For our last day we are in Oslo and because i did such a good job finding a hotel, Aimi is not complaining about being in a city, thank you very much.
Truly, the Hotel Christiana Theatre has been wonderful. I recommend anyone visiting Oslo to stay there. Right in the town centre opposite the National Theatre and just down the hill from the Royal Palace, it’s perfectly placed for sightseeing and GEOCACHING!
After popping back to the car to dump our overnight stuff, I led the way on a tour of the city stopping at geocaches along the way. After having met Becki’s friend (who’s name I shamefully didn’t get) with over 5000 finds to her name, it inspired me to collect more on our walks. Much to Aimi’s delight.
One of the major spots to visit was the city hall. A huge brutal building of decorative red bricks and marble, it has hints of art deco and that communist look about it. Very different to traditional English architecture. Inside the dramatic appearance continues with marble columns and inlaid floors surrounded by huge painted frescoes. These are bold in colour and geometric in design matching the building, painted by Henrik Sørensen and Alf Rolfsen. These painters were known by the principal architect Magnus Poulsson from previous constructions. Unfortunately, because building was halted by WWII and it took so long to finish, by the time it was done in the 1950’s it’s brick style was firmly out of fashion and not another building like it stands in Oslo.
It was impressive to wander around and view such huge works of art but it felt very stark. The colours were bright and lively but the harsh geometric lines of the style and the marble, left me feeling cold and distant. It was not an inviting place, but then i suppose government is meant to be respected, not warm and cuddly?
I think I collected about seven geocaches today. The were all hidden very well and the hints made them quick so Aimi didn’t have to hang around. A couple of them were literally hidden in plain sight. You can see them hanging off the bottom of the post box or the drain pipe as you approached but they didn’t look like anything if you didn’t know what they were. I think I was only muggled by one guy who saw me putting one back. Most of them were in good condition but one had had its string cut and was lost to the waves, and a couple were soggy from missing lids.
On our tour around we came to the Oslo cathedral. Here there was a metal sculpture of 77 roses. This was created following a terrorist attack in Norway. Spontaneously after the horrific event, the people of Oslo laid roses outside the church in solidarity and remembrance and it was then turned into this sculpture. Being hand forged, all the roses were unique reflecting the individuals who died.
The last major landmark to visit was the Opera house. I’m not sure what it is about opera houses but it seems they all must be architectural masterpieces. This one is no exception, looking like (to me) a huge iceberg rising out of the Oslo harbour. Its huge sloped sides make gigantic ramps you can walk up and give you a great view from the top. Made entirely from white stone and glass it barely looks like a building. And then just to add to the optical illusions, sculptures of people swimming are suspended halfway up and halfway thru the glass front. It’s a striking design that lets you interact with it, rather than just observe. Shame they don’t allow skateboards.
Having spent the whole morning wondering around and collecting caches we head to the airport. It was a little early but there was no point around for the sake of it. Soon after we turned up this worked out in our favor as it started to rain heavily.
Now time for my final rant;
Every time i go away, i enjoy learning about new countries, but I’m also looking at the quality of life they enjoy. You can’t help compare it to what you know and we don’t come off favourably. The UK is slipping into disrepair and misery. Imagine arriving in Manchester airport as someone new to to the UK. You are confronted with an aging terminal, tiny windowless corridors that smell of diesel and jet fuel. You walk up and down several flights of stairs before your greeted by the never ending line of passport control. The line is so long you can’t even see the desks, and no matter how obvious it is, the powers that be will not employ more officers to make the process quicker.
This miserable room is the first experience of British culture you’ll see. You’ll get to enjoy all the walls covered with A4 printed signs in various languages warning of trafficking and modern slavery. While i approve that something is being done about it, I can’t help but feel it sends a terrible message to visitors. Not only do we have so much modern slavery the government has to advertise the fact, but they can only afford to do it on scrappy paper blue tacked intermittently across the walls. And, all while being observed by CCTV from so many angles you can’t pick your nose without it factoring into your visa application.
Compared to Norway, and any other European airport as far as I’ve experienced, you’d be greeted with a clean and modern building, with lots of glass and plenty of passport control officers. They are clean and efficient and they don’t charge you for a trolley. Yep, Manchester airport charges you for using a trolley. After a wonderful holiday, how disappointingly we compare to our neighbours.
This just makes me even more determined to live life outside the UK. Holidays and tours and as much of the rest of the world as possible. We both really enjoyed Norway. The hiking is excellent and the scenery, sublime. It’s a bit expensive, but I think we will be back. Maybe next time on a motorbike trip. The roads are incredible, smooth and basically empty.
