Loud clapping woke me and I realised that the wheels had finally touched the Gardermoen Airport at Oslo. It was a Lufthansa connecting flight that I had boarded at Frankfurt. I was on an official assignment. As I didn't have too much luggage, I took the train (Flytoget) instead of a taxi, to the city. The scene outside intrigued me — the surrounding hills were snowclad and it appeared that it had been raining the whole morning. From the station to my hotel, it was an uphill journey. The hotel where I stayed was next to a park, the Slottsparken. The Royal Palace or the Slottet was on one side of the park.
The famous Karl Johans Gate, the principal street of Oslo, stretches from the King's Palace to the Central Station. Big stores such as H&M, numerous shops, bars, cafes, and restaurants are interspersed with buildings such as the parliament, Oslo cathedral, the national theatre, and Grand Hotel.
Karl Johan's Street Photo: Nancy Bundt/visitolso.com
Tourists rub shoulders with musicians, street vendors and entertainers, and many of the shops put their wares out on the cobbled sidewalks. On Saturday mornings, strolling down this street is fun as one can find merchandise at cheaper rates.
Weekend afternoons were mainly spent in Aker Brygge. This area, which was once a shipyard, has been turned into a tourist attraction. I took the metro to the last station, Frognerseteren, and sat back to take in the pleasant view of the valleys as it wound its way up through the hills. The lake in Frognerseteren was covered in snow. Sognsvann, another lake, which had an eatery-cum-ice cream parlor at one end, was huge and had azure blue water.
Aker Brygge Photo: Nancy Bundt/visitolso.com
On a Saturday, we took a ferry from Aker Brygge to Bygdøy, a peninsula at the southwest of Oslo. This peninsula is famous for its beautiful parks, forests and popular beaches, including Huk beach, which became our favorite haunt. There are many museums in Bygdøy, including the Viking Ship Museum, the Norwegian Folkemuseum, the Kon Tiki Museum and the Fråm Museum.
The botanical garden at Tøyen, near the Munch Museum, also fascinated me. It houses a magnolia tree and many other species of plants. The garden also includes the zoological museum, as well as the paleontological and geological museums.
Other places to visit include the Vigeland Sculpture Park, northwest of the city, which is famous for its exhibits of 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland. A tour of the parliament at Stortingsgaten is another attraction. Oslo is also home to Holmenkollen, whiich hosts one of the world's second oldest ski-jump competitions.
I took the "Norway in a Nutshell" trip, which is famous for covering the important fjords of westeirn Norway. I caught the train to Myrdal from Nationaltheatret station. Myrdal is a remote hill station, engulfed in a mystic beauty imparted to it by fog, mist and rain and the surrounding waterfalls that flow down to the Flåm valley. There are many fjords near this place.
At Myrdal, I boarded the train for Flåm. The train stops at the gorgeous roaring Kjosfosssen waterfalls. Wherever there is a spectacular view, the train either slows down orstops. Next we headed to Gudvangen on a boat. The journey started from Aurlandsfjord and after Aurland and Undredal it took the Naeroyfjord, the narrowest fjord in Europe,which is a world heritage site. This fjord is surrounded by steep mountains that rise up to 1,800 meters.
The bus leaving Gudvangen took the road to Stalheimskleiva, one of northern Europe's steepest roads with 13 steep bends. This journey through the narrow lane was really breathtaking.
The striking waterfalls Stalheimsfossen and Sivlefossen wash away all the troubles and fear on the way. During the rest of the to Voss, a rivulet seemed to flow by the side of the bus. From here, I took a train to Bergen, which is famous for its oil industry and deep-sea operations.
Some people also take the coastal voyage "Hurtigruten", which departs daily from Bergen and Kirkenes. A few days later, as I left for home, I found myself straining for a last view of Oslo, the city where I had spent three months away from home!