We spent our second day in Oslo in the open air museum or the Norwegian Folk Museum after a breakfast at 7-11. There, there are many buildings from various time periods and districts of Norway and also indoor exhibits. It was a bit kitsch and a tourist trap but also interesting too.

Then we took the ferry to the castle and caught the last guided tour, since it closed at 16:00. It was interesting but rushed. Afterward, I dragged Hendrik to the Vigeland Sculpture Park since I had seen it on a postcard and it looked like a place where tourists were supposed to go. It houses many statues by Gustav Vigeland and both of us thought it was very cool. The statues were of nude bodies in various positions representing various stages of life and even though they were quite bulky they formed the park and it all flowed together well.

After Hendrik took a nap in the grass, under the sun, which we were very pleased had accompanied us the whole day it was that time to find food again which wasn’t going to put us into the poor house. Hendrik had a meal at McDonald’s and I got a salad at a sandwich shop which I ate at the campsite. We still spent about 10 Euros each.

 

It rained the whole drive up to Oslo, and since we had planned on camping, we were weary of the circumstances. We even put another campsite which offered cabins into our GPS. Right as we entered the vicinity of Oslo, the sky opened and the sun peaked through so we decided we could pitch a tent. We went to the original campsite which was Ekeberg camping and were able to set up our tent right before it started to rain again. Regardless of the dry fluke in the weather, this was far from comfort, but when looking at the price tags of hotels in Oslo, the campsite which was far from cheap for a campsite seemed like the only affordable option. Soon enough we were headed to Oslo on a city bus. It was only about 15 minutes by bus and then we were free to sight-see. After unwillingly paying close to 10 Euros each for a sandwich at 7-11 we went to look at the palace and City Hall including the room in which the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony takes place.

I was surprised to see that the building along with the statues around it reminded me of Russia and its towering communist structures and massive statues depicting people hard at work.
Afterwords we went shopping again since Hendrik’s shoes were completely soaked from putting up a tent. They were also old and worn and we had planned on going hiking. So he bought himself shoes that could withstand the wet. Clothing was not more expensive than it is in Belgium, but finding food which wasn’t going to be more painful to eat than not to eat even though our stomachs were rumbling because of the price was a challenge. Now this challenge awaited us and we had to find somewhere to eat that wouldn’t bankrupt us. It was about 3 times as much we would pay in Belgium and 5 times as much as the US. We were able to connect to the internet on an unsecured network and looked up the “best deal” restaurants in Oslo on TripAdvisor. The first one was hardly a deal let alone even appropriate price and the second was a real Chinese restaurant, and we prefer the westernized ones. Near it there was a kebab/pizza shop which was relatively decent priced. We both ordered a pizza and it turned out that the pizzas were huge, we both had half left for lunch the next day.
Afterwords, we wandered around some more and visited the opera house. Oslo was definitely trying to revitalize its harbor, but if they want to succeed in having a Sydney-like harbor they need to get rid of the massive highway that pretty much encircles the opera house. The only way to access it is by pedestrian bypasses over the streets. The Opera House itself is amazing and more impressive than Sydney’s. It stuck out on the harbor like a beacon of light reflecting in the water. The whole thing was encompassed with a relatively flat roof so you could walk all the way to the roof for views of Oslo. People just hung out at the top playing cards and socializing. The inside was pretty neat too. It was very modern and the design did not disappoint.

In the morning, we headed straight to Sweden through Malmo over the Øresund bridge, the longest and quite possibly the most expensive highway and railroad bridge in Europe. Unfortunately there wasn’t a place to stop to take pictures of the engineering wonder. Out stop for today was Gothenburg, the second largest city in Sweden. The city seemed to be one big shopping mall and we had never seen so many H&Ms in such close proximity that they all seemed to stream into one gigantic H&M complex engulfing the whole city. No matter which direction we would turn the red H&M sign was sure to be somewhere in sight.
So we did what everyone else seemed to be doing in the city and went shopping. We had come across rain too often already in our brief stay in Scandinavia, so we decided it was best if we get proper raincoats. We were headed towards a country where it rains more than it doesn’t. We live in Belgium, anyway so I’m sure we’d use them again. After shopping, we ate Indian take away in our room at the B&B we were staying in since it cost quite a bit extra to eat in and oriental food is a little bit cheaper than other kinds of food in Scandinavia.

