Hurray for the one-day-holiday

‘If we took a holiday. Just one day out of life. It would be so nice.’ Madonna sang this in the 80s, but it’s still true in 2022: Even one day of fun can feel like a long holiday. We went on a one-night-holiday last summer and it did truly feel like much longer.

We were looking for a cheap accommodation in The Netherlands and we thought that maybe it was a nice idea to stay in a pod. A pod is a small wooden cabin with a round roof on it. Often, the roof will even reach the ground. You can find these kind of glamping accommodations everywhere nowadays. Some of them are like a complete tiny house with everything in it: bed, kitchen, bathroom, toilet. Others are very basic and only have some of these facilities.

I first saw pods in a Lidl travel leaflet a few yers ago. An advertisement for a trip to Glamping Resort Biosphere Bliesgau in Germany. We were actually planning to go there. But guess what…covid. It’s still on our travel list though. Maybe next year?

We are still planning to go to Bliesgau Biosphere Nature Reserve.
Photo: Schleifchenqueen, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

Last summer, we eventually managed to book one night (Sunday-Monday) in a pod on campsite De Leistert in Roggel, which is about 22 kilometers from where we live. Perfect for a cycling trip! And the weather was great as well.

National Park De Groote Peel was also on our cycling route, so we stopped there to take a walk and enjoy nature. The main routes all have paved paths, which makes De Groote Peel perfect for family walks, and it’s also wheelchair friendly. The park has a nice shop, with all kinds of interesting products related to nature and walking.

We arrived at the campsite around 5 o’clock. The employees at the reception were very friendly and showed us where our pod was located. De Leistert is a huge campsite. There are hundreds of spaces for tents and caravans, there are bungalows you can rent, lots of mobile homes, glamping safaritents. We cycled around for about 15 minutes and just couldn’t find our little pod. Then, somewhere in the outskirts of this huge campsite, we found a small lawn with 6 pods on them. It was a quiet area, surrounded by bushes.

The pod had everything we needed, even a toilet, even though it was a bit cramped (in fact, Marco’s long legs barely fit in). But we thought it was really cute and funny. The pod didn’t have a shower, but we could use the general shower facilities on the campsite.

We decided to cook pasta in our small, temporary home. We bought all the ingredients in the campsite supermarket. The stove in our tiny kitchen only had 2 burners and it took ages to get everything cooked, but we really enjoyed going back to basics a bit.

Every pod had garden furniture and a parasol, so we ate our meal in front of the house, enjoying the beautiful weather. The pods have all the kitchen equipment you need: pans, cutlery, plates, drinking glasses, etc. It was lovely to spend the evening sitting outside, with a nice drink and some snacks.

Every pod has garden furniture, so you can sit outside.

The bed was comfortable and we slept quite well. At night, I could hear the pitter-patter sounds of animals on the roof, probably birds or squirrels. So nice!

We really enjoyed staying in a pod. If you like camping, but want just a bit more comfort (like me), this is perfect. These kind of basic, tiny accommodations are usually not so expensive For us, it was also a great way to explore the countryside near our home.

Here you can find more information on Camping De Leistert.

Exploring the Weerter- and Budelerbergen

My hometown Weert, in the south of The Netherlands, has two places called Weerterbergen. The first one is a popular holiday park, the second one is the nature area it is surrounded by. Officially, the nature area is called Weerter- and Budelerbergen. It consists of 2300 acres of pine forest, moors and sand drifts in and near the towns Weert and Budel. There is also a prehistoric burial mound from a 1000 BC.

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  Holiday park De Weerterbergen

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  Houses at the holiday park

We discovered this beautiful place earlier this year. And it’s only 15 minutes cycling from our house! It’s perfect for a Sunday morning walk, because it’s always very quiet. I think the view is breathtaking. Some of the trees have these odd shapes, I can just keep looking.

I just love these odd shaped trees. Also a great place for a picknick on a hot day.

The vegetation in this area is a combination of pine trees, moors and sand drifts.

Moors and sand drifts in the Weerter- and Budelerbergen.

We tried to walk on the sand dunes, but it’s very tiring, especially when the weather is very dry and your feet just sink in the sand. It’s better when it has rained and the sand is still a bit wet and sticky. But usually, we just to follow the paths through the forest or through the moors.

