T. Dorsz Journeys - Oslo, Norway

March 2025 - I've been working on this trip for six months, planning where to stay and what to see in this historic and beautiful city. My son and I arrived here from different places: I flew from Lofoten, Norway, while Tommy came from Baltimore, Maryland. Surprisingly, with very little snow, it wasn't as cold as I had expected. According to friends, it has been a mild winter here, which we appreciated. It allowed us to walk and drive around the city without worrying about slipping and sliding.

We rented an apartment through VRBO on the waterfront in the Tjuvholmen neighborhood instead of staying in a hotel. It was much cheaper and more comfortable, and we were very happy to be close to trams, numerous restaurants, and shops—all within walking distance of Akershus Castle, the Oslo Opera House, Karl Johans Gate (Oslo's busy shopping district, also Gate = street), and the Nobel Peace Center. I highly recommend this area if you visit the city. It offers easy access to everything along Oslo's city promenade and feels like a small city. Located on a peninsula extending from Aker Brygge into the Oslofjord, this beautifully developed area features a variety of modern buildings, a harbor, and a waterfront ideal for strolls while enjoying the views. Its central location makes accessing restaurants, shops, and historical sites convenient. We were surprised even to find bathhouses nearby; people were enjoying a sauna, but before experiencing the steam, they took plunges into the cold waters of the fjord.

Oslo, the historic capital of the Kingdom of Norway, is over 1,000 years old. The city has done an excellent job of blending the historical with the modern, making it easy to transition from one to the other. There is more than enough to see in just three days. The other plus is almost all Norwegians speak English. It's compulsory in Norwegian schools from the first to the 11th grade.

Our view after leaving the apartment and turning left.

It’s a pleasant surprise to discover canals, walkways, and bridges in this neighborhood.

Tommy in front of the Nobel Peace Center

Norwegians have long appreciated the therapeutic benefits of using saunas with a refreshing ocean dip. This practice is beneficial for health and social connections and encourages people to push their boundaries to improve their mind, body, and soul. Along the Oslo waterfront, there are private floating saunas available for rent. Four locations near the Opera and SALT can accommodate up to ten people each.

One of the many bathhouses along the waterfront. Jump in the frigid water, climb out, and head straight for the sauna. Nope, I didn't try it. Reservations were a week out ;-)

Tommy stands in front of Freiauret, also known as the Freia sign, which is one of Oslo’s most iconic landmarks. It's prominently perched above Egertorget Square along Karl Johans gate, the bustling main street of Oslo. Oslo’s Sweet Icon

The Royal Yacht Norge was a gift from the people of Norway to King Haakon VII in 1947 following a nationwide fundraising campaign. It's owned by His Majesty the King but is manned and maintained by the Royal Norwegian Navy. Today, the King uses the Royal Yacht in regattas, using the ship as a base during major yacht races. In recent years, he has competed in several regattas in European waters.

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The Oslo Opera House

One of the most striking buildings in Oslo is the Oslo Opera House, which serves as the main venue for The Norwegian Opera and Ballet, Norway's largest music and theatrical institution. Its core mission is to produce opera, ballet, music, dance theatre, and concerts at a national level.

The building was designed to resemble an iceberg, featuring sharp white surfaces and a sloping roof that evokes the image of a glacier floating in the Oslofjord. This captivating design was created by the architectural firm Snøhetta. Construction was completed in 2007, and the building officially opened in 2008.

Here you really get a sense of how large this building is. Earlier, there were kids riding their bikes down the ramp behind me!

Seems like a long way up.

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Holmenkollen

We drove to Holmenkollen since it's a bit far and up a mountain from Tjuvholmen. The area is the gateway to Nordmarka, a large forested area in northern Oslo with many outdoor recreation opportunities, including cross-country skiing in winter and walking trails in summer. Tryvann and Frognerseteren are great starting points for hikes and trips in summer and winter alike.

The Holmenkollen ski jump hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics and the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 1930, 1966, 1982, and 2011. It also features the Holmenkollen Ski Museum. You can see this massive ski jump from downtown Oslo, several miles away.

