Happy Christmas everyone !

Oslo

In 2010 Oslo rose to the top of the list of the most expensive cities in Europe, and to second spot on the list of most expensive cities in the world after Tokyo !! This was immediately noticeable on our first evening there when it cost us almost EUR60,00 for two burgers and two beers! Despite the super expensive prices Oslo was perfect for a weekend city trip, and the last for us this year.

The city itself is not the most beautiful city in the world, but does have a couple of architectural gems and a few nice art nouveau buildings :-) What makes Oslo special is its location - it lies at the end of the Oslo fjord, with its residential areas stretching up the amphitheater-like hills in all directions. It has an impressive archipelago of islands (40 islands are within the city limits) and I can imagine that in the summer it really becomes a swimmer's paradise. And within a 25 minute trip on the metro you are out of the city and in the middle of the forested ski area. The train trip itself was worth it just for the spectacular views out over the fjord and the city below.

Once out in the hills, we visited the site of the scary looking Holmenkollen ski jump. The first ski jump competition held here was way back in 1892, and the associated ski museum, opened in 1923, is the oldest ski museum in the world. Unfortunately whilst we were there the ski jump was undergoing a major renovation for the 2011 nordic ski world championships, so both the ski jump and museum were closed. But the views from the hill down over the city were beautiful, and it was pretty funny seeing the metro full with people with skis and sleds on their way out for the afternoon to the ski areas :-)

One of the most interesting (and controversial) buildings we visited was the City Hall. Construction of the imposing red brick building commenced in 1931, but was put on hold during WWII before its official inauguration in 1950. Its characteristic, and not widely popular, architecture, artworks, and the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony make it one of Oslo's most famous buildings, and in 2005 was named Oslo's "Structure of the Century". On walking around inside the cavernous buidling it is easy to see why you either love it or hate it!

And perhaps the most modern piece of architecture in Oslo is the, in 2008 opened, Opera House. This angled construction of glass, white granite and marble is right on the waters edge and is designed to look like it is actually rising up out of the water. The roof of the building angles down to ground level, inviting pedestrians (and in snow-free conditions probably skateboarders too!) to walk up and enjoy the panoramic views of the city. In 2009 it won a major European award for architectural excellence. Lovely to see the reflections of the city in all that glass on the brilliantly sunny day we were there.

We also paid a visit to the Akershus Festning (castle) one afternoon, just as the sun was setting at about 3.30pm ! First built in the late 1290s, the castle (more like a fortress) was built to protect the most important city of Norway, and over the centuries has survived many sieges, primarily from Swedish forces. Today it is still a military area but is open to the public daily, and also found within the grounds are the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum and the Norwegian Resistance Museum. It was so cold, and getting dark, that we didn't really spend much time there, but we did see a couple of very cold looking soldier boys with big guns marching around!

Alli xxx

Heaven for museum lovers

For a relatively small city, Oslo is jam packed with museums, so was perfect for a cold winter weekend (lots to do/see indoors!) The best way to visit as many museums as cheaply as possible (in THE most expensive city I have EVER been to!) is with an Oslo Pass. With the card you get unlimited entry to most of the museums and free public transport :-) We had a 48 hour Oslo Pass and managed to visit 5 of the main museums, most of which were out on the Bygdøy Peninsula just west of Oslo city itself.

The Folk Museum

A large open air museum featuring typical buildings from various periods of Norwegian history. Not really the perfect place to wander around in the snow at -10C, but there was a special xmas market which added to the atmosphere. It did seem that we were there a bit too early in the morning though, with most of the activities not happening until after 11.00am, but it was worth it just to see the beautiful wooden medieval "stave" church, dating from 1212. This style of church is unique to Norway and they are constructed using a vertical post technique which is apparently much older than the usual horizontal log cabin technique.

The Viking Ship Museum

In addition to two 1,100 year old Viking ships (supposedly the best preserved in the world), the museum also contains various other Viking artifacts and a Viking burial chamber, apparently complete with ancient skeletons, which I don't remember seeing there at all !

Of the two best preserved ships on display, the Oseberg ship is the most impressive and beautifully detailed. It was excavated back in 1904-05 from a burial mound in southern Norway. The ships internment into the burial mound dates from 834, but parts of the ship date from around 800, and the ship itself is thought to be older. The ship is nationally celebrated and is said to be one of THE finest finds of the Viking era. It is elaborately decorated with beautifully detailed wood carvings and due to its fragile construction was not really suitable for anything apart from short coastal voyages.

Along with various everyday items and artifacts found in the ship/burial mound (including sleighs, a wooden cart, bed posts and wooden chests), there were also two female skeletons and the skeletal remains of 14 horses, an ox and 3 dogs!! The opulence of the burial rite has led to the theory that the burial was of someone of a very high status, probably the Viking Queen Åsa.

Kon-Tiki Museum

For me this museum was a totally unexpected find. It too lies out on the Bygdøy Peninsula and displays Thor Heyerdahl's famous balsa raft Kon-Tiki, and the Ra II, as well as some other artifacts from Easter Island. Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian explorer who, in 1947, proved that intrepid sailors from South America could have sailed all the way to Polynesia. He constructed a raft of balsa and reeds based on historic reports and drawings of Spanish conquistadors, and with 5 fellow adventurers, made the 8,000km journey across the Pacific Ocean from Callao in Peru to the Raroia Reef in Polynesia. I distinctly remember an old copy of National Geographic or something on tv from my childhood about the Kon-Tiki so was quite impressed to actually see the real thing. Can't believe how flimsy and shoddy the whole construction looked though!

Nobel Peace Centre

Unbeknownst to us the Nobel Peace Prize is the only Nobel prize that is presented outside of Sweden. The official ceremony takes place on the same day every year at the Oslo City Hall - 10 December. We arrived in Oslo on 10 December !

This years Peace Prize laureate is the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. Sadly he was not in Oslo to accept the award himself, he is currently serving an 11 year prison sentence in China on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power". Basically he is a political prisoner and has been imprisoned now for the fourth time simply for his long non violent struggle for basic human rights. He also played a major role as a student leader in the 1989 Tianamen Square protests.

The centre itself is a showcase for the Nobel Peace Prize and the ideals it represents. It presents all the previous laureates and their work, in addition to telling the story of Alfred Nobel and the other Nobel prizes. There are many multimedia and interactive displays, and currently a special interactive exhibition aimed at inspiring children (and adults!) of the story of Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian diplomat and explorer (the 1922 Nobel Peace laureate) who with his work on behalf of the League of Nations helped to establish the principle of international responsibility for refugees.

Munch Museum

Features paintings by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. His most famous painting, "Scream", is one of the most recognisable paintings in the world, and along with his "Madonna" made world headlines in 2004 when armed robbers barged into the lightly guarded musuem in Oslo and made off with both paintings! Neither paintings were insured against theft due to their priceless value, but were both safely recovered by Norwegian police two years later. The Munch Museum undertook extensive restoration of both paintings, and needless to say the security at the museum is now beefed up! On our visit on Sunday we had to pass through airport like security. The only disappointing thing was that the "Scream" is not actually on display at the Munch Museum, it is now at the National Gallery!

Alli xxx