It is Sunday in Oslo, and it’s our 4th day here today. We’re using it as a day off to catch up with photos, emails etc., and Jan went off to the nearby supermarket to do some grocery shopping but found everything closed.  We decided to stay over in Oslo for some extra days as we have a problem with one of d’Hobby’s front wheels on the driver’s side.
The wheel and rim were too hot to touch when we arrived in Oslo, and we are getting it looked at by the local Fiat dealer tomorrow (Monday).

We arrived on Wednesday last week from Sweden, having come north from Ystad on the south coast through the lake district.

It was lovely countryside along the way as we came north, with lots of forests and lakes, and our last campsite at Amals was right on the edge of Lake Vanern – a beautiful overnight stop, and sunny when we arrived but heavy rain in the early hours again. The weather is still very variable – lots of rain, interspersed by fine days, although still quite cool.

For example we got caught in a huge thunderstorm on Friday in the middle of Oslo, with rain and hail, although it was sunny and 22oC just before it hit.

We had an all-day bus/tram ticket and we had just got off a tram, so we hopped on the next tram that came along and took a ride out to the suburban end of the line while the storm passed over. By the time we got back into town it had fined up again so we carried on exploring – it’s a very nice city with both old and new parts to see, and lovely parks.

Yesterday was spent at the nearby museums – Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki / Ra II museum with both craft preserved from their epic voyages – very interesting.
Then the “Fram” museum with Roald Amundsen’s ship completely enclosed in the A-frame building, with displays of his North and South Pole expeditions all in English, together with a similar display of Capt. Scott’s Antarctic expeditions – providing at least a fair and balanced view of two very different outcomes.  The obvious conclusion is that the Norwegians were very much more organised and prepared for the conditions than were Scott’s expeditions.  Also they were expert skiers, with lots of huskies, whereas the English relied mainly on horses and man-hauling sledges on foot.

We are parked in Oslo right by the water and boat moorings at a marina on the outskirts of the city – a 10 minute bike ride into the centre on good bike tracks, and close by shops, buses, etc. It’s not a proper campsite, but has power and water points, plus a toilet/shower block.

It is NKR 200 per night to stay here (£20 = NZ$40), but this is still cheaper than regular campsites.
We had been warned that Norway is expensive but WOW !
Some examples:
Corona beer 62 Kr per bottle (£6 = NZ$12)
33ml draught beer 48 Kr (£5 = NZ$10)
Nachos, single serve 100 Kr, plus chicken 55 Kr = 155 Kr (£15.50 = NZ$32)
McDonalds Big Mac Meal 83 Kr (£8.30 = NZ$17)
Wine in supermarket:
Jacob’s Creek Cabernet/Shiraz 115 Kr (£11.50 = NZ$23 (usually under NZ$10 in NZ)).
Cloudy Bay Sauv. Blanc 429 Kr (£43 = NZ$86)
French Cotes du Rhone, normally < £5 in UK, are around £15 to £20 here 150 – 200 Kr.

That’s about it for now.
We will be heading north to Trondheim and Tromso when the wheel has been checked out, hopefully on Monday/Tuesday.