We set off early on Saturday bound for Gatwick Airport, for our Norwegian Airlines flight to Oslo. The airport is located quite far out of the city, so after we landed we boarded a train into town. Passing through the countryside, there was abundant snow cover but alas once we reached the city centre, there was no white dusting evident.
Arriving in the city centre, we were a little perplexed that there were so few people around. A capital city at mid Saturday is normally bustling, but not today it would seem. In a large city, this could perhaps be attributed to not actually being in the city centre, but Oslo isn’t exactly a far sprawling city.
Nearby we located our hostel, where we had booked a standard private room for two. Instead, we were handed the keys to what was the closest thing to the penthouse suite – a large room with five beds, on the corner of the building overlooking the street below, located on the first floor (this place didn’t have a lift, so that in itself was a huge plus). We set off to see whether the city really was a ghost town or if we’d somehow missed the main centre.
We wandered up to the Oslo Cathedral and then continued down the main pedestrian street. Everything still seemed fairly quiet although the further we went, the more people we started to see. Once we reached Parliament, it seemed we had discovered that everyone was congregated in the square. Market stalls lined the edge of the square, an ice skating rink in the middle and multiple large screens broadcasting snow sports. As we soon discovered, Oslo was hosting the Biathlon World Championship. Our understanding of a winter biathlon is that it combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
We passed another huge screen and stage as we continued in the direction of The Royal Palace. Although not as big as other Royal Palaces, Norway’s is still impressive and perhaps more interesting is the fact that it isn’t surrounded by a fence or wall; the public can practically walk up to the front door.
Back down on the stage, Fleur East had unexpectedly arrived and was performing. We aren’t sure whether she is famous in Australia or not, but she was runner up in 2014 on The X Factor over here, and her song Sax was heavily featured on the Asda supermarket commercials during Christmas 2015. Judging by the people standing around us, most of the Norwegians didn’t know who she was.
Following her performance, we headed into a bar set up in a giant tipi tent. Whilst Oslo was hosting the Biathlon, the 2015–16 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup was also taking place across several snow-covered countries and being broadcast in the tipi. We discovered a new appreciation for ski jumping, and the excitement amongst the Norwegians was truly contagious, particularly when it came to celebrating the win of their own, 20 year old Johann André Forfang.
We also experienced the strange traditional Norwegian desert of pancake with brown cheese and jam. The Norwegians love brown cheese, it was available everywhere, it’s texture is like that of fudge although it has quite an odd sweet-savoury flavour.
The following morning we embarked on a walking tour of the city. Not being huge history buffs, we learnt that Norway was part of Denmark for 400 years to the Napoleonic wars, and then part of Sweden for another 100 years. While unfortunately our guide wasn’t very easy to understand, we did manage to understand her explanation that in Norway everything has to be “practical and reasonable”. In fact, the most outlandish building that we witnessed was the very contemporary looking Opera House from 2008.
Along the tour, we also saw the Stock Exchange, passed by Oslo Harbour, before we headed inside and City Hall. From the outside, City Hall surely meets the criteria for “practical and reasonable”. Tall and boxy, with little architectural detailing and constructed of red/brown face brick - visually, it’s rather straightforward. Inside is a very different story, where huge murals showcasing vibrant colour, fuse with the government functionality.
The result of booking the cheapest airfares available resulted in us being scheduled onto a flight departing Oslo at 10:15pm to arrive at London Gatwick at around 11:30pm. Considering that the next day was a working Monday (and an early start for Roslyn), we had definitely tempted fate thinking that we’d be home in bed just after midnight. After a delayed flight departure, and then the uncertainty as to whether trains into central London would still be running so late, we finally hit the hay at just after 2:00am Monday.
Highlights:
- City hosting the Biathlon World Championships
- Market stalls
- Parliament
- Royal Palace
- National Theatre
- Saw Fleur East perform
- Drinks in a giant tipi bar
- Walking tour
- Opera House
- Stock Exchange
- Oslo Harbour
- City Hall
- Ate pancake with brown cheese and jam
- Snacks at TGI Fridays
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