Doubilet-Benson Scandinavia Bike Trip 2013: Oslo

Yesterday (Saturday) began with a delightful breakfast in Horten with Anders Wold, President and CEO of GE Ultrasound. Anders lives in a seaside home on the Oslo Fjord, 30 minutes south of Horten. The conversation combined talk about the current and future state of ultrasound with discussion about the mechanics of our bike trip: how we plan the route, what we carry, what electronics we bring with us, use of dog spray, etc.

The ride from Horten to Oslo was fairly hilly, but the biggest challenge we had was dealing with the annoying bike paths that ran alongside some of our roads. Unlike Denmark, where the bike paths were a pleasure, the ones we encountered yesterday tended to be fine for a while, but then would suddenly veer away from the road and head up an extremely steep slope, leaving us the choice of going up the slope or carrying our bikes over a ditch to get onto the road. We eventually gave up on the paths and stayed on the roads.

Oslo blends the old with the modern in a visually pleasing way. It is a busy, vibrant city, with spacious parks, busy walking streets, and a subway/bus system that seems fairly extensive but was easy for us to master. Today (Saturday) was a non-biking day – not really a rest day, since we toured extensively around the city, much of it by foot. We began by taking the Metro to Frognerseteren, a spot at the top of a mountain overlooking the city of Oslo. We then walked down to Holmenkollen, site of the 120 Olympic ski jump, as well as a 95m ski jump. We climbed partly up the latter, and, though neither of us is risk-averse, the sight of the long, steep structure beside us left us amazed that anyone has the guts to ski down it and then launch themselves into the air. We subsequently visited Frogner Park and its Vigeland sculpture garden, walked by the Royal Palace, and wandered around hunting for a good bakery. Tonight, it's off to see the Opera House and the part of Oslo near the harbor.