It is interesting to note some basic differences between Norway and Sweden.Sweden has an aristocracy; Norway doesn’t. This is because, since a treaty in the 15th century till 1814, Norway was Danish; pretty much like Ireland was British.The Norwegian landlords were Danish.
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| Cochs Pensjonat Hotel |
A lazy walk through the palace gardens was how it began. . Saw the changing of the guards at the palace. Surprising fact about the palace and its ground is that the gardens are open to public 24x7. The King's private domain is from the door of the palace to the rooms only.
The National theater has the most beautiful building in the city, being the most prestigious theater in Norway. It is a great treasure for this city, a point of great touristic attraction,gathering several thousands of tourists every year.Statues of the great Norwegian writers Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson guard the theater's main entrance. They also have their names engraved on the theater's facade,along with the playwright Ludvig Holberg.
The facade faces a popular square with a beautiful fountain reminiscent of a giant dandelion,with a convenient subway station on one side.
Theatercaféen is a Michelin guided restaurant located in the Hotel Continental opposite the Theater.It is the meeting place for influential members of the Norwegian art and culture scene as well as actors and actresses from the National Theater.
We walked on and stopped for coffee and cake at a Food Kiosk run by a Pakistani.
Oslo has a sizable population of Sikhs and Pakistanis.It has 2 Gurudwaras and many Indian (Punjabi) restaurants.
(Infact we came across our first Sikh in Bergen whose parents are settled in Oslo)
(Infact we came across our first Sikh in Bergen whose parents are settled in Oslo)
The Turban Day is celebrated every year in Oslo to coincide with Baisakhi.What started as a small idea,has in the last years become a popular annual event in the Norwegian capital.Last year around 20000 Norwegians showed up to get their own turbans wrapped on their heads by turban experts,and to learn more about the Sikh culture and religion.The day aims to demystify the turban and the prejudices that Sikhs face for being different.In other words – the Turban Day wants Norway to become the world’s best place to be different in!
We were so happy to learn about the reach of our culture.
Oslo is a small city and the main attractions are easily covered by walking on a long street named Karl Johans gate,in honour of their erstwhile king Johan. It starts at the Royal Palace and ends at Jernbanetorget which is the Railway station. One would cover the distance in 15 minutes without stopping anywhere.
At the Plaza in front of the station there is a larger than life bronze sculpture of a Tiger! Installed for Oslo's 1000 year anniversary this Tiger is a favorite with tourists.
A Tiger?While there are no Tigers in Norway,Oslo's nickname for over 150 years has been the "Tiger city".Children enjoy going up the back of the animal and others like us would take a picture in front of it.
A Tiger?While there are no Tigers in Norway,Oslo's nickname for over 150 years has been the "Tiger city".Children enjoy going up the back of the animal and others like us would take a picture in front of it.
Next,Oslo Opera House is an architectural marvel.
In Norway,climbing mountains feels like the most natural thing to do — so why shouldn’t this also apply to buildings?The Norwegian nature is free for everyone to walk in,and The Oslo Opera House,which opened in 2008,was built as an extension to this idea.It is located right at the harbour,with an angled white exterior that appears to rise from the water.It affords panoramic views of Oslo and the fjord,all year round.Large-scale windows at street level provide the public with glimpses of rehearsals and workshop activities.
Christiania torv is one among the beautiful public squares in Oslo. It's centre piece is one of the best known statues in the city,the hand of King Christian IV, marking the spot where modern Oslo began. The square surrounding the hand of King Christian IV reeks of history,it's cobbled streets,old bookshop and outdoor cafes creating a fascinating mix of old Christiania and modern Oslo.
A short walk from here is the water front area,the Fjord which has a dock for ships and Yachts for voyages,cruises and trips.It is called Aker Brygge.It is a lovely area to walk about enjoying the views of the Fjord and there are many restaurants in the side streets here.
City Hall: Inaugurated in 1950,the building has 2 awkward looking brick towers and a shorter brick structure in the middle. While the outside is weird looking the inside is refreshing with its walls of murals in the Grand Hall.The floor and parts of the main hall's walls are clad in marble with a series of wall paintings.
In Norway,climbing mountains feels like the most natural thing to do — so why shouldn’t this also apply to buildings?The Norwegian nature is free for everyone to walk in,and The Oslo Opera House,which opened in 2008,was built as an extension to this idea.It is located right at the harbour,with an angled white exterior that appears to rise from the water.It affords panoramic views of Oslo and the fjord,all year round.Large-scale windows at street level provide the public with glimpses of rehearsals and workshop activities.
