Our Brief Visit to Oslo, Norway

Oslo was not a city that I knew much about prior to coming here,  almost by chance,  during this European trip. When I thought of it,  or of Norway more generally,  only a few things came to mind. The Nobel Peace Prize,  for one. Cold winters . An extremely high standard of living. Everything being quite expensive. And of course, the beauty and majesty of the fjords and mountains, at least more generally for Norway,  for which the country is probably most famous. Norway certainly has been blessed with an abundance of natural splendor.

The very little bit of the Norwegian countryside that we caught a glimpse of during the train ride from the airport to the capital city was pleasant and peaceful, but not especially striking. There were forests of pines and farm fields. But nothing that necessarily differentiated it from other European countries, or other parts of the world. 

However, the city made an impression on both my son and I during our admittedly too brief visit. 

First of all, we tried something different than we did with either London or Paris. Since our time was so limited, we decided to focus on simply one specific section of the city.  Our time there was going to be short anyway,  but it was cut even shorter when we had a bit of a challenge finding the right train, then understanding that Oslo S was the main train station that we needed.  Then we had to locate the subway and find a way to get the tickets. 

Part of the problem may have been my own stubbornness, or embarrassment at not knowing the language. Ever since I was a kid,  and the only member of my immediate family not to speak French, being unable to speak or understand another language was kind of a point of discomfort for me. And here in Norway, the few words and phrases that I picked up on the internet simply were not going to cut it. 

Still, we made it. We found the Toysten station where our hotel was located. And the description suggested that once we stepped out of the subway station, the hotel would be right there, in plain sight. 

It wasn't. 

On top of that, neither of us had internet access, so GPS was out, at least for a while. So we stood in a parking lot by a busy road, trying to get a signal. Eventually, my son did get it. And we did find it, eventually. But it sure was not as close or convenient as it had been advertised. Trust me, when you are carrying luggage and wondering through unfamiliar streets, you begin to notice just how much farther it is then you were led to believe. 

We did find it. But then, the reception was more difficult to find than expected. And once we did get there, nobody was there. There were instructions on how to reserve and pay for a room,  but I had already reserved and paid for one. The phone number given kept giving me a busy signal. But a couple came by,  and the guy was especially helpful. He called some number  and actually got hold of someone - I still don't know how  - and then,  finally,  somebody came. We checked in and got our room, which turned out to be quite nice,  actually. 

Then, once we got up there, I got my second bloody nose of the day. It had been a long time since the last time that I had one. Can't even remember when it was. But on this day, I got two of them. And this one was a serious contender for the longest one that I can remember. It felt like it just would not stop. 

Now mind you, I originally had intended to go straight from the airport to the hotel,  take a very short break,  and then get to exploring the city. We only had limited time,  after all. And again,  the descriptions that I had read of the place implied that the trip from the airport to the hotel would be maybe half an hour. Surely less than an hour. 

But after all of that nonsense, it was well over two hours since we had landed. A lot of ridiculous situations,  and way too much time wasted. My frustration boiled over while I sat there, pinching my nose and lowering my head, trying to end a nosebleed that just would not stop. 

Finally, though, we were ready. I was still worried about the nosebleed, and could just picture another one coming at the most inopportune time. There I would be, a dumb tourist walking around a foreign city holding my bleeding nose, with blood now on my shirt and arms,  and the wide eyes of the horrified people we came across,  wondering what happened. Mostly just wanting the sight of me to disappear. And who would even blame them? Hell, in such a scenario,  I would want to disappear. 

Perhaps I could even enhance the impression by acting drunk.  Going up to random strangers and saying, with an obvious slur from the excessive alcohol,  "You're my best friend in the whole world.  You know that?"

They would wonder where this ridiculous American came from and,  even more, how and why he was here at all.

Would they still be as polite as everyone had been so far? 

"Welcome American! We thank you for visiting our country. Please feel welcome and come again!"

Probably not. 

Imagine what a story I could tell about "that time that I visited Oslo. You'll never believe what happened to me!

Needless to say, none of that actually happened. Thank God. 

We went to the one place that topped my list of places to see in Oslo while doing research on what to visit in the city. That would be the Oslo Opera House,  which was right on the waterfront. 

Man, am I glad that this was the spot that most intrigued me, that truly stood out as a must see, in preparation for our trip to Norway. Because this felt like it must be the highlight of the city, which was not quite what I had expected it to be. My assumption was that it would be a relatively quiet and low key city, typically European. And it did have a distinctly European feel to it. Yet, it also felt very modern and almost hip. A city with a vibrant energy that likely would appeal mostly to young people. Not surprisingly, my son especially loved it. Indeed, by the time evening fell, it seemed that most everyone that we saw out and about were young people. That included many international tourists, including Americans. It made me feel like Oslo had become one of the big hot spots that young people discovered and decided to make a pilgrimage to. That came as a surprise.

