All packed we set off early for the airport knowing from past experience it can take a while to get the bike checked in. Arrived at the Emirates counter with our fully laden bags to find that no matter how sweetly we smiled we either needed to offload 10kg of excess baggage or be slugged a whopping $108AUD per excess kg (yes that’s over a thousand dollars!). So in the middle of an absolutely packed airport we opened our cases, put on several more layers of clothing and binned the heaviest things that could be replaced for under $1000. Fronting back up to the counter we were still .5kg over- we held our breath and looked pathetic and thankfully they let us through. After an extensive pat down in a side room because for an indeterminable reason after removing watch, jewellery shoes and anything else that can be removed in public, I still set the security clickers beeping, we finally got to our gate just as the plane was boarding. So much for extra time…..
So, despite the somewhat stressful exit our flight gave us plenty of time to reflect on the last few weeks.

David and I both agree this was a trip of a lifetime. We met and travelled with lovely people. While we were on a self directed tour and rode individually, we had a number of tour buddies doing the same route- it was lovely to get to know them and have people to swap stories with each evening.

Most awesome experiences:
– seeing the midnight sun
-cycling above the snow line
– the tunnels (riding through rather than over the mountains)
-nature at its most majestic- incredible scenery (especially the ferry through the fjords)
-the enthusiasm, friendliness and kindness of the Norwegian people

Our biggest challenges:
-the tunnels (awesome but terrifying)
– the rain (again), although we were better prepared on this trip so it wasn’t such an issue
-airline handling of our bike (every time we fly they damage something)

What would we do differently:
– take less luggage (yes, even though we travelled lean we still didn’t wear everything)
– we think we are ready for a longer ride (felt like our tour ended just when we had hit our boot straps)
– vigorously explore renting a tandem
What have we learnt
– the greatest challenges can lead to the most interesting and amazing experiences.
-we are better at problem solving than we thought
– we need to do this as often as possible for as long as we can pedal.

Final two days of holidays in Oslo working our way through the Lonely Planet ‘must sees’. It has taken a while to settle in to being city tourists after so much time out in the countryside- and our days were hampered by (very) heavy rain.

Overall liked Oslo – although not quite as walkable or attractive as Stockholm, but easy to get around on PT- although we were seen to nab a couple of taxis in moments of downpour.

Our favourites were:
Vigeland Sculpture park in Frognerparken.: This was my absolute fave for Oslo. The sculptures depicting the circle of life and family relationships were so moving- and the scale of the park amazing. All people, men, women, children young and old were totally naked (that is the statues not the tourists).Number one on our list by far.

Akershus Fortress, built in 1299. While the fortress buildings are not as majestic as others I’ve seen, the many little museums within were well worth a visit- and a great way to spend a few sightseeing hours when it pours with rain (which we are discovering it often does in Oslo)

Astrup Fearnley Musset – the museum of contemporary art was interesting but definitely challenged our definition of art. A different ‘take’ on contemporary art, works ranged from whacky (e.g., a painting of a penis hugging dog) to grotesque (e.g., a bisection of a cow and calf) – all very metaphorical – Which (I’m sorry all you creative family members) mostly went straight over the top of my head.

Did our best to visit the opera house, which is a really interesting structure- designed to resemble a glacier going down to the water’s edge – which I imagine is even more effective in the winter. Ordinarily you can climb the roof- however the whole area was closed off (looks like security for some sort of official function), so it will have to wait until next time.

Favourite cafes:
Didn’t eat out much in Oslo as our hotel included breakfast and dinner- which was a real find, as eating out is Incredibly expensive in Norway. We did have a couple of lunch faves though….
Skansen – old style pub down near the fortress- seafood chowder TO DIE FOR

Cathederal cafe – set among the outer cloisters of the Oslo Cathedral – great coffee, can sit outside under cover and watch the world go by (we frequented here to hide from bouts of rain).

Just spent a couple of hours packing and are now all ready to head home tomorrow. Bags a little overweight, but hopefully Emirates will be kind to us.