The snow and ice has melted and the days have warmed. Monday promised to be a beautiful day in Oslo, and it delivered!
We love to see a city wake up, even if it is at 9am! We finally managed to pull on our running kit and head out into the streets of Oslo. It was so nice to fill our lungs with cold fresh air, and explore some different spots in the city. The running and cycling infrastructure is very similar to Brisbane – wide paths along the water, minus the bubblers along the way.
We also happened across the ‘Oslo Tree’, a new installation by the waterfront. It stands 14 metres high and it’s 125,000 LED lights move through colourful light sequences. Very pretty in the morning twilight!
The priority for the day was to head to the Holmenkollen ski jump and ski museum. It’s a little way out of town, and has amazing views over the city. As we headed out, we saw the great yellow ball in the sky – the first time we’ve seen it properly since leaving Brisbane.
The ski jump has been at Holmenkollen since the late 1800s, and the current structure opened in 2010. It’s an amazing piece of engineering, designed to minimise wind and maximise the jumps. It has to be terrifying for anyone who launches themselves from the top!
Terror aside, the view over Oslo from the top is incredible, particularly as we had a clear day. The stadium beneath the jump seats 30,000 people… imagine the atmosphere when a Norwegian hits the slope!!!
The ski museum on the site shared the history of skiing in Norway, and gave insights into the current practices of getting kids onto skis literally as they can walk. Very cute! It’s always interesting to see how equipment technology has evolved in every way – the skis, bindings, boots and poles.
The ski museum also house an exhibition on weather and climate, and Oslo’s ‘European Green Capital 2019’ award. It was interesting to see how the climate in the city has shifted over the past 100 years, with less snow in recent times. We could learn a lot from the city’s commitment to recycling (self sorted) and low emission transport options.
One of the standard features of a GradyBunch trip is a visit to a local Maccas. We headed out in hope of something super Norwegian, and found that the Aussies and Norwegians basically have the same range, except their ‘small’ is super-sized. Slight differences in the carrots, clementines and sweet potato fries, but nothing like the Maharaja burger and Paneer burgers we experienced in India!!!
Last target for the day was Vigeland Sculpture park within Frogner Park. Over 200 bronze, granite and iron sculptures by Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) are displayed throughout the park. It claims to to be the largest sculpture park in the world by a single artist. The sculptures are all naked human figures in a variety of poses and situations, celebrating a vast array of life’s moments.
The fading sunlight beat us for the day, and closed out our last day in Oslo. We definitely would have enjoyed a couple more days in the city, the museums, and the parks. Tomorrow we head to Bergen to farewell 2019!
Love M & theBunch x
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