Sunday, June 7, 2015

Exploring Oslo

June 6th and June 7th were free days for us. Some of us decided to stay in Grimstad, others choose to take a one-night trip to Oslo. I chose the latter. Oslo proved to be a fantastic city with innumerable noteworthy attractions.
After our tour of the Nape Kraftverk facility we were given two free days in Grimstad. One option available to us was to take the four hour bus trip to Oslo for some sightseeing in Norway's famous capital. While some members of the group decided to stay back in Grimstad and enjoy the charming seaside town, I opted for the trip to Oslo. We only had about 24 hours in Oslo, so we had to plan our time to be as efficient as possible to allow us to take in all the sights we were interested in.

Karl Johann
Street performers on Karl Johan, the main shopping street. The Royal Palace can be seen at the end of the road

Norwegian Parliament
The Norwegian Parliament building

Royal Palace
Ben, Roman, Myself, Elizabeth, and Spencer standing in the Royal Gardens in front of the Royal Palace

Oslo city hall
Elizabeth, Ben, and Spencer near the Oslo City Hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded

Wall at Akershus
Elizabeth standing in the wall of Akershus Fortress, located on Oslo's harbor

Courtyard of Akershus
The courtyard of Akershus

Akershus Fortress
The group exploring Akershus Fortress

Oslo Opera House
Oslo's famous Opera House

Essam and Mahmoud admiring views from the Opera House
Essam and Mahmoud enjoying the views on top of the opera house

Ben in the Botanical Gardens
Ben enjoying the Botanical Gardens

Roman in the Botanical Gardens
Roman examining a sculpture in the Botanical Gardens

Spencer on a pier
Spencer at the water's edge in Oslo's port

Viking Ship Museum
A visit to the Viking Ship Museum finished off our short stay in Oslo

Today is our last day abroad and tomorrow (June 8th) we leave for the United States. This seminar has been unforgettable for the entire group and we will sorely miss the experience. The memories and friendships we made on this trip will last a lifetime.