40 Oslo.... "There is no such thing as bad weather .... Just bad clothing"... as the Norwegians' say

It was a cold start to the day as we found our way out and about the decks for the sail into Oslo.  The Ryndam is one of those ships that you can get right out to the pointy bits.  As we sailed in through the fjord you knew you were back in Norway.  Just like our sail into Bergen three years ago you pass these mountains dotted with gorgeous little timber houses all making the most of their spectacular views..  Yellow and Red seem to be the colour of choice and once again every view was postcard picture perfect.

We docked up next to the Akershus Castle and Fortress.  A Medieval Castle that dates back to 1299. This also gave us great views back onto the ship.  Geared with our walking map we then headed into the city, making our way to Karls Johans Gate a wide pedestrian street that leads to the Royal palace up one way and to the Railway station at the other.

Deciding to take a bit of a break we called into McDonalds for a spot of affordable coffee and free wifi...  Norway is notoriously expensive..  Coffee at a cafe will set you back about $8 each hence why we are now getting excited when we see those golden arches.

After catching up on the news we headed to the Oslo Old Cathedral.  Ornate and beautiful inside I took the opportunity to light a candle for my dad. Just outside there was a lovely flower market with many types of flowers in all colours.  The tulips around the city were all starting to bloom giving a beautiful show.

As we walked back up the street we passed many of Oslo’s beautiful buildings as were getting closer to the Palace.  Apparently the Israeli President was visiting and whilst standing out the front, security was in full force as the President, King and his entourage left the palace.  Men in Black everywhere and the convoy consisted of police, vans with blacked out windows and the little yellow ambulance followed in last spot.

We headed back down to the water front as the rain started so we decided to look for the ferry that would take us over to Dronningen where we visited the Viking Ship Museum.  Here they have on display well preserved Viking ships dating back to the 9^th Century. 

Once back in town we headed back to the ship, it was now around 4.30 and we were ready for a spot of lunch...  yes we waited till we were back on the ship as we would have had to take out  a bank loan if we wanted lunch on shore.