The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams. – Oprah Winfrey
It is daylight as we sail up the sound leading Oslo, Norway. Stepping out on deck, I’m met with a smell that’s familiar but half forgotten. It’s the smell of snow, that sharp clean scent of a warm winter day. I can see snow on the distant hills, and a ski slope shows clearly just out of town.
We’re sailing slowly up a long passage too narrow for a bay, and too wide and shallow to be a fjord. it takes several hours to reach Oslo.
We dock right in town – no shuttle bus today! Norway is not part of the EU, so it’s a whole new immigration clearance again. In front of us is a wide brick walkway into the shopping district. It is closed for a foot race, but by the time David and I wander out it is open again. The race has moved on to closed streets we won’t be going to.
It’s Saturday, and the sun is out. The once empty streets now teem with people. The cold morning has become a hot spring day in a very short time. We wander through a modern world, with exercise parks, shopping malls, and sculptures everywhere. I stop at the harbour where the ferries come and go. There are ferries, and tall ships, and pleasure boats.
Across Radhusplassen square is the Nobel Peace Center. By the water is a church bell suspended between two widely spaced poles. It rings intermittently. It doesn’t swing, no clapper seems to move, but still it sounds. It was removed from the City Hall carillon when it became out of tune with the other bells, and later raised as an art installation. There is a Cry Baby pedal which will ring the bell when stepped on.
We explore Radhusplassen square with its many statues, and move on to climb the hill to Akershus Castle.
The steps up the slope are sloping and the cobblestones are worn smooth with use. Even dry they are slick. Thank goodness it’s not raining! From the battlements I can see the harbour beyond ours, with two other cruise ships in dock beyond.
After exploring the castle grounds we retrace our steps past ships, sculptures, and modern apartment buildings. These are so different from the old town areas we’ve explored in other cities, with lines and curves and canyons of shiny glass.
The waterfront is now lined with cafe umbrellas and outdoor diners. Families congregate on wide concrete steps and platforms along the water. The braver of the young people leap into the water and swim to nearby ladders to climb out. Bronze statues give way to modern sculptures. The Oslo tree has artificial leaves veined with LED lights with colour pattern that change with the seasons. I regret not being able to see it in the dark! But for now, we relax and soak up the sun with the people around us.
We sail away from Oslo in daylight and admire the passing scenery. It is much like sailing through the Gulf Islands, and I feel very much at home. Only the houses are different. At home, the houses would be strung along the shore, built to maximize privacy and view. Here, they cluster tightly in villages. Could this hark back to Viking days, when safety in numbers was important? Is it a stronger sense of community? Perhaps one led into the other over time?
But the light fades, the sun sets, and darkness hides my surroundings once more.
Tomorrow we will be in Kristiansand, the second of our five stops in Norway. Bring a warm coat and an umbrella – they’re calling for rain!
Senses of Oslo:
The sight of sleek modern glass buildings in the sun.
The sound of the untuned bell ringing by the harbour.
The feel of the sloping, slippery stone steps going up to the castle.
The smell of snow in the air in the fjord at sail in.
The taste of Norwegian beet cured salmon lox at dinner.
Today’s Tip: Check the weather by stepping outside as well as by the forecast. The heavy layers you pick because the morning was chilly might not be wise for an afternoon venture.
A Passport in my Parasol 