We are on a motorhome tour of northern Europe, and recently left Sweden to visit Norway, which is famous for its fjords. In fact, there are more than 1000 fjords in Norway, and while we won’t be seeing them all, we hope to see many. Our first fjord was Oslofjord, in south-eastern Norway.
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| A coastline of Oslofjord, Norway |
Oslofjord covers an area of 1,984 sq km (766 sq ml). It is an ancient area, with the surrounding settlements dating back to the Stone and Bronze ages. Now days, Oslofjord’s coastline is one of the most densely populated areas of Norway, and includes Oslo, sitting at its northern tip.
We were heading to Oslo, Norway’s capital, but had a forced stop at the Sweden-Norway border instead. Officials there asked whether we had alcohol on board and we told them about our four bottles of wine. They were ok with that, but were amazed that we were from New Zealand (NZ)!
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| Grand buildings in Oslo, Norway |
Moving on afterwards, we drove through Oslo city, seeing attractive and grand buildings lining interesting-looking streets. We were planning to sightsee in Oslo, but first, we drove to the only campsite in Oslo that was open at this time of the year, parked Vanni, and settled in for a few days.
The next morning, we awoke to frost-covered grass, and it was reeeeelly cold...brrr! We wrapped up in poly-props, Icebreaker tops, puffer jackets, beanies, gloves, and scarves (Leigh even had fluffy earmuffs), then caught a bus that took us to Kvadraturen, one of Oslo’s historic areas.
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| Brannvakten bazaar in front of the Oslo Cathedral, Oslo, Norway |
Oslo was founded as a city in 1040. But after many fires and wars, what remains of its historic buildings are from the 17th and 18th century. We saw several of these in Kvadraturen, and particularly loved the red-brick Brannvakten bazaar, and neighbouring Oslo Cathedral with its impressive tower.
Next, we walked along Karl Johans Gate named after a King of Sweden. It is like the Champs-Élysées of Oslo, and is the main shopping street. Around this area, we saw many significant buildings including the lovely University Buildings and ornate Groschgården Apartment Building.
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| Marg at Parliament House, Oslo, Norway |
Another was the Stortinget, the Norwegian Parliament House. This interesting building has a rounded front and carved stone lions that guard the entrance. The building dates back to 1866 inspired by French and Italian architecture.
Beside the Stortinget, is the huge Eidsvolls plass (square) and we enjoyed walking through this lovely greenspace. It is considered "the National Mall of Norway" because of the high number of historic monuments dedicated to famous artistic and political figures who have spoken there. So far, we were loving Oslo and finding it very cultured.
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| The Royal Palace, Oslo, Norway |
Further along Karl Johans Gate, we found the Royal Palace. This is the residence of the King of Norway. It is a huge building but was not accessible when we were there because of extensive earthworks going on in the front courtyard.
The Palace is guarded by the Royal Guards who wear the most interesting uniforms. Their hats look like bowler hats and they have a fluffy plume coming out of them. We thought they looked a bit uncomfortable once it started to rain, because their hats were getting wet and their plumes drooped.
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| Marg, and in the distance is City Hall, Oslo, Norway |
After that, we walked through the lovely Studenterlunden park, to visit the Oslo City Hall. This impressive modernistic Town Hall was opened in 1950, and the inside is beautifully decorated with art depicting Norwegian history, culture and working-life from 1900 to 1950.
Wandering around some more, we reached Christiania Torv, the main square of Oslo. It has a cluster of beautiful historic buildings, fountains, and interesting public art including a giant hand marking the spot where Oslo began. It is surrounded by restaurants and cafes and we enjoyed a coffee there.
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| Aker Brygge area, Oslo, Norway |
The next day, we headed back into the city and walked to the modern waterfront area called Aker Brygge. It was once home to a shipbuilding industry, and many of the old warehouses have been turned into expensive-looking apartments surrounded by restaurants, shops and lots more public art.
We visited the Museum of Modern Art, walked through an interesting sculpture park, and admired the 13th century Akershus Fortress on a hill opposite. The fortress has been defending Oslo for centuries and is still a military area.
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| Marg in Aker Brygge, Oslo, Norway |
There was so much to see in this cool and cultured little capital. Next, we walked around the marina, along the boardwalk and pier, and visited some art galleries, and the Nobel Peace Centre where the work of Nobel Peace Prize winners is displayed.
The area is known for its seafood, and fishing boats sell fresh seafood here daily. We opted for a restaurant and enjoyed a wonderful seafood lunch there. Overall, we found this area to be really attractive and vibrant.
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| Leigh next to an historic Viking boat at the Viking Museum, Oslo, Norway |
From there, we caught a ferry across Oslofjord that dropped us in the Bygdøy area where we visited the Viking Ship Museum. It has an amazing display of ancient Viking ships, tools, and treasures excavated from burial mounds. We really enjoyed this museum and its interesting collection.
Vikings were peoples from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. They were famous for their ships which were a vital part of their culture. Ships enabled them to travel and from 790 to 1066 CE, they raided, traded, and colonized Europe and North America, having a lasting influence wherever they went.
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| Expensive real estate in Bygdøy, Norway |
While in Bygdøy, we walked around the area seeing some stunning houses. We learned later that the area is home to the most expensive real estate in Norway. After that, we caught the ferry back to the city, walked around a bit more, then popped into a rainbow bar for a glass of wine before finding our bus stop to get back to camp.
Near the camp, we visited the local supermarket called Kiwi. We asked about the origins of the name - the two owners used the first two letters from each of their surnames Ki and Wi. Nothing to do with NZ kiwis. Later, we patted ourselves on the back for stocking up with basics in Germany, because its so expensive here.
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| Oslofjord viewed from Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway |
A few days later, we drove to the amazing Olympic-standard ski jump called Holmenkollen. We didn’t climb to the top, but even from the car park the view of Oslo and the surrounding Oslofjord was wonderful.
We are ready to move on and see more fjords now. The nights are freezing which we are not enjoying. But we have a very efficient heater in Vanni, and when in Lithuania a few months ago, we bought a warmer duvet. The locals don’t seem to feel the cold - they sit outside at cafes while we huddle inside.
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| Norway in autumn |
The weather has not stopped us from admiring the colours of autumn. It is a pretty time of the year here with all the trees, of which there are many, wearing their early autumn yellows, oranges and reds.
On our last night in Oslo, we drove to the Oslo Airport long-stay car park where we had booked a space for Vanni. She will remain parked there while we go on one of the World’s most scenic train trips to Bergen. But you can read about that in the next blog.
This blog describes part of our 6-month motorhome trip around
north-eastern Europe, which began in Prague.