A Perfect Day in Oslo

If there was such thing as a perfect day, I think today was the day. Rebecca agrees as when we returned to the hotel, there waiting was her suitcase!

We began the morning with a breakfast at the hotel. Many Norwegian hotels are known for their breakfast buffets and what a feast it was! All sorts of options – vegetables, fruits, cheeses, fish, breads, and hot foods. While in Norway, do as the Norwegian do, so I had salmon on my dark hardy bread.

As we were walking to our bus stop, we saw many women and men in beautiful bunads. Hmmm…this isn’t Syttende Mai yet. Why the bunads? I worked up my courage and went over to a couple where the woman was wearing a Rogaland bunad. I began with, “Rogaland, right?”, pointing to her dress. “My sister has one from there.” The man seemed to know a little English, but the woman didn’t appear to understand any. Now was the time to practice my Norwegian. “Søsteren min har en fra der.” A smile appeared on the woman’s face….and then one on mine. She understood what I said! Long story short – it was Confirmation Day here in Oslo. All during the day we saw men and women in their bunads. Later, while at Norsk Folk Museum, I asked one of the male docents about men’s bunads and commented on seeing more of them today than on past trips. He replied that there’s almost an equal number of men and woman bunads these days, though I continued to see more women wearing them throughout the day.

We arrived at the Norsk Folk Museum at Bygdøy just after it opened. This is one of the places the book group coming to Norway, will spend a brief time. The site was top priority for Rebecca and I as I hadn’t been back here since a child and while Rebecca was here just three years ago, she wanted to see the newest exhibits. There was so much to see, do, and learn! Since it was a Saturday, there were demonstrations going on along with the normal docents in several buildings. We spent a LONG time with one docent, not in learning about the building we were in, but in helping us with our Norwegian! He was an excellent teacher and provided us some subtle nuances to the language – we really need it!

Another place I spent a long time at was at the demonstration for making lefse. Now for those who know me, I’ve made lefse for years. BUT I have never made lefse over hot embers in an open fireplace and I usually make lefse with potatoes. The recipe used for today’s lefse was from the 1700s, and used before potatoes were introduced to Norway. The lefse is much thicker than the potato lefse in the states, but also much sweeter. This demonstrator was helpful in not only in the techniques of lefse-making, but also in answering my general questions about bunads once she brought up that she has to wear her wool bunad in the summer when giving tours and sometimes when substituting for the lefse demonstration. I was horrified thinking about the food spilling onto the bunad, but she reassured me that a simple dry cleaning takes care of the problem.

It was late afternoon when we left Bygdøg and headed over to Akker Brygge, a VERY lively area next to the water, and filled with outdoor restaurants, food trucks, entertainment, play area for children, and so much more. Being after 5 p.m. by this point, there were long lines of people waiting to sit outside as it was a gorgeous day here in Oslo. The city has definitely refurbished this wharf area with hotels, businesses, and museums. For those coming to Norway, the last day in Oslo is on your own. You may wish to consider checking this area out! It’s near Akershus and the National Museum so things are quite close to each other.