Oslo, Norway

Norway, to me, is the Argentina of Scandinavia. Think about it; it has a beautiful and rugged landscape; it is a little bit off the beaten tourist track; it can, at times, be terribly expensive and in the delectable Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby it has it’s own Eva Peron. What more convincing do you need? If I was you I would get there as soon as you can before too many people catch on to the charm of this wonderful corner of Scandinavia or Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby starts a revolution.

Introduction
Oslo – the Capital of Norway – is situated in the heart of Scandinavia, surrounded by magnificent scenery from the fjord to the forested hills. Already at the turn of the 10th century a settlement was built at the end of the Oslo fjord. During the 11th century this settlement grew into the medieval city of Oslo (which makes it one of the oldest European capitals and the only Scandinavian capital with an urban settlement dating back to the Viking Ages).

Despite its neutrality, Norway was not able to avoid occupation by Germany in World War II. In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway’s economic fortunes. The current focus is on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and planning for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU.

Geography
Norway is one of the five Nordic nations which lie within the northern stretches of the European continent. It is bordered to the east by Sweden, Finland and Russia; to the west by the Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; to the north by the Barents Sea, and to the south by the North Sea. In total area, Norway measures 386,958 square kilometres. The country is long and narrow, with more than 30% of the land covered by forests, many rivers and lakes. Nearly half of the country is given over to mountain ranges.

Famous Norwegians
Listed below, in no particular order of merit, are ten of Norway’s most famous sons and daughters:

The Vikings – Horned-hat wearing hordes of beer swilling good time boys who streamed out of Norway and tried to civilise Scotland – some hope!
Edvard Munch – Artist responsible for The Scream – a piece of work so important that when it was stolen recently no one noticed for a week.
Thor Heyerdahl – Loony Norseman who made a career out of bogus scientific claims and riding around on a reed boat.
Edvard Grieg – Classical music buff who took his music to the masses.
Roald Amundsen – Hard man South Pole explorer.
Sigrid Undset – Winner of the Nobel Prize for literature.
Gustav Vigeland – Nude obsessed master sculptor.
AHA – 80’s talentless warblers who broke a million school girl hearts.
Knud Hamsun – Another obscure Nobel laureate.
Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby – Crown princess, good time girl, single mother and the Eva Peron of Scandinavia.

Weather
Click here for current weather conditions in Oslo.

Climate
Oslo has a mild and pleasant climate in the summer, more pleasant than its latitude would indicate, due to the favourable influence from the Gulf Stream, that brings warm waters across the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico. It is well protected from Atlantic rainfall by mountains.

Statistically speaking, Oslo is Scandinavia’s sunniest capital. The monthly day temperature in the summer is 20°C (68F) – higher than in other areas situated in the same latitude, and with frequent hot spells. Spring, summer and autumn temperatures may be compared to those in the New England states in the USA, Brittany in France or Galicia in Spain.

Language

Back in the days when I was a student and living in London there used to be a late night TV channel on cable called Direct TV. Aside from the obvious attractions of amateur strip competitions, badly dubbed porno movies and the News Bunny the whole nation was hooked on the channel for its super sexy weather presenter who would, on the hour, read the weather for London in Norwegian. Of course, no one understood a word but half the nation would always rush home from the pub in time to catch her 11pm broadcast. Sadly, Direct TV is no more, but still when I hear Norwegian spoken it takes me back to the hazy, lazy, drunken days of my youth and I can’t help but smile.

Technically speaking, Norwegian is a member of the North Germanic, or Scandinavian, group of the Germanic subfamily of the Indo European family of languages – hence why an understanding of Germanic languages makes Norwegian a relatively simple language to learn. It is spoken by about 4 million people in Norway and another million in the other Scandinavian countries and North America. Norwegian is a daughter language of Old Norse.

Just to confuse things, today there are two official forms of Norwegian: bokmål (book language) and nynorsk (new Norwegian). Bokmål, also called riksmål (national language) and Dano-Norwegian, was greatly influenced by Danish, which was the dominant language of officialdom when Norway was under Danish rule (1397-1814). The language of the cities, the official and professional classes, and literature, bokmål came to differ greatly from the Norwegian spoken by the common people. Norwegian employs the Roman alphabet, which was introduced in Norway in the 11th century and to which three characters, æ, ø, and å, have been added.

Visas
Citizens of the United States, Canada, the European Union, and other “developed” countries do not need a visa to travel to Norway – just a valid passport. For a list of countries that do need visas, see: Visas to Norway

For more information you should contact the nearest Norwegian Embassy or Consulate.

Shopping
The main shopping area is in and around Karl Johans Gate and Stortingsgata. Large department stores are located on Karl Johans Gate, and the old stables that encircle the cathedral are now shops as well. Stortorvet, the square in front of the cathedral, has an open-air market every day.

The more elegant stores are on Stortingsgata and nearby streets, especially Tordenskjoldsgate, which has fine antique shops and high-quality women’s wear. Shops come and go at the waterfront complex Aker Brygge. The SAS Scandinavian Hotel is a shopping center in itself. Oslo City, a vertical shopping mall near the railroad station with inexpensive shops and fast-food places, appeals more to young people.

Shops are usually open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, and many stay open until 7pm on Thursday. In summer, shops tend to close at 4pm. During winter and summer, most stores close on Saturdays at 1 or 3pm.

Places to Stay

You can try the links page for different types of accommodations at www.norwaylinks.net.

If you are interested in getting a hotel pass, which can give you a savings of up to 50%, go to www.norway.com.

You can also take a look at the Norwegian Tourist Board’s site.

My own personal place to stay is Bed & Breakfast Villa Frogner.

There are plenty of camping sites throughout Norway. You can also camp anywhere you like in the countryside, for up to three days, as long as you are a respectable distance from someone’s home and are not on cultivated land. For information about camping, check out the camping links at www.norwaylinks.net

Clubs
Oslo’s clubbing scene raises its head above the parapet every now and again and it’s finally beginning to get a good reputation. The long summer nights, beautiful people and wonderful scenery around Oslo I often feel are crying out for more open air clubs but unfortunately the city council hasn’t yet cottoned on to my excellent idea. A good link of places to party can be found at Streetwise.

Internet Cafés
Try Nettcafe for all your cyber needs in Oslo.

Special Events
A good list of events can be found at www.norway.com.

Events for the coming year 2002 include:

May
Location: Streets of Oslo
Grete Waitz Race (five-kilometre women-only marathon, named after the Norwegian sprinter who won the New York marathon nine successive years).

17 May
Constitution Day (national holiday with a parade of flag-waving adults and children, led by various bands, to see the Royal Family on the castle balcony).

June
Trondheim to Oslo
Great Endurance Test (560km cycle race).

August
Oslo Rock Festival (Norwegian bands play alongside invited international acts).

September
Location: Streets of Oslo
Oslo Marathon (42km course).

Late November
Oslo International Film Festival, (international and Norwegian films).

December 1st
Location: University Square
Lighting the Christmas Tree (huge tree lit with music and frivolity).

December 10th
Location: Karl Johan Street
Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony (winner is announced at a private ceremony but there is a parade to celebrate).

December 11th
Location: Spektrum
Nobel Peace Prize Concert (featuring international and Norwegian artists).

Cost of Living

One-litre bottle of mineral water: NOK8
33cl bottle of beer: NOK14
Financial Times newspaper: NOK19
36-exposure colour film: NOK60
City-centre bus ticket: NOK20
Adult football ticket: NOK210-410
Three-course meal with wine/beer: From NOK250

For current currency exchange rates, try Oanda.com.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Europe Insiders page.

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