Norway- The Oslo Escapade

"I want to travel. Maybe I'll end up living in Norway, making cakes."

Eva Green's quote resonated with my feelings after I visited Oslo.

Seated on the northernmost tip of the Oslofjord, Oslo, literally meaning 'meadow of the gods'; is the capital of Norway.

Housing about 6.34 lakh residents, it is also the most populous urban city in Norway. Oslo's population density is limited to 414 persons per square mile. Yet, considering the density of 73,000 per sq. mile of Mumbai, what we are accustomed to, Oslo appears to be a city under curfew!

Strolling down a street on a brisk morning, hardly seeing a tall, blue-eyed Norwegian; one might fear having trespassed a restricted area, with scenes of 'Banged Up Abroad' extraneously flashing across the mind. I found Norwegians very humble though.

Consisting of about 50,000 islands, Norway is one of the few countries which is gifted with the 'Midnight Sun'. For about 60 days around the winter solstice, the Sun refuses to set and is visible around the clock.

The bewitching fjords with water smooth as glass and clear as a mirror; light snow pouring from the azure sky; the glacial Sognsvann Lake, myriad wide walkways and cycle tracks. With connecting trains, trams, metros, and ferries; Oslo never fails to impress!

Talking of impressive; Mercedez, Audis, and BMWs are used as cabs. What vehicles do they own? Bicycles, Teslas and probably motorboats.

The city of Oslo is embellished with several beautiful museums, architectural wonders and artistic installations. The iceberg like Oslo Opera House, the Oslo City Hall that hosts the Nobel Peace Prize, the Viking Ship Museum conserving three 9th century wooden ships, and the Royal Palace, to name a few.

The Oslo Opera House..

"Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people."

These are the words of Thor Heyerdahl, one of history's most prominent explorer and voyager. The Kon-Tiki Museum of Oslo is an exposition of his permissive ideologies, in the form of his balsa wood raft 'Kon-Tiki' on which he crossed the Pacific ocean in 1947; along with the boats Ra, Ra-II, and Tigris. Trust me it was a task to capture the full view of Ra in a picture!

Another astounding hallmark of Oslo is the Vigeland Installation of the Frogner Park. The park features 212 granite sculptures of humans in various poses, all designed by Gustav Vigeland. The 'angry boy', 'dancing lady', the beautiful fountain and the 'wheel of life' are all here. The most eminent is the 'Monolith' composed of 121 human figures rising towards the sky is surrounded by figurines that depict 'the circle of life' as the theme. All sculptures in the park, except that of Gustav himself, are naked. Weird but true!!

Oh! I can go on and on about Oslo. Such is its charm and finesse. Magic in the air and adventure in the waters; 'stunning' is too mediocre a term to describe the capital of Norway- Oslo!

To know about the culinary habits of people around the world, read on..

https://wrytin.com/juhiwani/spoons-chopsticks-and-fingers-the-way-the-world-eats-jxbi852u