Tom and Tom at Holmenkollen

Holmenkollen Ski Arena

Though this photo was taken in summer, you get a pretty good idea how enormous the ski jump is. Photo courtesy of Bjarne, Adobe Stock

Not far from Holmenkollen, we stopped at the Oslo ski school. There were lots of kids there that day.

Oslo Ski School

At Gratishaugen, Kollentrollet is a troll sculpture created by Norwegian sculptor Nils Aas, overlooking the Holmenkollen Ski Jump Arena.

At the top of Holmenkollen is the Frognerseteren (Restaurant) with panoramic views of Oslo and the Oslo Fjord. It's a popular stop along the many cross-country ski trails nearby. The building is designed in the "Dragestil" (dragon style), with exposed timber walls, dragon head decorations, and steep roofs.

We had lunch at Frognerseteren, which offers a buffet featuring Norwegian dishes and a variety of pastries and desserts. Sitting in the dining area next to a warm fire in the fireplace was nice. Speaking of fireplaces, the one here is a Scandinavian open fireplace, and the hearth is made of solid soapstone, which does a great job retaining heat.

The Scandic Holmenkollen Park Hotel is perched high above Oslo, resembling a palace from a Norwegian fairytale. It offers stunning views of the city and the surrounding landscape.

On the other side of the road from Frognerseteren Restaurant, you'll find a re-creation of a traditional Norwegian farm featuring sod roofs. For centuries, houses in Norway have used turf for roofing. This method has several advantages: the roofs are quite heavy, which helps stabilize the structure; they offer excellent insulation; and they are durable, providing long-lasting protection.

Here is another view of the Norwegian farm across from the Frognerseteren Restaurant. A cross-country ski trail in front of the farm, and a skier is heading towards it. It's a definite workout to ski uphill, and this trail has many.

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Vigeland in Frogner Park

Vigeland Park is located within Frogner Park in Oslo and is open 24 hours daily. We took the tram up late on a cold and dreary morning. Wow! The dismal day didn't damper my surprise at the enormity and uniqueness of this park. It features over 212 bronze, iron, and granite sculptures created by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, making it the largest sculpture park in the world dedicated to a single artist. The sculptures represent various aspects of human life. Each of the 212 statues depicts human beings of different ages, genders, and sizes, often captured in diverse and sometimes perplexing poses. Vigeland aimed to characterize the full spectrum of human existence, literally and metaphorically. To emphasize this, he chose to portray all the figures without clothing. If I lived here and visited every day, I would discover something new, especially with the changing seasons and different times of the day.

I'm not sure of the title of this sculpture or the one in the middle, but I'm calling both "Intertwined."

The stunning "Monolith" depicts 121 intertwined men and women clinging on and climbing over one another while younger children clamber at the very top. According to the Vigeland Museum, the sculpture has been interpreted as “a kind of vision of resurrection, and our longing and striving for spirituality.”

A piece often referred to as "Motherhood" or "Woman with Two Children riding on her Back."

One of the most famous statues of the park is Sinnataggen, a statue of an angry baby that clenches its fists. If you step close, you’ll notice that one of the baby’s hands is shining. That’s because many tourists believe that touching the statue’s hand brings good luck. I didn.t find out about this until later so I didn't touch it.

Tommy, Tommy, so many things I could say but I won't :-)

This is the central fountain, though it's turned off in winter. The tree groups here represent a romantic expression of man's relationship to nature. They also form the setting for life's evolving stages, stretching from childhood and adolescence through adulthood to old age and death.

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Bygdøy/Oslo

Bygdøy is a peninsula on the western side of Oslo. It's home to several museums we visited, including the Fram, Kon-tiki, and Norsk Folkemuseum, which shows how people lived in Norway from the Middle Ages to the present. It's one of the most significant cultural history museums in Norway. The Open-Air setting features buildings representing various regions of Norway, different periods, and distinctions between urban and rural living and social classes. One of the notable structures at the Folkemuseum is the Gol Stave Church, which dates back to 1200 and is one of five medieval buildings on the site. I've seen it before on past visits but wanted to see it with snow. There was some :-). It's a stunning church, all wood, four stories high, and in the "Dragestil" (dragon style).

