For our last day in Oslo, we took a ferry to one of the islands in the Oslofjord, Hovedøya, and walked along paths through the forest, past the ruins of an ancient monastery, to a hilltop lookout lined with antique cannons. It provided great views of Oslo and of the other islands in the fjord.
As we walked around the island’s south end, we accidentally frightened some sheep, who bolted up the hillside to a safer distance. The hour-long hike surrounded by green trees, calm waters and silence, was a super relaxing experience – so much so, that we decided to take the long way round on the ferry before heading back to the mainland.
The ferry took us past several small islands, each dotted with colourful cottages in among the trees and boulders along the shore. The breeze off the ocean gently stroked our skin and it felt beautiful to enjoy the ocean views on this cool, Norwegian summer day.
After arriving back to the city docks, we had lunch at Olivia, an Italian restaurant in the shopping district, before starting our visit at the National Museum.
We began with a special exhibit of Rothko paintings on paper that was spectacular. Lots of super saturated colour on a smaller scale, with many other more figurative works from throughout Rothko’s career.
But my favourite exhibit, Moving the Needle, featured needlework and embroidery by Britta Marakatt-Labba. Her work is so colourful, intricate and delicate, and highlights the life of Sámi people, their homeland and culture in northern Norway. It’s incredible. I looked at every piece and read every placard. I didn’t want to leave…
We also viewed another special exhibit of Wassily Kandinsky’s block prints, which was small, but also so, so gorgeous.
Then, we spent a lot of time viewing the museum’s permanent collection that featured lots of stunning modern art, as well as old masters. We loved uncovering artists we’d never heard of but absolutely loved. Nordic art is now a huge favourite for us.
Rowan and I decided to ride scooters back to N and JP’s place before we all went for pizza at Olivia’s harbour location. Next, we had ice cream at Paradis Gelateria again. More chocolate sorbet for me!
The walk home in the cool Norway night was beautiful but a little sad. We’ve come to love everything about Oslo after just a few days. Our wonderful hosts have a lot to do with that, and we’ll miss them and all the beauty that Oslo has shown us.
Leave a Reply