Café Tekethopa in Oslo is the old state hospital’s apothecary (pharmacy) from 1872 which was converted to a trendy restaurant in 1997. It’s a three-story mansion, originally with the pharmacy on the first floor and two apartments on the two above. Today it also houses Restaurant Ylajali and Bar Babylon in the courtyard (click all pics to enlarge and enjoy!):

The name Tekethopa comes from the Norwegian word for pharmacy/apothecary which is Apotheket. The first years the café was called Apotheket until the cities pharmacies objected and said that it might confuse people.

Therefore they just twisted the Norwegian word for it, it is simply spelled backwards. In the left photo, you see their logo etched in the window from the inside and it should explain it all

Most of the walls, floor and ceiling are original and retain the stucco, plaster ornamentation, with large windows that let in much light. They have matched the interior with the old style – quite cosy I would say. I was there for Sunday lunch with my wife DianeCA (her favourite Café) some weeks ago, and gladly take you along:

From the charming and cosy interior.

To capture the atmosphere and remind you of that you are in an old pharmacy, they have e.g. restored the original ceiling paintings and kept some equipment in glass cases:

The service and food is both nice and here are some examples from the menu which my wife and I had:

Left: Chèvre salad with honey, mustard and cashew – Right: Chili marinaded shrimp salad

This is just an example of many cafés or restaurants in old buildings renovated and decorated to take care of and preserve the original architecture. Instead of tearing down these beautiful old buildings Oslo is interested in taking care of the history, culture and traditions. This also makes Oslo a lovely city as many areas are well maintained from the era they were built. That’s also an example of what you can experience together with bloggers from all over the world, if you meet up with us at the Oslo Blog Gathering in August (click to see the official program site!).

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Holmenkollen Ski Jump arena in Oslo is Norway’s most visited tourist attractions and has been the centre of Norwegian ski sports for more than 100 years. The first ski event took place in January 1892 with a hill record of 21.5 meters. Since then, there have been 18 reconstructions. It was for the Winter Olympics in 1952 that the ski jumping hill got a modern look and during the last two years it has gone through a significant facelift; rebuilt and upgraded to host the 2011 Nordic World ski Championships:


The most spectacular about the new Holmenkollen, is the jump tower. The silhouette of the new tower has a sharp and simple cut. The profile follows the jumper’s descent and is offset to create necessary wind protection:


Today was the official opening and Norway’s best woman ski jumper was given the honour to be the first. Norwegians think it’s a shame that women aren’t treated equally to men in participating in the Olympics and World Championship so to prove their support, our Anette Sagen was the first out:

I know it’s hard to spot, but the Norwegian Eagle is flying here -click to enlarge!

Would you like to try to fly yourself in the New Holmenkollen – to feel free like a bird and experience a ski jump (with no risk) – just for the fun of it? VisitOslo has made it possible for you so click and give yourself a thrill money can’t buy!

Like I said; Holmenkollen Mountain is Norway’s most visited tourist attractions and no wonder. It proves Oslo’s advantage of being the world’s most compact capital with the city, the fjord and this mountain only 20 minutes with public transportation from down town. From there, like today, you have a breath taking view of the city and the fjord with its tempting islands:

This afternoon before the ski jump – sunset around 6PM – it called for a photo session!


At the Oslo Blog Gathering in August this year, you are invited to meet up with bloggers from all over the world! Then you can experience and explore this beauty of nature in and around Oslo. The only difference, is that in August there will be nice and warm summer, no snow and even more: The sun won’t go down till after 9PM so a late romantic sunset is readily available. Go check the OsloBG official Program Site and book to get on board!

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The Canadian Winter Olympics symbol of the Vancouver games is well known for Norwegians: The inuksuk is to be seen in Oslo by the Maritime Museum at Bygdøy island:

An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) is a stone landmark or cairn, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America, from Alaska to Greenland. The inuksuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for hunting grounds, or as a food cache. The Inupiat in northern Alaska used inuksuit to assist in the herding of caribou into contained areas for slaughter. There are four authentic inuksuit around the world donated by the government of Canada: in Monterrey, Mexico – Washington, D.C. – Guatemala City and Oslo, Norway:

In 2005, The Canadian Ambassador to Norway unveiled an inuksuk at Bygdøy Maritime Museum in Oslo to celebrate Norway’s centennial (100 years since end to the Union between Sweden and Norway, 1814 – 1905). It was of course also recognizing the fondness our people have for each other and given as a symbol of the special relationship there exists between our two countries of the North.

The strong ties between Norway & Canada started with the Viking visits to Newfoundland, their brief settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows, and continue through Roald Amundsen’s successful exploration through the Northwest Passage one hundred years ago. (1903-1906) During World War II Norwegian pilots trained at Little Norway, a training camp in southern Ontario. Today, our two countries share common visions on the international scene; we cooperate in fields such as Arctic Council, human security, the UN reform among others.

It is especially poignant that the inuksuk is created by Joseph Suqslak, a resident of Gjoa Haven in Nunavut. Amundsen spent three winters in Gjoa Haven before his successful attempt at sailing the Northwest Passage. The name of the community bears witness of the visiting ship. Without the willingness of the Inuit to share their knowledge and skills of survival in the arctic winter it is questionable whether Amundsen would have succeeded in his attempt:

Left: Amundsen’s boat Gjøa to the right – Right: Opposite side with Gjøa in front of The Fram and Maritime Museum.
The inuksuk next to the boat Gjøa was installed by Mr. Mattiusi Iyaituk, and artist and President of the Board of Directors of the Inuit Art Foundation in Canada.

