Oslo: Fjord Cruise Aboard Jomfruen

Thursday, 14 July (Part II)

Following a circuitous route of our own creation, which gave us a peek into Oslo neighborhoods where the residents were going about business as usual, we walked from Vigelandsparken (post here) to Rådhusbrygge (City Hall Wharf). This is where our “jello-plans” jiggled again. Instead of touring the fortress overlooking Oslo Harbor as planned, we decided to take a sightseeing cruise in Oslofjorden (Oslo Fjord) to make the most of the beautiful summer afternoon.

Google Maps image with the inset showing Oslofjorden opening to the North Sea;
our cruise was pretty much in the area at the head of the fjord (circled in red).

There are a variety of companies offering sightseeing cruises in the fjord. Some include a meal; some don’t. Some are two hours in length; others are longer. Since our time was limited, we settled on a two-hour cruise with Båtservice. That they had a wallet-friendly 20% off offer on their 3:45p sailing was a factor in our decision. (Otherwise, NOK245 = $45/person + tax)

Our cruise was aboard the S/S Jomfruen (Virgin), a double-masted sailing vessel that was built in 1917. Originally a merchant vessel that traded along the Western Norwegian coastline, the Jomfruen went through a comprehensive reconstruction in 1984 that pretty much changed her original design.

Ready for an afternoon on the water.

The 63-passenger vessel sailed with maybe half that many people aboard. With most of the passengers opting to sit on the deck above the cabin, we only had a few people with whom to share the main deck. There was hardly any breeze and we were comfortable in shirt sleeves as the ship slowly moved away from the pier to make its way along the coastline, weaving through the maze of islands and inlets of the upper fjord.

We have a table to ourselves.

At the bow of the Jomfruen with Rådhuset (City Hall) behind me.

I’m just going to let some of the photographs I took take you along on the idyllic cruise that we enjoyed … with just an occasional explanatory caption.

Akerhus Slott (Castle) was built in 1299 on the orders of King Håkon V.
(above and below)

Toasting the Fram Museum; we hope to spend time there tomorrow.

Dyna Fyr (Lighthouse) was built in 1874.

Back in the day, these bath houses, located in secluded coves, stood empty during
the winter. They made ideal places for smugglers to stash the alcohol they brought
into the city during Norway’s prohibition years (1916-1927).

Fondly known by the locals as the Church Lighthouse, Heggholmen Fyr dates back to 1824.
It is the oldest lighthouse in Oslofjorden.

We had a terrific afternoon on the water and don’t regret for a minute the last minute change we made to our sightseeing plans. If we have time tomorrow, we’ll try to sneak in a stop at the castle. If not, there’s always next time.

After our fjord cruise, we wandered around the downtown area for a while. The people-watching opportunities were great. Once again, we couldn’t decide on where to have dinner. Several of the places that appealed to us had a waiting list already and we were too hungry to wait around for a table. So, we did what we saw many of the locals do — we stopped at one of the “grillpolse” (hot dog) stands that are available everywhere you look, picked up a couple to-go, and treated ourselves to another al fresco meal in the park. Dessert this time was a shared chocolate bar.

It was 7:30p when we returned to the hotel. Pleasantly drained; feet screaming for some relief from all the walking we did today. That’s OK; they will rest tonight and be ready to go again tomorrow :-)