Oslo is a clean, very modern city with tremendous energy. It has the second highest GDP in Europe (Luxembourg is #1). Norway ranks as the second-wealthiest country in the world in monetary value, with the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation.
Opera House
The wealth is evident. The architecture in the newer section of the city is modern with dynamic, angular shapes. The center piece of the new city is the Opera House, flanked by the city library with graphic skyscrapers as a backdrop. The city is clean with well maintained streets, an excellent transit system and a tastefully developed harbor.
Nina was our guide in Oslo. She’s a Norwegian native from Bergen, who’s lived in Oslo for 25 years. We used an Oslo day pass to access public transport and all the museums. We ambled through the new section of Oslo, heard about Norway’s history, and then headed out for a walk through old Oslo, Christiania.
Oslo skyline from Opera House
Here, there was more of an 18th century feel, with Nordic functional architecture and cobblestone streets. As you approach the harbor, where the Nobel center is located, you’ll see the city hall. It has art deco embellishments and was built in the early 1900’s. The city hall was used by the nazis during their occupation of Norway, 1940 – 45.
Norway was under Danish or Swedish rule for 600 years and did not become independent until 1905. The country preferred a monarchy to a republic and the throne was offered to Prince Carl of
Denmark, a prince of the Dano-German royal house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and a distant relative of several of Norway’s medieval kings.
Despite a short national history, the country celebrates and embraces being Norwegian. It’s evident in their museums, parks and public buildings. Norway is not a member of the EU and their currency is the kroner.
After a walk through the old city, we were off to the Sculpture park on the north side of the city. A local tram wended through pristine neighborhoods where Nordic apartments with hedges
properly trimmed bordered clean even sidewalks. Despite all the different sidewalk material in the city, there weren’t any cracks and only once did I see a cobblestone that needed replacement.
Vigeland Sculpture Park is an open air exhibition that showcases the work of Gustav Vigeland. The sculpture park takes up 80 acres within Frogner Park. There are over 200 granite and bronze statues created over twenty years. Gustav also designed the architectural setting and landscape of the entire park.
The center round monolith is a bit dystopian. It shows the cycle and the struggle of life. Nina and I discussed the artistic appeal of the pillar. Our guide visits the park often. A walk in the park surrounded by nature and Vigeland’s
sculptures allows you to shed your emotions and cleanse your spirit. The dystopian tower must be similar to listening to a sad song. It connects you to the human experience.
The surprise of the park was a delightful small café.. We stopped for a cappuccino and Nina thought we might enjoy a brownie. The brownies were dense, with a dusting of powdered sugar. The texture changed from moist cake to nearly a truffle consistency at the base. There was a slight granularity in the taste. I should have taken a picture, but by the time I realized it was the best brownie I had ever eaten, it was gone. I sent an email to the restaurant congratulating them on creating the world’s best brownie and requesting the recipe. To my surprise and delight, they sent the recipe. One of my first tasks on returning to Boulder will be to stir up a batch.
The Norsk Folkemuseum – Norwegian Museum of Cultural History has a captivating open air experience. There are 160 historic buildings situated in a bucolic hillside. Both Norwegian cities and the countryside are represented.
Sod roofed farm houses are surrounded by gardens, pastures and grazing farm animals behind picturesque fences.
The Gol Stave church, built in the 1100’s, is one of less than 35 remaining stave churches in the world. The architecture combines viking and Christian motifs. The Gol church was rescued by King Oscar II of Sweden in 1884. It was part of his effort to embrace Norway and quell local dissent. Picture at the left is from the website.
The next stop was the Fram museum. This is a must see exhibit. The Gjøa and Fram are both on display. The Gjøa was the first ship to navigate the Northwest Passage and reach Nome. The Fram carried
the first crew to reach the South Pole in 1911. The Fram is displayed against a backdrop of changing sea conditions.
Our guide had recommended a restaurant near our hotel in a quiet neighborhood of the old city.
Statholdergaarden was established in 1993 by the chef Bent Stiansen. He still owns the restaurant but his daughter has begun to assume kitchen duties.
The meal was outstanding. The amuse bouche was chicken liver in a thin pastry and salmon tartare on a cucumber slice with a bit of caviar.
I ordered three appetizers and Dan had a starter and quail. The sauces were spectacular. The dishes were artistic
and flavorful. My scallop appetizer had scallops poached , grilled and crudé (raw) with three companion sauces Dessert was an elderberry mousse coated in white chocolate. The restaurant has one Michelin star. I’m glad I didn’t know that as I eschew any Michelin rated restaurant.
However my experience at Statholdergaarden has made me re-examine this position.
Friday morning, Dan went off to spend more time at the Fram, while I headed off to the National Museum, adjacent to the Nobel Center. It’s a spacious Nordic repository for art and artifacts.
The main entrance has a wall hanging hung in recognition of the Sami oppression. The wall hanging is made of reindeer skulls. Each skull has a bullet hole. The artwork is symbolic of the destruction of the Sami culture which has been centered around the reindeer for hundreds of years. The Sami’s have demonstrated across Scandinavia seeking recognition and . The area in
the northern region of Norway, Sweden and Finland are where the Samis live. In Finland, in the 1950’s and 60’s, schools in Northern Finland would only teach in Finnish. The Sami culture and language was repressed. The goal, in each Scandinavian country, was to integrate the Sami into the dominant culture.
Back to the art, the museum features Norwegian painters but has a nice representation of Pablo Picasso’s work. Munch has many paintings on display from his earlier more serene period. I liked the Munch painting on the left.
The art is arranged chronologically with trenchant comments for each room.
There also are activities in each room to engage children and adolescents.
One of the galleries has a collection of mystical Norwegian woodland creatures, gnomes, faeries, and eerie forest scenes. The paintings are displayed in a woodland themed room with deep green tufted walls. It’s a wonderful way to display the paintings
The lower level of the museum is devoted to handicrafts. Norway has had two queens since 1905. Gowns worn by the queens are displayed. There are areas dedicated to Norwegian design, fashion, furniture and daily life. I spent 3 hours at the museum but it would be easy to spend an entire day.
However the weather was lovely and the outdoors beckoned me. I went back to the new city and spent time feeling the energy of the streets. There were choirs performing, a protest against Russia and an endless stream of passengers arriving at the rail station. All of the sidewalk cafes were crowded and sidewalks were teeming with tourists and locals enjoying the great weather and the beautiful can escape the bustle of the city by visiting
the city library, located just 200 m from the rail station.
The picture on the left is the lower level of the library.
I love how both Helsinki and Oslo has created library spaces that serve multiple functions. The Oslo library is architecturally impressive. There are several areas to sit and enjoy the view or focus on your work. Though the library is much
quieter than the city, there is still a dynamic buzz that doesn’t fade until you climb into the recesses of the seventh floor.
Dinner on Friday was at a quiet outdoor café, purportedly the oldest restaurant in Oslo. The entrees were spring asparagus with egg and reindeer tartare.
I was able to have one last walk around the city at 6AM on Saturday, just a few hours before heading off to Edinburgh. I could have spent another 2 days in Oslo and another 2 weeks exploring the Norwegian coastal and historic towns.
The entrance to the Oslo Airport Door to Stave Church
City street in old Oslo