Day 2: Oslo

on December 20, 2019

A delay out of Singapore led to a missed connection, a 3km dash through Copenhagen airport, and bags arriving in Oslo on the flight after us. Total time from walking into BNE to walking out of OSL? 37 hours.

As we landed in Oslo the countryside was blanketed in snow and the pilot noted it was -10 degrees. Some people might have been disappointed that they had to use the stairs from the plane, we were pretty excited to get our first taste of real cold!

There’s only one day here before we head north for a week and then return to Oslo for a couple of days. We rugged up and headed out to nearby sights – the Barcode Project, the Opera House and the Sculpture garden.

The Barcode Project is a series of 12 buildings in a line that were designed to look like a barcode. The architecture of new buildings in Oslo is interesting and quirky, and suggests that the city values form as well as function.

The Norwegian Opera House sits on the waters edge. It’s simple and striking, and seems more like a piece of art with acute angles and an enormous sloping white marble roof. Inside is a combination of pale oak, glass, and concrete – very much the look that we think of as Scandinavian. Art has been incorporated in the foyer with a piece inspired by glaciers surrounding the cloak room. Outside, a glass and steel sculpture in the water turns with the tide, casting light patterns into the building on sunny days.

A tour of the building took us through the theatres, rehearsal areas, backstage and work areas for the National Opera and Ballet, highlighting the logistics of performances. 42 staff make over 4000 costumes a year, backstage is 8000m2 with a 3m deep revolving stage, and the light in the main theatre is made of 8000 crystals and 5000 LEDs. Interestingly, the work areas at the back of the building can be seen from the street, making the arts feel accessible.

Light snow started to fall as we left – just enough to dust the pavements, settle on our jackets and make it feel like we’re really in on holiday. We headed off through the streets and up a trail to the Sculpture Garden at the top of the hill on the edge of town. Great views and exercise for the day sorted!

Our walk confirmed what we’d heard about Tesla taking about 30% of the Norwegian car market. They are everywhere, along with other electric vehicles. ‘Scandi’ was definitely the perfect name for mine 🙂

The light started to fade at 3, and by 4 it was dark. The girls opted to chill in the hotel while Andrew and I went for a walk to soak up some of the day to day city. It was bizarre to see the usual work day activity happening in the dark. We aren’t sure why Oslo has a way ‘Pet Fountain’ featuring chickens, but they were a cute reminder of our girls at home. The streets quickly became icy so a quick dinner nearby and an early night seemed like the best option until we find our snow legs! I don’t think anyone lasted more than 5 minutes after we got back, and the blog had to wait. It’s an early start on Friday as we head North!