Oslo - the eco-friendly capital

Norway. The land of Vikings, fjords and liquorice!

When my daughter relocated to Oslo to be with her fiancé, Joachim, it was a perfect excuse for another city break.

Oslo lies on latitude 59.9139° North and is the most northerly city I’ve visited, and the first Nordic/Scandinavian one. As far as the temperature goes, arriving in early December may not have been the best idea but, even at 0° to -8°C, it didn’t feel as cold as I expected and there were still plenty of things to see and do.

It’s a 2 hour flight from London and a quick 20 minutes train journey from the airport to Oslo Central Station. The airport train station was empty at 9:20 pm which felt unusual for a capital city. I took the FlyToGet train (the equivalent of the Gatwick Express) at a cost of NOK 230 (approx. £17). I was surprised that it made very little sound, but it transpires most of the public transport system is electric, with the aim to be the first capital city to be fully electric by the end of this year.

This is just one example of how forward thinking and efficient the Norwegians are.

They have excellent recycling, including a returnable deposit scheme whereby you pay a little more for bottled and canned drinks but, once returned to a ‘pant’ machine, you get your money back.

In fact, no matter what league table you look at, be it standard of living, quality of life, or health and people care, Norway invariably comes within the top five. Before visiting the country, I had only known a couple of Norwegians, but these results might explain why they are such relaxed and happy people. From speaking with Kelly and Joachim, the standard of living is good with thoughtful legislation around taxation, employee and parental rights, and, certainly in several sectors, salaries to ensure the high cost of living can be met.

Frogner Park

Our first morning was spent taking a walk in Frogner Park. It’s the largest park in the city and, as well as the many trees, shrubs and flowers you would expect, there are lots of exhibits dotted around it – fountains, gates, bridges and sculptures.

The most eye-catching sculptures are those of naked people, particularly a large collection surrounding a 46 ft/14 m high phallic like monolith of over one hundred intricately carved human figures. Gustav Vigeland created the sculpture to represent the circle of life, with the human forms ranging from birth to geriatric.

 Jul i Vinterland

Similar to London, every year, Oslo holds a Christmas market full of festive lights, food and stalls, rides and beer tents.

It’s the perfect place to get into the Christmas spirit. Talking of which, as it was -7 degrees, we headed straight to a stall selling the Norwegian version of mulled wine – gløgg. We sipped the hot spiced wine which has raisins and nuts added to it, whilst people watching and serenaded by a singing moose.

The stalls sold a variety of goods - glass tree decorations; traditional Norwegian jumpers and warm winter clothing; food produce such as cheeses, and sausages made from elk, moose and whale (yup, whale!); and multer or cloudberry preserves (a fruit only found in Nordic/Scandinavian countries which is often served mixed into sweet whipped cream). I made the most of the stalls by purchasing a few Christmas gifts to take back home.

There were plenty of hot food take away stalls too, with places to sit around burning fires and heaters, or blankets laid out to wrap up.

Oslo Fjord

A must-do when visiting the city is a boat trip around the fjord.

I’ve done it twice now. In December, Kelly booked us on a big boat with both inside and outside seats, and commentary. It’s almost silent because of the electric engine which made the trip even more enjoyable.

In late March, I booked an older and smaller wooden boat and sat outside, wrapped up in several blankets, drinking hot chocolate from the onboard bar.

The boats depart from the port area called Aker Brygge where the impressive opera house, several museums, many restaurants and a mall are located.

The weather was kind on both occasions with perfect views across the fjord and various places of interest dotted around it. On the way back towards the port, there is the option to jump off and visit the Viking Ship Museum on the Bygdøy peninsula.

Even though the December trip was bitterly cold outside (I sat inside for most of it), the limited daylight hours meant the sun started setting around 1 pm resulting in beautiful colours and photos.

Shopping

With the city being small, it’s easy to wander around the main shopping district called Karl Johan, or catch a tram or the metro to other shopping areas, such as Bogstadveien in Majorstuen. There are several good-sized malls and a mix of high end stores such as Steen and Strøm, as well as high street brands like Weekday.

The stores sell many of the products we are familiar with in the UK, as well as those originating in Norway and other Scandinavian countries.

