Oslo, Norway

After our three week road trip through the south of France, we had a few days at home to get repacked before heading to Oslo to meet up with friends Tim and Lisa from the states. We flew from Charles de Gaulle to Olso with a stop in Helsinki, Finland.

Oslo, the capital of Norway, is a modern, lively city and has many islands within its city limits. It is a highly forested city as well, with many green spaces and dense forests located within thirty minutes of the town center via public transportation.

It is the home of the Nobel Peace Prize. As stipulated in Alfred Nobel’s will, the award is given annually in a ceremony at Oslo City Hall. Click here to see a complete list of the past recipients, which includes women, men, religious and political leaders.

We had four days in the city to enjoy time with our friends and see some of the city’s interesting sights, including the University Botanical Garden. The gardens are associated with the Natural History Museum; date back to 1814, and contain over 7,500 species of plants spread over 37 acres (14 hectares). As we wandered through the gardens, we enjoyed the wide variety of plants, trees, sculptures, and even a Viking garden.

Fram Museum of Polar Exploration – If you’re interested in Polar Exploration this is the place for you. It is the home of the Fram, one of the ships used by Roald Amundsen in 1910. It has been restored and is open to explore on your own.

What captured my attention the most here was the art of Fridtjof Nansen, one of the Polar explorers and interestingly, a Noble Peace Prize winner in 1922. He became interested in art as a child and continued creating pieces into his later years.

Using watercolors and pastels, he captured the beauty of the frozen landscape.

He even traveled to Italy where he sketched many famous landmarks.

Another must see in Oslo is the Munch Museum. It is located in a huge building on the waterfront near the opera house.

The building includes works by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch and other artists, as well as restaurants, shops, Kranen Sky Bar, and more.

Munch was born in Løten, Norway in 1863 and moved to Oslo (then called Kristiania) in 1864, where his father served as a medical officer. His childhood was consumed with sadness, loss, and fear due to the death of his mother when he was just five years old, and his beloved sister shortly after. These emotions and others are apparent in his art, which in my opinion is quite disturbing.

Munch is most famous for his painting titled The Scream.

We enjoyed some delicious meals while in Oslo, a favorite was Bistro Tolvte in the Munch Museum. The restaurant is on one of the upper floors and has sweeping views of the waterfront, fjords, and surrounding area.

I Baren is another terrific restaurant located not far from the Munch Museum. Their menu includes a nice variety of dishes made from locally sourced products.

Tim and Lisa had spent a few weeks in the northern part of Norway before meeting up with us. Oslo was much warmer than where they had been, but still quite chilly; averaging around 45 – 50 F (8 – 10 C). At one point Lisa commented that she could walk down the street in her bathing suit since it was so much warmer than the north. After lunch one day, we saw this young man doing just that; he even went for a swim in the harbor!

A few final photos from around the city.

After four days together we said our goodbyes; Tim and Lisa headed back to the states, while we took the train to Bergen. More on the train ride and Bergen coming up next week.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia