the month before christmas, oslo is a busy place! I would love to start this trip at the top of Oslo, the Oslo ceiling as we call it, where it’s quiet and you get a perfect view over my town—at Frognerseteren, 435 meters above everyday life. This is an old building from 1891 built in the famous Dragon style, with timber and details reminding us of the time of the Vikings. This has always been a café and a restaurant, it’s a place for family to enjoy a cup of hot coco after skiing. Both the exterior and the interior feel very authentic, with exposed timber, warm colors, a fireplace, and stuffed animals hanging on the walls. The view is spectacular (if there is no fog…), and you can see the whole city and the Oslo fjord from here. I would recommend hot coco with whipped cream, a waffel with brown cheese, or maybe an open sandwich with salmon. If you are in the right mood, are daring, and are dressed for it, you can take a sled down from Frognerseteren. You rent a sled, and slide down what used to be the bob slope during the Winter Olympics in 1952. Another alternative is to walk—but relax, you can also go by Tram #1. You have to go to the Vigelands Park, also called Frognerparken. This is the best place to be in all seasons! It’s a wonderful, big park, full of statues made by the artist Gustav Vigeland. It´s actually the biggest park in the world of its type, with more than 200 sculptures made by one artist. The sculptures are big, and made with granite—they all look strong yet soft. You want to touch them and take pictures of them. The most famous is an angry little on the bridge called Sinnataggen. Frognerparken also has a big playground for kids, a field for dogs to run, some cafés, and a museum. Our boys learned to ski in this park—there are cross-country slopes as soon as it snows.
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To really get into the Norwegian Christmas spirit, I would like to take you to the Norwegian Folk museum at Bygdøy. This is the world's largest open air museum. For two weekends in December they have a big Christmas fair, You will find everything typical to Norwegian Christmastime: food, drink, crafts, ornaments, and the like. The old buildings, representing different areas of Norway, are decorated for Christmas, and children sing Christmas songs. One can experience how people in Norway celebrated Christmas in the past, and also get a good overview of different architecture and culture. In one area you can experience how they brewed beer in the olden days, you can taste the traditional lefse, make candles, or go horseback riding. I love to go there with my family and buy cookies for Christmas. Our main street is Karl Johan. At end of the street is our Royal Palace, and at the other end the main train station. The street is lively before Christmas, with a market and a skating rink. And what do we do on Saturdays? We go to the Freia Shop and buy our traditional milk chocolate. It’s the best milk chocolate in the world if you ask me—and it comes with a fairytale. Last but not least—I would like to share with you the best gløgg in the world. I drink this all December. Make the essence and put it in a bottle, then mix it together with red wine when you want 1, 2, or 15 mugs.
Above: Frognersetern Restaurant, overlooking Oslo; Christine Haerra Opposite page: A wonderful holiday spread at Frognersetern; Fireplace at Frognersetern Restaurant,; Santa at Folkemuseet; Anne Mina, Oslo's leading flower store; Sculpture from Vigelands Parken; Freia, Norway's leading chocolate store; Crowd at Folkemuseet; Christmas fair at Karl Johan Street