Oslo – Norway’s Green Capital
A short travel guide
by Richard Zahra
Slottsparken, the park around the Royal Palace, is a breathing space set right in the city centre. At the back end of the park, there are two ponds, surrounded by towering trees. Sitting on the grass by the ponds, it is easy to forget that you are in an urban area!
Speaking of parks, a visit to Vigeland’s Park is must-do! This is a large sprawling park combining landscaped gardens, water features and Gustav Vigeland’s dynamic sculptures. The park in enlivened by more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and cast iron. All sculptures portray naked people – children, adults and elderly – in a vast array of emotional states and body postures. The climax of the park is the Monolitten, a seventeen-metre column of white granite, out of which 121 entwined figures have been sculpted. The Norwegians make good use of the park. We saw people of all ages walking, jogging, playing volleyball, cycling, sunbathing and even having barbeques. The park is a countryside oasis set amidst charming, old buildings.
A trip to one of the islands of Oslofjord is a very easy and cheap suggestion. Using your Day Pass or Oslo Pass, you can take a ferry from Vippetangen, by walking beneath Akershus fortress past the cruise liner terminal. We aimlessly embarked upon the first ferry that came along and disembarked on the first island that we came across. It was a small island called Bleikoya and unluckily it wasn’t a wise choice, for there were only private huts on it. Other islands, we were later told, offered much more to the visitor.
We rambled around the island admiring the quaint hyttes (huts, although they looked more like fully-fledged villas to me) that some of the luckiest people of Oslo use as holiday homes in summer. The screaming seagulls, who gathered on the island in their hundreds, kept us company. While we were waiting for the ferry to take us back to the mainland, we met a young Norwegian woman with a gorgeous baby who made funny faces at us. She told us that other islands were more interesting to visit, either for entertainment or for their beaches. Well, we would do it some other time, we thought.
To make most of your visit, it is worth obtaining some good publications that are completely free of charge. The Oslo Guide is an annual booklet that details attractions, sightseeing and lodging amongst other useful information. What’s On is a monthly publication that complements the Oslo Guide to give detailed information about monthly events. Both these publications are printed by Oslo Promotion, the entity responsible for running tourist information services. Another very useful publication is Streetwise, a magazine for travellers on a low budget. It gives useful tips on how to make your money last longer in Oslo and also a lot of practical information. It is published by an agency called Use It.
There is a general notion that Oslo is extremely expensive, like most western European capital cities after all. If your finances are scanty, Oslo can still be within your budget. If you want not-so-expensive but still good quality accommodation you can try out one of the many Bed & Breakfasts. These are privately-owned houses whose owners rent bedrooms. We lodged at a B&B called Vigelandsparken. This is an old, wooden house-of-character just across the road from Vigeland’s Park. Our bedroom was very spacious, with a verandah set on a quaint garden. It was so quiet at night that had the impression we were deep in the countryside.
The owner, Jorn Jensen, was an incredibly friendly and welcoming man who gave us many useful tips for our stay. He utterly went out of his way to prepare breakfasts that could feed twenty people and made sure to include various, traditional Norwegian food items like cheeses and shrimp pâté. Candles and background music added a romantic touch! It was impossible not to feel at home.
If money is a problem, forget expensive restaurants that are really expensive. It is possible to buy good value meals especially from immigrant shops without emptying your pockets completely. Another alternative is to buy take-away food for a picnic in one of the many parks. It’s a very amusing option even if you are rich enough to eat in the poshest restaurants!
If your trip to Norway is aimed at visiting the world-famous western fjords, I still suggest spending a few days in Oslo. It will be time well-spent for Oslo is the heart of modern Norway. Whether rambling along Karl Johans Gate or sunbathing on one of the islands in Oslofjord you’ll be sure to snatch a peek at the outdoor-oriented, carefree Norwegian way-of-life.
Speaking of parks, a visit to Vigeland’s Park is must-do! This is a large sprawling park combining landscaped gardens, water features and Gustav Vigeland’s dynamic sculptures. The park in enlivened by more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and cast iron. All sculptures portray naked people – children, adults and elderly – in a vast array of emotional states and body postures. The climax of the park is the Monolitten, a seventeen-metre column of white granite, out of which 121 entwined figures have been sculpted. The Norwegians make good use of the park. We saw people of all ages walking, jogging, playing volleyball, cycling, sunbathing and even having barbeques. The park is a countryside oasis set amidst charming, old buildings.
A trip to one of the islands of Oslofjord is a very easy and cheap suggestion. Using your Day Pass or Oslo Pass, you can take a ferry from Vippetangen, by walking beneath Akershus fortress past the cruise liner terminal. We aimlessly embarked upon the first ferry that came along and disembarked on the first island that we came across. It was a small island called Bleikoya and unluckily it wasn’t a wise choice, for there were only private huts on it. Other islands, we were later told, offered much more to the visitor.
We rambled around the island admiring the quaint hyttes (huts, although they looked more like fully-fledged villas to me) that some of the luckiest people of Oslo use as holiday homes in summer. The screaming seagulls, who gathered on the island in their hundreds, kept us company. While we were waiting for the ferry to take us back to the mainland, we met a young Norwegian woman with a gorgeous baby who made funny faces at us. She told us that other islands were more interesting to visit, either for entertainment or for their beaches. Well, we would do it some other time, we thought.
To make most of your visit, it is worth obtaining some good publications that are completely free of charge. The Oslo Guide is an annual booklet that details attractions, sightseeing and lodging amongst other useful information. What’s On is a monthly publication that complements the Oslo Guide to give detailed information about monthly events. Both these publications are printed by Oslo Promotion, the entity responsible for running tourist information services. Another very useful publication is Streetwise, a magazine for travellers on a low budget. It gives useful tips on how to make your money last longer in Oslo and also a lot of practical information. It is published by an agency called Use It.
There is a general notion that Oslo is extremely expensive, like most western European capital cities after all. If your finances are scanty, Oslo can still be within your budget. If you want not-so-expensive but still good quality accommodation you can try out one of the many Bed & Breakfasts. These are privately-owned houses whose owners rent bedrooms. We lodged at a B&B called Vigelandsparken. This is an old, wooden house-of-character just across the road from Vigeland’s Park. Our bedroom was very spacious, with a verandah set on a quaint garden. It was so quiet at night that had the impression we were deep in the countryside.
The owner, Jorn Jensen, was an incredibly friendly and welcoming man who gave us many useful tips for our stay. He utterly went out of his way to prepare breakfasts that could feed twenty people and made sure to include various, traditional Norwegian food items like cheeses and shrimp pâté. Candles and background music added a romantic touch! It was impossible not to feel at home.
If money is a problem, forget expensive restaurants that are really expensive. It is possible to buy good value meals especially from immigrant shops without emptying your pockets completely. Another alternative is to buy take-away food for a picnic in one of the many parks. It’s a very amusing option even if you are rich enough to eat in the poshest restaurants!
If your trip to Norway is aimed at visiting the world-famous western fjords, I still suggest spending a few days in Oslo. It will be time well-spent for Oslo is the heart of modern Norway. Whether rambling along Karl Johans Gate or sunbathing on one of the islands in Oslofjord you’ll be sure to snatch a peek at the outdoor-oriented, carefree Norwegian way-of-life.