Hey guys! This morning, I woke up in Norway. The first port of call of our cruise was Oslo! After breakfast, I hopped off of the ship to explore Akershus Fortress.

From Akershus, we just walked into town. Oslo is a very cool city; I love how the buildings are an eclectic mix of contemporary architecture and historic buildings!

Then we saw Thor’s hammer! My sister and dad are huge Marvel fans, so they absolutely loved seeing this statue in town.

My parents saw a Helly Hansen store and wanted to have a look around, so we all shopped there for a little while. I found a coral-colored rain jacket that I loved, and it’s perfect for the weather here… I mistakenly thought that summer in Scandinavia would be a bit warmer and did not pack as many layers as I should have, so this jacket is going to be a lifesaver for me! I’m sure I’ll be wearing it some photos later in the trip for you to see.

Pictured below is the Oslo Opera House. Before heading over to see it, we just sat by the water and had some snacks. It was nice to sit for a few minutes to enjoy the view. Oslo is such a beautiful city.

Once our bellies were full, we walked over to the Opera House, which is so neat because people can climb it! This was a very cool opportunity, as I’ve never climbed a building before and never expected to 😉 Anyway, the view from the top of the Opera House is stunning. The Opera House serves as a lookout point for the whole city and offers panoramic views of the city center to the water. It was breathtaking (that may have also been because it was so windy up there!).

We climbed down the Opera House and headed back into the town to experience more of Oslo.

We reached the city center and trekked up the hill to the Royal Palace.

Soon, it was about time to head back to the ship. On our way back to port, we saw the Nobel Peace Center.

We headed into the Cruise Terminal to purchase some souvenirs and went aboard the ship. We then set sail and are now off to Kristiansand — another town in Norway and our second port of call.

Dinner tonight was at Carioca’s, one of the three sit-down dining locations aboard the Magic. Each night, our dinner rotates between three restaurants, so this was our first time at Carioca’s since it was only the second night of our cruise. The food was very good!

The evening was ours after dinner, so my sister and I explored the ship. We watched Greta Salome, the violinist aboard, perform on the main deck of the ship. She played themes from Disney films, such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Frozen. Greta is a great violinist, and I hope to hear her perform again before the cruise is finished.

My sister & I explored the ship a little more before bed and also met Donald and Daisy Duck.

Now, we are off to Kristiansand, Norway. I can’t wait to explore more of Norway tomorrow — it’s a beautiful country!

See you tomorrow!

Love,

Yael