When our trip to Oslo got extended thanks to an approaching winter storm, we had to figure out how to spend our day after getting everything else worked out.
We had already spent a decent amount of time in the city but there was still a few more things that we wanted to do. Initially, we figured a trip to the Munch Museum would be a good idea but it was closed on Tuesdays so that idea went out the window.
We then figured out a couple of other things to do which would be a great way to spend the day without running around in the cold too much.
Here are some of the things we did:
- Vigeland Sculpture Park (Frogner Park)
- Mathallen Food Hall
- Street with Colorful Homes
- Dinner at The Nighthawk Diner
Vigeland Sculpture Park wasn’t initially on our list of places to visit but we were glad that we had time to get there during our extra day. According to VisitOslo.com, it is one of Norway’s most visited attractions with over 1 million visitors per year.
There were few other tourists walking around & snapping photos but it seemed a popular place of local joggers and moms pushing strollers.
Once you pass through the main gates, the park is wide open and you walk over a wide bridge lined with many sculptures on both sides. All of them feature people in interesting poses. Many of them have kids in them being held awkwardly by an adult.
From what we read, the “Angry Boy” sculpture (shown above) is the most popular in the park. You should be able to notice that his left hand is shiny from being rubbed for good luck by visitors.
After walking part the bridge, there was a very large fountain with more sculptures. Just past the fountain and up some stairs is “The Monolith”, made from a single stone with figures of people carved/ intertwined into it.
Vigeland Park was definitely interesting and the statues were really unique!
Kim and I had hoped to visit the Mathallen Food Hall but it never seemed to fit into our plans. With an extra day to spare, we headed on over and ate some tasty food and relaxed there for a couple of hours.
The food hall offers a good variety of foods to eat-in as well as vendors selling high-end specialty items to take away. Considering how expensive Norway is, we found the prices at Mathallen to be pretty reasonable.
One of the most popular items for sale was seafood but after eating a tasty fish lunch the day before we passed. Vendors also sell meats, cheeses, baked goods, chocolates, pies, coffees and more. In the middle of the food hall, there is also a bar if you’d like a beer or glass of wine.
We sampled some really tasty cheeses and ended up taking a small chunk home. We also ate some of the best chicken wings ever. They were prepared so the meat was almost hanging away from the bone. I think they were skinless and they were also seasoned really well. We never expected to eat wings in Oslo, but after being offered some samples, the decision to buy some was very easy. We also shared a couple of the small pies. The savory pie was cheeseburger flavor. It was interesting but didn’t taste much like a burger. I wasn’t a huge fan but Kim thought it was pretty good. We also had a chocolate peanut pie. This was really great and well worth trying out.
Mathallen Food Hall is a really nice place to stop by and worth a visit if your near the the Grunerlokka area.
When we stopped by the tourism office we were told about a street with old, colorful homes. Since they were located very close to the Malthallen Food Hall, we decided to take a walk by.
The homes were small and painted a variety of colors. They were located along a steep road and I can’t say that it was really worth walking to the top while pushing a stroller! If we had went out-of-the-way to visit, I would’ve been a bit disappointed but since it was pretty much right where we were, it wasn’t a big deal.
There were lots of dining options in the Grunerlokka area and our first choice had a long wait so we headed on over to the The Nighthawk Diner.
We had read that it was a popular American style diner and were curious to check it out.
The diner was packed but we luckily didn’t have to wait long for a table. When you walk in the diner looks like a retro 50’s diner from back home. There is a long counter/ bar area with stools, designed to look relatively old.
The food while not cheap, was very good. I had a tasty bacon cheeseburger which was cooked well. The meat was organic and very good as was the melted cheddar but what made this burger really stand out was the smoky chipotle mayo.
While I forget what Kim ordered, Lucas had a really good mac n cheese.
This wraps up our visit to Oslo. If you didn’t get a chance to check out the rest of the posts about our trip, here are the links to my other posts.
You saw some nice things in Oslo. FYI, the ‘food hall’ you visited is spelled ‘Mathallen’ (no letter ‘l’), which literally means ‘the food hall’.
Norway is a wonderful country to visit – I think the cost deters people, but as you found, you can do a lot that does not cost a lot.
Thanks for the correction, I’ve fixed it!
Oslo was a really enjoyable city with so much to do. While still pricey, I think we got by without spending a crazy amount.
The only problem with the trip is that we didn’t have time to see more of the country!