Into the white: Beautiful Norway in winter

Oslo: Norway's Capital

This year we wanted to have a very special start into the new year. And so the idea to visit Norway was born. Destination: Oslo and Tromsø!

On the 26th of December our group of 7 friends (Vally, Georg, Sara, Olli, Marci, Erwin and Zippi) were off to an adventure of a life time. We did not really know what to expect – but we heard many stories about the beauty of the country so far.

Our first stop: Oslo! The hotel we booked was just next to the Central Station and we loved it. Great value for money, cool chilling area and nice rooms. (Info: Comfort Hotel Xpress Central Station) 

The very next day we started our sightseeing tour in the early morning. Well, actually first we wanted to have breakfast somewhere. That was quite difficult though, cuz everything was still closed at 9am. The rhythm of life must be different in Norway...

Oslo in the morning

If you stay in Oslo you cant miss the National Museum. Most known picture: "The Scream" from Munch, of course! But you will find as well some other very famous painters like: Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and Matisse.

After the cultural thing we took a stroll to the Royal Palace, watched the change of guards there and went further to the Vigeland Park. A very picturesque Park with heaps of statues. Great spot to take some funny pictures.

Selfie at the Vigeland Park

In front of the Royal Palace

The statues in the Vigeland Park

At the evening and after a few hours in the freezing cold of Oslo it was time for a hot drink. Perfect place: the harbor. There are a lot of little bars and nice as well as fancy restaurants.  

Our time in Oslo was very limited (we had only 1.5 days) so for the last few hours we decided to walk up to the National Theater. It’s a very cool building and on the roof top is an official “Place to Kiss” (Oslo marked different spots in the city as places to kiss). And the last attraction we visited was the Oslo City Hall with its great paintings and impressive rooms. 

Other attractions in Oslo:

•          Akershus Castle and Fortress
•          Nobel Peace Center and Oscarshall
•          Day-trip to Bergen and the Bergen Railway
•          Bygdoy Peninsula
•          Holmenkollen

Tromsø: “The capital of the Arctic”- surrounded by mountains, fjords and islands

In the early afternoon we had to say goodbye to Oslo. Next destination: Tromsø.

It was snowing when we arrived and we found a fairytale-like winter wonderland. We were just impressed by the beauty of the city which is surrounded by mountains and fjords. Our apartment was as well a real good deal - a bit above City Center with a 360°view (Info: ABC-Hotel and Vikings apartments). Wow, what a welcome to this wonderful place. 

Arrival in Tromsø - walking up the hill with all our luggage 

The view from our Apartment in Tromsø

Romantic Tromsø

We had a whole week in Tromsø and a lot of To-Do-Things on our list:

1: Celebrating New Years Eve

There was no special Event or Party in Tromsø on New Years Eve, the Norwegian prefer home parties. So we decided to do it like the locals! After a delicious self-made dinner we attended a concert in the Arctic Cathedral. Highlight: Due to the fact that the Cathedral is on the other site of the fjord, you have to cross a 1k long bridge!

After the concert we walked home, had some drinks and prepared our self for the big firework at midnight. And honestly, I have never experienced such an impressive firework like in Tromsø. I think every single person in Tromsø (and I really mean every person) bought some fireworks and at midnight, by the blow of the horn from a cruise-ship in the harbor, everything started exploding around us. We just stood on our balcony (ok, actually we freaked out a bit and run from one site to the other one) and admired the amazing show while smoking a cigar from Cuba (thanx Vally and Georg!).

2: Northern Light Spotting 

Arriving in Tromsø we booked immediately a tour. There are many provider of these tours and they drive you with buses (small ones and big ones up to 50 people) through the area to the best spots for watching the Aurora Borealis. But even though we drove all the way to the Finish border, we were not so lucky that day and saw them just for a few moments.

But the next day we just stood on our balcony and all of a sudden everything turned green and we could witness this amazing and so unbelievable natural wonder. Wow, what a start into 2015!!

Before flying home there was a very strong activity and we could see the so called “Italian flag” (the lights turn red – so you have the green, white an red colors from the Italian flag).

Tip: With the App “Aurora Alert” you know how strong the activity is. If there is activity, you just need good weather (no clouds) and you can see the lights as well in Tromsø.

Northern Lights

3: Whale Watching

Impressive nature and impressive animals - a great combo as we thought. So we booked a sneaky little boat and cruised through the fjords of Norway while spotting these amazing animals. Highlight of the trip: the captain caught fresh fish and made us an incredible tasty soup! 

Tour Operator: Tromsø Friluftsenter http://www.tromso-friluftsenter.no/

Tip: You can book bigger and smaller boats. The small ones take about 8 people and you get very close to the whales. The bigger ones are more comfy because you can go inside when it gets cold.

Whale watching

4: Dog-Sledding

These 5 little dogs can carry us through the snowy landscape? No way! That's what we thought at first sight. But we found out quite soon that we've been wrong. Actually it was hard work to keep them in moderate speed. For this great experience we had to pair up, one was the musher and the other one could sit quite comfy in front of the sled. For about an hour we slit through the beautiful nature and had a lot of fun. Some of us almost fell of the sled, some had trouble to keep the dogs straight, but it truly was absolutely amazing. After the dog-sledding we got spoiled with a great lamb-stew.

Tour Operator: Lyngsfjord Adventure and Camp Tamok http://www.lyngsfjord.com/

Tip: Camp Tamok is located in the middle of the mountains, far away from everything. You can stay there as well for a night or two and experience the Northern lights, or do Reindeer Sledding or a Snowmobile Safari.

Dog sledding 

5: Food and Drinks

We found pretty soon our favorite coffee place: Risø Mat & Kaffebar. The lovely little bar with its incredible tasty cakes, salmon sandwiches and cool drawing's on top of the coffee became our first stop almost every morning. Highly recommended.

As fish lovers the dinner at the restaurant “Fiskekompaniet” was a highlight as well as “EmmasDrømmekjøkken”.

Our favorite pub was definitely “Huken Pub”.

Coffee Art

6: Museums and Culture

The “Polaria” was a nice museum telling you insights about the arctic. Highlights: The architecture of the museum and the feeding of the seals. In the “Polarmuseet” can you experience the history about the expeditions into the arctic.

Furthermore the “Domkirke” as well as the “Arctic Cathedral” (they organize frequently Midnight concerts) are worth a visit. People interested in art can visit the “Center for Contemporary Art” and the "Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum".

Domkirke

Other things to do in Tromsø :

·         Walk around the lake “Prestvannet”

·         The Vistor Center in Tromsø can help you book all kind of tours

·         Walk along the Fjord

Lake “Prestvannet”

All in all we had an amazing time in Norway and it truly was an adventure of a lifetime. We will come back for sure!!
And thank you Vally, Georg, Sara, Olli, Marci and Erwin, you made this trip unforgettable. Let's say it with Sara's Words: