How many times it has happened that you have been absolutely mesmerized by the surroundings and have gone speechless or dropped a tear. It has happened with me whenever I have been in Europe. The picturesque scenery here takes my heart away as well the power to express its beauty in words. It has always been a wish to wake up in the lap of Mother Nature’s uncomplicated and un-tampered luscious beauty. And who knew my prayers will be answered in Norway. Oslo, the capital city left me awestruck every time I stepped out to explore on the weekends. Here is all about one ‘Amazing Weekend in OSLO.’
I am living a dream in Oslo. I had always wanted a relaxed holiday like this one and God has been kind after a little stressful days. I guess that makes me more humble and Him more gracious. Coming to Norway had become almost impossible due to the Visa goof-up but now that I am here, I must thank everyone who made it possible. I am in love with the magical and charming moods of Oslo.
My first weekend here was absolutely amazing! So let me elaborate about it.
Weekend party begins from Friday evening. The shopping centers were abuzz with crowds and the Holiday Deals and Christmas Sale banners were up. It was a rainy day and in the evening the temperatures were towards the minimum, hubby and me wrapped in caps, mufflers and coats decided to walk down to the city center around Karl Johans gate. Since he has been here for a month now so he knows the city better and it was easy to find our way. It was a 15 minute walk to the T station from our hotel apartment.
I loved the band playing outside the central station, Jernbanetorget. Across the road, the street around the Karl Johansgate was shining bright. i walked down with curiosity completely in sync with the traveler’s joy. The street was buzzing with activity and there were numerous independent shops and occupied eateries on my both sides.
To the left and the right, there are several lanes that make way for the Islands, Theater Square and Aker Brygge. A straight walk on the road leads one to the Royal Castle. One can enjoy it all at one place and the best its all navigable on foot. The whole area is taken over by independent shops, cafes,restaurants and bars where one gets to see Norwegian specialties.
Saturday was the day for sight-seeing. It was freezing cold outside but we had to make it a great day.
To begin with, I was all excited to see the famous Opera house which was opened in 2008. It was close by, a five minutes walk from the central station. It is Oslo’s prime attraction. It looked beautiful sitting on the banks of the sea surrounded by the city on the other sides. It is a majestic building made in glass, concrete and marbles. The sloping marble roof looks appealing and one can actually traverse the whole roof. In the inside it had wooden interiors and a plush auditorium. We are yet to catch a performance.One may enjoy the cultural performances and also explore the world-class roof-top. It started to rain while we were climbing the roof and finally we stood on top of the Opera House under the umbrella. What a lovely moment it was!
It was already 4 by the time we finished and since it is winters, the stars had descended. The sky was clear after the rains. We took a bus to IKEA, Oslo. IKEA is a popular furniture warehouse brand and about to make a headway in India.
OPERA HOUSE IN OSLO
Spectacular SUNDAY
In the morning we took a tram to Vigelandsparken Sculpture Park. It is a large park which houses 212 bronze and granite sculptures. It is very beautiful and exhilarating one that boasts of splendid artistry from the artist Gustav Vigeland. This place has abundance of sculptures of humans in their natural form and In the middle, stands the unique 17 metre high ‘Monolitt’ structure made of one rock. Everyone around was busy taking pictures and we did the same. There was far stretching lawns all around and the Norwegians could be seen strolling and enjoying the winter sun. I was lost in the beauty and its appreciation.
After basking in the sun for around 2 hours, we had plans to see the sunset at the Holmenkollen, my hubby was very excited about it. We boarded the train and the journey was comfortable. Europe’s beauty can be best appreciated through train routes. This wasn’t a big journey but was enjoyable to see both the greener city below and the snow-clad houses at the higher altitudes. The sunset was great but the most amazing view was yet to be discovered.
We walked to the top for another ten minutes and I saw a dragon’s mouth protruding towards the sky. It looked intriguing, we followed it to get closer and after sometimes we stood in front of the Holmenkollen Ski Jump platform. It speaks of world class engineering. Climb and climb until you get on the top of the ski tower to view the beautiful city of Oslo. The amphitheater and the whole set up around guarantees state-of- the- art- technology. What a marvelous man-made design it is! I am sure the athletes have a great time here during ski jumping games.