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| Oslo Opera House |
The building is perched on the very edge of the Oslofjord,even goes down to the water.It is reminiscent of an iceberg rising from the sea. Its main feature is undoubtedly the roof.It angles to ground level,creating a large plaza that invites pedestrians to walk up and enjoy the views of Oslo.The building is covered in white granite and white Italian Carrara marble.In winter snow people would snow board all the way from the top.
Christiania torv is one among the beautiful public squares in Oslo. It's centre piece is one of the best known statues in the city,the hand of King Christian IV, marking the spot where modern Oslo began. The square surrounding the hand of King Christian IV reeks of history,it's cobbled streets,old bookshop and outdoor cafes creating a fascinating mix of old Christiania and modern Oslo.
A short walk from here is the water front area,the Fjord which has a dock for ships and Yachts for voyages,cruises and trips.It is called Aker Brygge.It is a lovely area to walk about enjoying the views of the Fjord and there are many restaurants in the side streets here.
City Hall: Inaugurated in 1950,the building has 2 awkward looking brick towers and a shorter brick structure in the middle. While the outside is weird looking the inside is refreshing with its walls of murals in the Grand Hall.The floor and parts of the main hall's walls are clad in marble with a series of wall paintings. 
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo
The grand dinner that
follows is at the Grand Hotel on the Karl Johans gate.
Finally we came to the Norwegian Parliament building and called it a day.
Finally we came to the Norwegian Parliament building and called it a day.
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Today we undertook a three island hopping tour,with a local guide. Oslofjord comprises of a few islands easily accessible by ferry.
The tour got going with a quick ferry ride to the main island of Oslo,Hovedøya. This is the island closest to the city centre, with beautiful forests, beaches and cultural heritage.We enjoyed the beauty of its woods with its many different flowers and vegetation.
Visited the ruins of a Cistercian monastery.Inhabited nearly 1000 years ago by English monks looking to Christianize post-Viking Norway,this
island has some of the city's most captivating history, which came to life as
we walked through the well-preserved ruins.
A quick walk through a sheep pasture and a birch forest, and the tour continued to offer surprising history,with a visit to the 19th century ramparts and cannons perched high on the sea cliffs,protecting the city since the Napoleonic wars.
Hopped on another ferry,enjoying the breathtaking
views and soon we were on an island known for its charming summer village, Gressholmen, full of brightly painted wooden homes with picture-perfect
gardens.
A third ferry ride brought us close to this lighthouse and lead to the nature preserve of Lindoya, an island which amazed with its variety of small houses untouched landscapes,pastures and rocky coastline.
A third ferry ride brought us close to this lighthouse and lead to the nature preserve of Lindoya, an island which amazed with its variety of small houses untouched landscapes,pastures and rocky coastline.
And we had the last ferry ride through the islands and returned to downtown Oslo,with a majestic entrance to the harbor past the medieval and Renaissance fortress perched high above the port.
To our pleasant
suprise,there was “Mela” happening at the square behind the city hall The Mela Festival introduces you to artistic and cultural expressions from all over the world; music, arts and crafts, theatre, and dance. Not to mention food.The festival cooks whip up delicious dishes all weekend long.Today was the beginning and we could see lots of tents with Indian food among others.We gorged on Samosa,Chaat and
Mango lassi.
Akershus Fortress or Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for Oslo. The castle has also been used as a military base, a prison and is currently the temporary office of the Prime minister of Norway.We had a long walk leading up to and inside the castle grounds.
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The Frogner park with the Vigeland sculptures is a large green area and was accessed by taking a tram from our Hotel. In addition to being a recreational area, it is also decorated with hundreds of sculptures by the Norwegian artist Gustav Vigeland.The Park was completed and ready in 1949.
The 212 sculptures found here are all modeled in full size by Vigeland in granite,bronze and wrought iron. He also designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds.The sculptures are placed on an 850 metre long axis divided into 5 main units:
←Main Entrance Vigeland park (Design feature)
The Bridge with the children´s playground→
The Fountain↓→
The Monolith Plateau↓ (Highest Point inside the sculpture park)
The Wheel of Life.→
The collection also includes everything from a woman holding a baby aloft, a crying boy,a mother and child,and much much more.The sculptures consist of naked human figures, in all variety of poses and situations,exploring the human form and human life,at its purest.
