National day on May 17th
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May 17th is our national day, so you should really go out and see the city that day! This is the most celebrated day of the whole year where we celebrate the signing of the Norwegian constitution from 1814! On May 17th all norwegians go out in the streets to celebrate.
The children will be walking in parades from ca. 10-13 around in the city. 112 schools will be participating in the parade in the city center from Akershus fortress – Torgata – Youngstorget – Stortorvet – and the last stop: the Norwegian Castle where the royal family greets the parade from the palace balcony. (You can try to sneak in to the train and wave to the royal family.)
And you can also check out the norwegian “russ” (graduates from secondary school who have been celebrating since the end of April) from ca. 15-17 in the afternoon at Youngstorget.
We all have several things we usually do this day so here is a checklist for you guys to try out:
- Start around 9 o’clock
- Eat salmon and eggs for breakfast with some water or wine – whichever you prefer:)
- Dress up
- Go outside an check out the children’s parade
- Buy a Norwegian flag and wave it:)
- eat a “wienerpølse i brød” (a sausage/hotdog in bread or potato cake)
- Eat an ice cream
- See the “russ” parade/arrangement
- Say “Hipp hipp hurray”!!
- …and this year, make sure to bring a raincoat because they say it will rain!
We hope you will enjoy the day as much as we will! “Hipp hipp hurra!”
What’s up Oslo?!
So you’re in town, or you’re planning a trip to Oslo, but what are you planning to do? You could always drop by our offices and ask what’s up this weekend, but if you want to plan ahead you should check out our new calendar.
The website is primarely in norwegian, but thanks to todays wonderful technology, namely google translate, it’s possible for everyone to make good use of the site.
Check out the english translated site. (You can switch the translated language to your likings)
www.kultoslo.no
Street art mini tour
You’re planning a day of galleries and museums but it’s a very beautiful day outside and really not an indoor-day. Museums can wait till a rainy day, go outside and stimulate your mind with the various street art Oslo has to offer. Why not go to Blå first.
From downtown Oslo it’s a short walk, maybe 10 minutes. You can basicly follow Møllergata up to Hausmania and from Hausmania it’s a short downhill road to Blå. Why not start your trip at the Use-It Oslo Office which is in the start of Møllergata?
“The story seemingly ends at the corner only to unravel an epicenter of art crowned by a beautiful light crown in the middle”
So you’re here, and you’re walking down the street towards Blå following a wall of continuous grafitti. The sun is shining and you’re enterpeting stories that many artists and street artists are communicating through their art. The story seemingly ends at the corner only to unravel an epicenter of art crowned by a beautiful light crown in the middle. The old factory walls are covered with grafitti and paintings. The stairs to your right follows up to the art school and Brenneriet Gallery and you should take a look to see if an exhibition is up. Take a moment — take it all in.
Continuing on your exploration through the area you will find the nightclub Blå to your left. Maybe it’s open, depending on the time. Take a coffee or a refreshing drink in a friendly enviroment right next to the river Akerselva. Or continue towards the bridge crossing the river. Take a moment here as well, look closely at the trees and you will discover more art. From here you can follow the road up to Grünerløkka, a charming city area with parks, cafés, small independent stores and nightclubs. Or you can follow the river Akerselva to the end. It’s a very nice walk.
Chill out in the Royal Park
You’re in downtown Oslo, it’s a sunny day and you feel like taking a walk away from traffic and city noise. The Royal Park is not far away.
The Royal Palace is conveniantly located in the city centre, just a stones throw away from the main popular shopping street Karl Johan. Already 3 seconds into the trip the background noise of the city pulse is fading away. The Royal Palace becomes more clear and you’re approaching the front of the castle. The place is filled with tourists taking pictures of the majestic monument of Karl III Johan, the Swedish-Norwegian King of Norway from 1818 to his death.
This quiet and huge area in front of the palace is is heavily visited and a central point on Norways National Day, May 5th. However this is not where you will most likely find your “zen-moment”, you walk through this area to the right, walking past the royal palace. Perhaps taking a few pictures of the palace as you pass. The smell of summer and barbequeues are starting to dominate and take over the smell of cars and the busy city.
“Tokyo has their small peaceful parks in the middle of the city pulse and Oslo has the Royal Park.”
As you enter the Royal Park and the sounds of flickering cameras and japaneese conversations dissapates, you feel your shoulders sinking and a gentle calm sinks over you. Lots of people are taking a load off after work, hanging out with their friends here. Children running around the little pond, feeding the birds.
This is it, this is your destination. Tokyo has their small peaceful parks in the middle of the city pulse and Oslo has the Royal Park. Kick off your shoes and relax. Light up a barbequeue, strike a conversation with a local “park-animal” and enjoy the sun.
If you’ve spent some hours in this park and feel you want to explore some more of Oslo, the House of Literature is right outside the exit of the park. If you’re feeling revitalized enough you can also follow the street Hegdehausveien upwards as it turns into Bogstadveien. A popular and posh shopping street in Oslo with loads of designer stores and cafés. Check it out in the shopping section. This street goes all the way up to Majorstuen.
Music fest
Going to Oslo in the near future? Don’t know what to do during your stay? Be sure to check out Oslo Music Fest 4th of June.
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