On Oslo

Washington, D.C. is more impressive. Paris is more chic. Tokyo is more modern. Berlin is more shopping friendly. But Oslo is home.

I have visited a number of great cities around the world, and many of them have left lasting impressions on me. But as far as I know Oslo is the only one of these cities where you can hop on the metro or a bus from anywhere in the vibrant city centre and within half an hour be deep in the forest or out on the fjord.

Oslo is a small city by international standards, but it is Norway’s only proper metropolis. It doesn’t have enough people to make it crowded, but there is enough to uphold a decent quantity of theaters, concerts, exhibitions and other activities that depend on a certain amount of customers. As far as Norwegian standards go, Oslo is fairly diverse, and you can find small enclaves of different cultures around the city (but rather than Chinatown or Little Mexico, you have Little Little Pakistan). Oslo have both crazily expensive 12 bedroom mansions, apartment complexes originally built for working class heroes, and English style brick houses with surrounding gardens. The different areas of the city range from those who were settled in (and still have some original buildings from) the Viking Age, and those who are being constructed (or reconstructed) today.

Of the latter is the new opera house rising from the water in Bjørvika. Once you tire of promenading on top of the smooth marble surface, you can go see the view over the city from the new ski jump at Holmenkollen, or you can go people watching by the seaside at Aker Brygge. You can sit in one of the parks along the river. You can explore medieval ruins in the Old Town, or climb the cannons at the fortress. If there is a rain shower (let’s face it, it’s Norway – there probably will be) you can go see an original Munch at the designated museum at Tøyen, or you can visit the Kon Tiki or maritime museums out on Bygdøy.

In my opinion Oslo is at its best in May or June. That is when you have the best chance of experiencing days like today, when all you want to do is stroll down in the park and read a book, or take the ferry out to one of the islands where you can bathe in the cool seawater of the fjord. It is sunny outside, but thanks to the Scandinavian climate and a slight breeze, it isn’t hot. It is perfectly comfortable to sit outside in the sunshine, sipping an iced tea at a local café (like I am doing right now). This is one of those days when Oslo feels like a bigger city than it really is, because so many people are outside. People are smiling at strangers for once. They are showing off white arms and legs, not yet touched by much sunlight this season. In a few hours they will be lightly tanned arms and legs, or, if you’re like me – light pink.

Oslo in June is what makes Oslo in January worth enduring.




Disclaimer #1:  No, I am not paid by the Norwegian Tourist Agency or some such institution to write this. I really do feel this way about Oslo at times.

Diclaimer #2: To prove the above... I wrote this yesterday. Today we're back to "cloudy with a chance of Norwegian summer". Sigh.