Everyday chores and the Oslo Pass

18 May 2022.

This morning dawned with overcast skies and the promise of rain later in the afternoon, a promise that would be kept by Mother Nature.

After coffee and a light breakfast we headed out about 10:00 to run a few errands. First I dropped Susie off at Cutters, a hair salon right up the street, for an over due haircut. 

I then walked to a nearby optical shop Synams, to have them repair my glasses (the nose pad of one side broke off). I found them online as one of the retailers in Oslo that dealt in my particular frame company.  

Once we rejoined each other it was off for the short walk to the train station to buy a couple bottles of wine. While grocery stores can sell beer they cannot sell wine or spirits - for that you need to visit a Vinmonopolet (Wine Monopoly) store. The nearest one for us is the central station which also has an indoor mall among its many other facilities. Quite handy. Much like the state run liquor stores in some parts of the USA, Vinmonopelet stores are operated by the national government.

Wine in hand we returned to the apartment. Once back home we sat down and downloaded the Oslo Pass to our phones. We opted for the 72-hour pass which gives us unlimited public transport and admission to most major attractions in the city right up until we leave for Bergen Saturday morning. 

We packed up and headed out to break in our new passes.

Joe and the Juice shop in our block

We hopped on the no. 13 tram to Dronnigens Gate where we switched to the no. 12, taking us to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The park contains some 200 sculptures by local artist Gustave Vigeland. There is also a museum in the park that was once his studio.   

Gustave Vigeland

The park is impressive. The grand entrance opens onto a sweeping vista to the horizon and a series of steps leading to an obelisk at the very top. But before you get there you cross a magnificent bridge each side of which is lined with a series of sculptures of individuals of all ages in different poses and in various states of activity.

The bridge gives way onto a plaza with an enormous fountain ringed by a number of human sculptures each intertwined with trees. At the base are bronze reliefs, again showing various stages of life and death. 

around the fountain

looking back toward the entrance from the position of the obelisk

facing the entrance

more sculptures in the other direction

yet more sculptures ringing the obelisk platform

As we strolled the park we commented to each other how the sculpture collection was impressive only in its scale and the sheer number of sculptures. Otherwise, the sculptures themselves were uncomfortably uniform and rather boring, as if the same subject had been used over and over again, just in different poses. 

Leaving the sculpture park we made our way through the larger Frogner Park in the direction of the Oslo City Museum where we stopped for fika, coffee and a sweet and saw some lovely paintings of Oslo in the 18th to early 20 centuries.

The museum WCs did have the most interesting icons on the doors. . . 

Back to the tram stop we took the no. 12 back into town and switched to bus no. 30 at one of the key transfer points. This bus would take us to the Norsk Folkemuseet and then on to a cluster of museums in the area know as Bydøy.

"If you are delayed. . ."

Once aboard the no. 30 we rode it through a lovely residential area that rather recalled Paris, or at least parts of it. It was a quick ride to the folk museum where we showed our passes and in we went. Like Skansen in Stockholm, this is also an open-air museum with buildings from various parts of Norway spanning the past several centuries. 

After walking for about 15 minutes the sky that had threatened rain for most of the morning followed through on its threat. We eventually made our way back to the bus stop and waited for the no. 30.

our bus leaves us at the museum

the entrance

grocery store from the early 20th century

part of the Telemark village collection of buildings

we loved how so many of their farm buildings were built up off the ground

Once aboard the no. 30 we thought to ride it to the end of the line and get on the ferry back into town. Not paying close attention, however, we ended up staying on the bus all the way back to our transfer point. But no matter it was raining, more or less, and it was fun being driven around parts of Oslo we would probably never see otherwise.

Back at the transfer point we switched to tram no. 13 which dropped us off just three blocks from our apartment.

Susie and I concluded that this had been a curious day but somehow quite pleasant.

 

Our experience in Copenhagen

Accommodation - Air BnB.
Perfect location and although small the apartment proved to be the most pleasant so far. Having a Nespresso was a big plus for us and even inspired us to take a trip to the closest Nespresso store (10-minute walk). The bathroom was fine and the shower system worked great; providing shower body wash and shampoo was a nice touch. The bed was incredibly comfortable and even though the building fronted a busy side-street, we were set way back beyond an interior courtyard so even with windows open it was still very peaceful.

Food.
When eating out we tend to focus on fresh foods for supper so we often gravitate to Asian venues, particularly Vietnamese.

Transportation.
Metro fast, modern, virtually all escalators. Note that Uber was not available in Denmark.

Attractions. 
Harbor cruise, Tivoli Amusement Park, daytrip to Roskilde to see the Viking Museum and the burial sites of the Danish monarchy, Museum of Danish Resistance, The National Gallery.

Currency and money.
Nearly all transactions were be done with credit cards although Amex is rarely accepted.

canal cruise

Our Experience in Prague

Accommodation - Air BnB.
Our host Michal was very accommodating especially as we arrived an hour and a half later than planned. He was also helpful and explained the apartment details fully. 

The appliances worked well and the shower was very nice. 

There were a few issues as we were to discover: some of the lights did not work, a couple of outlets were non-functioning, the outside noise could be distracting for some (fortunately it didn't bother us too much), and there were a couple of unstable slider doors that rendered that space unusable. Also the wifi was extremely slow. 

