Oslo by train

My first taste of the Nordics came in August 1990. I spent three days in Oslo during a three-month backpacking odyssey through Europe. At the time, my travel companion, Dean Keiller, and I had just spent four days in Berlin. We stopped in Oslo from 13 to 16 August, while en route to Bergen, Norway’s largest coastal city.

After travelling for almost 24 hours from Hanover, we finally pulled into Oslo Central Station on the afternoon of Monday, 13 August. Getting there was half the fun. Along the way our train had been loaded onto several ferries, including one between Germany and Denmark, and another between Denmark and Sweden. 

While in Oslo, we based ourselves in a popular campground in the hillside suburb of Ekebergsletta. It was well maintained seasonal venue overlooking the city and its harbour. By day, the view was quaint enough. However, by night, the view was transformed by the city’s lights stretching into the distance. The image below, sourced from the web, provides an excellent feel for its location.

We walked into town each day via Ekeberg Park, a gentle hillside green space, filled with walking tracks and pathways. It took less than half an hour to reach the centre of town, although the city bus stopped directly outside the campground. Incredibly, the campground is still operating today, more than 35 years later. Dean and I had bought ourselves a compact pup tent a few weeks earlier in Eastern Europe. However, we discovered it wasn’t waterproof when overnight rain soaked us and our gear on our final night in town.

I loved Oslo. It was full of history, including relics from the Viking era, a civilisation that always captivated me as a child. None more so than the spectacular Viking ships on display in the Vikingskipshuset. Dean and I visited the museum on 15 August. This rather compact building is home to three meticulously restored 9th-century wooden boats, including the iconic Oseberg ship, the world’s best preserved Viking longship. It's the image that opens this blog post.

The boat was discovered buried in a grassy mound by a farmer in 1904. It features all the classic hallmarks of a Viking ship, including the high sweeping prow capped by a carved dragon’s head, and the wide shallow berth that vaguely resembles a fat bathtub. As a child, I recall being enthralled by the controversial Vinland Map, which depicts the coast of Newfoundland, and stories of Eric the Red,  discovering North America more than 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Seeing this magnificent vessel up close really brought these heroic feats to life. 

However, we started our busy schedule with a train up to Holmenkollen, home to the city’s iconic Olympic Ski Jumping facilities. It hosted events for the 1952 Winter Olympics. The site is dominated by the regulation-compliant run-in tower, a 56-metre ramp rising above the surrounding hillside. Its dramatic profile is visible from downtown Oslo, more than five kilometres away.

We viewed this impressive structure from the base of the hill and climbed its run-in tower to check out the stomach churning view from the starting blocks. The view from the top is truly terrifying! In Summer, the bowl-like landing zone is filled to create a temporary lake and a sound shell is installed on the lake’s far shore for hosting outdoor concerts. Fifteen years later, I rode the elevator again up to the starting blocks for another look with my parents. 

We then returned to town to visit Vikingskipshuset, and on to the Kon Tiki Museum, a purpose-built complex on the waterfront. Dean and I loved how each experience made history come alive. We then took a ferry back into downtown Oslo and walked more than 4 km back along the harbour to our campground. 

The previous day, our first full day in town was informally designated as a rest day after 1.5 days of continuous travel from Berlin. However, we did venture into town for a few hours mid afternoon to visit the grounds of the Royal Palace and explore the quirky Vigeland Sculpture Park. 

The park was something else. It contains more than 200 sculptures in granite, bronze, and wrought iron, including a massive carved stone pillar called The Monolith. This aptly named sculpture depicts 121 human figures clinging and writhing together in 17 metre tall column. The image above was pulled from the web says it all really.

My travel diary makes multiple references to the cost of living in Norway. The first of many price shocks occurred during our first afternoon in Oslo. We went to the Supermarket to stock up on some basic supplies, including breakfast and lunch essentials. The final tally at checkout stunned us both. For years afterwards, I’d tell people that Norway’s scenery frequently reminded me of New Zealand. As a result, while impressive, it wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Instead, I spent two weeks paying top dollar to enjoy something I could have done back home for half the price.