Cultural Oslo keeps its cool
I HAD heard the Norwegian capital was an expensive place to visit but ever since my childhood I have had a fascination with The Scream by Edvard Munch — something about the ghostly picture captured my imagination and I have always wanted to see it in the ‘flesh’.
It has been over 150 years since the artist was born and the country has stepped up its promotion of the many works of Munch so it seemed a fitting time to soak up some culture, particularly as seriously cut-price flights enabled me to bring the whole family on the short hop from Dublin to Oslo.
We only had a couple of days to explore so after dumping our bags in the Thon Panorama Hotel, our first stop in the snowy city was a trip to the Munch museum to see the famous painting. But in 2004, the Scream was stolen during a daylight robbery and although it was retrieved, I was disappointed to learn that it had been damaged and was ‘resting’ in the basement.
However, I also discovered that Munch actually painted two versions of the same picture (along with some drawings — one of which is hanging in the museum) and the original which was painted in 1893 is housed in the Nasjonalgalleriet (National Gallery).
An informative security guard told me that this original was also stolen by an ex-footballer who stored the priceless piece in a drawer under his aunts’ dining room table. The woman, who was oblivious to the presence of one of the world’s most famous art works, ate and drank on top of The Scream for months until intelligence finally uncovered the painting and returned it to its rightful home and the thief to his new abode behind bars.
With all this new information, it was imperative that we saw the original and we hot-footed it back to the city centre where amongst some of the other great classics, the iconic painting was on display. So intense is the security around it that guards hovered at all times and photos were not permitted, but my desire to see this famous picture was finally sated.
Having visited the two art galleries, it was time for some less cultural activity so we hopped on board a pirate ship which sailed out of the harbour and around the Oslofjord. Temperatures were outrageously cold (around minus 14C) but we braved the elements and sat up on the top deck with blankets over our knees as we took in the distinctly Nordic scenery.
The journey around the Fjord and to Bygdøy took an hour and although very enjoyable, we were extremely glad to be back on dry land. So rather than risking hypothermia, we decided to forgo the return journey and make our way back to the city centre by bus after visiting the nearby Fram museum.
This houses the world’s strongest wooden ship which holds the record for sailing furthest north and south of the Poles. The height of the boat (15sqm) is awe-inspiring and my three boys ran off in all directions as steps led down into galleys and berths laid out with equipment and clothing which would have been used by the explorers when Fram first set sail in 1888.
The rest of the museum is packed with facts and artefacts and the simulated ‘Ice Cave’ was both freezing cold and scary as glimpses of skeletons and polar bears aim to give visitors a taste of what Polar explorers had to endure.
Being so much further north, the sun begins to set at around 4.30pm. But as with everything else in this city, the early darkness is well catered for and everything is illuminated so with so little time to spare, after the museum, we headed to Frogner to visit Vigeland Sculpture Park.
With the moon high in the sky and the parkland covered in snow, the extraordinarily lifelike statues loomed in the distance. Upon closer inspection, the figures all depicted people in various poses — men, women, children, lovers, siblings, playmates and enemies — they were all there silently waiting for eternity.
Oslo is bursting with culture but it is also the only capital city in the world which boasts a number of ski centres within a 20-minute metro ride — so we decided that day two would be dedicated to finding our inner skiing prowess.
Getting to the slopes is ridiculously easy and as we hopped on the underground in the city centre, it was fascinating to see so many passengers with snowboards and skis — there were even parents with chubby babies in snowsuits and toboggans — it certainly beat our usual Sunday afternoon walk in the rain.
After a couple of stops, the train came out of the tunnel and travelled into the mountains surrounding the city. It was like being transported into a magical fairytale land passing trees laden with snow, picturesque cabins and as we snaked onto higher ground, the view of the fields, forests and fjords around the capital was breathtaking.
Within 20 minutes, we arrived at Tyrvann Vinter Park and were kitted out with salopettes, boots and skis and taken to the nursery slope where lessons began with one ski on and after a few slides on the flat, the other ski was added.
After a couple of hours of my family skiing with wild abandon and me tentatively sliding about (I was less agile than my menfolk due to a back injury), we decided to head to the café for restorative hot drinks and cinnamon buns. The children could have stayed there all week, but the temperature was beginning to drop, so we removed the bulky kit and headed back to the city.
Scandinavia has a reputation for being expensive and without a doubt, everything costs more than Ireland but I have discovered that if you book budget accommodation, buy food from the supermarket and avail of all the discounts available on the Oslo city pass, this northern city is an absolute must.
Return fights to Oslo Rygge from Dublin with Ryanair start from €19.99pp.
Return flights to Oslo Gardermoen from Dublin with Norwegian start from €49.50pp.
Accommodation
Double room in a Thon Hotel costs from €90 per night including breakfast and free tea and coffee is available for guests throughout the day.
Getting around
Oslo Pass starts from €30 per adult and €13 per child.
Ski Pass at Oslo Vinter Park starts from €39 per adult and €33 per child. Equipment rental costs are from €26 per day.
nMunch Museum
nNasjonalgalleriet
nOslo Vinter Park
nFram Museum
nVigeland Sculpture Park
For more information see:
www.visitoslo.com
www.ryanair.com
www.norwegian.com
www.thonhotels.com
www.oslovinterpark.no
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Falcon is offering last minute deals with departures from Cork, Shannon and Dublin. A Dublin departure to Rhodes on September 17 comes in at €439, an August 30 flight from Cork to Majorca at €314 and a September 1 service from Shannon to Lanzarote at €499; www.falconholidays.ie
The Family Holiday centre has ’couple’ deals for just shy of €800 to include six night’s accommodation and ferry travel between Rosslare and Cherbourg. The Le Green Beach Apartments are just 9km from the Normandy Landing beaches. http://itaa.ie/normandy-beaches-september-offer/
Trailfinders has flights from Cork or Dublin to Thailand with Malaysia Airlines and includes accommodation deals, among them a four-night city break in Bangkok (Bangkok Cha-Da) and a fun Thai cooking class thrown in for good measure. Prices start from €799. Details on www.trailfinders.ie
There’s an early Christmas offer from ClickandGo in the form of a three-night trip to Prague for a taste of the markets so famous throughout Europe. Price includes return flights and three nights accommodation starting at €225. Visit http://itaa.ie/prague-christmas-markets-3-nights-e229/
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