Baltic Boating Part 7: Oslo

After another delicious Day At Sea we steamed up the Oslofjord to Norway's capital. By sea is definitely the best way to approach Oslo; virtually every passenger on our boat was glued to the stunning views of the lush green valley-sides dotted with impossibly-cute wooden cottages. If there had been a Norwegian estate agent on board he would have done very well out of our boat that morning!


After several hours navigating the fjord, we docked directly opposite Oslo's 14th-century Akershus Fortress - the most picturesque large-boat mooring of our trip, if not the entire world?

Oslo, like almost all of the Scandinavian cities we visited on this tour, is a compact city, and after an enjoyable hour or so, even the attraction of riding giant bronze tigers though the town square was starting to wane.


Luckily, a short tram-ride away was Vigeland Park, the astonishing sculpture park of Gustav Vigeland. He personally sculpted 212 human figures, in varying positions and phases of life, which are now set out impressively throughout the park.


Back at the harbour, we treated ourselves to a taste of Norwegian fare: a small bowl of delicious fish soup (that's one bowl, shared between us), washed down with a local beer (again, just the one). 160 kroner (16 pounds) later... and we returned to the Jewel with a full appreciation of just how Oslo got its reputation for being one of the most expensive cities to visit. At least the sculpture park was free!

Baltic Boating Part 6: Tallinn

Teeny, tiny Tallinn - the town that 300,000* term theirs. Tourist-thronged, true, though totally typical throughout. Though this, the third* town that these tired travellers took to traversing, tellingly touched them thus:

Phew! Terribly taxing that! Tallinn was a charming little place, compact and quaint, making a pleasant contrast to St Petersburg's ornate grandeur. The capital of Estonia, it boasts a beautifully preserved medieval old town, complete with cobbled streets, walls, towers and a bustling Town Hall square. A traditional market was in full swing during our visit, selling handmade woollen and wooden goods, among other things.


We were mostly content to just wander aimlessly and absorb the atmosphere (it was certainly nice to leave the tour-group-sheep feeling behind), and indeed there wasn't a great deal else to do. Naturally, we made time to sample some of the local food and drink - an interesting fried cheese concoction, sausages, black bread and a local honey beer (quite sweet, funnily enough!)



* Some poetic licence was taken here in order to maintain the ambitious and potentially ill-advised alliteration. Hence, these figures are not, in the truest sense of the word, accurate.