Kindle Notes & Highlights
They kept slaves and were all-around cruel (though there is no evidence that they forced their subjects to eat lutefisk).
Currency: 8 Norwegian kroner (NOK) = about $1.
For 300 years (1624-1924), the city was called Christiania, after Danish King Christian IV. With independence, it reverted to the Old Norse name of Oslo.
Oslo’s onetime industrial zone—along the Akers River—has now been reclaimed as a cutting-edge park, with a lush river valley filled with spiffed-up brick warehouses and (on a sunny day) hundreds of sunbathing Norwegian hipsters.
clusters in three easy-to-connect zones: downtown, around the harbor and the main boulevard, Karl Johans Gate (with the Royal Palace at one end and the train station at the other); in the Bygdøy (big-duhy) district, a 10-minute ferry ride across the harbor; and Vigeland Park (with Gustav Vigeland’s statues), about a mile behind the palace.
Akers River park—is hipster central,
foodie-paradise Mathallen
the Østbanehallen—the traditional-looking building next to the central train station.
freebies: an Oslo map (with a helpful public-transit map on the back); the annual Oslo Guide (a handy overview of museums, eating, and nightlife); U.F.O. (the exhibition guide, listing current museum events); and the What’s On Oslo monthly (with updated museum prices and hours, and an extensive events listing).
Byporten (Mon-Fri 10:00-21:00, Sat until 20:00, closed Sun),
cheap Bit sandwich shop with seating.
Pickpockets are a problem in Oslo, particularly in crowds on the street and on subways and buses.
9:30-18:00,
www.oslobysykkel.no/en).
Bike
Look for the cathedral’s cornerstone (near the base of the steeple), a thousand-year-old carving from Oslo’s first and long-gone cathedral showing how the forces of good and evil tug at each of us.
The tiny square windows midway up the copper cupola were once the lookout quarters of the fire watchman.
W. B. Samson’s bakery is a good place for a quick, affordable lunch,
duck inside and be tempted by the pastries. Two traditional favorites are kanelboller (cinnamon rolls) and skolebrød (“school bread,” with an egg-and-cream filling).
think of Freia as “a little piece of Norway.” From here, the street called Akersgata (on the right) kicks off a worthwhile stroll past the site of the July 2011 bombing,
If you’d like to get a city view (and perhaps some pricey refreshment), enter the glass doors facing the street at #27 (not the bank entrance at the corner) and take the elevator to the eighth-floor rooftop bar, aptly named Eight (cocktails-150 NOK, beers-90 NOK).
the old West Train Station; today it houses the 12 Nobel Peace Center, which celebrates the work of Nobel Peace Prize winners.
The next pier over is the launchpad for harbor boat tours and the shuttle boat to the Bygdøy museums.
an information point for Oslo’s impressive harbor promenade, the nearly complete 5.5-mile walkway
Oslo to Myrdal Train (Norwegian State Railways, NSB): 2 departures each morning—6:25 (recommended) and 8:25 (for sleepyheads), 5 hours. Confirm times online or locally. Myrdal to Flåm Train (Flåmsbana): Hourly departures, generally timed for arrival of Oslo train, 1 hour. Flåm to Gudvangen Fjord Cruise: Almost hourly departures, 1.5-2 hours. Gudvangen to Voss Bus: Departures timed with boat arrivals, 75 minutes. Voss to Bergen Train: Hourly departures, 75 minutes. Nutshell travelers originating in Bergen can use this route in reverse.
your trip. Bergen-Oslo: Train departs Bergen-8:43, arrives Voss-9:56; bus departs Voss-10:10, arrives Gudvangen-11:20; boat departs Gudvangen-11:45, arrives Flåm-13:15; Flåmsbana train departs Flåm-16:05, arrives Myrdal-17:03; train departs Myrdal-17:54, arrives Oslo-22:35.
The Flåmsbrygga complex, sprawling through a long building toward the fjord from the station, includes a hotel, the affordable $$ Furukroa Caféteria (daily 8:00-20:00 in season, sandwiches, fast-food meals, and pizzas), and the pricey $$$$ Flåmstova Restaurant (breakfast and lunch buffet, sit-down dinner service). Next door is their fun, Viking-longhouse-shaped brewpub, $$$ Ægir Bryggeri (daily 17:00-22:00, local microbrews, Viking-inspired meals). $$ Toget Café, with seating in old train cars, prides itself on using as many locally sourced
