36 hours in Oslo

After staying at Thon hotels for most of the trip, it was a relief to pull into The Thief  and see that it is a beautiful luxury hotel. The hotel is only a short 10-minute drive from almost everywhere and walking distance from the coolest restaurants.

The first rule of opera: see everything yourself

If you ever get the chance to visit the Oslo Opera House, then I hope you jump on it. I wasn't allowed to take photos as I toured the sewing and staging rooms but it was amazing to see all the work that goes into bringing a production to life. It was especially fascinating to learn that in order to allow for several shows at the same time, there are three stages, two of which are used mostly to build the set so that it can then be elevated or moved whole onto the main stage as needed, this allows for more than one show to be performed each week. During the tour, if there is a performance going on, you may get a chance to watch part of a rehearsal. 

Asma and I were lucky to have gone when Carmen the ballet was playing and we snagged amazing seats for 600 krona (currently equivalent to 300 dirhams). After watching the prima ballerina rehearse during the tour, we couldn't resist watching the whole show and we were not disappointed- it was a mesmerizing experience. Tickets at the Oslo Opera can be as low at 100 NOK per seat, an unheard of price just about anywhere else in the world.

A girl's gotta eat 

The Thief has an amazing breakfast that is included with the room cost (as is customary in Norway) so I'll skip straight to our late lunch. After a quick online search, we landed on Olivia  , a popular Italian eatery with several locations in Oslo. The restaurant is designed impeccably with raw meat hanging from the high walls above the kitchen, cozy wood furnishings and modern elements of lighting. Walking into Olivia, you can't help but feel that you made the right dining choice as you pass by table after table of elegant young men and women, all part of a huge inside joke and that you are now being let into the fold. 

I thought the food was decent with the ravioli tasting better than the lasagna although looking around the restaurant it was clear that pizza is the go to dish for most patrons so we have just picked the wrong meal. One thing you will quickly learn when you get to Norway is that the norwegians love their pizza! They have collectively decided, it seems, that no meal is sufficient without a slice of pizza and no street side complete without a pizza shop. Our tiramisu was divine and I would definitely go back for another spoonful.

Speaking of amazing dessert, despite the freezing weather, we decided to have some gelato. Paradis Gelateria is coveniently located a short walk from our hotel and I had the most delicious Snickers flavored gelato I have ever had. To be fair is it the only snickers gelato I have ever had, but I don't understand why this flavor is not a staple at every gelato shop.

For our last meal in Norway we rushed to squeeze Dognvill Burger and it was worth almost missing our plane- it's not the best burger we had in Norway but it was a great final meal. The fries were delicious and the setting had that casual American vibe.

Culture is the intersection of people and life itself

If you stay at The Thief, you get free entry into the the Astrup Fearnley Art Museum which has some interesting pieces. It is quite a small museum so it's great for a short stop before heading out. The items on display range from a cow cut in half to a statue of Michael Jackson to a beautiful larger than life decaying bookshelf.

If you can only do one art museum I would suggest the National Museum so that you can see The Scream in person (I resisted the temptation to name this whole blogpost "We all scream for Munch" so you're welcome for that immense level of self-restraint). Unlike the Mona Lisa which can be underwhelming to see in real life, The Scream is really amazing to see, it is not as crowded and the museum as a whole has a lot of interesting pieces.

There was a section on fairytales when I visited which really made you think as it was in this small dark room so the exhibit tarnishes the Disney version of fairytales while keeping the childlike nature of the imagery alive through the use of lighting, sparkles and glow in the dark paint. Even better, right across the street from the museum there is an amazing antique book shop with old magazines and a great collection of books you would have never thought to read.

A Little Bit of History Never Hurt Anybody

It is pretty hard to visit Scandinavia without going to something viking-related and for us we chose the Viking Ship Museum and I wouldn't really say it's much of a museum it's more of an exhibit. It's really cool but given how small it is, based on other reviews, if you visit Norway when during Spring or Summer, I would suggest you go to  the Vigeland Park instead. It is an outdoor park of statues....that's all I have for you as I didn't go myself but it comes highly recommended by several bloggers.

You can find Asma Al Jailani on, Instagram, twitter and on her book reviewing website, she also occasionally writes for The National.