Oslo offers a pulsing city life, but the fjord with its islands as well as the mountains and deep woods are also right on your doorstep. Exploring the environment in this compact capital of Norway was the aim of the Oslo Blog Gathering’s participants. Since VisitOslo gave everyone the Oslo Pass, we had the use of free public transportation, including the boats to the islands in the Oslo Fjord. One evening we took a ferry to one of the local islands for dinner. It was Mrs. Trøen, the Sales Manager of our HUB, the First Millennium Hotel, who came up with this splendid idea and reserved a large table for us. As always, I gladly share these magic moments with you, starting from the harbour at the City Hall, passing Akershus Fortress:
Five minutes later we had left the urban city life and were enjoying the nature (click pics to bigify & enjoy):
The ferry is relatively small and in just 15 minutes takes you to Bygdøy Island with lots of historical museums: Closer and closer to the Fram Museum: Fram = the boat Roald Amundsen used at his Polar Expeditions (the first to the South Pole in 1912)
Five minutes walk from there and you take Norway’s shortest ferry trip to the island where we were dining: Max 11 passengers and one minute drive.
The restaurant at little Herbern Island:
This small “hide out” is a hidden gem and a peaceful and idyllic island which should be on every Oslo visitors wish list. People started to come out here when the restaurant first opened in 1929, and it has been known as a small and precious pearl in the Oslo gastronomy scene since then, beautifully situated on a natural beach it is open yearly from May – October.
It could be taken for a private Scandinavian summer home on the outside, however inside the restaurant has seats for 65 guests and 130 outside on the terrace with a fantastic seaside view. The restaurant’s interior is bright, with big windows, white table cloths, wooden chairs and a beautiful parquet floor. I’m sorry I didn’t take any pics from the outside, but here are some from the restaurant late in the evening: Fantastic sceneries through the panoramic windows.
I have pics from our gastronomic adventures as well so join the Oslo Blog Gathering gang from all over the world and let me share the menu:
I guess it would not surprise you that seafood is their speciality and to me of course; the choice was easy. So first things first; the starter – bon appétit: Scampi on a crisp salad with balsamic vinegar dressing Left, the main course: grilled salmon on pureed potatoes – Right, the dessert: cappuccino pannacotta
After the one minute ferry back to Bygdøy Island, we took the bus back to Oslo – a 20 minutes drive and we were back in the city and First Millennium Hotel again.
This was Friday night’s menu and we were all getting to know each other quite well – making friendship for life. According to the OsloBG program, we still had one more day and night of fun and adventures, so stay tuned there is more to come!
Oslo Blog Gathering gave sightseeing adventures like Oslo New Opera House guided tour or watching changing of the guard ceremony in front of the Royal Palace – to mention just two out of numerals options for the participants. For those who picked these as their choice of day two, I was their local guide and of course you are welcome to join us:
The Norwegian Opera & Ballet:
As an ice berg out of the ocean, the Opera from the outside is considered spectacular, and the radical change of worm welcome look when you get inside is equally impressive. It’s Norway’s largest performing arts institution, with 600 employees working in about 50 professions and trades. Designed by the Norwegian architects Snøhetta, it is the first opera house in the world to let visitors walk on the roof (click pics to bigify & enjoy)): OsloBG participants roof photo shoot.
The new opera house offers a rich and varied programme from three stages: The Main House (1369 seats), Second House (400 seats) and the Studio (200 seats). The Opera Roof and Foyer are also used for concerts and other artistic performances.
Our guided tour invited into a unique workspace and we learn a lot more about the architecture and even catch a glimpse of life backstage. I had my Nokia X6 mobile at hand of course, to give you a sneak peak:
The oak tree inside gives a warm and welcome impression as oppose to ice berg shaped building on the outside:
The artistic facilities and what is required of the shows was also among the guiding themes. We saw the public areas, the main hall as well as Scene 2 (photos above), and we even were back stage and also saw the rehearsal rooms and the sewing room:
The Oslo Pass = Free transport & entrance: The OsloBG participants were given this Oslo Pass by VisitOslo. It provides free travel on all public transport, free admission to museums and sights, free parking in all Oslo municipal car parks, discounts on car rental, ice skate hire, Tusenfryd Amusement Park etc. This of course were very convenient to have – all the time – so even if only three stops away, we took the tube to our next adventure this second day.
