Oslo Odyssey

Oslo is stunning and spectacular. It is the capital of Norway and the most beautiful of the Scandinavian cities. I would go a step further and say it is the most beautiful capital city in the world. It has fjords, mountains, lakes, rivers all in the city.  The people are super fit. Since we were there on the onset of their summer, the local people were all out in the sun running, jogging and exercising . They all looked so gorgeous.

Now what should you do in Oslo?

Day one land at the airport. take a local train to oslo central railway station. There is a non stop express train Flytoget from the airport to Oslo central. It is more expensive than the local train. Time difference in their arrival time is not much. Travel time is 45 minutes. Buy your Oslo travel Pass at the airport so you can travel in all public transport and travel will turn out cheaper.

As you reach Oslo station, take a tram to your hotel in Grunnerlukka.  If you are staying near the Oslo Central railway station then just walk to your hotel. There are at least 10 hotels around the station. The Oslo central is connected by Metro. Oslo has local trains, Metro, trams, buses, boats and

taxis. The sea front is called Aker Brygge. It has restaurants , side walk cafes, Nobel Museum and the Akershus Castle. The castle is by the sea and very small. The Scandinavian places have a cafe everywhere. There is one in the castle on a ledge overlooking the fjords. One can see the military ships and cruise ships from here. The fjords are so deep that the cruise ships come right inside the city. At Aker Brugge, you can walk around, laze in the cafes, swim in the deep sea or walk in the modern art museum.

Karl Johansson street is the main shopping street from the railway station to the Palace. Again it has cafes and hotels. The street is named after the Norwegian lawyer who used to sit in a cafe and write scathing articles. The king lives in the palace. The palace grounds are approachable to all. They have nice pond and walkways and greenery. People are all exercising, taking the pram with the baby uphill. The guards are friendly. Once a year on the National day, the king comes out on the balcony with his family. People come from different parts of Norway to see him.

There is a statue of the war time hero with his cycle...Gunnar Sonsteby. He was a part of the resistance movement. When the Nazis occupied Norway, he was there in the crowd watching the parade. It is opposite to the university of Oslo downtown campus.Years later, they spotted him in a newspaper photo of that event of the marching of German soldiers during World War II.

We saw a wedding party in the Municipal office. They have a special traditional

dress called 'Bonad' which people wear for weddings and special occasions .  It is a white shirt and a long black pinafore with embroidery. The black fabric is wool. The embroidery differs from village to village. The locals can make out which part of Norway are you from, by the embroidery.

Vineland Sculpture Park is full of big sculptures of human forms men, women, friends, kids, parents, families in different poses. The sculptures are larger than life size and every part of the body looks so real. Here the Nordic good looks continue. The lawns are green and the flowers are in full bloom. Lots to walk and great for a picnic. When we were there, lots of school children pre primary kids had come with teachers. They had carried their own lunch boxes. The lawns had mothers and toddlers sun bathing. People from nearby offices come to sit on the steps have their lunch in the sun. Here again there are a few green slopes where handsome Dads were running up with their child in the pram.  Easy to spend a couple of hours here. Head to the city centre for lunch .

Next day take the island hopping tour by boat. It is a huge boat with two decks. Definitely go to Gresholmen. Walk the unknown path. These are environment protected islands. One beautiful restaurant which is open only during summer caters to the people. We slept on the rock touching the beautiful fjord and ate fruits.

The Edward Munch museum is here . His painting The Scream is very famous. We went to the Ship museum to see how they had unearthed the boats which were buried as a coffin for the persons who had died. There was food and animals and jewellery buried along.

Sognsvann lake is a lake in the middle of the mountains. A 4 km walk along the periphery of the lake with scenic mountains surrounding it. The lake is shallow in one side and we could just walk in to the middle of the lake. There is a Olympics practice stadium near by. There is also a student campus with hostels. Saw a few Indian students strolling around. The whole place is like a beach with people playing in the water, cooking and sun bathing. Oslo is very family oriented so everywhere I saw lot of Moms and children. Families in large groups.

Ekebergparken is a natural park with lot of art and sculpture installations. It is the oldest site of Oslo where they found civilisation. There is a famous restaurant there with a 180 degree view of the city and the fjords. This restaurant is the place for celebration for the locals. Saw two parties while we sipped our cold drinks. The chefs were from Nepal. They all speak Norwegian. The locals speak Norwegian and English too. The earlier Norwegian is now spoken by the people in Iceland. The Nordic people moved from Norway to Iceland. They were sea warriors and sailors. They did fishing. In the Viking Ship museum, one must see the film on the Norwegian sea history. It is spectacular and screened on the rounded ceiling of the museum. The museums are aplenty and the entrance ticket is steep in all of them. Choose how many you want to go to.

Walk along the riverside. The old factories have now become new blocks of residences and offices. When you reach Grunerlokka, the scene changes. There are restaurants , bars and parks. Matherhallen is a place where you can buy exotic food. My brother in law described it as Harrods of food in Oslo. The Salmon which Oslo is famous for is all farmed. The shops are the same as any other city but the pricing is more in Oslo.  Ostabanhallen is a food court near Oslo Central. It is a food court built in the old railway station. The local brand Monki is good for girls and women clothes. The restaurants will not do any tailor made stuff for vegetarians. You just have to order from the menu and eat that. It is not like Indian hospitality where they will bend backwards to please the guests.

Holmenkollen is the famous ski slope with a history of 100 years. It is a must visit for us who do not know much about skiing and do not live in such cold climates. one must walk from the base towards the ski through the guest seating area. That is when you will get the idea of the height of the slope. It has a cafe with a view on top. There is zip lining. The kids are using skis with rollers and practicing on the slopes in the summer months to keep themselves agile. There is a wooden church close by which was burnt down by a rockstar and later rebuilt. It is small and quiet, just nice to amble around the green lea.

Oslo has a lot of parks in Grunerlukka. Grunerlukka is like 'Bandra' of Oslo. Hip and happening and good to live. It is barely two kilometres from Oslo Central Station and very well connected by public transport. There is a turkish super market which gets all the fresh fruits and vegetables plus groceries. The Indian Masala spices brand is called Hindoo.