My Heart Belongs in Oslo

This past weekend I went to Oslo with one of the other girls in the program here. We left work to head straight to the airport. There’s not much point in detailing every aspect of our transportation (it’s dull and there’s so much more to write about from the actual trip), but I must say that security was a breeze. The agent was actually JOVIAL. It’s rare enough that someone in Paris smiles or laughs (and speaks English, no less), but this man did that in addition to being the equivalent of a TSA agent. Mind blown.

We arrived in Oslo around 11 PM (23h for the Euros reading this) and got on the airport express train into the city. We accidentally got on the wrong train, but remedied the problem by taking a taxi the rest of the way to Cochs Pensjonat, our hostel. After checking in and getting situated in the room, I left to visit my friend who lives in Oslo. I only visited for a short while (I was exhausted and he had an early train the next morning), but he gave me some great suggestions of things to do and see over the weekend.

The next morning we thought we would start our day around 9:30. Unfortunately for us, Oslo likes to sleep in and nothing opens until 10. We strolled the block until the nearby coffee shop opened and we had a delicious breakfast and jolt of caffeine to fuel our walk to Frognerparken.

Inside the sprawling park are dozens and dozens (200+) of sculptures by artist Gustav Vigeland. Bronze statues flank either side of the bridge leading from the park’s main entrance and granite works surround the famous monolith. Usually modern art is a hit or miss for me, and some of the statues were—in my honest and humble opinion—ugly. However, all of them have a theme of family and love. And sometimes, neither may be pretty. (Admittedly, some of the statues of children had really disturbing/quasi-demonic faces which were unsettling.)  Walking around the park and looking at all the statues brought on a pang of homesickness, but thinking of silly poses with the statues helped keep it at bay.

Vigeland Sculpture Park

We walked to Majorstuen to take the metro up to Holmenkollen Ski Jump. My friend recommended going to the top to see all of Oslo and maybe we’d catch some cross country skiing too. The metro was JAM PACKED with people going to Holmenkollen for a cross country skiing championship. (It’s a month after the Olympics--is there really a need for a world championship this soon?!)  We were somewhat herded towards the skiing spectacle, not realizing there was a turn for the jump, so we wandered a bit trying to figure out what to do. We decided to head back down towards the restaurant we’d passed to figure things out (crossing our fingers for free wifi). It started raining, then pouring, then hailing. We warmed up by the restaurant’s fireplace and had a drink while we regrouped. Once the rain cleared we tried for a second time to get up to the jump. We looked up to the top of the jump and realized the flag couldn’t be seen...which meant there wouldn’t be any visibility. Back to the metro!

view from the bottom of Holmenkollen Ski Jump

Lauren found an odd museum in our guide that decided to find next. We explored a little bit of Karl Johan’s gate and headed to the Mini Bottle Gallery. This little gem deserves a post all its own, but it’s an experience I’m bursting to share with everyone!

Molecule Models - Noble Peace Center

We left the Mini Bottle Gallery and headed to Aker Brygge to visit the Nobel Peace Center. The center had a thought-provoking exhibit featuring European photographers on the ground floor. Upstairs, the center displayed an exhibit detailing the work of the latest Nobel Peace Laureate, the OPCW. I honestly didn’t know anything about the organization before it was awarded the prize, so it was interesting to learn about their work. My favorite part of the center, though, was the Nobel Field. It’s difficult to explain (so see the picture below), but it’s neat to walk amongst the displays and read more about the laureates.

Nobel Field - Nobel Peace Center

We continued on walking around Aker Brygge trying to find a restaurant that served a Norwegian specialty--reindeer. Unfortunately, we only found a TGIFriday’s and a handful of French restaurants. (I did NOT travel all the way to Oslo to eat more French food.) We finally found Sake, a resto catering to our second choice of fare, sushi. What a great second choice. It was the BEST sushi I have ever had (and may ever have) in my entire life. We got a tasting menu and literally everything on the plate was incredible. The fish was the freshest I’ve ever eaten, the rice was cooked perfectly, and the rolls were delicious.

Our AMAZING Sushi Presentation

After sushi, we headed back to the hostel for a nap. Which then turned into sleeping for the night...almost. We had a couple (trio?) next door having some fun of their own and once they stopped the bar downstairs pumped up the music. Oh well, c’est la vie, non?!

Wandering Karl Johan's Gate

The next morning we woke up very early, packed, and set out for breakfast. Like I mentioned earlier, Oslo likes to sleep in, especially on a Sunday. We wandered Karl Johan’s Gate for quite some time before settling on a sketchy McDonald’s. After eating and chatting for a while (aka wasting time), we continued wandering and waited in a small park for the National Gallery to open. We explored the twenty-something rooms of the National Gallery, not far behind a tour group. The museum is relatively small, but had some impressive pieces considering. Because France (and more specifically, Paris) was/is the center of the art world and because Norway didn’t have an Institute of Fine Arts for quite some time, many of the Norwegian artists studied technique in Paris and returned to Norway to paint their homeland. The collection included a few pieces from Degas (my favorite), Monet, Manet, Rodin, and Picasso.

Claude Monet - Spring by the Seine - National Gallery

Of course, the highlight of the museum is Edvard Munch’s The Scream. He made four versions, the supposed first of which hangs in the National Gallery. Two subsequent are located in the Munch Museum in the east of the city and the final was sold at auction last year.  We’d caught up to the tour at this point and we listened as the guide explained the story of the painting. Munch had been walking and noticed that the nature around him seemed to be screaming. Overwhelmed by such intensity, Munch began screaming himself. The painting is the representation of his experience.

Edvard Munch - The Scream - National Gallery

Unsure of how to spend our remaining few hours in Oslo, we walked along Bogstadveien--one of the most expensive streets in Europe--and admired the shops (which were all closed). Realizing we were close to Majorstuen and the weather seemed to be cooperating, we decided to sprint to the finish of our time in Oslo and head back to Holmenkollen Ski Jump. It was quite a hike up to the museum and jump, but we made it! We skipped the museum (thankfully...because I have no interest in the evolution of the ski and its associated paraphernalia) and got on the lift to the top. We climbed the last flight of stairs to reach the VERY top of the ski jump and WOW. I was so overwhelmed. That view alone made the entire trip worth it. The fjords, the water, the mountains, the city below. Just incredible. 360 degrees of pure Norway and I soaked in every second of it. I am eternally grateful that my friend told me that it was a “can’t miss experience” because I hadn’t come across it in any of my pre-trip research. The pictures just can’t do it justice, though I took plenty in an attempt to try.

View from the top of Holmenkollen

View from the top of Holmenkollen

Panoramic of Oslo from the top of Holmenkollen Ski Jump

From the Ski Jump level of Holmenkollen

We spent a pretty good amount of time admiring the views before we started our sprint (yes, sprint) to the airport. A route through the gift shop before the downhill trot/jog/run to the metro which we nearly missed. A hurried walk from Majorstuen to the hostel to get our bags and a power walk through Slottsparken to the Nationaltheateret station. A quick chance to catch our breath before hurrying through the metro/train station complex to buy Flytoget tickets and finally we were on the last leg to the airport. We made it through security rather easily, grabbed some quick food, and boarded our plane home to Paris. It was a tight time schedule, but definitely worth it. I must say, Oslo has my heart for sure.