Lyle, Katie, and I woke up in Stockholm at about 4am to catch  the first flight to Oslo.  We navigated our way to city center on a high speed rail and found our hotel easily enough.  After meeting up with Matt and Chris again we decided to start exploring the sights nearby.

Our hotel happened to be next to the Oslo Opera House which was an architectural oddity with massive glass walls and granite exterior.  We walked around it with care because an early morning rain made the granite a little slippery.

Next up, we ventured across the bay to the Viking Ship Museum.  I had been excited for this ever since we first decided to go to Norway (so for about a month or two).  This museum is famous for housing the remains and reconstructions of three viking ships that were excavated from burial sites in Norway.

Of its attractions, the Oseberg ship is the only fully reconstructed ship on display and was restored from the largest of the burial sites.  It was an impressive sight and was definitely a highlight of our time in Norway.

After crossing the bay back to the city, we walked down the harbor to Akershus Fortress because Matt thought it looked cool.

Turns out this cool looking fortress has a rich history in Oslo.  It was constructed in the late 1200s as a defensive castle for the city and successfully survived more then six sieges against it without fail.  Eventually it was modernized and used as a prison as well.  We strolled around for a while then headed into the downtown area to find some food.

Just outside of the downtown area, we found the third royal palace of our trip.  It seemed very similar to the palace in Copenhagen and we snapped some pictures before heading back to our hotel to turn in.

However, our way back brought us through downtown Oslo again and a young street artist caught our eye.  Katie and I were impressed by some of the work and especially the colors used for one of her paintings of Venice.  Since we had been there and Katie and I never seem to agree on wall decoration, we had to get it.

I can’t remember the last souvenir that I had bought – usually the only thing we bring home are photos.  And it wasn’t easy getting this painting home in one piece, but it makes a nice addition to our house.