USD! a steal :)
From there I walked over to the Operahiset Oslo (Oslo Opera House) and walked to the top and just soaked in the view. From up their I spotted the Oslo Domkirke (Oslo Cathedral) so I ventured over there to stop in and say a little prayer of thanks and ask for protection during my travels. Next up I walked over to Youngstorget - A Large square in the city centre that often hosts political meetings and demonstrations, and is the site of the main meeting on Norwegian Labour Day. From there you can see the building that was destroyed by the 2011 Terrorist attacks on Norway. The first attack was a car bomb explosion in Oslo within Regjeringskvartalet, the executive government quarter killing 8. The second attack occurred less that two hours away at a summer camp on the Island of Utøya. The camp was organised by the AUF, the youth wing of the ruling Norwegian Labor Party. This attack killed 67 and injured 32. The building 11 years later is just being rebuilt after much consideration.
Next up, I walked over to Sankt Olav Domkirke (St. Olav's Catholic Cathedral). I was not allowed it but admired the small church from the outside.
Then I walked over towards the Tjuvholmen district. Which immediately made me want to move to Norway. It was stunning modern eco friendly buildings with beautiful water fronts. There are small marinas full of boats, a small sculpture park, floating saunas and ice baths, and lastly a gorgeous view of Hovedøya and Lindøya (small islands in the middle of the fjord).
Lastly before heading back to the hostel I went to Akershus Festning (Akershus Fortress). Akershus Castle and Fortress was commenced in 1299 under king Håkon V. The medieval castle, which was completed in the 1300s, had a strategic location at the very end of the headland, and withstood a number of sieges throughout the ages. King Christian IV (1588-1648) had the castle modernised and converted into a Renaissance castle and royal residence. Now the fortress area is a popular venue for major events such as concerts, public holiday celebrations, ceremonies or just date nights overlooking the fjords.
While here I got a call that absolutely made my day from my Uncle Lee. He was just calling to check in and just wanted ti say how proud and excited he was for me to embark on this adventure and that he could not wait to hear about all the memories I make and people I meet. It was exactly what i needed to hear today. Miss the Arizona crew very much - Uncle Lee, Aunt Jamie, Fiona and Sophie 🤍
Now I am just sitting, saving some moola and slurping some ramen from the local grocery store for dinner writing this. Might try to sneak out to see if I can find any gelato before bed though so i guess not really saving money ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Love you all and appreciate everyone that has been tagging along with me during this adventure <3
