10 Oct - 24 Hours in Oslo

From Norway

Saturday morning was a sleep-in morning as the first activity did not start until 10am. It was the Kongsberg Farmer’s Market, which may have been the first one ever according to my coworker. It was so important to me that I was giving up Oslo time to do it. The size was as anticipated, about a dozen tables. There was the cured meat, a few vegetables (cabbage, leeks, carrots, potatos), jams, honey, pastries, apples, juices and cheese. I supported the event with a wedge of super dry, flavorful cheese (think parmesan), a white chocolate raspberry muffin, and a 3 liter fresh apple juice box (It was the only size). I’m tired of the wine and water beverages, so fresh apple juice when I return to the hotel room will be a real treat.

An hour and half later, after passing colorful landscapes of rolling hills and water side towns, the train arrived at Oslo’s central station. Norway has been my “home away from home + husband” for a whole month now, and this [Oslo] is the first culture/city experience of my stay. After a week’s worth of research, some of the appealing activities included visiting the Saturday flea markets. I’m not convinced this would’ve been my interest 5 years ago. Here’s why:
Every year in May, Manhattan Beach’s private school organizes a “Sophisticated Snoop” fundraiser. For $25 six wealthy beach “shacks” open their doors for guided tours. One of my hobbies is interior decorating… I may not be very good, but that’s all relative and I can copycat well. Anyways, one of the houses this year really inspired me to use items from other countries (beyond vases, dishes, etc.). My favorite snoop dwelling was decorated using items that fit the house theme and were from the family’s trips around the world. The hanging lights over the kitchen’s island were from a market in Italy. What a great idea… not only is it unique and fit the house, but it is a memory of that trip, foreign village, or maybe the seller’s story whom was involved in the haggling. The only problem with this new realization is that it eats up luggage space quickly. A bud vase is much smaller than a chandelier.

Out to get flea-marked, I stepped North from central station. The flea world I walked into was intense. This first one was under an elevated road and was extremely crowded. The stuff that wasn’t on a table, was just in boxes to be rummaged through. The first box I pawed was of scarves and the first one scarf/hanky unfolded read “….. Harley Davidson, Marina Del Rey”. Oh man, there’s no escaping LA. Not even under a random bridge in Oslo.

There were quite a few goodies I found at this market. The most worthy of mention is a wrought Iron candle holder. It is very similar to a handmade Swedish one that I loved in a store last week. The price tag of $180 kept me from jumping for it. Yikes! The one at the market was sold for $8. Excellent. The second flea market visited that day was on the complete other side of the city. I dropped my bags off at the hotel on the way. This flea market was not crowded and had nicer junk, all to make it a pleasant experience. The main purchase here was a chandelier. Yep. It is a miniature version of some black wrought iron chandeliers I’ve seen on my weekend trips in restaurants and huts. When I saw this one my shoulder dropped from the burden of finally seeing exactly what I have been looking for, and not wanting to hear a high price and the thought of lugging it home. The seller lady saw me touch it and exclaimed, “do I dare tell you the price of THAT” (first in Norwegian, then in English). She continued, “I’ll give it to you at a special deal ‘cause I just want to get rid of it. It hung in our house for many years and my son kept banging his head on it.” Still wary at this point, she announced the price at the equivalent of $9 and all skepticism liquidated. Wow. Apparently it was actually from France originally (even has French bulbs). So, this chandelier will get some travel miles. It will be perfect for over our dining room table. Done deal.

The time was getting on late afternoon and I had big evening plans that needed a clothes change. I charged back to the hotel, armed with two large shopping bags of goodies. There is a note-worthy detour on the return walk. As you are probably aware, just the day before Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I was most curious to see how the Nobel Peace Prize Center was exhibiting the news. They building décor most certainly was Obama-ed. A vertical banner the height of the building read “From the KING to OBAMA”. Another banner on the left side of the door was a black and white photo of Martin Luther King Jr with “I have a dream…” and opposing it on the right side was Obama with a similar phrase. The handrails had Obama record discs hanging from it. The entrance fee was waived that day (typical for the day after such news is announced) and there was an English tour starting then. I was out of time, but did peek in the main exhibition hall which was all about Obama. The reaction here has been mixed. Of the 4 Norwegians who have chatted about it, three of them have either laugh at what he has achieved to deserve the Prize or s/he was not happy how the Prize’s committee is using the Prize for political charades. The remaining person vocalized that it will serve as a good motivator for Obama to continue to work for peace. Regardless, it’s interesting to discuss it with the locals and since they are a blunt culture, it’s great fun to be a listener.

At the hotel, after a quick change and glance at the dining section of the travel book, the restaurant de jour was Grand Café. Upon request of a window seat, they seated me at the best table in the house, with a front row seat of the corner pedestrian traffic, with a douse of ocean water in a distance. The meal was in the top 3 of the meals I’ve had since in Norway. The starter was Norwegian smoked trout and marinated mushrooms over mixed lettuce with a splash of pesto and seaweed. The entrée was creamed spinach piled on a large cut of Norwegian cod snuggled in lightly creamed scampi pasta. The meal was completely fitting for my fancy night out.

Don Pasquale was the reason behind my “big night out”. He is the main character in the Don Pasquale Opera that is playing at the new Oslo Opera House. This week I found a single opera ticket for $18 and couldn’t pass it up. I’ve never seen an opera and figured a cheap ticket would be reasonable if my tastes were disappointed. Well, disappointing it was NOT. The opera was lively, colorful, creative, fun, and more like a musical. They were singing in Italian, so I didn’t understand it verbally, however each seat back translates the song into simple English or Norwegian phrases. It enables the audience to laugh, relax, or be filled with dread at all the right parts in the story. The pit band was truly talented and the venue acoustics was most impressive.

The opera house is right on the water of the Oslofjorden. It’s new within the past couple years and the structure allows you to walk on the angled roof up to the flat/top roof. It’s a decent night city view from up there. Afterwards, I strolled back to the hotel … which is right on the main square, in the middle of the city action and a couple blocks from the palace. There was a major football (soccer) game happening live, so the bars were inundated with roaring fans.

The impressions of Oslo find similarities with some other cities… parks (including a palace) comparable to London, colorful apartments/buildings a faded shade from San Francisco, street lay-out structured to Copenhagen or Hamburg, water strolling quay resembling Sydney, and the walk-ability of Manhattan. I imagine the weather is closest to Montreal and the prices of New York. This is based on the first 10 hours in the city, and has confirmed that 24 hours will not be enough time in Oslo. Time to optimize for Sunday's urban exploring.