Oslo is an incredibly easy city to visit.
Everyone I came across spoke English and getting around via public transport was effortless. The big shock was the cost! Accommodation and food were the biggies and a glass of wine with my meal seemed an extravagant treat.
There are however, plenty of activities available for free in Oslo, and there is enough going on to keep the whole family entertained almost indefinitely.
We spent our first day easing into the trip by relaxing on the waterfront. There is a fabulous playground for small children complete with a climbing frame up to a pirates lookout. Lucas played, while I relaxed in the sun overlooking the sparkling, and I indulged in my only glass of wine in Oslo.
We visited two great places in the Oslo peninsular of Bygdøy. They were the The Viking Ship Museum or in Norweigien the Vikingskipshuset på Bygdøy, and the Norweigien Museum of Cultural History or Norsk Folkemuseum. The Viking ship museum has restored ornately carved Viking long ships, over 20 meters long, dating back to between 834 and 890 AD, as well as various restored artefacts from the Viking age. I am likely to have Viking blood, so I loved looking into the lives of our possible ancestors. The nearby the Norweigien Museum of Cultural History has a recreation of a village from viking times, with their sod roofs (the dirt and grass act as natural insulation in bad weather), and a playground and loads of space to run around in.
My personal favourite in Oslo was the unforgettable Frogner Park with it’s 212 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. Oslo city donated part of the park, and a home, for Gustav to display his lifes work on the agreement that the city keep the work after his death. The bronze, granite and cast iron sculptures represent the diverse range of the human body, life stages and humans relationships with each other, and the world around them. I thought they are amongst the most stunning and thought/emotion provoking work I have ever seen. Frogner park itself is huge and is an ideal place for picnics and for children to run around and let off steam.
Here is a story about Lucas and I in Oslo that I wrote For The Love of Travel magazine which explains this scowling photo of Lucas sat in one of Gusav’s sculptures http://www.fortheloveoftravel.net.nz/for-the-love-of-travel/oslo-for-children#.UiLb2hZ9G77
There are plenty of outdoor activities in Oslo but also Arts, Culture, Music Festivals and so on.
To check out one of the many places we didn’t go to, click on the links below:
http://www.visitoslo.com and http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Where-to-go/East/Oslo for general information. For a children specific link: http://www.visitoslo.com/en/your-oslo/children/
