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Turbot with potato cream and sugar peas



Yesterday we arrived in Oslo, Norway! Now this trip was a little unexpected for us… we decided to come here two weeks ago. Liam’s family friend offered us a place to stay so we thought “why not!”.

Now we’re in a gorgeous house right by a beautiful forest, looking over the city of Oslo. My first impressions of Norway are that it’s very green and very close to nature. Apparently about 80% of all cars here are electric!
A rainbow to greet us in Oslo

Last night, the three of us went out for a nice dinner in a ski chalet restaurant. Skiing is very big here in the winters, and in the summers the trails are used for hiking and biking. 
Evening views from the restaurant

Inside the chalet

Our dinner was very good, and probably the fanciest thing we’ll have here! We started with a crab and tomato-green strawberry appetizer, followed by some baked turbot on mashed potatoes and green peas. For dessert, we had strawberries marinated in elderflower, with white chocolate ganache and strawberry sorbet.  What a feast!
The crab appetizer

Delicious turbot

Strawberry dessert

——————
This morning we visited the Holmenkollen Ski Museum. This is a super cool museum which has recently been upgraded. We got to learn about the polar expeditions, the history of skis, and the importance of skiing to the Norwegian people. 
Gear from a polar exhibition

The Norwegian Royal Couple on skis in 1907

Collection of old skis

Skiing has been a part of life in Norway since the Stone Age! Not just a form of recreation, skis were used in the army as well. Skiing is an integral part of the culture. 
Skis from the Stone Age 

In Norse mythology, there are even ski gods!
The ski god Ull

Ski jumping is also very popular in Norway, in fact there are many ski jump training hills nearby in the forest.
Training hills for ski jump
A ski jumper flying through the sky

The highlight of the Ski Museum for me was being able to go up the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. This ski jump hill is 134m tall and offers incredible 360 views of Oslo.
Looking up at Holmenkollen Ski Jump

Looking out on Oslo from the top of the ski jump

However the line for the elevator down was a bit long… so we decided to take the faster route.
Taking the zip line down from the top of the ski jump!

What an adrenaline rush! We’ll never forget the Oslo trip where we jumped off a ski jump…And got to enjoy the beautiful Oslo views on the way down. 

We also took a walk through the ski trails that snake through the forest behind the house we’re staying in. It was so hot today, but I could still imaging strapping on some cross-country skis and exploring the beautiful snowy forest. 

Hiking through the forest

Enjoying the trails



We also came across Kollentrollet, the friendly troll :)
Liam saying hello to Kollentrollet





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