Michi Photostory

Sharing my Oslo blog posts for reference. 

We were able to save money during our Oslo trip because we did not purchase Oslo Pass. We just visited the FREE ADMISSION tourist attractions that were open during Holy Week. In addition, we also saved money on transportation because we explored Oslo city on foot. We stayed at Cochs Pensjonat which is just 20 minutes walk from the center and about 2km walk from Oslo Central Station. 

Our third day in Oslo fell on Good Friday so the majority of the tourist spots, shops, and restaurants were already closed. Good thing that there are still tourist spots that we can visit like Frogner Park and Vigeland Sculpture Park which is open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. 

According to Google maps, the park is about 4 minutes away by car and 35 minutes walk from Cochs Pensjonat. We started our walking tour after breakfast and we just kept on walking until we reach Frogner Park. This is the largest park and popular recreational area in Oslo central and it also houses the famous Vigeland Sculpture Park and Vigeland Museum. 

Frogner Park has the biggest collection of roses in Norway, it has a total of 14,000 plants of 150 different species but we visited during the early Spring so we did not see any flowers. The park is big so you can go here for a walk, run, play or picnic. There is a cafe, restaurant, playground, stadium, and open-air pool but we were not able to visit those places anymore because we focused our energy on Vigeland. 

Vigeland is one of the top tourist attractions in Norway so it seems that our Oslo trip is not complete if we haven’t visited the largest sculpture park by a single artist in the world. Gustav Vigeland is an acclaimed Norwegian sculptor who was very involved in designing, planning, and creating this park but unfortunately, he was not able to witness the completion of the outdoor park because he died already.

This park houses his 212 sculptures that are made of granite, bronze, and wrought iron. Among the statues, the following are famous so don’t forget to look for these statues. 

The Angry Boy (Sinnataggen) 

The Monolith (Monolitten) 

The Wheel of Life (Livshjulet) 

This is the Bridge where you can see 58 bronze sculptures of children, women, and men of different ages. These are some of the first sculptures that were positioned in the park with the theme of play, lust, energy, and vitalism. Among the 58, you can find the iconic little ”Angry Boy” or Sinnataggen.

Vigeland’s Fountain was supposed to be placed at Eidsvolls plass in front of the Parliament but it became part of Frogner Park. This is the fountain but there was no water during our visit.

The six giant men holding a large basin can be interpreted as six different men struggling with the burden of life. You can also see human trees “tree of life” around the fountain. It represents the relationship of man to nature and the different stages of human life from childhood to old age. 

From afar, you can already see the Monolith which is located at the highest point of Vigeland Park. This sculpture is carved out of one stone block from Iddlefjord Norway and measures 17 meters above the ground. This is 14 years of hard work. 

The sculpture shows 121 human figures clinging and floating together. There are women, men, and children of different ages. The sculpture can be interpreted as our longing for spirituality. 

The Wheel of Life is a 3 meters statue of intertwined people. It represents the vicious cycle of human life.

The home of Gustav Vigeland turned into Vigeland Museum, this is where you can see his almost complete collections, the story behind the park, and how the sculptures were made. There is an entrance fee for this so we did not visit the museum anymore.

Aside from the sculptures at the park, you can also see other Vigeland’s work in other parts of Norway and even Sweden. Three of his monuments can be found near the Royal Palace: The Abel Monument, Camilla Collett and Rikard Nordraak. In Trondheim, Norway, there are 44 sculptures that he created for Nidaros Cathedral. 

Read: Day Trip in Trondheim Norway 

After exploring the park, off we went to Oslo city center so we can eat our lunch and to check other tourist spots that we missed. We stopped by at Oslo Rådhus or Oslo City Hall, which was opened in the year 1950. 

We already visited the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm, Sweden but there is also Nobel Peace Center in Oslo Norway. We did not visit this anymore but this showcases the work of Alfred Nobel and Nobel Peace Prize winners. There are also exhibitions related to war, peace, and human rights. 

Read: Day 4 in Stockholm Sweden 

Aker Brygge Wharf is popular for pop-up events, shopping, and a variety of restaurants. From exciting street foods, traditional Norwegian cuisines, and other world-class gourmet restaurants with great views of the Oslo fjord. 

There are a lot of people in this area so it took us a while to look for a restaurant. We ate at Asian Box, this restaurant offers Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, and Korean with a crossover to French cuisines. 

Lorry is just in front of Cochs Pensjonat so I always see this restaurant but I had no idea that this is one of the most popular and mythical restaurants in Oslo with a history dating back to 1880. This restaurant serves traditional and international menus in generous portions. Too bad, we were not able to try their menu because this was the end of our Scandinavian trip. 

And we need to finish all the food and drinks that we bought at the grocery so we don't have to bring those stuff. The following day, my husband went back to the Philippines while my son and I travel to Trondheim with my mom. 

