As Andreas and his sister Conny do not get to see each other often, we planned a four-day trip together to Oslo. There is an overnight ferry connection between Kiel and Oslo and we were pleased to learn that the ferry was not at all like the Queen of Saanich, but rather much more like a budget cruise ship. We had our own cabins and Andreas and I discovered to our delight that there was not a lot to do on the boat which meant guilt-free sleeping and lazing about!

Oslo is typical northern European city, distinguished by its harbour and surrounding fjords. We brought bikes with us from Kiel and we consequently able to get around the city quite nicely. Although I had never done a bike tour of a city (it is a very German thing), I was fully converted by the end of our two days in the city. When we arrived at the Munch museum to find that it had been closed for security updates after the theft of “the Scream” in the fall, we were able to change directions without hesitation and cycle across the city to see the art of Oslo’s other famous son – Vigeland, a sculptor of great fame. Mind you, we did have to set some limits when Andreas suggested that we cycle to the top of Oslo’s mountain to see the famous sky jump. Fortunately, Conny, Karsten and I did not share Andreas’ enthusiasm for biking up hills!