Part of this nature area is also a military training ground. You can still walk there, as long as you don’t disturb the military practice. A few months ago, we were walking there along the sand drift and there was absolutely no one else around. We decided to look for a place to eat our lunch, so we walked towards the forest. We sat down on a tree trunk, when we noticed a car nearby. Then a young military came up to us, and asked how long we were going to stay there. He told us their shooting practice would start in an hour. We decided to find another location to have our lunch, about 500 metres away. 15 minutes later, we saw a number of soldiers walking by, carrying these huge backpacks, ready for their shooting practice. After our lunch, we walked back towards the holiday park, where we usually park our bicycles. Just as we had left the military grounds, we heard some heavy shooting. Practice had clearly begun!

I really enjoy the peace and quiet of this area.

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  The sand was full of animal tracks.

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The surroundings of Weert are ideal if you like hiking and cycling. Apart from this area, there are a number of other scenic areas around worth visiting.

On the road again

It has been about 17 months since I slept in another bed than my own. That was ok for a long time, but once I saw other people starting to travel again this spring, I also began to feel this restlessness to see things a bit further away from my own home. Not that I locked myself up all this time. I walked more kilometers than I ever did, in and around my hometown. Discovered new things as well. For example, there are at least 4 mini libraries in my neighborhood. Plus one mini plant library, where you can find free plant seeds and cuttings. We discovered a nature area with prehistoric burial mounds, and a sand drift, only 15 minutes cycling from home. That’s one of the lessons COVID taught me: you don’t need to go far to see something new and interesting.

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  I have grown small cucumbers for the first time this year.

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  Sand drift in nature park De Weerterbergen in Weert

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  Sand drift in nature park De Weerterbergen in Weert

I started gardening this year, and growing my own vegetables. This morning, I picked another mini cucumber. This is something that makes me really happy. I picked up my Postcrossing hobby again, sending postcards to people all over the world and also receiving cards. So yes, I love being at home and don’t get bored easily. But I miss being in a different place, even if it’s for only 2 days and not more than 25 kilometers away.

Visiting other countries still doesn’t sound like a good idea to me, since COVID is still a real threat. That’s why we’re starting by discovering more of our own country, The Netherlands.

These are some of the places we’ll be visiting in the next weekends. Most of them are new to me. Can’t wait! I More in my next blog.

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Some of the places we will visit in the next weekends.

Comino and the sound of silence

In the last few years, I have visited many touristy, crowded places in Europe. Florence, London, Venice, to name a few. But what always strikes me, is that when you walk just a few miles extra than the rest, you end up in really silent places. In Venice I found alleys that were so quiet I could hear the laundry waving on the balconies.

This little theory of mine also seems to go for Malta. Or at least for the little island of Comino, situated between Malta and Gozo. It was a sunny and warm day, so that morning we took a small boat to Comino. When we get off the boat, we start walking along the coast, just like all the other tourists. We take pictures of the rocks and the clear blue water that Conino is so famous for. But as we start walking further up the island, all the other tourists seem to have disappeared, like magic. It makes me enjoy the beautiful landscape, barren with some bushes, even more. I see rabbits jumping by. I try to photograph two beautiful birds, I think partridges, but they are too fast for me.

Then suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, we see a tombstone. Who would be buried here? And we encounter more mystery. We stumble upon a desterted building complex. It’s not old, but it still makes me curious. I don’t see any sign that forbids me to go in, so I decide to take a look (the sign was apparently on the other side of the building, I found out when I came back). I am fascinated by deserted buildings. And there’s no other tourist inside, I love it! Twenty minutes later, we visit a magnificent 18th century fort, overlooking the coast. This building is abandoned as well, except for one other tourist that decided to check it out.

Abandoned buildings on Comino

Abandoned buildings on Comino

A 18th century fort overlooking the coast

An old military building.

Saint Mary’s Tower, a watchtower on Comino.

I start wondering where everyone is. I get the answer when we get back to out starting point, to get back on the boat. Apparently, all the other tourists didn’t get any futher than the famous Blue Lagoon. But this mass tourism right in front of me, makes me feel uneasy. In the distance, I see a ferry getting closer, with hundreds of other people who want to bathe in the water. Time to leave Comino. At least I enjoyed the sound of silence.

Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord: how industry and nature blended into a tourist magnet

Industry and nature are usually not a good combination. But in some cases, they seem to go very well together. The combination can even turn into something beautiful! This is what I discovered when I was in the city of Duisburg, Germany and visited Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord.

Chimneys of the former ‘Rheinische Stahlwerke zu Meiderich bei Ruhrort’, now Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord.

Duisburg has been known for centuries as the German city of heavy industry. In the 19th and 20th century, Duisburg became ‘famous’ for its extensive coal mining and industrial metal and steel production. But after the steel-crisis of the 1970’s, the demand for Duisburg steel declined and many steel mills and smelting plants had to close down. Many people lost their jobs. Nowadays, Duisburg still produces more steel than any other city, but not as much as it used to.

A conveyor belt at the former steel factory, closed down in the early 80’s.

The ‘Rheinische Stahlwerke zu Meiderich bei Ruhrort’ was one of the factories in Duisburg that felt the crisis during the 70’s and 80’s. Therefore, it closed down 2 of its 5 blast furnaces in the early 80’s. But the end for the factory came not long after that. Soon it became clear tot he owner and the city of Duisburg that no other business would be interested in using this location. They could have demolished the whole thing but instead they decided to turn it into a new man made natural and cultural landscape. It was a way to save this piece of industrial heritage. Professor Peter Latz made a design for the Landschaftspark and in 1994 the park was openend to the public.

25 years later, nature has really taken over this site. The trees have grown so big they give shade. There are flowers and plants everywhere, growing between the steel constructions and on the walls. There are promenades and gardens. This park is a place for social action, culture, sports, education and pleasure. The railways and old sewage canals have become walking paths. You can go scuba diving in an old gasometer, that is now filled with 20,000 cubic metres of water. Walk in the gardens, that once were concrete bunkers. Or go climbing on the walls of the factory. You can enjoy great views from the top of the former blast furnace no. 5. Occasionally, there are concerts, opera’s and festivals. At night, the site is illuminated beautifully. I was overwhelmed by this wonderful place!

Climbers on the chimneys of the factory.

 

More to discover in Oslo

When we came back from Flåm, we had two more days to spend in Oslo before flying back to the Netherlands. Did we get bored? Not at all! We found some interesting places in Oslo we hadn’t seen the week before.

Vulkan and Grünerløkka

We discovered the neighbourhoods Vulkan and Grünerløkka.The term ‘gentrification’ can definitely applied on both areas. Grünerløkka used to be a working class district, on the ‘wrong’ side of the river Akerselva. Until the end of the 20th century, now it’s an alternative area with lots of coffee bars and little shops where you find vintage clothing, jewellery, arts and crafts, and much more.

Between Grünerløkka and Oslo’s city center, you find the Vulkan area. A former industrial area, that is now defined by innovative, eco-friendly architecture. Warehouses and factories have been replaced by hotels, office spaces, restaurants and apartments. We had a great time at the Mathallen food hall, where we enjoyed delicious Hungarian food at Bistro Budapest https://mathallenoslo.no/en/butikk/bistro-budapest/. The next night we ended up at American-style restaurant Lucky Bird, outside of the Mathallen http://luckybird.no/.

We enjoyed the food at the Mathallen in Oslo.

The island of Hovedøya

In the inner Oslo fjord, there are a number of small islands that can easily be reached by ferry from Aker Brygge pier. The islands are a popular destination for the residents of Oslo, to go swimming and sun bathing or to go hiking. You can get on the ferry by buying regular transportation tickets. We took a boat to Hovedøya, the island closest to the city centre. The boat trip is less than 10 minutes.

What struck me, was the natural diversity of this island of only 0.4 square kilometres: We hiked through woods, passed a sandy beach, saw green pastures, beautiful flowers and rock cliffs. And we found a desolated rocky shore. It’s no surprise that part of the island is a nature reserve!

Hovedøya has something for everyone. Whether you are interested in nature, art or history, you find it on this little island. We visited a small art gallery near the ferry ride. This Lavetthuset (‘gun-carriage house) used to be a military building. What we found even more interesting, was the photo exhibition  in the woods near the gallery.

Photo art in the woods of Hovedøya.