Everywhere you looked, there were cranes, indicating construction projects. That made sense, given the youthful energy of which I spoke. It also suggests a strong economy. That also makes sense, since Norway has consistently ranked at or very near the top of the entire world in terms of high standards of living among all nations of the world. 

The waterfront area has a number of things that made it feel like the showcase of this vibrant, new energy. Most obviously, there is the Oslo Opera House. Dating back to when it opened in 2008, it is not quite as famous as the Sydney Opera House. Yet, it is a really cool and beautiful place. Architecturally, it is done in such a way that anyone can climb to the top, where you can get some fantastic views of the city and some of the surrounding countryside, including the significance of the waterways, which Norway is, of course, famous for. This place really was spectacular. 

Behind it is the Munch Museum, in honor of Edvard Munch. Of course, everyone knows Munch's most famous painting, "The Scream." He obviously has some other very famous works of art, as well. And he gave many of his works to the city that he loved.

Keeping with the artistic feel of the area is a unique structure, called "She Lies." This is a unique sculpture of glass that draws the eye. It's jagged edges felt like it was designed to resemble either mountains and/or icebergs. Norway, of course, has plenty of both. The structure was designed by Monica Bonvicini, and is a reminder of the awesome power of nature, of the wilderness, which of course this country is famous for. 

All of this is right by the edge of the waterfront, and thus they are all mirrored by the reflections in the water. This helps to make it look quite spectacular and striking, day or night. And the walk along the waterfront is quite pleasant, as well. On the other side, there is a makeshift viking-style village, that is a popular hangout spot filled with bars. There was a book festival going on there while we visited. 

By the main train station for the vibrant center of the city, there are also two iconic statues, both of which also represent the local culture and tradition. My personal favorite was what I initially had heard (and thus admittedly believed) to be a depiction of Thor's Hammer, which of course would beckon to recall the proud Norse mythology of this region. In fact, it actually is a tribute to the resistance to Nazi occupation of Norway during the Second World War. The other is a statue of a tiger, which is the symbol of the city of Oslo. 

Right across from the station is what appears to be the major artery for tourism and shopping. The first time that we saw it, it was absolutely packed with people. It had quieted some once night came, but it still looked quite busy, and was obviously a major hub of activity in Oslo. 

The city was alive with activity. My suspicion is that it is probably often filled with activity during the warm months, because the winter months are long and dark and dreary, as I understand it. One of the videos that I watched on Youtube in preparation for our visit showed Oslo during the winter time, and it did not get light out until something like nine in the morning. And the days may be long during the summer, but they are short during the winter. So the locals take advantage of the accommodating weather while it lasts. Can you blame them?

We got a taste of that ourselves. It has been an unusually hot summer in Europe, with record heat waves and record hot days. It felt uncomfortably hot throughout the week that we were visiting, too. So when we got to Oslo, and it was still warm (not as hot, but sunny and yes, warm, nevertheless) I did not bother bringing my jacket, which I had not really worn throughout the trip. That was a mistake. Literally as soon as the sun went down, all of the heat seemed to go away. It got cold, almost to the point where you could feel the winter coming, it felt. The temperatures dipped down significantly, and I had not felt such cold probably since the early spring or even winter months. That is not an exaggeration. 

So I can understand and sympathize with the locals trying to take full advantage of the warmer weather. Some people enthusiastically were jumping in the water, even though it was full dark and, to me, fully cold by then. My son said that somebody had dove in the water, even though I had trouble believing it. Who could be crazy enough to dive into the waters of a major city with all of the pollution and, even more, with how cold it was out? Sure enough, there were people swimming. Again, the locals really did seem to take advantage of the good weather while it lasts.

Yet, it is more than that. Look at these pictures, and you will see a lot of cranes, indicating construction. It feels like a young, up and coming city, with a bright future ahead of it. After visiting it, it seems easy to understand why this has apparently become a magnet for young people. 

My son, who is obviously quite young, really enjoyed it. He was very impressed with how modern and youthful Oslo appeared to us. I was also impressed by the decent mixture of the quaint European architecture and charm, side by side with a very modern and vibrant spirit, especially embodied by the ultramodern architecture near the waterfront.

Below are some of the pictures that I took of Oslo.

Enjoy!

My son standing on top of the roof of the Oslo Opera House.

The tiger is the symbol of the city of Oslo.

I had heard that this was Thor's Hammer, but it is in fact a monument The monument to the Osvald Group that resisted Nazi occupation. The sculpture depicts a hammer (of resistance) smashing a Swastika. It has, in fact, generated some controversy in Norway.

 Statue of Norwegian opera singer Kirsten Flagstad in front of the Oslo Opera House.

The "She Lies" miniature island sculpture in the water. It is made of steel and glass panel, and I think that it is plain to see the resemblance to ice, icebergs and jagged mountains, all of which are very present when you think about Norway. 

The Munch Museum

This sculpture is called Moren (The Mother) by artist Tracey Emin. It has generated all sorts of controversy since it was placed in it's present location, very near the Munch Museum. 

Our hotel: