Midnatsol Live Voyage Report – Day 8

An Afternoon in Oslo, Norway

Our SAS Boeing 737-700 arrives in Kirkenes to whisk us to Oslo. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

My remarkable Norwegian cruise-tour aboard Hurtigruten’s Midnatsol drew to a close on Wednesday as I awoke in the Kirkenes Snow Hotel after a very cool (literally and figuratively) night’s sleep. As I stepped outside, with only the sounds of snow crunching under my boots and huskie’s barking in the distance, I found it tough to believe that in just three hours’ time, I would be at Kirkenes-Hoybuktmoen Airport waiting for my flight to Oslo.

Morning at the Kirkenes Snow Hotel. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

At 9am, the majority of us were transferred from the Snow Hotel back to the Rica Arctic Hotel, where we collected our luggage and waited for the second part of our transfer, a motorcoach that would take us from the hotel to the airport.

Seen on the walk from the Snow Hotel to the bus. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

The transfer arrived at 10am and for those of us – including myself – who were booked on Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight 4473 to Oslo, our 11:30 am departure time loomed close at hand. However, this is a very small airport, and SK4473 happens to be the only flight out to Oslo.

Upon arrival at 10:15am at Kirkenes-Hoybuktmoen, I went in and used the self-service checkin machines to print my boarding pass and luggage tag. At the bag-drop counter, SAS agents were also kind enough to check me in and print boarding passes for my Oslo-Frankfurt and Frankfurt-Vancouver flights, which I really appreciated as they were still more than a day away.

It’s all outdoors: Kirkenes Airport is very small, and check-in was a breeze. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

There are no jet bridges at the airport, so we were treated to the unique experience of boarding a Boeing 737-700 via air stairs in the midst of a small snowstorm.

Because there is only one daily flight to Oslo from Kirkenes, most North American guests will have to overnight somewhere along the way, and for me the obvious place to stop was for a night in Norway’s capital city of Oslo.

Oslo Gardermoen Airport. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

SAS got me into Oslo-Gardermoen Airport just before 1:30pm. They didn’t lose my luggage, and our on-time departure and arrival were fantastic.  But this is the second time I’ve flown SAS (the first being in 2011), and the second time I’ve been disappointed. While our 737-700 was brand-new, the seats look and feel like they’ve been repurposed from an old MD-82, as they still have ashtrays and “old-school” audio controls for an audio system that isn’t installed.

Unlike most European airlines, only coffee and tea are provided free of charge. Soft drinks, water, and alcohol will run you from 25 NOK and up, with beer and a sandwich costing nearly 100 NOK, or about $15. The snappy, unfriendly service is provided free of charge.

Taking the Flytoget train into Oslo Sentralstajson. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

Now, maybe I’ve just got SAS on two bad days, but I somehow doubt that. With no competition on the Kirkenes-Oslo run, maybe they just don’t need to try all that hard. There’s nothing offensive about the airline, but nothing special about them, either. They’ll get you to where you’re going, safely, but that’s about all.

On a more positive note, I love Oslo Gardermoen airport, and on my journey I stayed at the Radisson BLU Oslo Airport located just meters from the airport entrance. Check-in was fast, friendly and efficient, and even though I had arrived at 2pm, my room was already ready for me.

My room at the Radisson BLU Oslo Airport. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

With a 6:30am flight to Frankfurt the next day, staying out near the airport was the right thing to do. But I was still able to go exploring in Oslo on Wednesday afternoon thanks to the efficient Flytoget highs-speed train service that whisks passengers from Gardermoen Airport to Oslo Sentralstasjon in about 20 minutes. At 170 NOK ($30) each direction it’s not cheap, but it is more economical than a taxi.

Then, I simply wandered.

Shops along Karl Johnsons Gate. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

I made my way up Karl Johnsons Gate, Oslo’s main shopping district, from the station to the grand Royal Palace, and from there over to the Akershus Castle overlooking Oslo’s ice-laden harbour, where numerous Baltic ferries were cautiously making their way in and out.

Approaching the Royal Palace in Oslo. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

It was a fantastic contrast to the extreme north of the country. When people in places like Kirkenes or Honningsvag talk about a disconnect between the North and the South, a visit to Oslo – with its abundant amenities, museums, shops, and even Burger King’s – makes the starkness of some of Northern Norway’s smallest towns all that much more apparent.

A Wintery Oslo, Norway! Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

In the end, my stay in Oslo was a brief but perfect end to my journey through the beautiful country of Norway with Hurtigruten; a country that I long to return to, and which I still have not even scratched the surface of.

One of Oslo’s most recongizable buildings. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

People have told me I’ll have to go back to Norway in the summer to compare the two, but frankly, the Norwegian winter has a hold on me. It is like the Norwegian people – tough, resilient, warm, inviting, and very mysterious.

It is a journey that has to be experienced to believed.

The rear of the Akershus Castle. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

Oslo Harbour. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

An Afternoon in Oslo. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

Our Live Voyage Report about Hurtigruten’s Midnatsol has sadly come to a close. Stay tuned for our full Voyage Recap coming on Monday here on From the Deck Chair!