Rain, Racing, and a Giant Pig Knuckle: Oslo’s Indoor Adventure Day

We kicked off the day like we have every morning in Oslo—with breakfast under the glass ceiling at our hotel on Karl Johan gate. It’s become our little routine and a calm way to start each day, especially before a big outing.

This time, we took the tram all the way across town to the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology (Norsk Teknisk Museum)—a total win for a rainy day. Four floors of hands-on exhibits kept us exploring for nearly four hours. There was a life-sized dollhouse, a music studio where the girls jammed on drums and played piano, and a car racing track where Aurie got to test her speed. They also physically raced each other, made short films, practiced CPR, and played all sorts of brain games. It was nonstop learning disguised as fun.

About halfway through, we paused for lunch at the museum café—mostly pastries and coffee, just enough to keep us going.

After we’d explored every floor, we took the tram back to the hotel for some downtime. Luckily, the rain cleared up in the evening, so we took a nice walk to dinner at Den Glade Gris (which translates to The Happy Pig). True to its name, it’s known for traditional Norwegian food—and especially for its famous pig knuckle. Chris and I split one, and it definitely lived up to the hype. The girls opted for fresh fish and chips, which were also a hit.

We weren’t quite done yet. After dinner, we walked back to Karl Johan gate for dessert at Paradis Gelateria, which is rated as the best gelato in Oslo. Safe to say, it earned the title.

We ended the day with a quiet game of War on our hotel balcony, looking out over the busy street below. A perfect mix of energy, culture, food, and family time—even with the rain.