Hovedøya is uninhabited, but it wasn’t always like that. Traces of its inhabitants can be found on serveral spots on the island. In 1147, a church was built on the island, later expanded with a Cistercian monastery. It was an important economic force fort he Oslo region during the Middle Ages. But the monastery was looted and burnt down after the abott came into conflict with king Christian II. The ruins (or what’s left of it; most of the stones were used to expand Akerhus Fortress in the 17th century) of the monastery are a tourist attraction on Hovedøya.

The ruins of the Cistercian monastery

Hovedøya also has a military history and it is still visible on the island. Two cannon batteries on the island installed in 1808, remind visitors of the time Hovedøya belonged tot he Norwegian army. So do the two gunpowder depots, one of which is the art gallery I mentioned before. And then there’s the commander’s residence (‘Kommandantboligen’), built in 1850. It served military purposes, but was also used as a residential house.

Cannons on Hovedøya remind visitors of the island’s military history.

Medieval Park Oslo

One of the last things we did in Olso, was paying a visit tot he Medieval Park. This is where Oslo’s history started, in the Middle Ages. Around 1,000 AD, the first settlement was founded in Gamlebyen (Old Town). In the Medieval Park you find the ruins of St. Clement’s Church, St. Mary’s Church and the former royal residence. Apart from that, this is just a nice park to go for a walk, or have a picknick near the water. We were there on Sunday morning and it was pleasantly quiet. On the way, we also saw some great modern architecture. It was nice to see the oldest and newest Oslo on the same day!

The oldest and newest buildings of Oslo captured in one photo.

 

 

 

 

Bye Bye Bergen, hello Flåm!

After our cruise to the Hardangerfjord, there was another boat trip we were looking forward to: this time, our friends from Norled would take us from Bergen to Flåm, along the King of the Fjords: the Sognefjord. Another 5.5 hours of magnificent views and beautiful nature. This was going to be a one way trip as we had booked accommodation in Flåm, so we had to take our luggage.

The Sognefjord consists of a number of smaller fjords: the Fjærlandsfjord, Sogndalsfjord and Lustrafjord in the north and the Lærdalsfjord, Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord in the south. Each fjord has its own characteristics.

We left early in the morning for our trip from Bergen to Flåm.

Like the other boat, this one left early. When we arrived at the quay in Bergen, we noticed that there were far more passengers waiting than before our trip to the Hardangerfjord. And many of them had all their luggage with them. Some of them apparently were afraid that they wouldn’t have a seat on the boat, because people were pushing me instead of just waiting patiently behind me to get on the boat ☹ And when we were on the boat, some passengers were arguing about the seats. While the best place to be was not on a seat indoors, but on the deck upstairs.

But fortunately, the great views made up for this! Norway really has one of the most beautiful sceneries in the world.

The kids in this remote house had a great time waving at the ships passing by!

The boat made several stops along the way, in villages like Balestrand and Leikanger. But most passengers had the same destination as we had: the village of Flåm.

I must admit that I had some mixed feelings about Flåm, from the moment I got off the boat. For starters, there was a huge cruise ship lying next to our boat and somehow it didn’t fit in the picture. And then all those tourists, swarming around the souvenir shops and restaurants near the quay of Flåm, a village of about 500 residents.

A rare sight: no other tourists on the quay of Bergen (it was very early).

There’s really only one reason most people want to visit Flåm: it is the starting point of the famous Flåm railway. This train journey, between Flåm and Myrdal, is one of the steepest railway tracks in the world. The line is 20 kilometres long and has a height difference of 866 metres.

We got to Flåm with the same goal as the majority of the tourists, and to be honest, there wasn’t much else to do in Flåm – that is, if you don’t like hiking and climbing. Because there are many hiking and biking trails in and around Flåm. We walked up to the Brekkefossen waterfall, just outside the village. It was a steep and exhausting climb but we were rewarded with stunning views at the top! It was great to be in this quiet place, away from the crowds in the harbour. Fortunately, we did this hike in dry weather, I don’t think I would have gone up with the stones all wet and slippery.

A highland cow hiding from the sun.

 

After a steep and exhausting climb we reached the Brekkefossen waterfall.

Marvellous views from the Brekkefossen waterfall!

We only spent one night in Flåm and that was enough for us, we were going to board the Flåm railway the next day. In the evening, we visited the Flåm Railway Museum, that is located in the old railway station. It shows the build of the famous railway and has a little souvenir shop. Entrance is free.

