This was a nearly perfect day, thanks to great weather and my dear friend Cheryl. Since we missed our overnight ferry ride from Copenhagen to Oslo, we decided a boat tour of the Oslo fjord would not be too corney, and it would be nice to see Oslo from the water. I also had not yet been to Akerbrygga, though on one of my days walking around the town I was not far from it, as it turned out.
Akerbrygga is a seafront area with restaurants, cafes, shopping, a cool museum, and some beach areas. Now don’t think sand as soft as butter that goes on for miles. This is not Florida. Just as any small spot of green along the west coast provides a footing for a town, an expanse 20 yards wide of rock and sand sloping gently to the water passes for a beach to be enjoyed by young and old, with or without swimwear.
The boat trip around the islands in the fjord was really lovely. People were in a joyful mood, as the weather was perfect, it was a holiday weekend, and it is not quite the high tourist season. Life in the harbor was busy, but not overcrowded. I was impressed with the speed of the brave sea kayakers, who paddled nearly as quickly as the tour boats motored. Cheryl and I were a bit intemperate in the amount of sun we got, but held ourselves to a single glass of wine on the boat. I was happy to see the Oslo Opera House from the harbor; it is a wonderful piece of architecture (a note on the opera I saw there last week at another time).