Norsk Folkemuseum

Gols Stave Church, Norske Folkemuseum

Setesdal farmstead at Norsk Folkemuseum

The Setesdal farmstead at Norsk Folkemuseum is a typical row farmstead with two homesteads. This is why there are two of most buildings, although some outbuildings are shared between the two homesteads. Image used under license from Adobe Stock/Mirek

Fram Museum

We also visited the Fram Museum, home to the Norwegian-built polar ship "Fram," used in three polar expeditions. The ship was christened in October 1892 until its final journey ended in 1914.

As we explored the vessel, I found it was larger than I thought. It was fascinating to see the various sections, including the bunks, kitchen, community room, and steam engine room. The bunks and rooms were relatively small, considering the expeditions lasted several years.

On board, a windmill powered a generator that provided electric lighting through arc lamps. The ship was equipped with a triple-expansion steam engine rated at 220 horsepower, allowing it to achieve 6 to 7 nautical miles per hour in calm seas. See here for more details on this fascinating ship.

The museum also has interesting exhibits telling the story of other Norwegian polar explorations.

Kon-tiki

Norwegians love the sea, from Viking exploration to Thor Heyerdahl's experiences with the Kon-Tiki expedition, where he crossed the Pacific Ocean on a balsa tree raft. I couldn't even imagine it until I saw and read about it in the Kon-Tiki museum. It's unbelievable how they lived and survived for 101 days. The expedition began on April 28, 1947, when the Kon-Tiki raft, captained by Thor Heyerdahl, left Callao, Peru, and ended on August 7, 1947, when the raft crashed into a reef near Raroia Island in the Tuamotu Archipelago. Thor's goal was to show that, by using only the materials and technologies available to people at the time, there were no technical reasons to prevent them from sailing from South America to Polynesia. He made the incredible journey with a six-man crew and a parrot!

The Ra II in the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo. Image used under license from Adobe Stock/Liaurinko

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After our last full day, we turned in our car rental at Oslo's Gardermoen Airport and spent the night at a nearby hotel to enjoy a leisurely dinner before heading to bed. We got up early to catch our early morning flights back to the States.

Of course, I had to stop at the Duty-Free store to pick up a bottle of Linie Aquavite. Why this particular brand of Aquavite? Well, let me tell you a little story about it. Aquavit is a Scandinavian distilled spirit, typically flavored with caraway and/or dill, and often other herbs and spices, and is a traditional part of Nordic culture. It's very similar to a flavored gin. My family always kept it in the freezer. It's the national spirit of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark and is often enjoyed during special occasions and holidays. Linie is a brand of Aquavit, and its unique history began in 1805 when the Lysholm family sent a shipment of potato-based aquavit to the East Indies. On its return to Norway, the sea voyage was found to have significantly enhanced its flavor. Since then, every drop of Linie Aquavit has undergone a four-month sea voyage, maturing in sherry oak casks to create its distinctive taste.

On the back label of each bottle, you can find details of its sea voyage, including the date of departure, the date of return after crossing the equator twice, and the ship's name.

Skål!

Our view after leaving the apartment and turning left.

It’s a pleasant surprise to discover canals, walkways, and bridges in this neighborhood.

Tommy in front of the Nobel Peace Center

Here you really get a sense of how large this building is. Earlier, there were kids riding their bikes down the ramp behind me!

Seems like a long way up.

Tom and Tom at Holmenkollen

Holmenkollen Ski Arena

Though this photo was taken in summer, you get a pretty good idea how enormous the ski jump is. Photo courtesy of Bjarne, Adobe Stock

Not far from Holmenkollen, we stopped at the Oslo ski school. There were lots of kids there that day.

Oslo Ski School

At Gratishaugen, Kollentrollet is a troll sculpture created by Norwegian sculptor Nils Aas, overlooking the Holmenkollen Ski Jump Arena.

I'm not sure of the title of this sculpture or the one in the middle, but I'm calling both "Intertwined."

A piece often referred to as "Motherhood" or "Woman with Two Children riding on her Back."

Tommy, Tommy, so many things I could say but I won't :-)

This is the central fountain, though it's turned off in winter. The tree groups here represent a romantic expression of man's relationship to nature. They also form the setting for life's evolving stages, stretching from childhood and adolescence through adulthood to old age and death.

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