One of the amazing things about Oslo is how walkable the city is. On the map of a foreign city, places tend to look large and attractions far away from each other, but a quick visit to Google Maps, would reveal an estimate of travel time in minutes, and how close some places realistically are. Thank you, modern technology. (On the flipside, one time Google Maps told us a restaurant was a 4-minute walk away from us, when we actually just had to cross the street in a few seconds. It’s always best to use your eyes, no?) Everything was just so close. My friend Joahnna and I aren’t exactly gym rats, but all the walking during trips is the best and only cardio that we need. We were walking with a purpose, walking to explore a new place, walking to find inspiration.

I have no idea who this woman is, but she seems really happy, and I want to be like that every day. Or if I live to be a legend and someone would build a bronze statue of me, I’d want it to exude as much happiness as her, although maybe not as ladylike.

Simple, but beautiful Scandinavian packaging design.

Henrik Ibsen wearing a pop of color.

Stones and shadows on the Norwegian Parliament, right smack in the middle of the city.

Jo and I wanted to go on the river walk by torchlight, an annual event to celebrate the autumnal equinox, buuut we got lost. We saw the Oslo Opera House instead, and it’s a beauty at night. It was closed for a private function; I imagined how lovely it must have been to be inside.

Nobel Peace Prize winners

Norwegian beer to cap off a great trip