Norway Travels - Perfectly Nordic
At the beginning of September, Ed and I found ourselves in the land of the blond haired and blue eyed. Where Vikings had raged supreme in the Dark Ages, and where the most prestigious prize to peace-making is given out every year. Where it’s colder than we’d like to remember and definitely the furthest north we’d ever travelled. We found ourselves in Oslo, Norway.
I had always romanticized Scandinavia, ever since I read a book on Norse myths and legends in high school. I always imagined Thor and mighty Odin in the marble halls of Valhalla where the gloriously slain dwelled, and I always imagined Valhalla to lay in a recondite fjord in Norway. Not to mention the Viking legacy that still survives today in the passion for navigation that Oslonians have. Or the thawed out landscapes of the Norwegian summer, protected by her ancient and wise forests.
Not a place to take lightly; we knew. We were predisposed to loving Oslo, even before we started descending and saw the sunlit land broken by bays, islands and islets. Or the rocky cliffs that poured down into the blue North Sea surrounded by the white foam of perilous waves. Or even the piny never-ending woodlands starting to hint amber and ochre, announcing the Autumnal advent.
The bus ride from the airport into Oslo was long and expensive costing us €34 return each. Nonetheless we were prepared for Oslo prices, being rumoured to be the most expensive in Europe, stripping London from its title. When we got to the Central Station, we noticed a predominance of young tourists and backpackers, all uniformed with their Oslo city guides and maps. From the look of things, Olso was the place to be this weekend.
After leaving our luggage in our friendly hostel we ventured out into the sun again. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky but the wind was a bit chilly which required the emergency winter jackets we had brought along just in case. We walked along the harbour, admiring the icy blue waters which penetrated the Oslofjord (although geologically it’s a bay and not a fjord) and the white elegant vessels that ebbed upon it. If there was anything Viking left in hearts of Norsemen, it was the taste for all things nautical. Hundreds of white masts crowded together along the horizon, some of them fleeting resting points for eager seagulls.
It was midday and people were out and about enjoying the Nordic sun in the harbour as we queued up to take the public ferry into Bygdøy, a western peninsula in Oslo, best known for its concentration of important museums. We could have taken the bus, but we figured if we were in Oslo, we should do as Oslonians do.
First stop was the Viking Ship Museum. We expected to see remnants of Viking ships and artefacts, but were surprised to find 3 real life sized original ships. The Oseberg, Gokstad and Tune were stood in the great halls of the museum, with its voluptuous curves and spirals decorated with intricate woodcarvings known as ‘gripping beast’ because of its interlaced animals and sea monsters. continue...
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