Summer boating on the Oslo Fjord in Norway

July 27, 2010

The Oslo Fjord, crowned by the capital of Norway, is an inlet of the Skagerrak bay, stretching inland from the North Sea towards Øresund in Sweden and the Baltic Sea. A “Fjord” is normally formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock and many such valleys were formed during the recent ice age. In spite of its name, the Oslo Fjord is not a fjord in the geological sense, but it still is wide range of waterways.
This Fjord has an impressive archipelago of islands, which in summer becomes the city’s favoured playground and since the in-laws from the US are visiting, we wanted them to have a taste and luckily enough we have good friends with a cabin and a boat on the Fjord. They were kind enough to give us a whole day to explore and we gladly take you along:
Summer boating on the Oslo Fjord #14

Oslo is situated in an amphitheatre-like setting, with the city centre in the bottom close to the Oslo fjord, and residential areas stretching uphill from there in all directions. Behind the residential areas, the forested area extends, with flora and fauna that is quite extraordinary for a city of this size (click all pics to bigify & enjoy):

Enough facts and on to our round trip with the boat – I guess photos show more than a thousand words:

^{Recreational, don’t you think?}

^{A lot of nice beaches on the islands and shores.}

Tourist highlights:

^{Above & Below: Oslo harbour at the City Hall}

^{Above & Below: The new Oslo Opera House}

Summer boating on the Oslo Fjord #13
^{Bygdøy island with e.g. Maritime and the Viking ship museum.}

Some curiosities:

^{Above: Light Houses – Below: House boat}

Moose are commonplace (easily spotted in winter), and the whole of the capital is part of Norway’s wolf reserve (even if they rarely come here). We did not see any moose that day, but on the island by our friend’s cabin, we saw this cute deer:

A culinary end:

Summer boating on the Oslo Fjord #24
The day was finished off with a delicious dinner of grilled pork loin, baked potatoes and salads. We were incredibly lucky to have good friends willing to share their cottage and boat and help us give a perfect summer Norwegian experience while my wife’s family was visiting. We will soon be moving on to Sweden, and then across the Norwegian mountains to Bergen. So keep checking in for a look at the fantastic Nordic summertime.

16 thoughts on “Summer boating on the Oslo Fjord in Norway”

It all looks great! I took a trip in the Oslo fjord during my last trip to Norway a couple of years ago and had a fabulous time, even though no one offered to share their cottage and boat with me. You’re making me very jealous!

Great shot of the Opera house from the water – it really looks like an iceberg when you see it from that angle.

I love your photos! I’ve been to the viking ship museum. The water looks so inviting but it’s probably freezing. I’m sure your wife’s family felt so welcome.

Boats and waterways and I’m a happy camper. This is pretty much what I do every single weekend almost year round. It’s a wonderful way to spend your time.

Thanks for taking all of us along. Very nice trip indeed and I’m guessing that your wife’s family are very happy and entertained.

Have a terrific day. Big hug to you both. :)