Though there we buses, shuttles, and taxis queued up as we disembarked from the overnight cruise we decided to walk to our hotel.
Our hotel was located in the Byporten (City Gate) Shopping Mall. Since we'd only be spending one night in Oslo, this was the perfect location as it was next door to the Central Train Station, with direct service to the airport.
Upon completing the twenty-five minute walk from the cruise ship terminal, we arrived at the train station and Byporten. We knew it when we were greeted by this fellow.
"Tiger City" (Tigerstaden) is Oslo's nickname and this statue stands proudly in the square in front of Østbanehallen and the Train Station. We quickly stored our bags….we were too early for check-in and headed out. 
The main street of Oslo's downtown area is Karl Johans Gate, which stretches from the train station to the Royal Palace. We decided to check out the National Gallery as it held a painting that both the Missus and I wanted to see.
Along the way we passed the Oslo Cathedral, which was built in 1697.
It is actually Oslo's third cathedral; the first was abandoned when King Christian IV decided to move the city west to be within the protected confines of Akershus Fortress. The second was completed in 1639, only to burn down fifty years later.
One of the things that caught our eye was this carving.
I later read that this corner stone is a thousand years old. It was taken from Oslo's first cathedral and placed here when the church was being built.
We peeked in the door and were welcomed in, but didn't spend much time as it was Sunday and there were services being held.
Across the way is the public square known as Stortorvet. The statue of Christian IV hovers above the square.
From there the boulevard turns into a mass of chain stores and such for a while.
Until you get to the long stately boulevard that leads to the Royal Palace.
On this day there was a lively Christmas Market right on the main street.
You couldn't help but stop at the skating rink and watch parents teaching the children how to skate….not always successfully…..
But quite charming nonetheless.
On our way to the National Gallery we took a wrong turn and ended up looking at this huge building. Turns out it's Oslo's City Hall.
A quick note; this is where the Nobel Peace Prize is presented every 10th of December. There's also supposed to be some really nice art pieces, but we needed to get to our destination.
A quick turn back and past the National Theatre.
We found the National Gallery. There are quite a number of famous works here….but of course we came to see….
The Scream by Edvard Munch. There's something so compelling about this work…panic, fear, anxiety…. To quote Munch himself:
"I was walking along the road with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature."
There was one other work that really made an impact on us. It is entitled, "A Sick Girl", by Christian Krohg. It is a painting of a young lady dying of tuberculosis. The painting is so realistic….you meet the stare of the child who seems to look right through you. You see suffering, you see fear, you see the rose in the grasp of the girl slowly falling apart. Whoa…. heavy stuff.
We headed back to our hotel to see if we could check in. On the way back, as we walked past the historic Grand Hotel.
The hotel's restaurant, the Grand Café is pretty well known, once the hang out of intelligentsia and the elite, it just seemed a nice place to stop for some coffee so we stepped in.
The service is not overly formal, though there's definitely an old world vibe to the place. As you can easily tell by the folks having lunch and coffee when we arrived.
There's a famous mural showing some of the cafe's famous clientele (the "Kristiania Bohemians"), like Munch and Henrik Ibsen.
The Café actually closed down in 2015, but was reopened in 2016 with some modern touches….which probably included the open kitchen.
The menu seemed quite interesting so we decided to have a nice snack in addition to our coffee.
Starting with the Pork Cracklins with Parsley and Black Truffle Sauce.
The pork cracklins were very light and crisp and not greasy in the least. The sauce was on the weaker side in terms of truffle flavor; but we loved the way it coated the pork skins. Which tasted just fine on their own as well.
We also had the Horse Carpaccio.
While I wasn't sure what to make of the plantain chips; this truly isn't what I'd call a Nordic ingredient; the horse was cold, clean tasting, a hint of sweetness to it and very tender. The light mustard and sesame dressing really brought out a savory element in the dish. The carpaccio was wrapped around some lightly crisp, yet very tender salsify, which added another layer of a distinct taste to things. It's hard to describe the flavor. It's not parsnip, but almost slightly savory-briney in a way. This was really lovely! 
The service was excellent; not overly stuffy, but quite professional. The prices aren't cheap, but we'd gladly return. There's a kind of casual elegance and refinement that a storied history brings….though I'm very much the uncouth visitor.
Grand Café
Karl Johans Gate 31
Oslo, Norway
The snack was perfect as it held us until dinner and fueled us for the walk back to our hotel. Our room was ready when we returned. After not getting much sleep the night before, even the coffee we had with lunch couldn't keep us awake. It was time for a short nap. Then we'd head out for dinner. This time, the Missus had chosen the place.
Thanks for reading!
It's still a favorite of mine. The plump shrimp, the buttery-slightly sweet brioche like lobster roll. A hint of garlicness….. There's a bit of spice as well. Kind of on the messy-rich side; but a nice guilty pleasure for me during a tough week.