Having completed a truly memorable visit to the sculpture park we returned to our hotel by way of a long walk through Parkvein.
Explored Palace grounds in the afternoon sitting at the park bench and observing people,birds,dogs,flowers and what have you.A leisurely walk to the city centre for some coffee followed and before long we were resting in our room
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Today we shall depart Norway and make our way to Denmark's capital,Copenhagen.
Explored Palace grounds in the afternoon sitting at the park bench and observing people,birds,dogs,flowers and what have you.A leisurely walk to the city centre for some coffee followed and before long we were resting in our room
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Today we shall depart Norway and make our way to Denmark's capital,Copenhagen.
Had a quiet morning,checked-out of Hotel and walked along Johans Gate strolling our bags,gazing at everything for a last time. As they say,we had got accustomed to the face of the city.
Jaipur Indian restaurant in the proximity of Akershus castle was offering a Sunday buffet and we gorged on the same.All Desi food and some dessert.
Jaipur Indian restaurant in the proximity of Akershus castle was offering a Sunday buffet and we gorged on the same.All Desi food and some dessert.
Norwegians have heeded the call of the sea ever since the Vikings set sail in their longships. They have mastered the art of seafaring and shipbuilding.So we decided to take the sea route between Oslo and Copenhagen and enjoy an overnight cruise.
We were booked on DFDS which has one of the largest ferry networks in Europe with routes operating to Denmark,Norway,UK,Amsterdam and the Baltic regions.
Departed on schedule at 4:30 in the bright afternoon and after stowing our bags in our well appointed 2 bed cabin with en suite bathroom, we came on the deck that was already crowding with passengers viewing the receding Oslofjord and the stunning coastline. We did the same while enjoying a drink of Beer/cocktail from the on-deck bar and clicking photos.
We traveled all along and near the west coast of Sweden on the North Sea and the sea breeze was cool,fresh and invigorating. Many Yachts and speed boats were in the waters that evening being a weekend.Later after dinner we enjoyed a lovely Sunset from the window of our cabin
At the culmination of the very pleasant cruise reached Copenhagen at 0945 next morning.Transferred by Bus to Norreport station in the city from where we walked to Hotel Cabinn Inn,our centrally located hotel.
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| our ship Pearl Seaways |
We were booked on DFDS which has one of the largest ferry networks in Europe with routes operating to Denmark,Norway,UK,Amsterdam and the Baltic regions.
Departed on schedule at 4:30 in the bright afternoon and after stowing our bags in our well appointed 2 bed cabin with en suite bathroom, we came on the deck that was already crowding with passengers viewing the receding Oslofjord and the stunning coastline. We did the same while enjoying a drink of Beer/cocktail from the on-deck bar and clicking photos.
We traveled all along and near the west coast of Sweden on the North Sea and the sea breeze was cool,fresh and invigorating. Many Yachts and speed boats were in the waters that evening being a weekend.Later after dinner we enjoyed a lovely Sunset from the window of our cabin
Checked in,rested,lunched took a train travel of 45 min to visit cousin Kailas in Koje.It was a wonderful reunion albeit only for a few hours that evening.After a high tea there was a sumptuous repast thanks to the efforts of Radha,my cousin's wife.It was an effort leaving them so quickly and bidding goodbyes at the train station for our return journey. Returned past midnight looking at the Tivoli gardens amusement park lights.
Being our last day on our tour of Scandinavia we decided to join a walking tour of Copenhagen,which was a 2 hr comprehensive tour of the important sights in the city.
Among places visited the following are worth a mention.
City hall is the headquarters of the municipal council as well as the Lord Mayor of the Municipality. The building is situated on City Hall Square in the center of the city.It has a number of extremely unique and charming art installations..
Christiansborg palace is government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in Copenhagen.It is the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark
Nyhavn harbour,a Photogenic harbour with tall master barges and hugely colourful houses on either side.Full of restaurants and shops it is buzzing with activity.A great place to explore on foot and by boat.
Royal palace of Amalienborg, is the home of the Danish Royal family,and consists of four identical classical palace façades around an octagonal courtyard. In the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of King Frederick V
and finally,the little mermaid the symbol of CopenhagenReturned to the hotel,collected our bags, walked to the Copenhagen railway station and took the train to airport for our return.
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