I was jarred awake or more like startled out of a semi-relaxed state by bombs exploding on the canvas above. It was pouring and suddenly the inside of the low tent seemed pretty agreeable. Eventually it let up a bit, and we dared to venture out of our polyester cave. Rain always makes a tent seem like a battlefield, but outside the rain had practically stopped. Packing up a wet tent is never fun, and everything we had and ourselves ended up damp. It was very early in the morning and we felt like the only creatures alive. So much so that we joked that the apocalypse had eradicated everyone but the ones who were sleeping hidden away deep in a forest or perhaps it was because we had watched episodes of Jericho on the laptop in our tent before trying to go to sleep. Either way, the countryside had an eerie feel of abandonment. The far and few farms occasionally had an Icelandic horse or two grazing in the pastures. We were worried about finding food since we were both hungry. We stopped in Kolding because it was the nearest largest city and because the Rough Guide had acclaimed its castle.

We followed signs for a car park and low and behold in front of us, right next to the car park, there was an open coffee shop. I must say that Danishes did not receive their name in vain and that it was the best I’ve ever had. Luckily or unluckily, depending how you look at it, the coffee shop was literally the only open shop in the entire city. We wondered through the ghost-town like streets noticing all the lemon and lime rinds which were scattered on the street like confetti, after a rough Saturday night, before the apocalypse of course. The only other people we saw were a few “walk of shamers.”
The castle was relatively disappointing as was the city as a whole. The next stop was Copenhagen. To get there we had to cross over an amazing but awfully expensive bridge. It stretched from an adorable island with the cutest lighthouse on top of a small hill to the opposite end. With dark rolling clouds lurking above it it was cutely eerie. We had a hotel booked but since it was only about noon we highly doubted we’d be let into our room yet. We were pleasantly surprised when we were handed a key. It was nap time since we were pretty much dead and even though it was a budget hotel it seemed like the most luxurious bed, and we were quickly swept away into dreamland. After about an hour we were awakened by what we think were other guests trying to open our door by accident. It was a good thing because we only had one day to sight see Copenhagen and would have slept away the afternoon. After a shower, we went exploring but first we had to find something to eat. Hendrik was determined to eat smørrebrød literally meaning “bread and butter” but really was just an open sandwich. Every café and restaurant which offered it had an awful price tag along with it. The travel book said to only pay a third of the price, so we wandered from eatery to eatery gaining hunger and annoyance. Eventually it began to pour the type of rain that if you stood outside for 3 seconds you’d look as if you had just gone for a swim. It had more pressure than out shower. We ducked into the nearest joint and decided this had to be it. Hendrik was disappointed in his smørrebrød because they did not have the one he wanted and because it was a sandwich that he had to put together himself. I had nachos which were huge. We also discovered that internet was easy to come by and most places offered it for free including this café/bar. After we were fed, our email had been checked, and the rain had subdued, we saw all the sites we considered to be major such as the palace, the marble church, and of course we had to make our way to the mermaid. We walked across the whole town, even though Hendrik said he had heard that it was not there. Upon approaching the famous alcove where the mermaid is supposed to be perched upon a rock we were greeted with a screen which had a live stream of the mermaid as it sat in its temporary new home in Shanghai where it was on display for the World Expo.

The closest we got to the statue were the ones which a vendor was trying to sell next to the screen, and for some reason he still seemed to be doing good business. We stared at the screen for a bit along with other disgruntled tourists, and I do admit the building in which the mermaid was, was very sleek and modern looking, but I wouldn’t expect anything else from the Danish designers. There were some swimmers prancing around the statue. One of the spectators who was filming the screen told us that one of them was their daughter. They were the only happy spectators in the bunch, the rest of us were fully disappointed. Afterwords, to drown our sorrow, Hendrik had an 8 Euro Carlsberg in Nyhavn and we were quickly disappointed by a new revelation, we simply could not afford to drink alcohol in a bar or restaurant and it had the revers effect of what we were going for, to cheer up. At least we had brought half a case of Jupiler with us.