The Olympics logo has become more and more a national symbol of the hosting county and showing some typical or genuine part of the countries roots or nature. Vancouver’s is a great example and here is the similar for the two games in Norway:

Left: In the centre the Olympic rings with the silhouette of the New Town Hall of Oslo. On the outside border the inscription “The VI Olympics Winter Games Oslo 1952″.
Right: A stylized aurora borealis (Northern lights) and snow crystals, the Olympic rings.

Since the start of the Vancouver games, the inuksuk in Oslo has been a very popular photo object. When my wife DianeCA and I were there today to shoot the pics for this post, we met people from all over the world – even China! Two girls where swarming around this strange stone statue. When I told them what it was and the purpose of my visit, they willingly posed – even if it was freezing cold

It is always fun for me to meet new people from around the world and I am hoping this summer to meet many more friends! Remember the museums on Bygdøy Island will be available to participants at the Oslo Blog Gathering in August and I am really looking forward to guiding you around this beautiful place. So do another local gathering host, posting about the same: TorAa.

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The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History comprises a huge park containing examples of all the major folk architectural styles from throughout Norway. It’s the oldest open air museum in the world (established as early as 1894) with 158 buildings representing different regions and time periods in the Norwegian history dating back to the 16th century. They are carefully taken apart, transported from their location and put back together again on the site:

_{The Farmstead of Numedal; extends from the Hardanger plateau down to the town of Kongsberg.}

So the placement of these buildings in relation to each other followed regional patterns. The loft and bur in Telemark were commonly placed side by side:

_{The loft has a gallery on three sides on the upper floor and is decorated with carved floral motifs.}


Not only are you able to see the houses outside, but inside it’s furnished too:

_{Farmhouse from Hallingdal – 1750.}


Throughout the year there are activities and exhibits of all kinds, as well as various reconstructed activities of everyday life:


_{How about horse &carriage rides through the open-air museum?}



You can participate in spring cleaning or buy authentic lefse, a kind of soft flat bread baked on the open fireplace like it was 200 years ago:

_{Inside an old farm house, two girls were demonstrating making the dough and baking and all gets a taste:}


They willingly shared the baking tradition and recipe – Hardanger Lefse: 2 egg, 250 gram sugar, 125 gram melted butter, ½ litre milk, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 kilo flour.
Mix egg, sugar & butter and stir in milk. Mix baking powder with some flour and blend. Mix enough flour so it’s easy to roll. Bake on a griddle or a dry pan:


The Old Town part of the open air exhibition contains buildings from the 1600s and upwards. There is a Historic Playground and an old fashioned Grocery Store from the beginning of the 1900s as well:


_{Colonial – Milk – Delicacy}



This historical museum is enjoyable for the entire family. They plan activities for the children as well, and this was always a popular place when my children were small. They loved to go in and out of these fascinating buildings, they loved to pet the horse drawing the wagon and maybe give him some hay, and they loved the children’s activities. This weekend the theme was fastelaven, or the Sunday before the Easter fast, which the Catholics call Lent. As in Mardi Gras and Carnival, the rich foods like eggs, crème and butter were supposed to be used up so we have a tradition with crème filled sweet rolls. At the museum they had mask making for a kind of Carnival experience which as you can see here the children really enjoyed!


There is a lot more to explore and learn about Norway, our culture and history: The permanent exhibits include Folk Art, first half of the Parliament, Norwegian Folk Costumes, toys and more. The Norwegian Evening is an event held here in July and August where music, traditional dance, singing and other activities take place. I hope you will join us sometime – maybe at the Oslo Blog Gathering in August??

Update: I shared this adventure with my wife – hop over and read her report too: DianeCA

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ICEBAR Oslo by ICEHOTEL gives an experience that will chill you to your bones.
It’s made of large blocks of ice from the Torne River in Jukkasjärvi, Finland Sweden (thanks Mrs. Lifecruiser, for the correction!) which helps to give the bar its uniqueness and special expressions. Total bar area is a total of 500 square meters, making it the world’s largest Icebar by ICEHOTEL. It’s built of nearly 60 tons of ice, and the “cold” part of the bar is 100 square meters. Inside the bar it is – 5 ° C all year long, and thanks to energy-efficient LED-light bulbs the ice doesn’t melt even with lots of indoor lighting. The light goes in numerous tones of blue and green, reminiscent of the aurora when it hit the crystal clear ice.

I haven’t been there myself – YET – but I got a good impression of the spectacular interior at the Norway Travel Fair 2010 where they had quite an impressive and authentic stand:

_{Stine serving ice cold drinks at Norway Travel Fair 2010.}


Planning for the Oslo Blog Gathering, of course I had a special talk with their Booking Manager, Stine (serving drinks in ice glasses in the pics) and explained about OsloBG. She was excited to hear about bloggers from all over the world meeting up in Oslo this August and of course would love to see a group of us at her bar during the gathering.

She explained that guests arrive in this ice area in groups of 60 and are in the ice bar for 45 minutes at a time. Before and after the stay in the cold section, guests can enjoy good food and drink in a “warm” part of the complex. The ice bar provides special clothing to keep you warm in the bar, so you do not have to pack a parka if you will be joining us in August.

DianeCA and I will most likely be making it part of our agenda at OsloBG (click to read the official program site) after enjoying the long summer night in a park, and those who are interested can join us for a unique experience! What do you think, sound like fun?

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