Minipost on Oslo!

I just suddenly had the urge to do a norway post. hahaha... cos I realised that I never do any on norway yet cos there wasn't any time to do any! Now I shall just start with my first day...

One raining friday night, me and my backpack went to copenhagen to catch a night bus to Oslo. It was a freaking scary night, because I reached the bus stop (or "bus stop") early and there was not a single soul there. It was in a section of Copenhagen where there is no one there, maybe something like shenton way at night. Only ten times scarier because there is really, no one. And it didn't make things better, that the so called "bus station" was on its way to removal! Totally freaky experience! But I made it up on the bus good, and arrived in Oslo early in the morning at 7 plus....

As the bus pulled into the bus station, I was still groggy. I didn't know where to go, and all I had was my shoestring... So. I took shoestring out, and the map was sooooo vague, I gave up after 30 seconds. I knew I had to get somewhere to the train station, so just anyhow whack lorh. Turns out that it was so hard to find the way using shoestring, because shoestring showed the bus station to be beside a road. And in actual fact, that road was in a building! No wonder as I walked down the building there were numbers by the side... -.- Anyhow, with a little guessing and following the signs, I emerged into daylight and this, was the first sight:

Erms. I was like... ohhhhkay. Not to mention, it was friggin cold! Cos it was only 7 plus in the morning, and there was no sun, no people around, and i have zero norwegian kroners on me. Three choices popped up in my head...

1. Continue standing in the cold, and wait 15 minutes for the friggin tourist center to be open.
2. Go back into the train station and sleep.
3. Walk down that a street that obviously looked like it was a main street and see whats up, but i'll have to walk back anyway.

So after procrastinating and yawning on the spot, I went back into the train station, decided otherwise, came out, crossed the street, decided otherwise, and then it was 5 minutes left for the tourist center to be open. :) heheheh.

While I was at the tourist center, I saw another backpacker. He, I believe, is hardcore. What he did was to get a list of all the hostels/accommodations in oslo from the counter, and then he just sat there and started calling to see if there was a room/bed avail for him that night! Awesome! The true backpacker, which I never will be because I will not let myself sleep in a train station unless totally absolutely miserably hopeless. :)

So after picking up all sorts of maps and booklets at the tourist center, I was armed and ready to go! Come to think of it, what the hell did I have for breakfast???? How can anyone be armed and ready to go without breakfast.... OH. I think I ate a sandwich that I packed on the bus. yeah. breakfast. sobs.

I spent the morning just walking up and down Karl Johans, snapping pictures here and there, trying not to feel so cold. I didn't want to venture too farrrr, cos otherwise I'd have to revisit everything again when lifang gets here. But ultimately, by 12 plus she told me that she won't reach until maybe 4? >.< And then I decided to try visit a church that was supposed to have a performance! Along the way, I saw a group of people just singing outside a bar or cafe of sorts.... Loud. =X

Well, after walking and walking and finally arriving at the church, I was told that the performance would cost 120 kroners. rah. Totally not backpacker friendly! But nevermind... at least it burned some of my time in norway while waiting for lifang :) hahaha... AND, I got to use the toilet. :) NO FEES.

 

Oh yes. speaking of fees, it's really irritating in norway when almost every toilet is charged! The only free toilets I went to was the one at the church and the one in macdonalds! totally irritating! 5 kroners for the one at the bus station! (that's like 1.25 SING!) 10 kroners for the one at the train station! (that's like 2.50 SING!) I think I spent a good part of my money going to the toilet. RAH!!!!!!!

And, I realised that trees in norway are quite funky. They somehow grow them by making the branches go horizontal... and then there are stumpy branches. I don't even think the stumpy ones are branches... Those are probably the trunk. And then the branches are the teeny weeny ones poking out. Funny trees...

 

And then I gave up. I ran out of pointless places to go!!!!! So I went to the sculpture park which was near to that church... And I just sat on a bench in the park for a long time, reading the book I bought in Edinburgh while waiting for lifang to sms!

 

 

 

But there were a lot of people at the park! It was a saturday, so there were lots of kids and families out there! There was this playground by the side and there were hordes of kids on that thing.

 

 

 

 

Oh by the way, all the sculptures were nude. I was trying to think, what makes a good artist or painter or sculptor, is probably one who manages to bring out the message of that picture. Where you, as a viewer, would be able to look past the nudity instantly to see the story or message behind that piece of art. There were lots of sculptures in there... And most of them center around the theme of an adult and a child. Can be guy or girl. But there was one fighting scene. Something like pull-hair-cat-fight kind. hahaha... interesting :)

There was also a sundial, but I'll put up pictures of when Lifang was there too... Then not so boring. haha.. but here's the one I took at 3.10 pm!

So i was at vigeland park... reading a book... and lifang finally messaged to say that she'll be reaching in an hour! yippee!!! So after 30 minutes I packed up and headed back to the bus station. :) This time, knowing perfectly where it was.

You should hear her tell the story of how she managed to be the last person on that bus because she's a girl. hahahah... THANKFUL for that. Else I'd have to spend another 2 hours in oslo myself trying not to visit anything! And then we went looking the hostel to dump stuff. Well my stuff was already at the hostel since I had so much time earlier in the day... =X But we brought her stuff to the hostel... Washed up and then went out to look for dinner! Decided that since everything was so frigging expensive, we'll just have a nice meal to celebrate us reaching oslo safely! Yummy!! (Okay, each plate was about 25 sing... it was a big serving, so no complains.. =] )

 

And then we finished off by going back to Karls Johan to see the buildings in the night... Couldn't see much though, but that was the only chance Lifang had also... =X

So here's me signing off on this short post on Oslo. hehe. I spent 1 hour doing this! omg! I should be at the databar cramming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!