Oslo, the capital of Norway, is a modern city with plenty of green space in the form of forests and parkland and lies at the end of the Oslo fjords. It is again another walkable city with much of it being pedestrianised. It has a population of around 700,000 and a history dating back over 1000 years. Oslo is also home to Norway’s largest music and performing arts venue where you can go on a tour and even walk out onto the roof.

My first day in Oslo was unfortunately wet all day! So, I decided to have a restful morning after all the hassle from the previous night, and in the afternoon I ventured out and took a nice walk through the Palace Park, which was just up the road from the hotel, and then I had a short wander around the city. The impressive Royal Palace is located inside Palace Park at the end of Karl Johans Gate behind the Palace Square – the Parliament Building and the National Theatre are in Karl Johan Street, along with the station and an array of shops and cafes. The Palace was built in the early 19th century and is now the official residence of the Norwegian monarch. I was also lucky enough to see the changing of the guards at the front of the Palace.

After walking round for a while, I decided to stop off in a local café which served a good selection of sandwiches, pastries, and cakes – my excuse was that I wanted to get out of the rain for a while! While I was in here, I had a look at some ideas of what to see and do while I was here. Once again, there is never enough time to see everything unless you want to be on the go non-stop – and I know I do often appear to do this!

I was lucky that my hotel, the Radisson Bleu, actually had one little attraction that I wasn’t initially aware of and that is that on the 21st floor there is the ‘Summit Bar’ that has floor to ceiling glass windows offering fantastic views across Oslo. I decided that I would take a look up there in the evening, but the bad weather resulted in misty and dull views from the top, which was disappointing, so I vowed to return the following evening as the forecast for the following day looked hot and sunny and would hopefully prove to be more fruitful…