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<\/span>I don’t even know where to being with the amazingness that is The Mini Bottle Gallery<\/a><\/span> in Oslo.\u00a0 It’s certainly the best place in all of Norway, and probably the world.\u00a0 I’ll start with the reason I ended up there.\u00a0 Something called The Mini Bottle Gallery would not normally hold a ton of appeal for me, but I’m so glad this was one of the few times in my life I actually read a guide book.<\/p>\n

The Oslo Guide 2014 from visitoslo.com<\/a> that was available free in every hotel lobby describes The Mini Bottle Gallery<\/a> as follows;<\/p>\n

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• <\/span>“The world’s only mini-bottle museum is found in Oslo, and contains the largest collection of mini-bottles: 53,000 bottles in 50 installations on 3 floors!\u00a0 Here you can see bottles filled with fruit and berries, worms and mice, what a Scotsman has under his kilt is revealed, and what a brothel looks like from the inside.\u00a0 And if you’re the fearless type we recommend you take the slide down to the horror chamber!”<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  <\/span>What?\u00a0 How do you pass that up?\u00a0 Luckily, I didn’t.\u00a0 The admission in 85NOK (about $13.75) and includes a free mini bottle! (Unless they’re out, which they were when I went.)<\/p>\n

  <\/a><\/p>\n

  <\/span>As with every public building in Norway, The Mini Bottle Gallery has enormous, imposing doors.\u00a0 These ones are steel and look more like a bank vault than a quirky museum.<\/p>\n

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  <\/span>This is what it looks like when it’s open and they (presumably) want customers!\u00a0 It should be noted, however, that more often than not when you attempt to visit the MIni Bottle Gallery, they will in fact be closed (though you could never tell the difference from across the street).\u00a0 The museum is open Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm-4pm except school holidays, which if I learned anything about Norwegian businesses, pretty much means “open when we feel like it.”\u00a0 Which is such a shame for the greatest museum on the planet.\u00a0 I’m just lucky I happened upon it during the 8 hours a week (if that) that it’s open.<\/p>\n

  <\/a><\/p>\n

  <\/span>The important thing is we got inside.\u00a0 And once inside, you’re in for a treat.\u00a0 You enter the museum through a bar, hosted by a disinterested statuesque blonde.\u00a0 I found the Norwegians to be very nice, they just don’t care about much.\u00a0 As with most everyone I encountered in Norway, you have to approach them, and until you do they look at you as though you’ve wandered into their living room.\u00a0 After you announce your intention at their place of business everything is friendly, there’s just no “can I help you” “hi, welcome to..” greeting.\u00a0 I guess it’s hard to be too involved in your work when you’re forced to work an 8 hour week during the only time of year you can semi-comfortably be outside.<\/p>\n

  Once inside you’ll see, you guessed it, mini bottles everywhere!<\/p>\n

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  Even in the light fixtures.<\/p>\n

  <\/a><\/p>\n

  <\/span>I never knew I liked Mini Bottles so much.\u00a0 In fact, I had never really thought about mini bottles much except as a way to sneak booze onto airplanes and cruise ships. But here at the Mini Bottle Gallery, I forgot all of that and entered the wacky and wonderful world of mini bottles.<\/p>\n

  Here is a sampling of the things you can see and do at the mini bottle gallery.<\/p>\n

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  Check out some interesting mini bottles<\/strong>;<\/p>\n

  some are kinda pretty,<\/p>\n

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  some are historically relevant,<\/p>\n

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  some offer helpful advice,<\/p>\n

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  some are just confusing,<\/p>\n

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  and some are inexplicably full of gross things.<\/p>\n

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  Get trapped in a larger bottle.<\/strong><\/p>\n

  <\/a><\/p>\n

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  <\/span>See a beer waterfall (a beerfall?).<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  <\/span>Find out about this month’s Tackiest Bottle!<\/strong><\/p>\n

  <\/a><\/p>\n

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  <\/span>(maybe it’s tackier in Norwegian?)<\/p>\n

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  Learn about the mini bottles of the world through this Euro-centric mini bottle map.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  Play a rousing game of “Guess the Smell.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  Learn what Norwegian cowboys say.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  <\/span>Check out what seemed to be a self-service bar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

  <\/a><\/p>\n

  and as promised….<\/p>\n

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   <\/p>\n

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  Find out what’s under a Scotsman’s kilt<\/strong>,<\/p>\n

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