His Majesty the King’s Guard (HMKG):
At 1:30PM 2 pm. every day, the changing of the guard ceremony take place in front of the Royal Palace. A popular spectator event for tourists and of course for the OsloBG participants too:
Their dark blue dress uniforms have remained virtually unchanged throughout the regiment’s 142 years of existence
I was serving at the King Guard myself in 1972, so I knew where to take OsloBG participants to stay or sit to get the best, closest look:
One noteworthy detail of the uniform is the plumbed bowler hat, which was copied from the Italian Bersaglieri alpine troops – a regiment that so impressed the queen Louise (Queen of Sweden and Norway between 1859 and 1870) that she in 1860 insisted the Norwegian guards be similarly attired.
OsloBG – the participant’s choice: This is only a small collection of what was explored by the OsloBG participants this second of our three days together – all in all we were about 30 participants from all over the world. Seldom were we together in one group though as the program idea was based on that everyone should pick out their favourite spots according to their interest and preferences and of course what they felt for each day. So as “local hosts”, DianeCA my wife, our good friend TorAa and I picked out our rout for the day and invited those who wanted to follow.
I will post more from my trips and so will they – not to mention all the participants’ blog posts from their adventures. Those will be presented by me in one post as soon as I have collected all of them. So by all means: stay tuned!
Oslo Blog Gathering’s grand opening was the Mayor’s reception at the City Hall. Blog friends from all over the world brought a small gift from their homeland, since it also happens to be the Mayors birthday. He said he had not received that many gifts since he’s 5th years celebration. Her you see some of the participants in front of the city hall:
After the Mayor’s welcome speech, it was my turn to return the favour with some words: “Our Dear Mayor, Oslo Blog Gathering participants, and associates;
They say that Oslo is the city with a big heart, and you dear Mayor, participating in this reception is certainly proof of that. Even on your own 55th birthday you are here to welcome my guests from around the world with open arms. In the five years I have been blogging about Norway, our culture, traditions and habits, I have lots of regular readers who have become curious about our country, find us a bit exotic, and wanted to come and visit. I have also tried to explain about our open and transparent society. I have told the world about our accessible politicians who hear our individual voices, and you are now an excellent example of this.
I also wish to express my thanks to VisitOslo for their contribution as well as the gathering’s hub, First Hotel Millennium.
I’m proud of Oslo city and I know you are too. To me it is a dream comes true that I am able to give my blog friends, from all around the world, a taste of what we have to offer. Again, thank you dear Mayor for receiving us and letting us have a look at the heart of Oslo, our lovely city hall. I’m sure our participants will share some of their adventures from today and their expectations in the rest of the program with you.“
Then we had a great time enjoying the food, the drinks as well as a nice chat with the Mayor (click all pics to bigify and enjoy):
We also were lucky enough to get a guided tour in the city hall: Located by the waterfront, with Fritdjof Nansensplass on the inland side. It’s open to the public, with a spectacular main hall featuring huge murals with typical Nordic social democratic themes. Its characteristic architecture, artworks and the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony makes it one of Oslo’s most famous buildings. There are also some displays of historical artefacts in the side rooms upstairs and we where in the Munch-room with a beautiful view of the harbour and Oslo Fjord:
The day however started in the morning at reception in OsloBG’s HUB; The First Millennium Hotel, where we all meet for a guided tour: Highlights of Oslo:
Let me just give you a short memo from the bus tour which started with a round trip in the city when the guide gave a short overview and description of the towns history:
Our capital and largest city in Norway was founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway and largely destroyed by a fire in 1624. The Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV rebuilt the city as Christiania. In 1925 the city reclaimed its original Norwegian name, Oslo. The diocese of Oslo is one of the five original dioceses in Norway, which originated around the year 1070.
Oslo is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental centre of Norway. It’s also a hub of Norwegian trade, banking, industry and shipping as well as an important centre for maritime industries and maritime trade in Europe. The city is home to many companies within the maritime sector, some of them are amongst the world’s largest shipping companies, ship-brokers and maritime insurance brokers.
We also had some short stops to some sightseeing:
The Vigeland Sculpture park:
Some of us gathered by the Angry Boy; the most tourist photographed object in Norway. We had an excellent guide who gave a wonderful introduction to Vigeland’s beautiful work of his life (you may read more about it in my post: Olga the travelling bra clothing statues Vigeland Park:
The Holmenkollen ski jump:
20 minutes by tram, on the hill behind the central city, you’ll find Norway’s number one sports icon: The Ski Jump: is host to the world’s oldest notable ski jump competition still in existence.
