Best places to visit in Norway

May 5^th finally came, and my long-awaited trip to the Scandinavian fairy tale Norway started. The name of the country comes from Nordweg, which means “Northern Road” and I headed to the north with Austrian Airlines, which flights passed very well – with a hot breakfast, a sunny flight and arrival on time. We also had TVs where we tracked which countries we were flying over.

​The only better thing than the flight was the welcoming at the airport in Oslo, where a close friend of mine came with all her charming family – her little daughter, who was only 11 months old, and her husband. I had the opportunity to explore the Norwegian capital with my friend and her baby, and I was impressed how everything was adapted for strollers – the sidewalks,  streets, parks, vehicles, shops. We didn’t have to lift the stroller anywhere, not in the tram, not in the subway, not on the boat. All the time we walked along flat sidewalks and well-formed alleys in the park. Norway is an excellent place for raising children, and I hoped their good experience would spread to the rest of Europe and the world, and especially to my homeland Bulgaria, where a light stroller is a must. But let’s get back to my first impressions of Norway, which was my 27th visited country.

As soon as we landed, and moved from the airport to their home, I was impressed by the green forests and many trees everywhere. It turned out that over 33% of the country is forested. Even my friend’s home was at the last subway station and next to the forest. A wooden path without steps took us straight to the entrance. I’ve learned that gasoline in Norway is one of the most expensive in Europe, despite the large oil and natural gas exports they make, with the government deliberately taxiing it, forcing people to use public transport more than their cars.

​So we took metro line No5 and then changing to the famous park – Vergeland. A lot of greenery and freshness in the air continued to impress me, as well as the tranquility of the Norwegian citizens of Sofia. It looked like the word stress was unfamiliar here and that’s how people behaved on the street, not just in the park.

​The park itself was interesting with many nude sculptures that embody not erotica, but the circle of life. The park covers over 320,000 square meters and includes 212 bronze and granite sculptures of people of all ages. The tallest of them is a 17-meter tower, all of which are the work of Gustav Vigeland.

After the park, the narrow central streets led us to the king’s palace, where we watched the solemn changing of the guard. We continued along the most famous street – Karl Johans gate, where every year on May 17 there is a parade. Now the boulevard was calm and only the sound of the fountains in which several seagulls were bathed was heard. We were walking with the baby all the time, she never cried and, like me, stared at all the sights with open eyes.

Throughout the day, the sun showered us with its rays, and it didn’t set until after 10:30 p.m.

The next day, our walk started from the opera house, whose building looked like a ship or even an iceberg, with its roof descending to the water itself, inviting tourists to climb above, as we did.  

​Then our walk continued to the port and the preserved fortress walls. Here from above we saw very well the fjord of Oslo. The fjords are bays with steep cliffs and there are lots of them in the lovely Kingdom of Norway. After the beautiful panoramic view we went down to the port and while waiting for a boat trip, we sat down in a cozy Norwegian restaurant. The boat trip lasted 2 hours and was incredibly beautiful – the crystal clear North Sea washed the Norwegian shores, and on them like gulls small houses perched.

Our walking tour continued until the end of the day, again impressing me that everything here was in cleanliness. In 4 days in Norway, I never had to wipe my shoes! Everything is very well arranged and beautiful, and if it were not for the icy climate, I would call the country a real paradise.  And as for the cold, the locals have a very nice saying that “there is no bad weather, only bad clothing.”

And when it’s really cold, you can warm up in the many museums in the city. Particularly impressive is the Viking Ship Museum, which displays completely intact ships from 1,000 years ago.

Oslo with its 453 square kilometers is among one of the largest capitals in the world, with a large part of its territory (242 square kilometers) being forests. The population in the capital is no more than 550 thousand (of which 30% foreigners!), with Oslo having a fjord and 40 islands.

​We dined salmon, which is very popular and delicious here, learning that Norway is the world’s largest exporter of salmon.

Oslo managed to impress me and it is a wonderful place for walks. It is also an excellent place for raising children, and with its fresh air, tranquility and delicious seafood, the place makes you feel as you can live more than 100 years here.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT OSLO:

Location: Oslo, also called Kristiania (between 1624 and 1925) is the capital of Norway and is located in the south of the country. It occupies the long-shaped north coast of Oslofjord and thus connects with the North Sea. To the north, the city is surrounded by green hills and the Scandinavian Mountains.

TRIP TIPS FOR OSLO: