Making the Rounds of Civilized Delights in Oslo

To sit in the Summit Bar atop a major hotel in the late afternoon, as the yellow sun sinks from a darkening sky, streaked to either side in shades of red, orange, purple and blazing gold, and to watch the dancing yellow lights reflecting from the waters of the fiord, is to seem as close to heaven as is humanly possible.

Besides the beauty, Norway is a country of fiercely independent people who consider courtesy, kindness and cleanliness an integral part of life at a time when terrorism, hooliganism and disease are spreading in other parts of the world at an all too rapid pace. Drop your wallet on the sidewalk of Oslo and more than likely someone will pick it up and return it. Ask someone for directions and you stand a good chance of being escorted to your destination personally.

Such are the values of Norwegian life.

Strolling around Oslo is the most pleasant way of getting to know the city and the feel of the magnificent natural surroundings into which it is nestled. Between the Royal Palace and Stortinget (the parliament building) runs the main thoroughfare, Karl Johansgate. On either side of this bustling street rise a series of shops, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, churches, museums, libraries and art galleries. Nearby are narrow little streets with old wooden houses in which live artists, musicians and writers.

There are parks, outdoors cafes and public gardens with fountains. On the harbor side of Karl Johansgate is the Town Hall, a brown strangely constructed site which looks more like a huge industrial cotton mill than a government building. Inside however, murals, frescoes and paintings cover the walls, and a guided tour of the rooms is recommended. Crossing the street from the Town Hall one is at the water’s edge where you can buy freshly caught shrimp by the bucket-load and other assorted seafood.

Akker Brygge, once occupied by hundreds of men in the various stages of ship building is now used as a marketplace. Little shops, stalls, cafes and pubs seem to be a gathering place for people from all walks of Oslo life. The goods on display are a feast. Fresh hot bread, pastries and buns are oozing with assorted jams and fresh cream. Tea and coffee from all parts of the world, ice cream, fresh fruit and vegetables abound. In one corner a Chinese fast-food counter sells egg rolls, dumplings and fried shrimp. Gift shops provide pottery, jewelry and knickknacks. One stall displays those distinctive handmade Scandinavian sweaters to keep out the cold Arctic winter winds.

Oslo is not a difficult city to become acquainted with, what with an abundance of buses, trams and taxis. Vigeland Sculpture Park is a tribute to the extraordinary work of Gustav Vigeland whose incredible creations capture the human condition in a beautifully touching and sometimes bewildering fashion. Men and women from the very young to the very old are carved into every conceivable expression of everyday life. Angry, anxious, thoughtful and violent moods are caught in his works.

Southwest of Oslo, and easily accessible by bus or ferryboat, the Viking Ship Museum at Bygdoy renders a priceless glimpse into Norway’s past when fearless Viking warriors set out to ravage and plunder distant lands. Here a collection of artifacts and the Viking ships have been miraculously preserved for more than 1,000 years in airtight chambers beneath the earth. Originally designed as tombs for chief warriors and royalty, these ships have been restored to their original splendor.

Akerhus Castle

For the castle romantics there is a walk through the grounds of Akerhus Castle to the battlements, where one can enjoy a fine view of the city and its harbor. The winter sports crowd would no doubt enjoy Holmenkollen ski jump and the surrounding area where the 1982 World Skiing Championships were held. There is a lift that takes you to the top of Holmenkollen. Most hotels offer full and half-day sightseeing tours by bus or boat or by a combination of both.

Now to food: I think the air makes you hungry in Oslo. I was ravenous all the time. On my first evening I was treated to a traditional Norwegian dinner in a restaurant called Tostrupkjellerren just off Karl Johansgate near the Grand Hotel. One goes down some stairs into a crimson atmosphere with a soft romantic setting. There are side-to-side booths, for romantics.

My Norwegian friend of several years suggested Pinekjott M/kalrabistappe which, as far as the extent of my Norwegian is concerned, could have been boiled polar bear claws. To my delight, I discovered a tender lamb dish prepared ritually, giving it a flavor the likes of which I have not enjoyed before. The lamb is slaughtered in early September when the ribs are put into salt water for a few days, hung for two months, then dried and salted.

The day before eating, the ribs are placed in cold water for 10 hours. Thus prepared, the meat is then boiled for 2 1/2 hours along with wood from a bjerk tree. Fortunately, the wood is discarded before the meat reaches the plate, and this dish, served with mashed carrots, squash and potatoes, is just the thing to warm the cockles of your heart on a crisp Norwegian winter’s night. Accompanied by beer and chased down with small glasses of ice-cold aquavit, the local moonshine derived from potatoes, one’s mood is guaranteed to reach a magnanimous zenith by evening’s end.

Eating and drinking out in Oslo can be expensive. During one dinner at the S.A.S. Hotel, three of us shared six glasses of wine and three beers for which we paid nearly $50. A modest dinner for two can cost as much as $70, and at one restaurant, La Mer, where the service was less than adequate, a dinner for three, including a bottle of ordinary wine came to $120.

One of my favorite places in Oslo is the Theater Cafe in the Continental Hotel. It has a decidedly Victorian atmosphere, with crisply starched white tablecloths. A grand piano perched on the balcony behind an old-fashioned clock heightens the mood. There is a sense of orderliness about the Theater Cafe, a sense of the way things should be--both romantic intimate.

Cosmopolitan Bunch

Waiters in black morning suits strut sternly from table to table serving a cosmopolitan bunch of individuals including Russians, Americans and Chinese. It seems rather like a spot where enemies might come to terms with one another or where lovers might meet and feel somehow very safe in their indiscretions. The food is excellent and reasonably priced for Oslo. For instance, fillet of flounder in a cheese sauce, accompanied by baked potato and a vegetable, runs about $10. A reindeer steak with wild mushrooms will cost twice that sum, or in the afternoons, you may simply order a pot of steaming hot tea and just sit and watch the crowd.

Facing the Theater Cafe is the National Theater, largest in the country, with a seating capacity of over 700. The royal box looks directly over the stage, and King Olav V, a popular and much-loved monarch, is present frequently. Henrik Ibsen’s plays are performed, there is also a variation of classics and modern works with Ibsen, Shakespeare and Brecht as well as new Norwegian drama and modern plays by the likes of Stoppard, Albee, Ionesco and Pinter.

Wide Hotel Price Range

One has the choice of numerous hotels in Oslo with varying prices. A room in one of the better hotels, such as the Grand, runs between $150 a night for a single to nearly $500 for the magnificent Christian suite. The S.A.S. and the Continental have similar rates but one can find less expensive hotels such as the Europa and the Hotel Triangel for $80 to $110 for a double. The hotels are immaculately clean and offer warm and friendly service. My favorite is the Continental. The rooms are tastefully done, and the entire hotel provides fine service. It’s almost like being with old friends.

Oslo is a place where one feels safe. The traditions of Norwegian life are solidly embedded into the honorable behavior patterns of her people, who are steadfast in their independence and solid in the civilized manner in which they live.