A huge sale of 50% off on over 1 million premium fonts, graphics and embroidery designs! Check the deals here.

* This post contains affiliate links.

I’ve never tried cooking homemade corndog because I don’t know where to buy cornmeal so over a decade ago, I just bought a hotdog waffle maker so I can make my own waffledog. I’ve used my waffle maker for few times and I totally forgot about it. A few years ago, I already let it go. 

I’ve watched a lot of Korean drama series and one of their favorite street foods is corndog. It even became more popular because of the StartUp drama series; Seo Dal-mi’s grandmother has her own corndog kiosk. I’m not really craving for Korean corndog but last year I discovered that San Miguel is offering frozen corndog so I immediately added it to my cart. 

Just like the Purefoods Shrimp Tempura, lagi sold out ito. Panay add ko lang sa cart but every time magcheck-out ako sa San Miguel Frozen and Chilled, sold out na. I always wait for vouchers or free shipping kasi kaya ang tagal magcheck-out. Hehehe! 

Anyway, this is available in the supermarket so I bought one pack last December so I can try it. You can choose Classic Corndog or Korean-Style Corndog but I only see the Cook Express Classic Corndog PHP272.75 at Landers. Ten pieces of corndog in one pack. I forgot about it so it was only last week that I’ve cooked this, hindi pa naman expired. 

1. Thaw inside the chiller overnight or 

2. Microwave 3 pieces of corndogs for 30 seconds at a medium setting. 

1. Stovetop: Deep fry thawed corndogs for 3 minutes at 180C. Drain excess oil and serve. 

2. Oven Toaster: Preheat oven toaster to 175C. Place thawed corndogs inside the toaster and bake for 10 minutes. 

I was contemplating whether to use my air fryer or oven toaster for this pero I ended up using the oven toaster para konti hugasin. Hehehe! Also, I did not follow the temperature kasi feeling ko hindi umiinit yung oven toaster ko sa 175C so I chose the 200C temperature setting, and cooked it for 10 minutes. 

I can cook 5 pieces of corndog in one batch so we have instant merienda after 10 minutes. We are satisfied with the taste so yesterday, I bought two packs. :)

Sabi ko din sa kanya “I love you more than I’m annoyed by you, which is a lot”, I love my husband kahit may mga times na naiinis ako sa kanya and I’m sure vice versa. But despite our disagreements and arguments, at the end of the day, we still love each other. 

Anyway, we recently celebrated our wedding anniversary so I made cards, a cake topper and we had a quick getaway at Chateau Hestia. 

I used to make printable cards but since December, I enjoy making cards using my Cricut Maker so I started making cards for different occasions and my husband is my number one customer. Lol! One of the cards that I made for February is the “I like you a hole lot” donut card and my husband gave it to me. :) 

I told my husband that I will make a “Sweet and Sour 16” cake topper and he thought that I was joking kaya nagulat siya na ito talaga yung ginawa ko. Because this is the reality, sometimes we are sweet, sometimes we are sour and sometimes may toyo. Hehehe!

This is a layered cake topper using glitter and metallic cardstock. Font is Loving Hollydate. 

Celebration is not complete without cake so last week before hubby went home, he dropped by at Purple Oven Sta Rosa. We already tried different Purple Oven cakes and so far masarap lahat. I suggested White Chocolate Sansrival but it is not available so my husband sent me pictures and I chose Rustic Chocolate Torte. 

It was a good decision because it became an instant favorite cake. This cake is a layer of sansrival, whipped cream, with lots of cashew, almonds and pecan nuts, and chocolate shavings. We finished half of this cake in one sitting. ;) 

My husband likes the beach so after our Acuaverde Resort Trip, he was already planning for our anniversary getaway. Unfortunately, fully booked na naman sa mga gusto niya, it is really hard to book kapag anniversary namin kasi love month ito so maraming nag-outing. 

I suggested a food trip at Chateau Hestia so he contacted them but unfortunately, fully booked sila sa dates na gusto namin because Valentine’s Day and may wedding event din. My husband checked the website and he found out that Chateau Hestia is also a Bed & Breakfast so he booked a room instead kahit delayed celebration na lang. 

We’re glad that we were able to go out this year kasi last year, nacancel yung anniversary beach trip namin so food trip na lang kami sa Alba and Chef RV Manabat Cafe. But this time, we both enjoyed our food trip and staycation at Chateau Hestia, this deserves a separate post.

Hindi ko pinapansin ang 7-11 dito pero when we travel abroad, nagiging bestfriend ko ito. Hehehe! This post is not about Food recommendations in Stockholm Sweden or Where to Eat in Stockholm Sweden because I did not research the Must-Try Restaurants in Stockholm Sweden. We just eat wherever and whenever we’re hungry so I will just share the food and drinks that we have tried during our trip. 

