Side Trips from Oslo - Norway - page 162

Keep Your Eye on Your Kid
One thing prevents the Fredriksten Fortress from being truly kid-friendly:
The towering bastions are not fenced in and can be dangerous. If you
visit with your children, make sure to watch over them carefully.

Tips

An apothecary has been installed in the former Commandant's Residence,
which dates from 1754. Modern exhibits trace the history of pharmacology
from early folk remedies that used bird claws to 20th-century advances in
medicine.
Bakery and brewery exhibits—other surprises—are found within the com-
plex. The bakery could turn out bread for some 5,000 men, and the brewery
could produce 3,000 liters of beer a day.
There is no more idyllic place for lunch in Halden than at the fort's own
Fredriksten Kro, a mellow old pub with outdoor seating in fair weather. You
can order both food and drink here during the day.
Peder Colbjørnsens Gate. & 69-18-31-49. Admission 50NOK ($7.10) adults, 25NOK ($3.55) children.
Guided tours 50NOK ($7.10) adults, 25NOK ($3.55) children. May 18-Aug 22 daily 10am-5pm.
Rød Manor This is one of the most impressive and best-preserved
manor houses in southeastern Norway. The exact age of the historic core of this
building is unknown, although the east wing was added in 1733. Today much
of the place looks as it did in 1750, when the Tank and Ankers families resided
here. Still elegant, it has lovely interiors filled with objets d'art, hunting trophies,
and one of the largest private collections of weapons in Scandinavia. You can
only see the house by guided tour. On your own, you can stroll the beautiful
English-style gardens with their towering deciduous trees or walk a pathway bor-
dered by hazelnut trees. The symmetrical, baroque-style walkways evoke the gra-
cious living of a grander era (assuming you were rich). The location is signposted
1.5km (1 mile) west of the town center. Plan to spend about 45 minutes here.
Rød Herregård. & 69-18-54-11. Admission 50NOK ($7.10) adults, 10NOK ($1.40) children. Tours June 25 to
mid-Aug Tues-Sun noon and 2pm (additional Sun tour at 3pm); May 20-June 24 and mid-Aug to Sept
Tues-Sun noon, 1pm, and 2pm.
WHERE TO STAY
Grand Hotel This centrally located hotel, just across from the rail station, is
in a structure originally built in 1898. Its rustic charm is part of its appeal. The
rooms are simple and clean with modern furnishings and well-kept bathrooms
with shower units. Dinner is not served here, but the separately recommended
Dickens restaurant (see below) is nearby.
Jernbanetorget 1, N-1776 Halden. & 69-18-72-00. Fax [phone] units. Mon-Thurs
920NOK-990NOK ($131-$141) double; Fri-Sun 790NOK ($112) double. AE, MC, V. Amenities: Breakfast
room; bar; lounge. In room: TV.
Park Hotel This is the more comfortable and up-to-date of Halden's two
hotels, with a location in the town center in a pleasant garden. Originally built
in the 1970s, with about half of the rooms lying within a new wing added in
2000, it's a four-story weatherproof building that offers more amenities, and
more diversions, than its only other competitor. There is an exceptionally help-
ful and well-informed staff. Each of the rooms has wooden floors, a tiled bath-
room with a tub/shower combination, and color schemes of soft blues, grays,
and beiges.

Finds