We’ve started exploring Oslo city. When we were making selection of hotel we took the one that is located in Oslo center to have best location for sightseeing, where we can start and have everything close no matter which direction we’d choose.
First stop was at Oslo Opera building. It was built in 2008 and is one of the most recognizable symbols of the capital of Norway. It looks like it is immersed in the sea, it has a sloping roof on which you can walk. Inside building there is a concert hall. This place is very popular to walk on no matter what time of day it is. That’s probably because of beautiful scenery we can watch from there.
We’ve discovered that sea is very deep that allows large ships to sail to the harbor. We saw a few large ferries and also cargo ships. The fact that the sea is deep didn’t stop them from making one of the most spectacular road investments I’ve ever seen. Nearby Opera building, below sea level there is a highway. It is named Operatunnelen. It’s amazing. This tunnel is almost 6km long and by building it they reduced car traffic in city center to almost minimum.
The temperature was about 10°C (in May), however we felt as it was warmer. When sun was shining we could walk in T-shirts only.
In the city there were a lot of construction works. A lot of buildings were not finished yet. It was new district – Oslo Barcode Project – in development.
Later we went for a short walk to Akershus Fortress. It is old castle (fortress) that was built to protect Oslo city in the past. It has a long history that starts in 1290.
Its location at the waterfront was strategic for protecting city against enemy. Because of high walls it was almost impossible to gain access from sea side. Also when they saw any ship coming toward the city they could use cannons to destroy it. There were many sieges, but it was never captured. Even in WWII it was surrendered by capitulation without any fight.
Today whole area of fortress is accessible to explore for free (there are some museums that are paid). It is very popular walk place. On the walls we can still find cannons, but they are not in use anymore. Within the fortress there are several military museums and the mausoleum of the Royal Family protected by the Royal Guards.
While walking through the fortress we went to harbor – Akker Brygge. At this point we could see town hall with two characteristic towers. One tower has a clock. At the harbor there were a few boats and small ferries.
Sun was slowly setting so we came back to hotel.
We walked through town hall square (Rådhusplassen) and Rådhusgata street to get there.
The streets in the city center are almost empty. There is a lot of electric cars. The government gave citizens special tax exemptions for electric car owners. That’s the reason there is a lot of them. Also we’ve found out there is a lot of car charging spots that allow you to charge your car if we have one. A little bit different world! Better one!