Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
young flag-wavers, while the royal family watches from the palace balcony.
Since 1814, Norway has preferred peace. Rather than celebrating its military
on the national holiday, it celebrates its children.
King Harald V and Queen Sonja moved back into the palace in 2001, after
extensive (and costly) renovations. To quell the controversy caused by this ex-
pense, the public is now allowed inside to visit each summer with a pricey
one-hour guided tour (95 kr, daily English tours late June-mid-Aug at 14:00
and 14:20, Mon-Thu and Sat also at 12:00, buy tickets in advance at any post
office or convenience store, or by calling 81 53 31 33,
www.kongehuset.no
)
.
In the middle of the small square, the
T
sign marks a stop of the T-bane
(Oslo's subway). Let W. B. Samson's bakery tempt you with its pastries (and
short cafeteria line; WC inback). Next tothat, David Andersen'sjewelry store
displays traditional silver art and fine enamel work. Inside, halfway down the
wall on the right (next to the free water dispenser), is a display of Norwe-
gian folk costumes
(bunader)
with traditional jewelry—worn on big family
occasions and church holidays. From here, the street called Akersgata kicks
off a worthwhile stroll past the site of the July 2011 bombing, the nation-
al cemetery, and through a park-like river gorge to the trendy Grünerløkka
quarter (an hour-long walk, described on
here
).
People-watching is great along Karl Johans Gate, but remember that if it's
summer, half of the city's regular population is gone—vacationing in their
cabins or farther away—and the city center is filled mostly with visitors.
Hike two blocks down Karl Johans Gate, past the big brick Parliament
building (on the left). This section of sidewalk is heated during the frigid
winter so it won't be icy. On the right, seated in the square, is a statue of
the painter Christian Krohg. Farther down Karl Johans Gate, just past the
Freia shop (Norway's oldest and best chocolate), the venerable
Grand Hotel
(Oslo's celebrity hotel—Nobel Peace Prize winners sleep here) overlooks the
boulevard.
• Ask the waiter at the Grand Café if you can pop inside for a little sightseeing
(he'll generally let you).
Grand Café:
This historic café was for many years the meeting place of
Oslo's intellectual and creative elite (the playwright Henrik Ibsen was a reg-
