After a quick breakfast the morning, we set out on our own to the Akerselva River around 9 a.m. We bought our tickets and managed to get on the correct subway line to Nydalen Station. We were pretty hyped by our success. The next problem was navigating our way back to the ship. There was a certain sense of urgency about this as we had to get back on board by 2 p.m. for our 3 p.m. sailing. The walk was around 10 kms long. First, we had to find the river. Once we did that we were on our way. Our city centre maps did not extend as far as the station so we were flying blind! We kept up a steady pace enjoying the quiet shady path (the weather has been in the 30 degree Celsius range) until the river disappeared on us. Thank heavens, Norwegians speak English. Everyone we approached was very helpful and eventually we found the river again. At one point we passed by some waterfalls that powered some old mills. Very picturesque. The river pulled its disappearing act on us about three times, but before we knew it, it was time to leave the river for a trek through the city centre passing by many landmarks on the way. The route reminded me so much of Ottawa - a Rideau Street construction zone where we had to keep crossing back and forth to avoid the digging, an outdoor market a la Byward, a pedestrian mall a la Sparks Street. We dropped in at the Impressive Oslo Cathedral and heard the organ playing. A quick stop at an upscale department store for a WC break, and we were off again. We walked through a flower market on our way to the Royal Residence for some photos, then back to the ship. We were back at 12:30 p.m. in time for lunch. We ate with the same couple as we did last night. We enjoyed a congratulatory glass of wine before retiring to our suite for a well deserved nap. We were awakened by the Captain announcing the lifeboat drill. We may go to the Meet and Greet singles get together before dinner. We are thinking of room service tonight as we are both pretty beat and we have an early start tomorrow. So begins our second cruise.
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