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BEEN THERE DONE THAT: OSLO
The last streaks of daylight still lingered over the Oslo skyline as we flew into the city at midnight, an appropriate welcome to Norway, land of the midnight sun!
by - TRISHNA GURUNG
| FROM ISSUE # 81 (September 2002) | IN THIS ISSUE | |||
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The capital of Norway is unique for its small population of 500,000 inhabitants spread over one 425 square kilometres. Oslo has an ancient history, stretching back over a thousand years. Before 1924 the capital was called Christiania, in honour of King Christian IV of Denmark. Norway became independent in 1905, after having been in union with first Denmark, then Sweden from 1814. 
Oslo is modest in comparison to the gilt edged splendour of other European cities. The ancient buildings are not too ornate, the modern ones don't dwarf the horizon. The city has a certain self-effacing quality that puts visitors at ease, making them forget this is the capital of the world's richest country.
We were lucky enough to visit during summer. The warm weather brought out sun worshipping locals in droves. Brown sun-kissed skin is considered beautiful, a sign of health and outdoor activity.
The first thing to do in strange city is to orient oneself. This is best done with a map. Locals may not always speak in English when you need directions. Public transportation in Oslo is regular and convenient once you get acquainted with the system. Trams, trains, buses and ferries are easily available. Getting on without a ticket is foolish. Conductors have random checks and the fines are hefty enough to keep most folks honest. Kashish and I walked around a lot, probably the best way to get the feel of a city. The importance of comfortable shoes while travelling cannot be overstated.
The main street, Karl Johans Gate, leads straight up to the royal palace. This is also called Parade Street, because all the parades follow this route. This is tacky tourist heaven. Big name stores sit by travel agents, fast food joints and even the occasional sex shop. The latter was treated as a novelty store, rather than a sleazy place. On one of our rambles Kashish walked into a guitar heaven. You name it, they had it. Unfortunately those beauties were far above his budget, but worth admiring and coveting anyway.
The palace grounds are open to visitors. We are told the royals sometimes come and mingle with the tourists. This is Europe, and we expected kings and queens to live in fancy palaces if not fortified castles. Oslo's Akershus castle, has more practical functions. It houses government and military offices as well as several museums. It also has breathtaking views of Oslo fjord.
The river Aker divides Oslo into the east and west side. The eastside is more multicultural. Tamil music centres share streets with Chinese takeaways, kebab houses and Turkish gentlemen's clubs. We even found a theatre screening a Hrithik Roshan flick. There is a sizable South-Asian community, about 16,000 strong, though Nepalis are hard to come by.
For all it's beauty, this city, like any other, has a dark underbelly. There are gang wars, drug addicts, pushers and muggings. In recent years teenage girl gangs have been on the rise. Most of them are as violent as the boys in a bid to gain street credibility. Certain park areas on the banks of the Aker are unofficial addict hangouts. We saw them sitting in stoned silence, thin and pale in their dark clothes.
Norway is as expensive as it is prosperous. The cost of food can burn a hole in the holiday budget. A nice meal at a café could cost anywhere between 1000 - 3000 rupees per person. With a little imagination we discovered that it doesn't cost much to have fun. It was as easy as an affordable barbeque session at a city park.
Hordes of beautiful, and slightly crazy, people were on the streets for the free annual techo-house music festival, Summer Parade. Large decorated flatbed trucks featured incredible music systems and lots of oddly dressed folk; male fairies, guys in short sarongs and aliens. There is always something happening in Oslo, be it a music festival, parade or street performances. On another occasion we were treated to Brooklyn hip-hop gospel outfit Truce performing outdoors.
We kept returning to Aker Brygge, the boardwalk facing Oslo fjord. It wasn't for the trendy café's and floating restaurants that bobbed next to private boats on the sea front. Aker Brygge is more about the relaxed atmosphere, the people and the scent of grilled sausages mingling with music in the the fresh sea breeze. We tucked into a slice of pizza and ice-cream as the setting sun bathed the sea and Akershus castle in the distance with a warm pink glow. Life was close to perfect.
Vigeland Park is probably Oslo's biggest tourist draw. Its 193 bronze and graphite statues were created by Gustav Vigeland, who gave them to the city upon his death. It was incredible to see human emotions crafted so well in stone and metal. The park, said to imitate a famous English cathedral, was breathtaking in it's size and vision.
Oslo has a thriving nightlife. There are clubs, pubs and cafés that stay open till the early hours of the morning. Blĺ, on the banks of the river Aker, is known for it's jazz, far from the flashy joints along Karl Johan's gate. It's simply a question of "seek and you shall find" in Olso.
We had to leave Oslo too soon. Time and fast dwindling finances kept us from staying on. We may have been there but we were nowhere close to done with Oslo.