Day 2 - Oslo

After a good sleep ... in fact, we slept in ... we got up around mid-morning to a wonderful Norwegian breakfast (variety of breads, cheeses, meats and fruits + coffee/juice). With Ragnhild's directions and help, we headed to Oslo on the train for the day. There, we walked around/past the Palace, the National Theater, the Parliament Buildings, City Hall, and the parts of the downtown. From there, we went to the Akershus Castle on the shores of Oslo Fiord, and had a picnic lunch there. We walked past the Nobel Peace Centre and along the docks.

Our next adventure was finding our way back to Slependen by bus. After alittle confusion in finding the right 'express' bus, we ended up taking an unintended 'scenic' tour when the bus driver forgot to tell us (in English) that the route had been changed 'en route', and as a result, we didn't get off and transfer to another bus to reflect the changes. Everyone who spoke Norwegian understood what the changes were when announced by the driver, but not us. So, we ended up going to the end of the line where the driver apologetically arranged via radio and then walked us to a return bus saying that, "The (new) bus driver would look after fixing everything." This bus driver did indeed look after us. He told us when to get off, and had radioed a connecting bus, i.e., the third bus driver knew who we where. He too told us when to get off. And so, alittle later than planned, we arrived back from where we started in the morning for a delicious dinner (salmon) with Anders and Ragnhild.

Tomorrow, Norway's National Holiday, we'll be up bright and early to see the celebrations.