Extreme joy - I'm in Oslo!
Norway. The country is distant both in understanding and in the geographical sense. Sweden, the nearest neighbor of the northerners, which has already become a little closer, was remembered as a romantic melancholic in comparison with the Norwegian strong guys. Probably, all the same, the Vikings were descendants of the Norwegians, because, looking at today's Swedes, you remember the Vikings last.
What do I know about Norway and its wonderful capital Oslo? That there is a theater on the roof of which it is a pleasure to walk. There is a boy angry at everyone, for the fact that everyone constantly takes pictures of him, and then they also post pictures on the Internet and print his images in Aeroflot magazines. Well, the fact that everything there is unforgivably expensive.
A little later, my knowledge was filled with the historical meaning of the capital of Norway in the geopolitical development of the Scandinavian region.
More than 1000 years ago, frostbitten Vikings wandered with their wagons to their favorite pristine fjords and glaciers and stumbled upon a wonderful place where the terrain is flat, the climate is mild, and the water is nearby for sailing, laundry and bead trading. Having made a roll call or a survey of the population, it was decided to set up a camp here in order to reform it later into a cultural and political center. According to the insistent assurances of historians, the Vikings dug in right on the spot where the incomparable opera house now stands.
Of course, not everyone liked this turn of events. First, the Danes, led by the restless Christian VI, who not only hung around the thresholds and commanded the population, but also managed to rename the glorious Oslo to Christiania. Then the Swedes, with whom they had to officially split in 1905. Only in 1925 the local population returned the glorious name of Oslo to the city.
With such a mess in my head, I really wanted to get there for reconnaissance, so that later I would know where to take my loved ones and whether such a trip was financially feasible at all.
Opportunities always come unexpectedly. Having set out on the road at 7 am with a bottle of water and two apples for my soul, I had only a map of the area on the tablet, which still did not want to open, impudently declaring some kind of corruption in the files. Since in the south of Europe “all roads lead to Rome”, then, I thought, we will definitely get to Oslo.
Having plucked up the audacity and patience, after 20 minutes I was already stepping into the fantastically fashionable quarters of Oslo. My culture shock was impossible to drown out. It erupted like a fountain outside, periodically giving way to its legs and causing it to stare madly around. Luckily I was wearing sunglasses. But at the indistinct “Wow”, “Super”, “Yo-my”, some passers-by still turned around.
The only thing that helped was that I had been abroad for several years, and yet I had seen at least something. Otherwise, I would have simply sat down on the smoothly licked asphalt and burst into tears in hysterics.
To be honest, I have never seen such grandeur and grandeur. For me, here Rotterdam, Hamburg and Gothenburg were embodied together, only even more finished, bright and with a budget twice as large.
Even at 7 am the city was not sleeping. Despite the fact that so many beauties have already been built around, the city continued to actively build more and more new buildings. Probably 50% of state employees here are builders by profession. They build everywhere, with a bunch of cranes and equipment, and everyone is sure to wear helmets and bright vests. It was delicious!
With my mouth open, I walked for two hours, until finally the tourist center opened at 9 o'clock, where I could somehow refresh myself with the necessary information. There I set myself benchmarks, goals and the measure of punishment for their failure.
Oslo, despite its size, like many other Scandinavian cities, is very convenient for a pedestrian. Moreover, there are practically no secondary streets. Whichever way you turn, each positions itself as an architectural masterpiece, immersed in green spaces and importantly leaning on a granite pavement.
If it seems to you that nothing will surprise you, then wander, like me, into the Tjuvholmen area. This fashionable quarter with magnificent architectural delights, unattainably expensive apartments, luxury yachts jostling along the wooden embankment strewn with elite restaurants, immediately told me where the European billions are settling.
Rejoicing in life and the surrounding beauty, I nevertheless annoyed the capricious boy with my pictures, trampled in the City Hall, saw the royal palace with guards scurrying around the clock, found out how much tickets cost and where the most important museums of the city are located, felt the brickwork of the medieval fortress of Akerhus, well, and checked the strength of the roof of the phantasmagoric opera house. In principle, this is all that can be done here for free. For the rest, you will have to turn to Oslo Pass for help. And after such impressions, I am sure that I will have to apply, and more than once.
P. s. Later, flipping through the pages of Oslo's free messengers, I found that even without any Passes, about 5 museums, plus the national library and the cathedral, are visited for free. For their names, climb the visitoslo website. com
Based on materials from my owntrip blog. net. ua