I’ve been checking my Sweden album and I was surprised because I have limited food photos so it means, I was not able to take photos of our food trip. I’m not sure if it is because we’re hungry or maybe because we ate at 7-11 or fastfood that can be found in the Philippines. 

We arrived in Stockholm in the evening so we were really tired and hungry so after checking in, we went out to look for a restaurant where we can eat. We ended up at Maestro Pizza & Kebab because the place was not full. 

My mom ordered this sandwich and we ordered pizza. I can’t remember the name of this pizza but even we were hungry, we were not able to finish this. I don’t know, we just don’t like the taste. We’re a little bit disappointed because the name of the restaurant is Maestro Pizza & Kebab so we’re expecting that the pizza would be good. I’ve made some research and this restaurant is known for kebab and falafel so I guess, we just ordered the wrong meal. 

On our second day, we visited Drottningholm Palace which is one of the private residences of the Swedish Royal Family. It is a one-hour boat trip from Stockholm City Hall and there was a limited schedule of boat trips so for our lunch, we did not eat at the restaurant because we don’t want to miss the 1PM boat trip. 

We found Pressbyrån, a small convenience store at Drottningholm Palace. It was small so food choices are also limited so we just ate hotdog sandwiches to satisfy our hunger. We are tempted to eat ice cream but the weather is so cold and we will eat outside. 

After our Stockholm Panorama Tour and before we went back to the hotel we ate late lunch/early dinner. We only ate hotdog sandwiches for our lunch so we were still hungry and we decided to eat at Burger King, pwede na din early dinner kung tamarin na kami lumabas sa gabi. Hehehe!

I don’t have photos but we ordered the usual which is burger meal and chicken nugget meal. This is a fastfood so I thought the service would be fast but it wasn’t the case. My husband placed an order and went back to the table. So we waited for several minutes before our orders were ready. This is self-service too so my husband picked up the order. The budget per meal is more or less PHP400. 

For our third day, we ate breakfast at McDonald's which is located inside the Stockholm Central Station. They have an ordering machine but we are not used to it so my husband ordered at the counter. He ordered McMuffin Bacon and Egg meal, which includes a sandwich, juice, coffee, or chocolate drinks. The total bill is SEK180. 

We also ate early breakfast here during our fifth day, we ordered McMuffin Bacon & Egg, a sandwich, and pancakes. The total bill is SEK184 . 

5. Skansen Terrassen 

Skansen Terrassen is a self-service restaurant inside the Skansen, we had late lunch here and we ate pasta, waffle, ice cream, and of course Swedish Meatballs. We enjoyed our meal here, at last hindi na fastfood and convenience store. I can’t remember the price of each dish but the ice cream is SEK35.

On Day 4, we had late lunch at Sen Street Kitchen and Fattoush, I can no longer remember the name of these dishes, but the price of each meal is more than PHP600. We also enjoyed our meal, especially the salmon. 

There is 7-11 just in front of the Generator Stockholm so we ate several times here for breakfast, snacks, and dinner. I’m thankful that they have a lot of food choices; there are pastries, sandwiches, hotdog sandwiches, salad, pizza and they also offer combo breakfast meals. The price is not really cheap because the combo breakfast and pizza are PHP400+ already so parang mas okay pa nga kumain sa fastfood but we don’t like to walk far so we settled for their meals. Okay naman ang lasa ng sandwich and pizza nila. 

We took the SJ train from Stockholm Sweden to Oslo Norway, it was a 6-hours train ride so we had lunch on the train, We ordered Swedish Meatballs and pieces of bread, the total bill is SEK158 without drinks.

I always use my desktop to order, mas gusto ko kasi malaki yung screen so it took me almost two months before I learned that there are always free vouchers on mobile app especially if you will use ShopeePay payment method. Toinks! 

I transfered money from my savings to Shopee Pay and after one hour I did not receive any confirmation email. My money was deducted already but it was not transferred to my Shopee. So I contacted customer support via chat. This time they asked for my DragoyPay Reference No. and proof of payment. This time not just the bank transcation number, they want a picture. After sending the photo, my transcation has been validated so the amount was already transfered to my Shopee Pay. 

A few days ago, I was browsing my files and I saw this Succulent Cactus Card that I purchased before so I started cutting the 4 designs. I can use these cards for birthdays and Valentines, this is perfect for plant lovers or in tagalog plantito and plantita like my husband. 

This is similar to the Christmas Insert Cards that I made last Christmas. The file includes the card, insert card, and envelope. Just upload the files to Cricut Design Space, and change the settings to pen, scoring, and basic cut. The setting is cardstock intricate. 

I just cut everything and the following day, I started adding glitter cardstock and insert cards. 

Today, I decided to add some colors but I don’t know kung gumanda ba o mas pumanget. Hehehe! Anyway, at least may card na ko for Valentine’s Day. 

I recreated this project, but I tweaked the design a little bit. Using contour I removed the corners and background of Hug Me.