To the North! [Part 1: Oslo]

Sunset over Norway.

On Saturday, 8 December, after a few rounds of tearful goodbyes, I set off for Gloucester Green bus station to meet up with a classmate, Carson, and his mother for a short holiday in Norway. We scored 18 GBP plane tickets to Oslo (thank you, RyanAir!), so off to London Stansted Airport we went to begin our voyage to the North.

Snowflakes on the window on the bus to Oslo city proper.

Once we arrived in the heart of the city of Oslo, we dropped off our bags at our hotel and went out to grab dinner and see more of the city at night. Dinner was an interesting affair - we went up a couple flights of staircases and down an elevator before finally being seated. Note to self: leave the multi-story restaurant/club establishments to the locals, unless you REALLY want to end up sitting next to the Norwegian Jersey Shore milieu.
However, dinner was quite tasty - seafood is the way to go. And we did enjoy taking in the decked-out streets of Oslo:

We decided to make it an early night after dinner to allow ourselves a fresh, full day of travelling around Oslo. In the course of a day, we hit the highlights of Oslo in winter: the Viking Ship Museum, the Outdoor Folk Museum, the Sculpture Park, the Oslo Opera House, and the Spikersuppa Christmas Market.

I was particularly looking forward to the Viking Ship Museum (Vikingskiphuset). Both Carson and I had studied some Old English and Norse literature, and were eager to tangibly experience the Northern culture.

Carson and I outside the Viking Ship Museum

American Vikings!

The majestic Oseberg Ship

Close-up of the intricate detailing on the prow

Me next to the ship for a size demonstration. Check out the inside - seats 30 men!

With the Gokstad ship. Crazy fact: Shipbuilders took measurements BY EYE.

Me with Carson and the Oseberg Ship

Not only were there two intact Viking ships from the 9th century, there was also a display of an assortment of artifacts illustrating the Viking culture.

Viking cart

Viking sled

Cooking pot and pan

Iron-clad chest

Piece of textile with cross

[P.S. There is currently a project called Saving Oseberg that is seeking to restore many of the Oseberg artifacts that were treated with alum salt and are in serious danger of deterioration.]


The Outdoor Folk Museum (Norsk Folkemuseum) consisted of hundreds of original buildings mainly from 1500 forward arranged to depict daily life in Norway over the centuries. The oldest building is the Gol Stave Church, circa 1200.

With the Stave Church

Interior of the Stave Church - painting of the Last Supper above the altar

With a stave building

Reconstruction of a Norwegian village

Inside one of the storehouses

A Sami hut - we thought it resembled somewhat a hobbit dwelling.

Left - lapper; Right - vafler

We were also fortunate to be there during their Christmas market, featuring local crafts and traditional Norwegian snacks. We sampled the pancakes, or lapper, and waffles, or vafler. To our great delight, there was a group of children dressed in Norwegin folk garb dancing to traditional Christmas music, complete with the accompaniment of a woman playing the Hardanger fiddle.

Folk Dancing!

Check out the Hardanger fiddle!

On our way back to the city centre, we stopped at Frogner Park, which contains the world's largest park of sculptures made by a single artist - Gustav Vigeland. The Monolith, the central structure consisting of 120 intertwined human figures, is supposed to represent man's desire to be united with the spiritual/divine.

The entrance gates

The bridge

Father and Son

Tree of Life

the Monolith

intense.

Before heading to the Christmas market at Spikersuppa, Carson and I popped over to the Oslo Opera House. The unique modern design of the Opera House enables visitors to climb up to the roof, which offered a spectacular view of the city.

We concluded our day of exploration with the Spikersuppa Christmas Market. On our way, we witnessed a procession of mounted police officers (to my great delight) and a public protest against Norway's involvement with the EU.

The Christmas market had a similar set-up to some of the Austrian markets I went to two years ago, so it really brought back memories. We perused the arts and crafts, sampled some of the local smoked salmon, and warmed up in the giant tent, a recreation of the tents used by the Sami, the indigenous people of Norway.

Giant tent!

One of the highlights of my night was eating an Elgburger. As I placed my order, the cashier asked if I'd like fried onions, fried mushrooms, and lingonberry sauce with that. Um, how COULD you say no?? Oh.my.goodness. It was one of the most delicious burgers I've ever tasted. I approve of Norway's version of "the works".

Elgburger - yummmm