Highlights from Oslo
The four days I spent in and around Oslo were some of the most memorable of the trip. I experienced the excitement of snowboarding, the cultural aspects of the city, a horse sleigh ride through the forest and a scenic boat tour. Oh, and I also managed to meet and make small talk with the Prime Minister.
World Snowboarding Championships
Although my trip to Norway was about a week, our main focus in Oslo was the World Snowboarding Championships. I’m certainly not a snowboarding pro by any stretch of the imagination but I must admit that watching the riders twist, turn and do tricks up close and personal was exhilarating and definitely a new experience for me. We watched the Men’s Quarter Pipe and the Women’s Halfpipe competitions. I skipped the Men’s Halfpipe but heard that they were phenomenal.
Meeting the Prime Minister
Norway kept surprising me everyday but meeting the Prime Minister was definitely the most unplanned and exciting part of the week. He was there to watch the Men’s Quarter Pipe competition and a few of us happened to be standing near his vehicle. After seeing one of us trying to snap a photo of him he he actually walked over and offered to pose with us.
The poor man didn’t know what he had gotten himself into because we quickly thrust another four cameras into an innocent bystander’s face and held him up for a good five minutes. Jens Stoltenberg was a great sport about it and I even chatted with him in between shots. Despite his security team, I was pleasantly surprised by his friendliness and willingness to interact with locals (or visitors in our case).
Kvelertak Performance
It’s been about a year since my record label rock concert-going days but being in Oslo, there really was no excuse not to check out a local band in town for the Snowboarding Championships. Kvelertak is about as heavy-metal as you can get. To be honest, I really enjoyed their music. I’m not generally a hard-core metal fan but the band has some undeniable talent.
The most interesting part of the concert was observing the fans below. There was a huge mosh-pit right near the stage and people were throwing their beers all over the place. It was inspiring to see how passionate their local fans are and how this genre of music influenced the atmosphere throughout the venue. (This is a good time to note that Rammstein was also in town and staying at our hotel)
Horse Sleigh Tour Through Forest
The whole time I was in Norway I kept saying one thing: “Wow, I feel like I’m in Narnia”! As silly as that sounds to the non-literary nerds out there, this is one of my favorite things about Norway. Nature is everywhere around you and since it’s winter right now the snow-covered mountains, lamp posts and and winter coats had me feeling like I might spot Mr. Tumnus at any moment. Our horse sleigh ride through the forest followed by a traditional picnic and campfire only solidified my Narnia daydreams. Making the situation even better, we had shot of alcohol from a bottle we found in the mail box.
Sculpture Garden
I visited a few different museums during our days in Olso but it was the Sculpture Garden that really blew me away. Gustav Vigeland designed the park with impressive creativity, detail and execution. This particular series of sculptures depicts the “youth” stage of life, which is followed by adolescence, adulthood and finally death. I found Vigeland’s positive depiction of youth a fascinating contrast to that of Edvard Munch’s 1894 “Puberty” painting of a scared and confused young girl.
Boat Tour
As a travel writing bohemian traveler, boat tours are sort of an essential piece of the puzzle – at least for me. In my opinion, sailing represents freedom and even though I’m not steering the boat myself, I still get to feel a bit like a pirate for a few hours. Viewing the city from the fjord (inlet with glaciers) on my day in Oslo made me realize how much I’m going to miss this country.
We did have a bit of a Titanic moment about mid-way through the tour. We hit a block of ice below us and the boat shook from side to side. I’m sure this happens quite a lot considering our captain was laughing at our scared reactions. Regardless, it added an extra element of surprise to the excursion.
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26 Comments
I am thinking to visit Oslo one day so..thanks for the beautiful article!
Regards!
It’s an amazing city Miruna! I miss it already
Megan recently posted..Highlights from Oslo
A shot of jaeger from a bottle you found in a mailbox…Sounds like a good day to me:)
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..The Georgia Aquarium – A Whale Shark of a Good Time
haha I think they put it there on purpose but it’s funnier to think that it was placed there by accident
Megan recently posted..Highlights from Oslo
Looks like you had a great time. I need to visit Norway too. I never been able to decide if I want to go in the winter or the summer. I guess I’ll have to do both.
Ross recently posted..Heron Island – Singles Table
I was a little scared about how cold it would be there in winter but it was not bad at all! It’s of course colder the closer you get to the mountains but Oslo felt just like NYC in winter (a little warmer actually because there was less wind)
Megan recently posted..Highlights from Oslo
Wow looks like an AMAZING time! Must move Norway up my list of places to go.
Claire recently posted..Residence Monastery Prague
It was Claire! I miss it already
Megan recently posted..Highlights from Oslo
Me and my husband are planning a trip down to Oslo in summer. it won’t be snowy, but we have high expectations
Wow! You talked to the president!
Laura recently posted..Las Fallas Festival Preview: Ninots Exhibition
Sounds like a fun trip! I would love to see the country during the summer also – the pictures I’ve seen look gorgeous
Megan recently posted..Highlights from Oslo
You met the Prime Minister! Wow. I can safely say that bumping into David Cameron whilst visiting an extreme sports event would be somewhat unlikely
Laurence recently posted..Travel blogging tips from the experts: Nomadic Samuel
haha it was definitely not part of the itinerary but he was so friendly to us – I’m officially a fan
Megan recently posted..Highlights from Oslo
Wow,sounds like you had a great trip! So happy you enjoyed it! Cant wait to hear all about it. Did you get to go snowboarding too?
It was a great trip Rachel! Chose to stick to Skiing this trip but I was certainly tempted to give snowboarding another try
Megan recently posted..Highlights from Oslo
Wow, what an eventful trip! I can’t believe you managed to meet the prime minister!!
Reena Ganga recently posted..Why you should get snap happy with your luggage
It certainly was Reena! I was shocked myself but he was very friendly and it made for a great memory
Megan recently posted..Highlights from Oslo
That is crazy that you got to meet the Prime Minister! That’s definitely something to be proud of because not many people can experience that. The Sculpture Garden blows me away as well. Thank your posting those photos because it makes me want to go there now!
Alexa Meisler recently posted..Calistoga in winter: Sublime
Glad I could help
The sculpture garden is absolutely stunning and I highly recommend visiting Oslo! Meeting the Prime Minister was definitely a highlight – very unexpected!
Megan recently posted..Bohemian Trails Gets Physical
It would be so cool to see professional snowboarders competing.
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Beware the Sex-Crazed Troll in Chiloe
It was Stephanie! There were a lot of scary tumbles though but luckily none of them got hurt.
Megan recently posted..Bohemian Trails Gets Physical
Wow! Looks like you had an incredible time!
Jade – OurOyster.com recently posted..The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly – A Completely Personalized Guide To Save YOU Money
Thanks Jade! I sure did – can’t wait to go back
Megan recently posted..Photo Friday: Norway Memories
I’m off to Oslo in May. I hope its a bit warmer than when you were there !!
Rob recently posted..Travel Adventures On Your Doorstep
It will be Rob! Although it wasn’t as cold there in the winter as I expected
Megan recently posted..Photo Friday: Norway Memories
Wow, I’m seeing a lot of Oslo articles. It’s never been high on my destination list, but maybe is should be. I’m glad to read that you had a great time and got to hob-nob with the Prime Minister!
Mary @ Green Global Travel recently posted..TRAVEL GEAR: Ethnotek, The Coolest Messenger Bag You’ll Ever Own
Thanks Mary! Oslo really blew me away. It has a vibrant art scene and also has amazing fresh seafood and of course there are the slopes in winter.
Megan recently posted..My Best Bogota Memory