Friday, June 12, 2020

Days 6-7 of Northern Allure cruise on Oceania Riviera: Gothenburg (Sweden), Oslo - September 2-3, 2019


Trip Index
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The weather forecast for Gothenburg, Sweden was "scattered showers". I had made plans for this port, but it wasn't a must-do, so Kaleb and I ended up staying on board, a nice break from yesterday's adventures in Copenhagen. Had the weather been nicer, we would have made our way to town on the complimentary shuttle provided by Oceania, taken the #11 tram to Saltholmen, and boarded a ferry to visit the Southern Archipelago. Next time...

Another option would have been to visit the Volvo Museum, located next to the dock, but we weren't interested at the time.


view from our balcony

We enjoyed a nice buffet breakfast and lunch. By now, Kaleb and I had gotten used to having food served to us at each station. Once cruises start sailing again (as this post was written during the pandemic), buffets on the mainstream lines may need to transition to this style of service.

congee for breakfast
Day 6 lunch buffet menu

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, working out, and watching TV. Right before Oceania Riviera was to set sail, we heard music outside our balcony and saw a school band serenading the ship, similar to when Celebrity Millennium left Tokyo.




Tonight, we had our first specialty dinner at Red Ginger, which served Asian cuisine. (click on the link to find the rest of the menu, of which I seemed to have forgotten to take pictures) The place was pretty busy, even at 8pm. The dishes were flavorful and portioned well for a multi-course meal, though we still ended up with over-full stomachs. It was our favorite restaurant out of the four specialties we tried.

Red Ginger dinner menu page 1
Red Ginger dinner menu page 2
edamame starter
tom kha gai
spicy duck and watermelon salad
avocado lobster salad
seared salmon with scallop ceviche
crispy ginger calamari
Malaysian beef penaeng
bay scallop trilogy with udon noodles
bounty cake with matcha ice cream
steamed ginger cake

The next morning, Oceania Riviera arrived in Oslo, Norway. Today's plan was to take a ferry and spend the day in museums.


The morning started off a bit wet, but thankfully it cleared up not long after we disembarked the ship. It was a short walk to the ferry pier, passing by Oslo City Hall. It didn't look open, else we would have gone inside to see where the Nobel Peace Prize is annually awarded.

view of Akershus Fortress
City Hall

The Viking Ship Museum was a 10 minute walk from the ferry stop, through a residential neighborhood. It was fascinating to see these huge ships, knowing that they once sailed in the ocean, powered by wind and oarsmen.
regular iPhone X lens
with added wide-angle lens

The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History was a few blocks away. It was an "open air" museum, where you got to walk among and inside historic buildings. The Stave Church was impressive.

360 spherical photo inside the Stave Church, taken with the Ricoh Theta S: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Stave Church at Norwegian Museum of Cultural History - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

We took the ferry back downtown, returned to the ship and had a late lunch at Waves Grill.

view of Riviera from the ferry boat
Texan burger and reuben
dessert afterwards

Tonight was our shared reservation at Jacques, the French specialty restaurant. Our table consisted of four couples. The ambiance was elegant. There were several waiters serving us. Many past Oceania cruisers mentioned on the Cruise Critic website that Jacques was their favorite restaurant. The food was lovely, though I probably might have enjoyed it more if Kaleb and I had our own table.

Jacques dinner menu
Jacques dinner menu
amuse-bouche
fancy bread
escargots
braised oxtail salad
French onion soup
pumpkin soup
sole with lemon and capers
sauteed scallops
pre-dessert treats, hardly anyone touched
Jacques dessert menu
charlotte cecile and chocolate ice cream


The next two days, Oceania Riviera will stop in the Norwegian cities of Stavanger and Bergen...stay tuned!

(Missed the last entry about our stop in Copenhagen? Click here to catch up! Don't miss a single update - click here to have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)


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