Hello from Oslo!

Hi Everyone,

I survived the boat! Actually it wasn't too unpleasant. I'm not sure if that was mainly because of the meds, but I learned that my journey from Helsinki to Stockholm is just a rough patch of ocean, no matter how good the weather is. Harold was happy to have pancakes for breakfast, and look out the window of the boat as we cruised into Oslo.

After stowing my luggage at the train station, I set out for a bit of sightseeing at the Oslo Cathedral. I really liked the three-dimensional carving of the last supper behind the altar.

I checked into my Airbnb, and had a bit of time to relax and help Harold update his Instagram (I'm not the only one behind on posting), before getting ready for the opera.

The Oslo Opera House is designed to resemble an iceberg emerging from the ocean. It's incredibly modern, and the sloped sides that lead up to the roof are also used seating for outdoor concerts.

The opera I saw was Marriage of Figaro, and it didn't disappoint! Like at La Scala, you have a subtitle screen in front of you and you can choose the language of your subtitles. What I love about European opera houses is how deep the stage is; it allows for some really unique staging. In this case is was the floor of the stage dropping out, while a rotating platform slowly moved the scenery to the front of the stage. The setting really did look like a 17th century house, and I love how they had servants always hovering around, trying to listen in on the secrets taking place in each room. The Opera house is designed to have excellent acoustics, and you can tell, because everything sounds amazing. While all the singers were excellent, my favorite was the Countess, she was an excellent casting choice and in my opinion stole the show. I'm glad that I purchased a fancy program, because it has wonderful photos of the show, and is a fantastic souvenir.