Perfectly Nordic

  Oslo, Norway
Saturday, September 15, 2007

At the beginning of September, Ed and I found ourselves in the land of the blond haired and blue eyed. Where Vikings had raged supreme in the Dark Ages, and where the most prestigious prize to peace-making is given out every year. Where it's colder than we'd like to remember and definitely the furthest north we'd ever travelled. We found ourselves in Oslo, Norway.

I had always romanticized Scandinavia, ever since I read a book on Norse myths and legends in high school. I always imagined Thor and mighty Odin in the marble halls of Valhalla where the gloriously slain dwelled, and I always imagined Valhalla to lay in a recondite fjord in Norway. Not to mention the Viking legacy that still survives today in the passion for navigation that Oslonians have. Or the thawed out landscapes of the Norwegian summer, protected by her ancient and wise forests.

Not a place to take lightly; we knew. We were predisposed to loving Oslo, even before we started descending and saw the sunlit land broken by bays, islands and islets. Or the rocky cliffs that poured down into the blue North Sea surrounded by the white foam of perilous waves. Or even the piny never-ending woodlands starting to hint amber and ochre, announcing the Autumnal advent.

The bus ride from the airport into Oslo was long and expensive costing us €34 return each. Nonetheless we were prepared for Oslo prices, being rumoured to be the most expensive in Europe, stripping London from its title. When we got to the Central Station, we noticed a predominance of young tourists and backpackers, all uniformed with their Oslo city guides and maps. From the look of things, Olso was the place to be this weekend.

After leaving our luggage in our friendly hostel we ventured out into the sun again. There wasn't a cloud in the sky but the wind was a bit chilly which required the emergency winter jackets we had brought along just in case. We walked along the harbour, admiring the icy blue waters which penetrated the Oslofjord (although geologically it's a bay and not a fjord) and the white elegant vessels that ebbed upon it. If there was anything Viking left in hearts of Norsemen, it was the taste for all things nautical. Hundreds of white masts crowded together along the horizon, some of them fleeting resting points for eager seagulls.



It was midday and people were out and about enjoying the Nordic sun in the harbour as we queued up to take the public ferry into Bygdøy, a western peninsula in Oslo, best known for its concentration of important museums. We could have taken the bus, but we figured if we were in Oslo, we should do as Oslonians do.

First stop was the Viking Ship Museum. We expected to see remnants of Viking ships and artefacts, but were surprised to find 3 real life sized original ships. The Oseberg, Gokstad and Tune were stood in the great halls of the museum, with its voluptuous curves and spirals decorated with intricate woodcarvings known as 'gripping beast' because of its interlaced animals and sea monsters.



In the museum we learned that Vikings didn't always exist in Scandinavia; there was a Viking Age which ranged from 800 to 1050 AD. In this time, Norsemen were lords of the seas, but plunder and conquest were not the only reasons why the Vikings took to the seas. Driven by the desire to settle in other lands and find more trading possibilities, these sea fearing warriors settled in Iceland, Greenland, Orkney, Faroe Islands, Newfoundland, and were even the first to discover Vinland, the first European name given to America. With the aggressive growth of Christianity, and the rise of kings and nobles, the Viking raids famous for pillaging and raping became less profitable and more risky, until they stopped altogether marking an end to the efficacious Viking Age.

Built in hard oak, the ships on display were found in Viking burial grounds as vessels for the afterlife. They were perfect expressions of the luxury, craftsmanship and talent the Vikings possessed as ship makers. In the Oseberg, the skeleton of a Viking queen reposed peacefully surrounded by blue silk, gold and jewels, and the skeletons of peacocks and a girl slave. Although most of the ships had been scavenged by grave robbers, many domestic items still remained in the ships when they were found, many of which were displayed in the museum.



Soon after, we strolled through the residential streets of Bygdøy towards the Norwegian Folk Musuem, which boasted being the largest open air museum in Europe. In it are 155 authentic buildings from across Norway from all periods in History. The most impressive was the Stave Church from Gol. Stave churches are medieval wooden churches found in Norway, taking its name from stave or wooden beam. They are incredibly beautiful and serene structures perfectly blending in with Norway's natural landscape. I had always wanted to see a stave church but nothing prepared me for the intricate designs and Germanic pagan symbols that were visible all throughout the thick wooden planks and beams of this 13th century church. It was breathtaking from every angle; so perfectly Nordic.



We explored the rest of the museum and its buildings representing Norwegian culture and daily life throughout history, particularly the three storey house with each room decorated in the style of a different era. Or the reconstruction of the farming town in Setesdal valley, where its inhabitants were so isolated that they still showed medieval traditions in the 19th century . The grass covered rooftops of the small but tough wooden houses reminded me of a more primitive House on the Prairie.



On the ferry ride back we enjoyed the warm sun and salt on our faces as we approached Oslo's main harbour. It was only 5pm but shops and sights had already started closing up for the day. Considering we were still technically in summer season, it seemed strange that things would close up so early. Nonetheless we wandered around the city observing the people, the buildings, the vibe.



So far Oslo had been stunning, more stunning than we'd imagined her. Mainly because the city itself was small and homely; it isn't a cosmopolitan city. You could even be standing in the middle of a day in a small park and not run into a single person, making Oslo more intimate and tranquil than all the cities we've visited. The dominance of a seascape with its pine-filled islets and quiet sea-side manors make Oslo melancholic, reserved, placid. There's a sweetness in every person we encountered that differs greatly from their vicious Viking ancestors. Everybody has a smile to give or an extra minute of pleasant small talk to partake in. It only seems fitting that everyone is beautiful in this beautiful northern land.