A Flåmsbanen railway wagon in the museum.

The next morning, we boarded the first train from Flåm to Myrdal. From Myrdal, we were going back to Oslo. The Flåm railway ride – fully booked as always – was nice, but it wasn’t very special. We had seen many spectacular landscapes in the past few days and this train ride didn’t add anything new to that. The train fare was quite expensive, I think touring this area by car is much cheaper and you get the same views. Without all the tunnels 🙂

The inside of the train

Nice views from the train.

What I did find funny was that five minutes after we left, the train stopped because there was a sheep on the railway track. The train driver got out of his cabin and tried to scare the sheep off the track. After a few minutes, we continued our journey. The train stopped a few times, to give the passengers the opportunity to take pictures. We also stopped at a waterfall for 5 minutes, people could go outside to take photos.

A sheep on the railroad track.

 

The train stopped for 5 minutes at a waterfall.

At the waterfall.

The Flåm Railway felt a bit like a tourist trap, to be honest. What made it interesting for me, was the thought of all the handwork that was done to build this railway long ago.

A few hours later, we were in Oslo again. I have already written a few blogs on Oslo, but we discovered more interesting places on the last days of our trip. More in my next blog!

A cruise through the Hardangerfjord

The city of Bergen is, besides a fantastic place, also the starting point of many cruises and boat trips through the fjords. And how could we not visit the fjords while in Norway? We had arranged for a boat trip through the famous Hardangerfjord with Norwegian boat and ferry operator Norled. The Hardangerfjord is about 170 kilometres long, making it the second largest fjord in Norway.

We got up early in the morning to catch the bus that left from the Bergen bus terminal and would take us to the quay in Norheimsund, the real starting point of the boat trip. The bus ride took about 90 minutes.

The boat was an open deck catamaran, which gave us the opportunity to fully admire the amazing scenery and natural beauty! I could not stop looking at the majestic mountains with their snow-covered peaks, gletsjers, the waterfalls, trees, and the beautiful villages and settlements we passed along the way. The trip takes about 5 hours in total. The boat stops off at a number of picturesque villages like Herand, Utne, Lofthus, Kinsarvik, Ulvik and Eidfjord. The staff gives interesting information on the attractions along the way.

Houses in the hills of Bergen.

One of the picturesque villages we passed.

A lovely church in one of the villages.

Love the light!

In Eidfjord, the boat docks for almost three hours. Norled offered a 2.5 hours sightseeing bustour from Eidfjord to Hardangervidda Nature Centre and Voringsfoss waterfall, which cost about 40 euros. The other option was to explore Eidfjord and its lovely surroundings by ourselves. We didn’t have to think long about that, we decided to skip the bustour and go hiking! After 3 hours on the boat, we were in need of some exercise.

At the information centre, we discovered there are several hinking routes in Eidfjord. We were interested in the yellow route, that led us to burial grounds from the Viking era and the Iron Age. And again, I was amazed at the natural beauty we encountered: a river with a beautiful little beach, colored houses looking tiny against the mountains. The burial ground itself was not very special, but as usual with these kind of places: you have to use your imagination!

Walking along the river.

While hiking, we found this hidden beach!

Imagine living here!

The burial ground from the Viking Era and Iron Age.

Tiny houses and big mountains.

The hiking route took us about 2 hours, so we had plenty of time to visit the tourist shops and the local supermarkt near the Eidfjord quay. Then we boarded the boat again and enjoyed another 3 hours of spectacular views on our way back to Norheimsund. I admit we both felt a little tired. And we were not the only ones, many people were dozing off on the boat and in the bus back to Bergen 😊. I’m sure they all had sweet dreams after all the beauty they had seen!

Rainy weather on the way back to Norheimsund.

Oslo outside the city centre II: Frognerseteren and Holmenkollen

After we visited the Emanuel Vigeland mausoleum, we decided to take the underground (but it was more like a lightrail as it didn’t go underground and we could enjoy the spectacular views!) to the northern parts of Oslo. The more we got to the outer parts of Oslo, the more we saw of the Norway that everyone pictures: picturesque colored houses made of wood, standing on the hills. The views got better as the train kept climbing higher and higher. Until we got to the last stop: Frognerseteren.

