It is a bonus day. A buffer day to ensure we can catch our train just in case of a flight delay. We got here as scheduled and now we have a down day. Time to acclimate.

We start by sleeping late. It took me forever to get to sleep last night and it is taking almost as long to shake myself awake. Thankfully, the weekend buffet is available until 11:00 am. Hmmm…. pork and beans, pickled fish, and goose liver pate. Since we are no longer in Missouri, we have some tough choices. I opt for brown bread, brown cheese, and cucumbers. My guy has some bacon and eggs he found hanging out by the pork and beans and picked fish.

They also have surprisingly good coffee. Yay! Coffee is not always brewed for our American taste buds. I am a happy girl. The brown cheese melts like butter in my mouth.

We walk through the hotel lobby and into the cold morning air with no particular destination in mind. I am drawn to the water so we wander toward the docks. This Sunday morning, young families are out for a walk or a bike ride. Small children decked out in full snowsuits giggle as they ride by in bicycle side cars, trailers, and backpacks. Some bicycles have buckets in front of the tire that are also full of children.

At the dockyard, a ferry boat from Denmark is emptying itself of cars. We are not sure what to do yet. I am not prepared and still a little groggy.

Nearby we notice a double decker hop on hop off bus that is running. I knock on the window and ask if it is operating. The driver waves us aboard. Yay! We always like a red bus tour for a good logistical overview of a new city. For the next few stops we are alone on the bus. That has never happened. Soon, however, the bus fills with chattering senior citizens. We fit right in. We circle the city, taking in the sights.

We get off at the national palace. Surprisingly, you can walk right up to the walls. Guards stand at each corner and the front door. People don’t seem to notice the guards and their guns as they stroll through the park that surrounds the garden. I take pictures of statues. (When don’t I take pictures of statues?) My husband continues to tease me that I don’t even know who the statue is about. He is right. I take the photos anyway.

We pass the university of Oslo and the national theater. Somewhere along the way, we encounter a gathering to support Ukraine. Slava Ukraine…I cheer along. It is nice to see the people advocating for more immediate assistance to help a struggling ally.

Further down the street, the site of a much larger pro-Palestine march puts us near the Oslo cathedral. This is second gathering we have seen to support human rights in Palestine and we have only been in the country about 18 hours.

We go inside the cathedral to pray for our country which is in its own brand of turmoil. It is quiet inside, subdued. The painted wood ceiling and simple wood carvings are an understated elegance. We sit under the private box of King Harold. I remember the story of his long wait to marry Queen Sonya, a commoner and real life Cinderella. In fact, we just watched their love story on a Netflix series a few weeks ago. Real life meets tv right here in this moment.

We stop for lunch in an Irish pub. The cook is late and so we wait for him to arrive at work and prepare our food. Oh well, an Irish pub is always grand. So we wait.

Only a few blocks away, the Opera House roof is a great place to view the harbor. We were too tired yesterday. My guy thinks he may be too tired today, but I cheer him on. At the top, grumpy seagulls do not appreciate me disturbing their perch. They cry “mine” “mine” as they fly in circles above our heads. The view is sublime.

Statues and playgrounds line the water. A pop up art gallery in the sand intrigues me. Families run, jump and play. People eat outside and gather in the parks even thought the temperature is in the 30’s. Even more surprising are the dozens of people enjoying the floating saunas and swimming in the frigid fjord. The outdoor and water temperature is hovering in the low 30’s and I am freezing on their behalf.

Reluctantly, we head back to the hotel. A brief rest and a few hours of checking email (a girl has to work sometimes) kill the late afternoon. As evening falls we find our train location for the morning all aboard and then grab a burger at the mall’s Burger King. We decided against the conveyor belt sushi and the Italian fusion along the way. We can already see that food is very expensive here. We will be in Norway for a long while. We need to pace ourselves.

I head to the gym in the hopes that one final long walk will help me sleep. As I walked I looked back on all things that happened while we were doing “nothing”. I should sleep well tonight. Turns out “nothing” in my adventure always includes several miles of exploring on foot. My husband is not amused.