Oslo Opera and Akershus Fortress

We started exploring Oslo. When we were selecting a hotel we picked the one that is located in Oslo's center to have the best location for sightseeing, where we can start and have everything close no matter which direction we’d choose.

Our first stop was the Oslo Opera House. 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, and it has a sloping roof on which you can walk. Inside the 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 the beautiful scenery we can see from there.

Fun fact: the building was designed by the Norwegian firm Snøhetta, and its sloping surfaces, where you can walk, are covered with white marble from Carrara in Italy and white granite.

We discovered that the fjord is very deep, which 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 building one of the most spectacular road projects I've ever seen. Near the 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 the city center to almost a minimum.

The temperature was about 10°C (in May), however we felt as if it was warmer. When the sun was shining, we could walk in T-shirts.

In the city there was a lot of construction work. A lot of buildings were not finished yet. A whole new district, the Oslo Barcode Project, was still in development.

Good to know: the Barcode district was completed in 2016, so today you will see a finished row of high-rise buildings in Bjørvika, right next to the Opera House.

Later we went for a short walk to Akershus Fortress. It is an old castle (fortress) that was built to protect the city of Oslo in the past. It has a long history that starts in the late 1290s.

Its location at the waterfront was strategic for protecting the city against the enemy. Because of the high walls it was almost impossible to gain access from the 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 handed over to the Germans without a fight.

Today the whole area of the fortress is accessible to explore for free (there are some museums that are paid). It is a very popular place to walk. 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 reached the harbor, Aker Brygge. At this point we could see the town hall with two characteristic towers. One tower had a clock. At the harbor there were a few boats and small ferries.

The sun was slowly setting, so we went back to the hotel.

We walked through town hall square (Rådhusplassen) and Rådhusgata street to get there.

The streets in the city center were almost empty. There were a lot of electric cars. The government gave electric car owners special tax exemptions. That’s the reason there are so many of them. We also found out there were a lot of car charging spots that allow you to charge your car if you have one. A little bit different world! Better one!