Yup - this is one of my booking goofs. But who knew there were two Oslo, Norway international airports? Here are the details (that I learned the hard way):
- Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, since 1998 the main airport serving Oslo
- Oslo Airport, Fornebu, the main airport from 1939 to 1998
OK - I missed the announcement about this "new" airport that opened in 1998, and we did travel there 11 years later in 2009 and maybe I did not research it well enough. Travel time between the two airports via bus - 2 hours. One hour from Fornebu to downtown Oslo, to pick up yet another bus to get to Gardermoen Airport. But both are considered Oslo International Airport.
Here is the problem. We were arriving into Oslo at 10:00 PM and I booked a hotel right next door to the airport - within walking distance. Great plan until we landed at the Fornebu Airport and then had to travel 2 hours to get to the Gardermoen airport - just to sleep!!! We arrived at 1:00 AM in time to get an aquavit and an open shrimp/cucumber sandwich. The rest of the Norway trip was great and we decided to fly out of Fornebu Airport because the cost of changing our outbound flight would have been ridiculous. You see - it costs money to be stupid!
We got on the bus and we explained that we had to make our way to the Garrmoen airport - he calmed said "Ah, wrong Oslo airport, eh?" The driver claims this happens regularly and mused that maybe Norway should do something about this naming problem. Ya think?
Later - highlights on the train ride between Oslo and Bergen and the wonderful low key cruise on a freighter up to North Cape, Norway. Great experiences and beautiful, beautiful scenery.
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