Skiing and Snow

Although I didn’t go skiing, I was taken to the Olympic ski jump, which can easily be seen from the city, and is about a 15 minutes’ drive up one of the hills that surround the city. You can buy tickets to go inside but, on this occasion, we were a little short of time. I suspect the view from the top must be spectacular. The ski slopes are approximately another 10 minutes up the hill by car. However, the number 1 metro line takes you directly from Olso Central to the ski slopes.

As you might expect, there was a lot of snow in the hills during my December visit but very little in the city. Surprisingly, on the eve of their wedding in March, there was a heavy snowfall and we woke up to sights of city life in the snow. People walking by with skis and children being pulled to school on little wooden or plastic sleds.

Not only did Kelly look beautiful and Joachim handsome on their special day, but it truly was a white wedding – cue, Billy Idol.

Norwegian Food

The city caters for all tastes with restaurant choices ranging from traditional Norwegian fare, Brazilian, Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese etc.

Some traditional Norwegian food evolved from the need to preserve it through the winter, for example, salted dried cod or lamb. I think it’s fair to say that it’s unique, and much of it is an acquired taste, especially fermented fish (I tried some to be polite and, thankfully, no need to do that again!)

The western coast of Norway stretches up the North Sea towards the Arctic Circle, so fresh salmon, cod and king crab can be found everywhere. Game meat such as moose and reindeer are also served in various forms - I particularly like the sausages. Lamb or mutton is a popular meat and a dish called pinnekjøtt, which is salted and dried mutton rib, is often served as the main Christmas meal.

Brunost is a beloved Norwegian food. It’s a semi-firm, sweet, brown cheese, usually cut into thin slices with a cheese slice. Kelly and Joachim have theirs on a slice of fruit loaf.

They took me to the Mathallen food hall in an area known as Vulkan, a revitalised historic industrial area near the river Akerselva. Here you can indulge in a great selection of international cuisine, ranging from Hungarian, Italian and Spanish tapas, to Korean, Vietnamese and North American, or grab a drink in one of the bars. There are plenty of fresh food stalls too selling meat, fish and vegetables.
I embraced the freedom of choice and sampled a Kung Pao chicken dish, as well as nibbling a bit of Kelly’s corn dog. The best was saved for the end – a selection of luscious homemade ice cream. Divine!

My first visit to a fabulous restaurant called Brasilia near the City Hall was in December. In one corner it has a replica of the world famous Christ the Redeemer statue, and as it was nearly Christmas, it was adorned with a Santa hat.
The Brasilia Experience is an ‘all you can eat’ Brazilian BBQ menu. Visit the salad bar to choose the salad to accompany your meal. The problem is that it’s not just salad. There’s rice, pasta, curry, goulash, chips, roasted potatoes and more. By the time you go back to the table, ready to be served a variety of freshly BBQ’d meat, there’s no room on your plate!
As you arrive, you’re given a ‘flipper’ card with one red and one green side. If you leave the green side showing, the waiters come to your table with huge skewers full of meat and serve you as much as you want. They also have delicious, barbequed pineapple.
I highly recommend a visit. Great fun and superb food.

Coffee culture is embraced in Oslo, and it’s not surprising as the freshly baked pastries and cakes, or tastefully presented sandwiches, are a perfect accompaniment. I was there just before Easter and couldn’t resist a delicious Easter bun, paskebolle in Norwegian, flavoured with orange and vanilla.

Easter eggs were displayed in many shop windows and, in typical Norwegian eco-friendly style, had very little packaging around them. The chocolate eggs were beautifully and elegantly decorated making it almost immoral to crack them open. Almost.

And, finally – liquorice.

It’s everywhere. Not only does it come in all shapes, sizes and colours, but many different flavours too – possibly, the most famous of which is salted. It’s also an ingredient in many Nordic sweets. Chocolate covered liquorice balls; spicy Turkish pepper options; and fruit infused ones. Even marzipan, ice cream and vodka contain it.

Oh, you can get plain liquorice, as well.

Hmmm. I wonder if you can spot from the information section lengths where my passion in life lies 🤔

With Kelly now a fully-fledged Norwegian, I look forward to many more trips to this lovely city in the coming years and discovering different parts of this fascinating country.