Nice description…feels like you are actually seeing the view live…..:)
Himani.. I am happy you traveled along with it.. 🙂
A lovely description of the beautiful city and its splendors, Manjulika! It brought back a rush of memories of this beautiful city I visited a few years back:)
Thank You Rahul Sir, I am glad you were reminded of your memories. I am sure you would have loved it way back also the way I am doing it… Its so splendid here..
Beautiful pictures and an equally stirring description 🙂
Thanx Jas!
Its lovely and beautiful here…
Beautiful pictures! They capture the moments very well!
Thanks.
Thanx Dilip..
I am glad you liked them.. though most of the pics have been clicked by my hubby dear.. 🙂
🙂 that’s nice!
Nice blog. I would also have loved a lot more on the natural landscapes in Norway. I have not gone outside of India but love travelling within. I think I have only one such post on a riverside vacation. http://jerlyt.blogspot.in/2012/03/real-playground.html
Yeah will come up on the natural landscapes soon.. thanx for showing interest.
India is awesome too and when you travel outside you just get to know more of its kinds.. Off to check your post. 🙂
I really appreciate your love for travelling…I like Europe very much…I wud take tips from u before going there next time…I also love the creativity in your writing style…I still remember the A-Z pantene India post…it was awesome…I wish you all the best Manjulika and am very sure that you will come out with flying colors in blogging…
Shashank– Thanks for the appreciation and the wonderful encouraging words.
Whenever u plan, shoot me a mail, will help you out for sure..
I agree with you, the surroundings in Europe are really great. I’ve been to Scotland before and I was mesmerized by the beautiful scenery there. The castles are great too. It’s nice to learn about Oslo. I like the pictures you posted especially the tall human sculpture rock, it is great. The ski jump platform is great as well. It’s nice to know that you’re enjoying your stay and thanks for sharing your lovely experience.
Thanks Zunnur.. I am glad you like it all..Europe is really beautiful.. Scotland is beautiful too.. my best friend lives there and I get to see it in pictures so often…
Wow… amazing place…very different Europe, I must say… thanks a lot
Yeah.. This part of Europe is different than what I saw in Paris…
Thanks for being here and hope to see you more 🙂
Wonderful travelogue, each word of your write up speaks of how much you are enjoying living your dream. I am so happy for you, Manjulika and by sharing your dreams here, you are helping us dream as well. Thank you 🙂
Thanks Arti, I just love it when you drop by..
You are a hard core traveler and its such a joy to read your good words..
The city is so beautiful and all the buildings, monuments, parks are so inviting! Wonderful travelogue! 🙂
Great travelogue, Manjulika! Your seem to be having a lot of fun…lovely pics! Enjoyed the virtual tour. Have a whale of a time. :))
Thanks Ma’am.. I am glad u had a great time reading it…will come up with much more.. I am enjoying the trip a lot…
🙂
absolutely loved this post! have a great time there.
i can see quite a few related posts here. will come back and read them 🙂
Hey thanks for being around… Yup m having a gala time…
Hope you catch up on the others… 🙂
Thank you for the little trip around Oslo. This is such a sweet post. Enjoy Oslo.
I also look forward to seeing more of Oslo here. Have a great week ahead.
Thanx Ma’am… I really hope to translate all the fun and maza and offer it to all of you lovely people…
Love the way you described every bit of what you saw 🙂 You seem to be a person who loves traveling and appreciating the beauty around 🙂 Only a really beauty-lover can appreciate so well! Have a great time.
Thanks for being here.. love u for njoying it n I hope to share more soon..
You have captured the essence of Oslo well. I quite like the first image. And the sunset too.
Thanks for being here… Sunset was awesome n we were so lost that we forgot to capture some more better shots..
wow…im going to Norway next year n will visit these places for sure 🙂
Hey great to have u here. Wow. u going there, u will love the place and do visit. U may write to me and I may help u more.
sure thing 🙂