Oslo was a pleasant prelude to my ‘real’ holiday, a trip on the Hurtigruten up (and down) the coast of Norway. I visited Oslo on the advice of friends and have not regretted a minute. Arriving late on Friday night meant that I had two full days – a Saturday and Sunday – in the capital before leaving for Bergen on Monday morning’s train.
First stop on my Oslo visit was a visit to Akershus Fortress and Castle. Although the site was built around 1300 originally, the current versions of both castle and fortress date from the mid-17th century.
After that visit it was time to take a leisurely stroll in the sunshine up Oslo’s main thoroughfare Karl Johans Gate, past the Cathdral, Parliament building and National Theatre and then up towards the Royal Palace and surrounding park.
A longer walk followed northwest to Frogner Park, better known as the Vigeland Sculpture Park. As its alternative name suggests, this park features around 200 sculptures in iron, bronze and granite, the work of Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943), with a large central fountain and a 20-metre tall obelisk also catching my photographer’s eye.
Having walked the hind-legs off the proverbial donkey, a walk back into town was followed by a suburban train ride out to the Ullevaal Stadion, where Norway were playing Croatia in an end-of season friendly. The match ended in a 1-1 draw with Norway scoring the equalising goal with just seconds left in added time. It is safe to say that I slept well that night!
The China Penguin 
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