This trip to Norway was sort of an impromptu decision, because I was actually planning to go somewhere else for the summer. I'm one who is constantly browsing and checking for cheap airfares to travel from. And this one time, while browsing through the internet, I came across this cheap air ticket to Oslo, Norway - so my husband and I both thought, why not. We picked a date to go on the 2nd day of Eid al-Fitr (July, 18th) just as an excuse so that we won't feel 'lonely & homesick' since we won't be celebrating Eid with our families back home (Yes, it was totally an excuse - I really wanted to go on this trip!) haha.

Upon arriving at the Oslo Rygge Airport, we took the Rygge-Ekspressen bus service to Oslo city centre which took approximately an hour. The bus service corresponds to most international (inbound and outbound) flights to Oslo, so the bus was already outside the airport when we got there. We got off at the Oslo Bus Terminal, and walked for about 10 minutes to our hotel (Comfort Hotel Xpress Youngstorget).

Our stay at the hotel was really pleasant and comfortable, not to mention their nice and friendly staff. The hotel has modern/contemporary designed interiors (room, lounge, lobby, etc.), and they also have an accessible rooftop space where we can just chill and enjoy the city view of Oslo; which is exactly what we did. :)

We had a good night's rest and packed our bags again in the morning ready for our city stroll around Oslo. While we were in walking around Oslo, the sun was beaming so brightly and it was so hot I even felt like we were in Malaysia!



 
...to the The Barcode Project.

When I was browsing through the internet for attractions around Oslo, I came across this Barcode Project. I was amazed at the beautiful modern architecture, where each building design is different from each other and yet they stand so perfectly next to one another.

The Barcode Project is a series of high-rise building that consist of apartments and retail spaces for boutiques and galleries. The design form of each individual building is generally long and narrow, with contemporary designed open spaces in between the buildings. The spaces between the buildings also serves the purpose for light penetration and to provide views from each building.


The open space in between individual buildings.
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After that, we went to...

The Oslo Opera House.






Interesting juxtaposition 'play-around' with modern interior designs.

I feel like Oslo nailed it with their remarkable architecture. The Opera House was so beautiful and yet looked so effortlessly designed - at least in my opinion. Kudos to Tarald Lundevall (the architect)!

Last but not least, before we had to head back to Oslo Central Station for our train to Stavanger later that day, we took a quick walk to the Oslo pier, where many cruise and boat rides depart from. We didn't have much time to spend in Oslo, so we decided to pass on the boat rides, but if interested, you can choose from the many options of the Oslo cruise that they offer, from Mini Cruise; to Fjord Sightseeing; to Pirate Cruise - bear in mind that most of them operate in Summer. See here for more info.