April 23rd was a day that Oslo opened its doors to citizens and tourists alike to experience the Norwegian culture. This is an event that happens every year to encourage everyone to immerse themselves culturally. The best part . . . it’s FREE. The holy grail of the typical college student.

Numerous museums, attractions, and various other locations participate by allowing free entry into their spaces. Taking advantage of this event, a group of friends and I set off to the Norsk Folk Museet (“Norwegian folk museum”). Here we were able to experience what it was like to be a Norwegian villager back in the Viking era! From the housing, to the farms, to the exploratory ships and food, we were able to jump back in time (for an hour or so ;D) and relieve the lifestyle.

With the pass given, we were also able to visit the Kon-Tiki Museum:

“The museum was originally built to house the Kon-Tiki, a raft of balsa wood of pre-Columbian model that Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl used to sail from Peru to Polynesia in 1947. Another boat in the museum is the Ra II, a vessel built of reeds according to Heyerdahl’s perception of an ancient Egyptian seagoing boat. Heyerdahl sailed the Ra II from North Africa to the Caribbean after a previous attempt with the reed boat Ra failed.”

as well as the Maritime Museum:

“Its exhibits on coast culture and maritime history include boat models, fishing, marine archeology, marine paintings, ship building, and shipping. The video “Maritime Norway” by Ivo Caprino and a library are also a part of the museum experience.”

By and by, this was a fun day of culture experience!