Country Images Magazine North Edition May 2017 | Page 8

Even the locals complain about
the cost of living in Norway, but
as we discovered, it is possible
to enjoy the delights of Oslo,
Norway’s capital without breaking
the bank. Many of its attractions
are either free or inexpensive,
and if you are over sixty, then by
asking for an ‘honor rebatt’, (age
reduction), prices often come
down to a fraction of the full rate.
This concession is treated seriously
as the as older Norwegians are
held in great respect; I was once
politely told off for not asking for
the age reduction when booking a
rail ticket.
OSLO
Public transport around Oslo may seem a tad expensive, especially if you
are only planning to either make a single journey, or of short duration. If
you are planning to make multiple journeys, then the best idea is to buy a
ticket covering the length of your stay. We opted for a 48 hour ticket with
which we were able travel on every form of transport from trams to the
underground, with the exception of the harbour ferries, all around the city
and into the surrounding forested hills of Nordmarka.
Using the magic phrase we took the express train from Oslo’s Gardemoen
airport for the 45 kilometre ride into the city’s updated Central Station.
Th is station is adjacent to the old Ost Bannen Station (east station)
which has been converted into a shopping mall, together with hotels and
restaurants. Th e stations old and new stand beside the Jernbanetorget,
(station plaza), the central hub for the city’s effi cient transport network. It
also doubles as the equivalent to London’s Speaker’s Corner where politely
spoken public meetings state their case beside a huge bronze tiger.
Statue of the late King Olav in typical 1950s ski attire
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Dodging the trams we crossed over from the square to enter Karl Johan’s
Gate, Oslo’s main street. All the nationally important buildings are here
from the cathedral to the royal palace. Th e cathedral is where monarchs are
fi rst crowned, (all three of them, since Norway only became independent
in 1905) before travelling up to Trondheim for a second coronation. Next
comes the parliament building, soon followed by the national theatre where
Ibsen’s and other Norwegian playwrights’ work are performed. Beyond
the parliament the street becomes a boulevard laid out with attractive