Oslo

According to the Norse sagas, Oslo was founded around 1049 by King Harald Hardråde. Its original name was Oslo which was changed to Christiania and then later changed back to Oslo. (Kind of reminds me of Bombay/Mumbai). It has been ruled many times by the Danes, then the Swedes and again by the Danes. It has also been ravaged many times by fire.

However today, Oslo is a world class city with many interesting sights to capture the visitors' imagination. It is best to buy a "Visit Oslo" card which covers not only the public transport but also a wide variety of museums and other attractions.

Some of the main attractions in Oslo are:

- The Vigeland Sculpture Park - check out my blog on The Vigeland Sculpture Park

- The Royal Palace where one can watch the changing of the guards at 1400 hrs.

The Royal Palace

The changing of the guards

- The Parliament Building. You can do a tour during the summer months.

The Parliament Building

- The City Hall which is not only the seat of the local government but also where the Nobel Peace Prize is given away. They conduct free tours of the city hall. The exterior of the building was not to my taste (I was told, it grows on you) but the interiors were fantastic. Also since Norway was under foreign rule for most of their history, when they became independant they were keen on establishing their own identity and they looked to their folklore for inspiration. Therefore you will see a lot of reference to sea faring activities, fishing and plant gathering. They also love their mythical creatures like trolls and valkyries. Outside the City Hall, there are friezes depicting stories based on their folklore.

The City Hall

The tree of life

A tapestry in one of the reception rooms of the city hall

 One of the friezes outside the city hall

- The National Theatre.

The National Theatre

- The Cathedral

The Cathedral

- The Opera House which is a unique modern building. www.oslooperahouse.com

The Opera House

- The National Maritime Museum which has a huge collection of miniature ships.

- The Fram which houses the Polar Ship Fram and catalogues the escapades of the polar expidition teams.

- The Viking Museum which has exhibits of ships and artifacts from that era.

The mast on the Viking Ship

- The Kontiki Museum which documents the adventures of explorer Thor Heyardhal and his voyage using the reed boats.

- The National Heritage Museum which has exhibition houses from various parts of the country. It includes a beautiful stave church.

The beautiful 14th Century stave church

Another view..........

A close up.......

A Norse brewery

A modern pub/cafe! :)

- The Harbour from where you can catch ferries to various islands in the fjords. You have a variety of restaurants along the harbour.

The are many other museums covering a variety of topics and works of various artists like Edvard Munch, Henry Ibsen, etc.

The mini bottle museum!

The public transport system which includes the ferries and the subway make it convenient to visit the main sights. The city is dotted with various sculptures of their most famous artist - Vigeland.

http://www.visitoslo.com/