We set off to Denmark in the late morning. The GPS reassured us that the destination was on an unpaved road which is always a good sign when you’re in a foreign country for the first time. We were planning on doing some wild camping, a first for Hendrik and I. A good few hours into the ride we realized we forgot our pillows. A GPS search lead us to an Ikea near Hannover where we bought pillows and had a late lunch/early dinner, people go crazy for their meatballs, Hendrik included. When we crossed the Danish boarder we had to drastically reduce our speed and watched the dark clouds filled with water roll above us. It was going to rain, the question was when.
I had found a park on the internet where people are allowed to camp for free and progressively the GPS lead us through narrower and smaller roads until we reached a muddy unpaved road surrounded by a farm field. Hendrik who has always jumped to the opportunity to drive off road didn’t hesitate for a second and the wheels were pushing through the mud when I said, “won’t we get stuck?” We didn’t, but the road was a bumpy mess but shortly we entered a wooded area with a small parking lot. The continuing road was forbidden for cars so I suggested we set the tent up in a small clearing surrounded by trees steps away from the parking lot. We were able to set the tent up in the quickly dimming light right before it got too dark to do so comfortably.
The night was not pleasant, and I was far too paranoid waiting for the rain and thinking about road pirates to dose off into a long deep sleep. I kept hearing “footsteps” and waves of wind as it passed through the treetops forcing water to fall on our tent tricking me into thinking it was raining.

We were not too impressed with what Launceston had to offer.  We visited the Cataract Gorge, rode the chairlift, and went on a short hike.  It was nice but not worth going out of your way for it.  On our way back to Hobart, we stopped at two of the most adorable historic towns called Ross and Oatlands.  In Ross we stopped at a cute coffee shop and in Oatland we visited the historic windmill.  These stops made the drive to Hobart pleasant.

The Rough guide said that entering Hobart from any direction is exhilarating, which it is not.  It is a plain city with a boring skyline.  We went for a walk around 7:00 and it was totally dead, except for a few restaurants around the harbor which appeared to be where people went to have a nice dinner.

We drove to Coles Bay to go on the hike to Wineglass Bay Beach since it is not accessible by car and a small mountain has to be crossed. It was chilly outside so it was good hiking weather but not so good swimming weather.  We wanted to go swimming anyway, to say we did in Tazzie, but the water was freezing and we could only stay in for a few minutes.

After experiencing the views from the hike and the beach we did not want an experience of hunting for accommodation so we thought we better reserve something.  We found a pay phone in Coles Bay and I was parking when I backed right into a pole next to the road which had been in my blind spot.  Ironically it was the sign with parking rules.  It felt like a tiny bump so I didn’t think much of it, but when we looked at the back of the car, there was a gapeing hole right next to the bumper because with my luck I had pushed the plastic which was right next to the bumper and the bumper split the plastic.  The pole was fine.  We called Cosy Cabins and got a spa room.

Unfortunately, when we arrived in Launceston, the Cosy Cabins were rather dumpy cabins instead.  We were disappointed by the second half of our day and went out in search for an internet cafe.  We had forgotten that everything closed super early here, and so it was 7:00 and everything was closed.  At least there was a Coles supermarket which was open until midnight so we were able to buy some food for dinner.

The following day we went to explore Port Arthur during the day.  We went on the tour, saw a short play, and wandered around the ruins.  It is a very interesting historical site, and it is pretty amazing to learn about the unique convict history of Australia.

We spent about half a day there and then went to see the rock formations around Doo Town.  Doo Town is unique because every one of the houses has to be named and have the word “doo” in its name.  I found it amusing and made a nice collection of the names but that was the point – anything for tourism.

