Sometimes, for strange reasons, you end up in unexpected places. Like for instance, Oslo. University classes started a month ago, and with a part-time job on weekends, I'm basically tied to Barcelona for the next nine months. So before that, I wanted to travel somewhere. My first thought was Paris: I felt in love with the city years ago. Not for the Eiffel Tower or the Champes Elysees, but for the crêperies and bakeries on every corner, the coffe shop tables and chairs outside always facing the street - you may feel a little bit observed, but you get used to it - and its more anonymous streets and places.
The problem? I suck at planning, so a friend of mine and I started to look for rooms and plane tickets two weeks before leaving. Obviously, there were very few rooms left in Paris. That is, unless you want to pay five hundred euros the night or sleep with cocreaches. So we started to consider other destinations: Rome, Florence, Venice, London, York, Manchester...and Oslo. The rooms were extremely cheap - even though they turned out really clean and nice - and the plane ticket was a bargain, so in half an hour our trip was decided.
There are no Eiffel Tower or Champe Elysees in Oslo, but neither of us missed them. The whole city is like a turists attraction...with the plus of having actually very few tourists. And if you ever visit the city, trust me: cycling is the way to go. It's faster than walking, but you actually get to see its beautiful streets and amazing parks. Oh, and cows and sheeps.
Did I already say cows and sheeps? Yep, and just five km away from the center, as well as beautiful forests...with perfectly clean toilettes in the middle of it. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is Norway.
