Oslo: The Scandinavia Diaries, Part I

Oslo on a rare sunny day

Rick and I put off going to Scandinavia for many years because it was crazily expensive. We decided that, since at our stage of life we don’t have too many trips left, it was probably now or never for Scandinavia. And we are so glad we did.

We flew first to Oslo—a sparklingly clean city with no graffiti in sight. It’s by all accounts a very livable city with lots of green space—but not the kind of city you fall in love with. At least I did not. I like more diversity, more of an urban buzz. However, I certainly enjoyed spending a few days there. My only complaint was I would have liked a little more sunshine.

Our hotel the Saga Hotel had its pro’s and con’s. It was located a bit off the beaten track in a quiet section just outside central Oslo. We enjoyed the relative tranquility but the downside was we had to take cabs everywhere. The hotel was not very helpful in providing information about the transit system, but we eventually learned how to get around. Moral of the story: we need to do research about public transport before we arrive in a city.

Our Hotel in Oslo

The main problem in Scandinavia is not so much hotel prices, which were comparable to other European cities, but restaurant prices, especially wine prices. I had been learning to like beer in preparation for the trip; when we were in Helsinki many years ago we discovered that in Scandinavia beer was affordable; wine was not. However, we found we just could not give up our nightly bottle of wine, so we resigned ourselves to the insane prices.

The best restaurant we found in Oslo was unfortunately the most expensive— La Brasserie. It could easily have been in Paris. Although it might seem a little silly to go to Norway and seek out a French restaurant, we did need a break from Norwegian food.

There is more to do in Oslo than we could manage in our four days. We have become real “slow travellers.” In our early years of traveling together we managed to pack a whole lot into a day. Now it’s at most two attractions per day and a lot of hanging out at cafes soaking in the atmosphere. We spent a lot of time at the Grand Cafe--as did Ibsen!

Among the major attractions of Oslo, my favorite was Norsk Folkemuseum, Norway’s largest museum of cultural history. The160 buildings in the Open-Air Museum represent different regions in Norway, different time periods.I could have spent days just wandering around the open-air museum
Gol Stave Church from around 1200

an 18th c. settlement in Southern Norway

Oslo then known as Christiana in the mid-17th century

The national gallery of Norway is also a must see-especially for lovers of Edvard Munch. I used to count myself among them, but tastes change. "The Scream" no longer speaks to me.


Oslo has a great deal to offer. It's not a city we're likely to return to, but I'm very glad to have visited Oslo.