Oslo, 05.08.2017

After a truly restorative night (my heels are feeling much better!), we were awakened by Samuel, our host in Oslo, and his daughter Ea (..apparently they forgot the 'L' in their excitement at her birth..), with a "Ginger Shot." This apple-ginger smoothie in a shot glass burned like fire as it slowly went down our throats. We weren't expecting that. But as they say, only the tough survive - or rather, make it to Oslo. Gratefully, we smiled at Samuel for this eye-opener and took a big gulp of water. Now nothing could stop us. We took the bus to Oslo City and got off right at the Opera House. We shouldn't have been surprised by the crowds, after all, it was a Saturday morning. Even in Marktoberdorf, it's a madhouse. Afterward, we strolled through downtown, selflessly partaking in various tastings. Ice cream, vegan bites, and calorie-free soda - we really could have skipped lunch. Though the sky ominously turned dark blue to black above us, we dared to take a walk along the harbor promenade "Aker Brygge", which by the way sounds just like "Hackerbrücke" (hacker bridge) when pronounced. The end of the promenade is adorned by the Museum of Modern Art, a very appealing building surrounded by a beautiful green area and of course, water. Oslo as a whole is a strikingly modern, very clean city, but also displays distinct social disparities. We encountered more people in need here than in any other place we've visited so far, while just a few meters away, people in elegant attire were feasting like royalty. We could hardly believe it ourselves, but indeed we were spared from the dark clouds and enjoyed our picnic in bright sunshine by the waterfront. From there, our path led past several incredibly talented street musicians to the palace, which was just as crowded as the opera house. We were in and out in no time, because it started to drizzle. Spontaneously, we hopped on the next bus and went to Vigeland Park, a huge open-air art concept created by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. More than 200 life-sized naked figures made of granite are exhibited, depicting various human interactions. The most famous figure is a little boy in an angry pose. Just imagine Leon's face when I snatch away the last bit of Nutella from in front of him. Once he calmed down, the Oslo trip entered its final round. At this point, we were already quite tired and our feet were aching. Finally, we took the bus to Oslo's trendy Grünerløkka neighborhood and let ourselves wander through the streets until we couldn't go on anymore. Oslo is a diverse city that shines particularly with its modernity and meticulous planning down to the last detail. This is evident, for example, in the absolutely intact infrastructure. On the one hand, we were amazed by this city, but at the same time, unfortunately, a sense of well-being didn't quite kick in. Again and again, we encountered the "beautiful on the outside, disappointing on the inside" phenomenon - for example, the pretty restaurants on the harbor promenade where one can't afford to use the bathroom. Therefore, we had a great day in Oslo, were incredibly lucky with the weather - big thanks to you, dear Petrus - but on balance, we're rather glad that our journey continues tomorrow.