Norway

Visited: April 2007

Duration of visit: 3 days

Capital city: Oslo

Population: 5.3 million (2006)

• Oslo is a modern city with unique boutique designers’ stores, museums, parks, wonderful Sorengkaia pier, full of bars, restaurants and cafes.
• Enjoying the Sentrum of Oslo with relaxed atmosphere, observing people, how cold spring weather doesn’t prevent the open-air activities.
• Standing at the top of Holmenkollen ski ramp and imagine competitors’ courage, who slide down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp, before flying in the air over 100 meters.
• Norway is extremely expensive to visit: from accommodation, food, drinks and especially services. For local people higher salaries offset these prices, but from any other perspective, it is hard to understand the price positioning.

Norway occupies the western half of the Scandinavian peninsula with approximately 5.2 million people and has numerous times been named one of the best places to live. About two-thirds of Norway is mountainous, and off its much-indented coastline, carved by deep glacial fjords, some 50,000 islands are scattered in the Norwegian Sea.

Norwegians have been explorers of unknown territories for many centuries.

Dependent on fishing and farming, early inhabitants developed a seafaring tradition that would reach its apex in the Viking era, when Norse warriors regularly raided the coasts of western Europe. The Vikings also established colonies in Iceland and Greenland and explored the coast of North America.

The exploration of the world was in 20^th century replaced with the exploitation of offshore oil and natural gas, which became the major maritime industry, with Norway emerging in the 1990s as one of the world’s leading petroleum exporters. Constant growth of the economy, increased standard on living and social care has transformed Norway into one of the richest countries on the globe.

I visited Oslo during a short late-April break in 2007. It was in early spring, when the temperatures are still rather low, but it was obvious that locals are eager to spend as much time as possible outdoors, in parks, mingling in bars, wrapped in warm blankets. Unfortunately, it was Easter, therefore some museums and points of interests were closed during my visit. Wondering around the city was pleasant and I noticed people very relaxed and cold resistant.

The capital of Norway sits on the country’s southern coast, at the head of the Oslofjord. It’s known for its green spaces and museums. The waterfront, near what was once a harbor, is now a cultural center, where the Oslo Opera House is located.

In the Sentrum, dating back to 1624, I walked along shops, fine hotels and historical buildings. I found an abundance of cafés and restaurants on and around the main street, Karl Johans gate. Oslo’s best-known buildings and landmarks are located here as well: Akershus Fortress, the Royal Palace, the City Hall and the Parliament. The Nobel Peace Center, where the famous prices are awarded every year, offers an opportunity to experience and learn about the various Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their activities as well as the remarkable history of Alfred Nobel. Unfortunately, during my visit, the museum was closed.

Nevertheless, in the following lines, I am exposing a few reasons why the city of Oslo remained a fond memory for me.

• Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Ski jump Tower: exhibition of skies and artefacts from polar exhibitions are interesting, but the best part of my visit was a scary look from the top of the ski jump ramp. With K point at 120 meters, is only half of the size of the biggest ramps in the world, but only observing the inrun and downhill slope arouses the admiration for the jumpers who compete in these adrenaline sport.

• Norsk Folkemuseum is an open-air museum with over 150 historic buildings, where different materials, construction techniques and traditional customs from different parts of Norway are exhibited. For me the loveliest part was a wooden house that in its form and usage reminds a lot on Slovenian kozolec.

• Narvesen store on every corner. Narvesen is a Norwegian chain of newsagents & convenience stores which is one of Norway’s largest retailers. It seems they hold a monopoly over this category of markets with over 350 outlets nationwide.

• Over 200 monuments made of bronze, granite and cast iron in Vigeland Sculpture Park are an interesting cultural experience, even for not very art educated visitors (as me). The Angry Boy, the monolith, men, women, children and others have been interpreted as a kind of vision of resurrection and our longing and striving for spirituality.

• Viking ship museum houses three historic ships from the Viking era that were navigating the seas before being discovered in the late 19^th / early 20^th century and transported to the museum in Oslo. All of the ships were built between the years 800 and 900, during the height of the Viking Age. Beside the ships, some mysterious items are exhibited, the most outstanding being Buddha Bucket. It is possible that Vikings did have contact with Asian cultures, however, researchers consider it more likely a result of coincidental mix of styles from their many Northern European contacts.
• Kon-Tiki Museum exhibits objects from Heyerdahl’s world-famous expeditions, the original Kon-Tiki raft, and the papyrus boat Ra II (a vessel built of reeds, according to Heyerdahl’s perception of an ancient Egyptian seagoing boat). Kon-Tiki was a raft of balsa wood of pre-Columbian model. The main purpose of Heyerdahl’s expedition was to demonstrate the possibility that ancient people from the Americas could have colonized Polynesia.

• Prices in Norway are extremely high, especially alcohol beverages are prohibitively taxed and therefore 2 or 3 times more expensive than in Central Europe.

As I always write: it is not fair to judge a country only by its capital city. Norway is no exception. The contrast of urban and rural environment is considerable. Natural beauty of mountainous areas, vast territories and stunning fjords on the western coast are good reasons to come back to Norway and explore it deeply. Especially fjords, narrow inlets of the ocean between cliffs, which are formed when glaciers retreat, allowing the sea to fill in the remaining space.

Since it was Easter and many museums were closed, a second visit to the capital would also be good.

Aurora borealis or polar lights might be another excuse to visit Norway. Display of dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, covering the entire sky are the best seen in the heart of the aurora zone in the Norwegian Arctic.

When my wallet is ready and the spirit of adventure is calmer, I will definitely venture into the Norwegian wilderness, discovering fjords and auroras.