Saturday, April 17, 2010

Favorite Cities: #3

#3
Oslo, Norway

This is a surprise.  However, this city will always hold a special place in my heart.  I really think that I ranked this city so high because of how cute it is, the timing I was there, and a few special experiences.  I never really posted my story of Oslo, so I'll briefly describe what made Oslo special:

Timing: December 24-27.  Christmas.
Special Experiences:
  1. Christmas Eve.  I was walking around, exploring the city.  I was alone.  I ended up in the middle of nowhere.  All I could see was 2 feet of pristine snow, a setting sun (at 4PM), beautiful Norwegian Pines, and a few private manors.  It was me and nature...in a city.  I can almost guarantee that this wouldn't have happened in any other capital city.  It was so peaceful and beautiful.
  2. After that experience, I bumped into a fellow traveler from Belgium (she was doing a farmstay in Norway).  Not only did we have a Christmas dinner at a Kebab place, but we visited a few museums, got lost, and went to Christmas Mass at a great Catholic (English) church.  I got lucky by finding her.  Great experience.
  3. While looking for a cheap beer, a man told us (my friend and I) about a great bar that he goes to.  He promised to take us there because, like him, I was an American.  After walking some back streets with this shady character (with my hand on my wallet the whole time and keeping an eye on my cute little friend), we made it to the hole-in-the-wall bar.  You know how that can be a complement about an establishment?  I'm not complementing it.  Once we found out that this guy (with a huge British accent) wasn't American and how he wants to be a rapper, we bought him a beer and got the hell out of there.
  4. My last day (alone, again), I wandered into a hot chocolate cafe.  Sound normal?  In Europe, this is not normal.  It was the first and only time that I've found an authentic American-style cafe.  Everyone talks about French and Italian cafes...they suck.  You sit at a table with folding chairs.  This place in Oslo...big comfy, leather couches, magazines to look through, a TV, etc.  You actually feel comfortable!  And the baristas!  Wonderful (Norwegian and Swedish) girls.  They gave me almost free hot coco because I was a poor American!  I just loved it.

History:3
Vikings are cool.  And I've always been curious about Scandinavia.
Grandeur: 3
Nice, not great.
Cuisine: 2
Bad food.  However, I had one of the best Cheeseburgers I've ever had.

Weather: 5
Did I mention the 2 feet of snow on Christmas?  After being soaked for 4 days, it got old.  But that's not what I'll remember.
"It" Factor: 2
How many of you knew this city exists before I went there?
Museums: 4
Surprisingly good museums.  None of them were great, but there were several very good ones.
Specialness: 5
In addition to the earlier stories, the people there were amazing!  So helpful and GREAT (American) English.
Return Factor: 4
Because of the snow, I didn't really see much of the city.  And because of Christmas, I couldn't do a lot of the things I wanted to.
Cliche Factor: 5
I might be the only person to rank this as my 3rd favorite city in Europe.
Public Transport: 4
It would have gotten a 5 (punctual, easy to "steal" rides), but I got stranded on Christmas Eve.
side note: This also led to a "fun" story of me running through the suburbs of Oslo for an hour.  As Forrest would say, I was running.  But on a sprained ankle.  It wasn't fun.
Ease: 3
I got lost more in this city than any other.
Tourism Industry: 4
Size: 5
Smallest city I visited, however, it's pretty spread out.
Bang for the Buck: 1
The most expensive city in Europe.  That sucked.  If it was Prague-cheap, this might be my favorite city.

Total: 50
This explains my trip...Wet, cold, lost, but loving every minute with my Christmas friend from Belgium.

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