Food.
We used a nearby Tesco market for groceries but ended up eating at home only once. Our neighborhood was packed with great dining venues. We can strongly recommend Pilsnerka Narodni, Monarch and Pho Bar.

Public Transport. A big thumbs up for Prague on transport. First off all trams, busses and the metro are free for seniors (65+) with proof of age. Second, the trams go everywhere and are easy to find and use. 

The metro was fast, smooth and a great way to cross the city quickly; also it was nearly all esclalators and elevators.

Our one experience with Uber was OK but we opted to rely on the tram system which was extensive and for us (over 65) free.

Attractions. 
There is plenty to see and do in Prague but you knew this already. The Charles Bridge, the Jewish quarter and especially the old Cemetery (a feee to enter), and of course the Prague Castle. 

We were a bit disappointed in the complexity of the various ticketing systems: rather than an attraction with multiple elements (such as the Jewish quarter or the Castle) having just one ticket you're required to pick and choose the various elements you want to see and then find the right bundle. Quite awkward. 

Communication.
No landline phone so relying on mobile is the only option. A smartphone is a big plus for texting and occasionally checking maps. It's also possible to get tickets to some attractions right on your phone..

Currency.
You can use euros with confidence but we found taking local currency out of a bank ATM (NOT     Euronet) worked well. While many places take credit cards it's always nice having local currency on hand for incidentals (ice cream, the odd aperitif, tipping). Note that Prague is quite inexpensive.

Masking and vaccination.
Neither seemed to be an issue. No one asked for proof of vaccination let alone booster and masking mandates were gone, left to the individual's preference.

Prague Castle and Public Transportation

4 May 2022.

After another in a long (and growing) line of leisurely breakfasts, we dressed and headed out for the day. We had several objectives: dry run the public transport for returning to the train station Friday morning, visit Wenceslas Square, find the Mysak pastry shop, and head up to the Prague Castle. Located on the other side of the river the castle is one of the tourist high points, literally and figuratively.

So, we walked around the corner from our apartment and waited for the no. 9 tram to take us directly to the station. The tram system really dominates public transport in central Prague and very few busses are to be found. While the underground metro is useful for traversing long distances in the city, it's the tramway that holds the key to getting around downtown easily and quickly.

Also, it is free for anyone over 65! All trams, busses and the metro. FREE. And we learned that only by chance when we stopped by a nearby tourist office to ask about day pass fares.

After some confusion on our part as to where exactly to stand, the Nine arrived. We boarded and in less than 10 minutes were at the stop near the train station. It was a 5-minute walk to get inside. While there we thought to do some reconnaissance on the platform system and location.  

For our return from the station we wanted to check to see if the metro might work better for us on Friday (the short answer is no.) We followed the escalator down to the C line took it one stop (Muzeum)  to the A line. Since we were heading to the castle we remained on the A which took us across the river and (sort of) close to our objective.

waiting for the no. 9 tram

v

on the metro, switching from lines C to A

waiting for the A train

Our maps were a bit unclear as to which stop was the best for getting to the Prague Castle and so we found ourselves in a quiet residential neighborhood some distance from our objective. Even though the walk was uphill the weather was sunny and warm and the walk took us through a lovely area where even the tram tracks were lined with trees (see photo below, the tracks are to the right).

We soon found the entrance to the castle. Once inside the location we were confronted by a small challenge of finding exactly where we were to get tickets. Once that problem was solved we were again confronted by the (now old) issue of what did we want to see since there were a variety of ticket bundles. 

We opted for the so-called "Castle Circuit" and off we went. 

looking back to the entrance; we would return this way to a nearby tram stop

inner courtyard

Saint Vitus cathedral

how many have stood right there looking up century after century?

the tomb of Jano Nepomuckeho, I have no idea who he is but the sculpture is incredible

back outside close to the cathedral

From the church it was a short walk to the palace.

the large audience hall

the chapel where Saint Ludmilla, patron saint of Bohemia, is buried

the area called the Gold Lane, where many of the local workers lived

Leaving the castle we retraced our steps and near the exit picked up the no. 22 tram going back across the river close to home. We got off relatively close to our another objective for the day: Wenceslas Square.

Sloping down from the square was a small cluster of food stands selling mostly tasty looking sausages, peppers, potatoes and other goodies to grab on the go.

good King Wenceslas himself with the National Museum in the background - note the Ukrainian banner

mushrooms with peppers

According to my pastry shop guide (AKA the French Tarte) the pastry shop she was keen on visiting was on a street just off the square. So off we went down one of the main streets bordering the square

After a few minutes walk we found the pastry shop Mysak. We settled in for awhile. I had a glass of crisp white wine and Susie had a cappuccino with a tasting of three small pastries: a lemon tart, glazed choux bun, and an interesting chocolate cake ball. They were tasty indeed. (Susie will have a post up soon on Mysak.)

lemon tart

choux bun

the chocolate thing

After returning home and taking care of a few chores we went back out in the evening for supper. Again we went next door but this time in the opposite direction from Pilsnerka Narodni. We popped into the Pho Bar. Susie had chicken curry with rice and I had shrimp fried rice; we each had an order of spring rolls. The food was fresh and so very tasty. 

Tomorrow is our last day in Prague and we plan to play it by ear, so to speak. Stay tuned!