06-23 Back to Oslo and Ski Jumping

Yesterday we cruised the Telemark Canal. Today we have to head back to Oslo. After breakfast it's time for our one mile walk to the train station from our hotel, with a quick stop at a grocery store for lunch. Only found a blueberry muffin, not a very good one, and two Cokes.

On to the station with fifteen minutes to spare. We are taking the bus from here and the seat is very uncomfortable on Karen's back. After 45 minutes we arrived at the Larvik train station.

Our train is in the station waiting for us. We have Komfort Class tickets that give us an assigned seats. I'm really glad.  After I go to the bathroom, I see that it's wall to wall people out in the regular seats. They are sitting on the floor, suitcases and backpacks everywhere. We are on this train for two hours.

Karen listen to a Mousetalgia podcast and Pat has his computer and works on the blog. We arrive in Oslo just before 1:30 and check into our hotel, Thon Astoria, which is only two blocks from the station.

The first thing we do is turn on the fan in the room. We leave a card in the electricity to keep the fan on when we leave.  Set up Karen's clock so we will know the temperature of the room when we get back there. We get our day backpack ready with raincoats, unfortunately, and snacks and head back out.

As soon as we step out the door the raincoats come out of the backpack. Back to the train station and we get tickets for the tram out to the ski jump. Why is it always raining when we want to get city view pictures????

Our best view of the day of the landing area and runout of the ski jump.

And our view UP the ski jump.

We bought tickets for the ski museum which includes an elevator ride to the top of the ski jump. The museum has skis and bindings through the ages. Recreational skiing began in the 1850's. Up until then, skiing was for commercial or work usage.

There was also an exhibit on snowboarding and the crazy tricks people do with skis and snowboards.

Brian had a blue one of these in our house in the 90's.

We did go up in the ski jump elevator - straight up into a cloud. This would be the ski jumper's view heading downhill toward the jump. If there was snow. If he could see his landing.

Of the jumpers today (standing on the platform), Pat was #1.

There was a ski jump simulator on the same level as the museum. It was ok, just one of those in-the-mall portable models. The picture quality is greatly improved, but the motion is still jerky and at times gratuitous.

It was still raining and totally fogged in when we got done. We walked back down to the train and took it into Oslo central station. Stopped at Burger King for dinner on the way to our hotel.