We only stayed in Oslo one night, which was enough. Not because it wasn’t awesome (it was) but because it was so expensive. We are on a pretty restrictive budget and it was just too expensive for us. The city was beautiful, clean and festive. Christmas lights and trees were everywhere and everything was dusted with a fresh layer of fluffy snow. It was breathtaking. We wandered the streets just enjoying the scenery and looking for a bite to eat. We came across several restaurants but could not justify the prices- we stopped at a brewery hoping to try a beer and possibly split a meal but after seeing the prices we ended up heading down the street to a grocery store/deli and grabbing sandwiches. A hamburger with fries came in at about $25. I only wish I was exaggerating, it was seriously expensive.
We did find the Oslo Christmas Market in the center of town. Not nearly as big as the ones in Berlin, it was still very festive. There were fire pits for warming up, an ice skating rink and plenty of adorable stalls selling everything from chocolate covered waffles to heavy woolen sweaters and socks to elk burgers. There was a large teepee in the center that provided a refuge from the frigid temperatures. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering around and splurged on a few items- we split a wild boar & moose bratwurst topped with sweet mustard and wrapped in a potato flatbread that looked like a corn tortilla but was much softer. We got it mostly for the novelty- neither of us had ever had moose before (or wild boar for that matter) but it was so good, not nearly as gamey as I would have expected and a little sweet. It was a little expensive at $8.50 but worth it for the unique Norwegian experience. Next we split a waffle covered in chocolate and almonds. Oh man, it was good. The waffle was both fluffy and crispy in exactly the right way. The chocolate was high quality and piled on thick and it was topped with tons of shaved almonds. Amazing. Not exactly the healthiest choices, but we split both of the splurge items and they were so unique so we felt like we had to.
Oh, and we tried one more thing: smoked whale. Whoa. Just a sample bite, which was plenty for me, but it definitely rocketed to the top of my list of weirdest things I have ever eaten. It had a very strong taste, obviously it was a little smokey and tasted faintly like bologna. I don’t know that I will be eating it again, but since we had the opportunity we went for it!
The thing about expensive cities is that it is really hard to eat healthy. At least when you are on a tight budget like we are. In Bulgaria we could go to the markets and pick up a weeks worth of fruits and veggies for less than $20. In Oslo, we spent $17 on dinner in a deli- a sandwich and a pizza wrap, nothing to drink. Fortunately, the grocery store was more affordable (and full of organic options!) and we picked up some yogurt for breakfast.
