Arriving at Gardermoen Airport its easy to travel into central Oslo by train and its pretty quick. If you get the ‘FlyToGet’ express train from Oslo Airport to Oslo Central it only takes around 25 minutes and costs around 196 NOK (around £17). You can also get a slower train (V y – Norwegian State Railways (formerly NSB) is slightly cheaper.
Oslo is a very socially and environmentally conscious city. It has recently banned the sales or services of Israeli apartheid goods (anything from illegal settlements in the West Bank on occupied Palestinian land), paving the way for human rights. https://www.timesofisrael.com/oslo-city-council-bans-purchase-of-israeli-settlement-goods-and-services/
97% of all plastic bottles in Norway are recycled thanks to a deposit return scheme system which allows residents to take their plastic bottles to their local supermarket in return for a small sum of money 10-25p depending on the size of the bottle. A great incentive. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/12/can-norway-help-us-solve-the-plastic-crisis-one-bottle-at-a-time
One thing I really love about Oslo is it’s Scandinavian interior design, go to any restaurant here and it will be will designed, modern, clean and quirky. The coffee shops are some of my favourite places to write.
Getting around Oslo is easy, I walked to most places but it was also handy to download the ‘RuterBillett’ app if I needed a ticket to jump onto the tram (especially in colder weather!). Really simple to use and it stores your payment information ready for next time.
If you walk to Folketeaterpassasjen just outside the old Opera in Oslo, you’ll find a statue of Kate Moss in a contortion / yoga pose. Obscene and shocking to some this is modern art, by British artist Marc Quinn called ‘Myth Sphinx – Kate Moss’. One thing is for sure, you won’t see anything like it ever again.
One of my favourite landmarks for central Oslo is ‘The Tiger’, which looks super beautiful when it snows. Oslo city is nicknamed, ‘Tigerstaden – ‘The Tiger City’ and this bronze Tiger was given as a gift to the city to celebrate it’s 1000 year anniversary in 2000. Strong and fierce.
I usually go to Oslo once a year, usually during November so to me it seems that it’s always Christmas in Norway!! Juls Vinterland Oslo’s Winter Wonderland lights up the dark winter skies (it gets dark around 4pm in the winter!) with its Christmas market and funfair, bringing those joyful holiday season vibes. You can try a few unusual foods such as the ‘Elk’ burger or have some Mulled wine – non-alcoholic version was also available!