Since then the capacity of the stands has been increased to over 50,000 people and the jump has been extended 18 times, last time in 1982. Today’s tower extends 60 meters above ground, and 417 metres above sea level. The current record of 139.5 meters was achieved by Andreas Kofler of Austria on 14 March 2010. I was there at that time and can recall you’re memory from my post: “Holmenkollen Ski Jump preparing for OSL2011
This time we went to the very top and here is the view (unfortunately in rainy weather):
Bygdøy Island & the Museums:
We ended up passing the Museums at Bygdøy (click the links to read my earlier posts:- Like the Kon-Tiki Museum, which shows all year long the legendary expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl. The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. Viking Ship Museum as well as Norwegian Maritime Museum and the ship Fram, used by Roald Amundsen.
OsloBG – The show will go on:
This was just a short report from the first day. The show will go on for two more days, so stay tuned!
Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and other Social Media connect people and brake down cultural, religious and other barriers. Surveys also tell that people active in Social Media are more socially active face to face too. OsloBG and the Oslo Blog Gathering 2010 in Norway is an excellent proof of that and its happening this week:
OsloBG is a three day program to explore Oslo and Norway’s culture, traditions and habits. Associates like VisitOslo give the Oslo Pass to all participants which allows free access to sightseeing attractions as well as public transportation. That gives everyone a free choice of how to experience our compact city offering everything from the Fjord, the mountains and wild life as well as pulsating urban adventures. Click the official logo to read about the whole program.
OsloBG in Social Media: The gathering is first of all a social gathering for people from all over the world who love to meet up and share magic moments while exploring Oslo. Some might blog about it live (like me, so stay tuned!) and some will share our adventures on other social media. I have a Nokia X6, excellent for uploading and sharing on all platforms, so check out my photos and reports on Facebook, Twitter and/or Flickr as well! If you are lucky, you might get a glimpse of us and our adventures live at my Qik-site too from where I can broadcast real time, on line!
Click their link to enjoy all they will report before, during and after the gathering and of course check back here for updates and reports from our gathering!
Carnival in Mariestad Sweden gives a Scandinavian taste of Samba and Rio de Janeiro: parades with scantily clad beautiful “Brazilian” women and fantastic costumes. Most customs and celebrations are actually of pre-Christian origin; Fertility and the budding spring were celebrated. The first celebration may have taken place around 600 BC and a trace of the major parties is found in Osiris in Egypt. There were also major carnivals in the Roman Empire.
You get the same feeling when our vacation home city changes its name for the day to MaRioStad. My wife DianeCA and I, on our way to the city centre for a romantic dinner, accidentally came across the parade and I just had to capture the fun and share it with my blog friends. Luckily I always have my Nokia X6 mobile phone on hand:
Carnival is nearly synonymous with Rio, but that is not the only place. On the contrary, it’s celebrated throughout most of the world, especially in Catholic countries. Other major carnival cities include e.g. Verona, Nice, Lisbon, Verona, Cologne and Lisbon. People are preparing for months, saving money for the big party. In Mariestad there were huge expectations and everyone turned out so the sidewalks were full (click pics to bigify & enjoy): People with big expectations – all over!
Although Rio’s is today’s carnival capital, this celebration has it’s origin in Europe. The ancient Romans had large rallies in the street, where they among other things, drew a boat with them. There was plenty of food and drink and a grand feast for the occasion. In the middle Ages, carnival was to some degree celebrated in Scandinavia, but this celebration disappeared with the Reformation in 1537. I think it’s good that this tradition is reborn in Mariestad and with a cute, local twist: Willy’s Steamboat float – Pippi Longstockings Colourful clowns – What about a rolling rock band, now that’s rock n roll Fancy cars and pretty girls
Before I end, let’s get back to the samba feeling and these beautiful women (mostly) and fantastic costumes:
I also had to check out the video feature on my new Nokia X6 – here you are: Turn up you’re speakers and let you’re feet lead the way:
One thing that is wonderful about Mariestad is that whenever something is happening in town all the locals turn out for the event. This time the weather was good and the atmosphere was energetic. Since this was our last week of the summer vacation in Mariestad, I think it was a smashing end to our stay – don’t you agree?