We went to see the sights such as, the  Remarkable cave (which was closed) Devil’s Kitchen and the Arch, but the most fascinating thing was the live echidna which was shuffling along the walking track.  We had only seen it in the animal parks before so it was a real treat to see it in real life.  The views were nice too but nothing that we thought was too spectacular.

We wanted to spend that night in Cole’s Bay so we could hike to the wineglass bay the next day but when we called the campsite, it already closed.  We decided to go to Bicheno instead, since it looked like a bigger town and we figured we’d have a better chance finding some place to stay there.  As we drove around the 3 streets of Bicheno we saw plenty of hotels and campsites but each one had a “no vacancy” sign.  We were getting worried, especially since we saw cars doing the same thing we were doing – going in and out of accommodation places.  We drove by one house, which was a bit out of town, (We were driving down every road imaginable) and it had a sign which said “vacancy.”  There was no one there, but there was a phone number.  Since it was literally our last hope we drove back to town to use a payphone, since we did not have any cell phone reception.  A lady did indeed say she had room and that she would meet us there ASAP.  We were relieved and raced back to the house which was called Harvey Farm Lodge.  The room was huge there was a kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a living room.  We couldn’t believe that in a town with literally no more places for people to sleep there was suddenly too much places for people to sleep.  The lady locked the other 2 bedrooms and the other bathrooms.  There was also Port, chocolates, and cookies which we could help ourselves to.  The lady then told us that if we were hungry and wanted dinner we better go ASAP since the one pub in town stopped serving food at 8 and all the stores had long closed.  We were confused at how a town overflowing with tourists had only one pub which stopped serving at 8 but we went ASAP and were able to order with 4 minutes to spare.  It was not even overly crowded as we had expected it to be so we had no idea where all these tourists were.

Every house in Doo Town, Tasmania, has the word “doo” in it. We took pictures of every sign we could see.

Road sign	Thistle Doo Me	Xana Do
Doo Mee	Wee Doo - Very Rarely	Doo Mix
Mal's Dooghouse	Yabba Dabba "Doo"	Wattle-I-Doo
Gunnadoo	Gunnadoo	Nickle Doo
Doo-Little	Dr. Doolittle	Doodle-Doo
Doo-Drop-Inn	Love Me Doo	Doo-ALL
AF-2-Doo	Much-A-Doo	Just Doo It
Doo F#@k All	Doo Love It	Sheil-Doo
Didgeri-Doo	Doo-N-Time	Doo Us
Make Doo	Rum Doo

We flew to Tasmania on one of the world’s worst Airlines, Tiger Airways, which seem to be in direct competition with Ryan Air for the worst service award in air service.  In Melbourne they have a separate terminal just for them, which is definitely no frills.  It’s an old hangar that was probably retired from housing planes so of course it is fit to be a terminal.  Everyone was doing the “Tiger Shuffle” which means that they unpacked all their bags and re-shuffled belongings in hopes they would pass the weight test.  Luckily, we were successful in our shuffle.  At least the plane brought us to Hobart in one piece.

We rented a car and drove to Richmond right away.  It is famous for housing Australia’s oldest bridge which is still in use, so of course it was a great thrill to drive over it (twice) and also for the oldest Roman Catholic Church, St. John, still in use.  It was a very cute town and both the church and bridge were very picturesque.  There we also visited Old Hobart Town, which is a model village of Hobart from 1820s.  It is fun because you can play a scavenger game in the village looking for certain things.

Then we drove to Port Arthur and on the way stopped to see the tessellated pavement at Eaglehawk Neck lookout.  It is pretty cool considering it is not man made.  We stayed in Stewarts Bay Lodge, which was very spacious and had a great view of the bay.  We wanted to make dinner, but the nearest grocery store was quite a drive away and did not have much food anyway.   Nevertheless, we scraped something together.

That night we went on the Port Arthur Ghost Tour.  The stories were entertaining and our guide was good, it just would have been better if the groups were half the size and if no flash photography was allowed.  We had one very avid photographer who kept flashing at everything, blinding us.  The tour is lead by candlelight so it was pretty dark and flashing was incredibly annoying.