Backdate: Norway, Sweden, Finland Nov - Dec 2025 Day 1 & 2

27/11/25 Thurs: PotaTOHs embark on our second trip to Europe after Iceland! I remembered seeing XY go on this package with LGE Travel in 2024, so I asked her about it and after researching and enquiring with the agency myself, we paid S$11,958 upfront for the 13D and 12N Let's Go Winter Aurora Lapland, Finland and Norway Lofoten + 2N Oslo free day package. We also paid an extra Euro 400 per pax (service fee, hotel city tax, Ranua Wildlife Park and domestic flight airport tax for Europe side), as well as Euro 189 per pax for the optional activity: Tallinn cruise with onboard buffet dinner. *Arctic ice fishing was cancelled because the ice was not thick enough when we were there.* HL Assurance's travel insurance for two was S$146.46, and esim4u's two esim of 1GB daily for 15 days costed us $30.3.

We took a Grab to Changi T1 row 3 by 5.15pm for our Doha flight QR 945 that was scheduled for departure at 8.25pm. Took our tickets from LGE's representative, checked in our luggage and we went to have dinner at Marhaba Lounge at 6pm. *was still checking in on the hospitalised dad's condition with mum there* I also had one sip of Expresso at 7+pm and probably regretted it because I couldn't sleep till 4+am! The 8h+ flight departed on time and there's his first mode of entertainment haha~

All I know was almost everyone seated in the same area were from LGE Travel group haha... not that we knew Anthony and Gracie then, who were seated one row before us. When it came to meal time, all that was left was vegetarian and beef hor fun, so I asked for the former. The stewardess then came back saying they ran out of vegetarian too! I said I won’t have anything in that case, but the desserts and fruits then before she later came back with a chicken rice set lol! The rice tasted good on it’s own, but the teriyaki chicken was too salty. 

We arrived at 11.35pm at Doha airport, which was 4+ am in Singapore. The airport's interior resembled Gardens by the Bay haha. We waited for about two hours till our next flight QR 179 to Oslo at 1.25am. It was damn hard to fall asleep on the 7h flight because we got the last row and seats were not reclinable haiz... 腰酸背痛man~

28/11/25 Fri: Touched down Oslo airport at 6.15am, and the immigration alone already took us an hour, till we're finally at the lobby at 8am or so where we saw our tour guide Kee and a few of our tour group mates. We walked out of the airport to feel the cold, but it was surprisingly not too cold. Kee said it’s a warm 6 to 8 degrees celcius this morning!

Probably one thing we were not too happy right before the trip was the fact that Kee informed us just a night before our departure that our itinerary was arranged in such a way we have a free and easy day after we arrive, so we could either choose to wait to check in at 4pm or so, or pay another Euro 55 per pax to join in the Oslo city tour he'd bring us to and fro. There was practically nothing nearby our hotel near the airport, so both of us opted into the city tour... which was not bad it turned out.

Drove to Scandic Airport Hotel, where we'd spend two nights in, at 8.30am to put our luggage in the lounge before our 9am bus ride to Oslo city centre. *There were residual snow around and the temperature was really quite comfortable! Kee said they were down to -28 degrees celcius at Lapland one of the days earlier omg~* 

Nice sunrise. It took us 50 minutes or so to reach the city centre, and our first stop was at Vigeland Park. The sculpture park is Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland's life work, comprising over 200 sculptures in granite, bronze and wrought iron. It was installed mainly in the period 1940-1949.

We spent an hour or so here. PotaTOHs walked away from the main bridge and saw this statue of a boy doing铁头功haha~

There's the famous Angry boy according to Kee. It was quite peaceful there and the scenery looked very much like it was autumn... beautiful.

At 11.15am, we visited the Oslo Opera House… and because the wind was so strong, we were freezing and walked in not to admire the interior but to shelter from the cold lol.

The interior reminded me of NTU’s hives for some reason. And those seagulls out there were huge. After half an hour, we left for the City hall building and arrived half an hour later. It was where they present the Nobel Prize Peace award in December yearly.

We walked over to the Christmas market. *S$25 or so for a ride?* Kee allowed us to go for our own lunches and PotaTOHs decided on Peppe's Pizza across the street at 12.45pm. 

The white sauce Alfredo pizza (248 nok) not bad. Buffalo wings (135 nok) even better! He enjoyed his 500ml lager (155 nok) too~ Bill came up to 538 nok, which was S$68.89. Like Kee said, prices are steeper in Norway than most other Europe countries. 

After an hour of lunch, we walked back to the Amusement park, and walked the Christmas market. I guess it just feels different in a Christmas market in Europe haha.

There were cured salmon, donuts ( one for S$5 or so), sausages, hot wine, chocolate green apples etc snacks and drinks along the stretch. We were not too hungry (just cold hence I warmed my hands~), so we decided to walk up to the Royal Palace at the end.

The sunset was amazing isn't it!? The stretch was quieter too compared to the main city centre, and we took our time to observe the guards in front of the royal palace before walking back.

PotaTOHs tried the Glogg (60 nok, S$7.68), a blackcurrant, apple cider and ginger drink of theirs... tasted warm and sour, but good in winter!

It was 4pm or so when the sun has set above. It was an hour of bus ride back to Scandic Hotel at 5pm because of peak-hour jam. We were given room 454 and ate dinner which we took away from the Christmas market and their Macdonalds.

We ate McCrispy burger (101 nok, S$12.93) and moose meat burger (214 nok, S$27.4) at 6+pm. The former was meh and the latter was gamey and tough, albeit the dressing was not bad, but it's an experience anyway. Very tired so we slept at 8+pm haha.