Frognerseteren

Frognerseteren is a neighbourhood in the north of Oslo, you can find lots of hiking and cycling tracks in this area. But it’s also an area for winter sports like skiing and langlauf. Our first stop was the local restaurant Kafé Seterstua, as we were in desperate need of some food (There’s also an a la carte restaurant here). The restaurant was a cozy wooden cabin. I could picture what this place would look in winter, with skiers coming in from the cold, ordering a large bowl of soup and taking a seat by the large fireplace.

We stopped at a cozy wooden cabin.

We ate some sweet buns in the café (You can buy lots of delicious buns all over Norway, like chocolate croissants, cinnamon buns and other sugary things.) Then we hiked for a few kilometres through the woods. It was good to be out of the sun for a while.

Opposite the restaurant is a small open air museum with traditional Norwegian houses.

Holmenkollen

After half an hour, we arrived in Holmenkollen, another neighborhood in Oslo. This is a well know wintersport area. It has 2 large ski jumps. The first one we saw was Midstubakken. Built in 1955. It was the location for several skiing world championships. We climbed it a bit and I thought that thing was mighty high (a hill size of 196 meters).

Midstubakken ski jump, mighty high.

Holmenkollen ski jump

But then, only one kilometer away we found it’s big brother: the Holmenkollen ski jump, the oldest of its kind in the world! This thing was built in 1892 and has had several renovations and extensions over the years. Several world championships and even the Winter Olympics of 1952 took place here. We didn’t go up the hill, as we were pretty tired from all the hiking in the hot sun. We admired it from the ground, watching the people who were brave enough to take the zip line and rush all the way down. Apparently there is a ski museum next to the ski jump, but we didn’t go there.

Holmenkollen ski jump, the big brother.

The Olympic flame is burning bright in Holmenkollen.

Not interested in sports? Then there are some other attractions you might find interesting. Like the beautiful wooden church of Holmenkollen.

Wooden church in Holmenkollen.

We had some trouble getting away from this place, as there were no clear road signs to the train station. Thank God for GPS!

Hello Norway!

Ok, so my last blog was a while ago and I promised to tell you more about the city of Berlin. But something came up…and that something is Norway! Me and Marco are in Norway for 10 days and our trip started yesterday. We arrived in Oslo in the beginning of the night, after a 1.5 hour flight from Amsterdam. At Oslo Gardermoen Airport we took the quick flytoget train that brought us to Oslo central station. We are staying in the wonderful Citybox budget hotel near the train station.

View from the hotel room.

Oslo has many quiet and beautiful courtyards.

Bears everywhere in the shopping centre of Oslo!

So today we had the chance to get to know Oslo. I had no idea what to expect, but what I’ve seen today makes me happy. Oslo is a very relaxed city with kind people and beautiful buildings, many green parks and great architecture.

Many green areas where you can sit and relax on the grass.

Oslo is very kind to pedestrians, because I noticed there are many areas where cars are not allowed. Also, Oslo has a lot of parks where you can just at the grass and relax. So it’s a green city as well.

Oslo has a lot of pedestrian areas.

Rental bikes in the centre of Oslo.

What most impressed me today was the harbour area, with all it’s great modern architecture and art everywhere. Today was a sunny day and many tourists and residents were enjoying the sun, water and food and drinks in the many restaurants this area has.

Art is everywhere in the Oslo harbour.

Lots of amazing modern architecture in the harbour area.

Relaxing near the water.

View of the harbour.

Another attraction in the city is the famous Opera House, built in 2008. The exterior seems to rise from the water. Visitors can climb the roof of the building and enjoy fantastic views of Oslo and the fjord.

The Opera House is a great tourist attraction.

Climb the roof and enjoy the views.

The exterior of the opera house seems to rise from the water.

Although Oslo is a very touristic city, you can still find quiet places. I was surprised by the Armed Forces Museum, which als located near the harbour. The museum shows the military history of Norway, from the Viking age to present. Admission is free. Information in English is available.

Building at Akershus Fortress.

Cannons at Akershus Fortress.

The museum is located in the Akershus Slott fortress, a castle that was built in the 13th century. We enjoyed the surroundings of the fortress very much, a great place to hike, enjoy all the lovely views an learn about Oslo’s history at the same time!