OSLO, THREE DAYS IN MAY: Art, Opera, History and Sunshine

View of Oslo from inside the Opera House.

We landed in Oslo on May 1^st, our first stop on a two-week trip to Norway. We had three days to get over jet lag before traveling to Bergen, where my husband would attend a professional meeting. We wanted to see as much as we could of Oslo, knowing that in our short time there we would have to pick and choose. 

Pansies in a sidewalk planter in front of our hotel in Oslo.

Our hotel, the Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz, was located in the center of town within walking distance of most things we wanted to do.

Boat in the harbor, Oslo fjord.

On our first evening, after dinner in the excellent Italian restaurant in our hotel, we walked to the harbor on the Oslo Fjord, enjoying the evening sunshine of the far north spring. (Because it was close to midsummer, the sun didn’t set until nearly 10pm and rose again early in the morning!) 

Family of Four, Sculpture by Gustav Vigeland, Oslo.

In the plaza by the harbor stood “Family of Four,” by Gustav Vigeland, Norway's most famous sculptor. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to see the museum and park in Oslo that features so much of Vigeland’s work. 

A tiny painter puts dots on the side of a storage building at the harbor.

But we saw lots of other public art everywhere we went, including this whimsical painting on the side of a building alongside the harbor.

Nobel Peace Center, Oslo.

The next morning, we visited the Nobel Peace Center. (Gustav Vigeland is the designer of the Nobel Peace Prize Medal.) At the Peace Center we learned about Alfred Nobel (Swedish chemist and inventor of dynamite) and about the history of the Peace Prize and all the individuals who have received the award. I was reminded that Jane Addams, social activist and founder of Hull House in Chicago, was one of the early recipients.

Astrup Fearnley Museum.

All along the waterfront people were enjoying the warm weather, walking, sitting on benches, and eating at the many outdoor restaurants. Further along the Oslo Fjord we came to the Astrup FearnleyMuseum, one of Scandinavia’s most notable museums for contemporary art. The museum, designed by Renzo Piano, spans two buildings bisected by a canal. We walked over a bridge from one to the other. In one building, selected items from the Astrup Fearnley collection are displayed. They include paintings, textiles, sculpture, and other works by a wide variety of artists from around the world. There is also a room for children and families to create their own art.

Looking at Art Institute of Chicago 2, photograph by Thomas Struth at the Astrup Fearnley Museum, 2024.

Looking at Paris Street Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte at the Art Institute of Chicago, 2022.

We were particularly engaged by a photograph entitled ­­Art Institute of Chicago 2 by Thomas Struth. In 2022 we were with our family in Chicago in front of the very same painting depicted in the photo, taking our own picture! (See the second photo above.) Our photo in Oslo (with me in the foreground) adds another layer of reality.

Bird Cabinet by Leonard Rickhard.

On the other side of the canal, the Astrup Fearnley Museum building features rotating temporary exhibits. We chose to see the retrospective of the work of Norwegian artist Leonard Rickhard. (It ended on May 19. ) The exhibit was organized around repeating themes in Rickhard's work—a bird cabinet, the night painter, the model table, the birch forest, deserted barracks, workers sheds—often in combination. I was struck by the contemporary look of his paintings, even those done fifty years ago. (For more samples of items at the Astrup Fearnley Museum, see my June 17 post at my Art and Books blog.)

Inside the Oslo Opera House on the ground floor.

That evening we had tickets for the opera, performed at the spectacular new opera house, where the roof is also a giant patio. 

From the roof of the Oslo Opera House your can see the Munch Museum next door. It is dedicated to the work of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch and has three versions of his famous painting The Scream. 

The opera we saw was Cenerentola (Cinderella) by Rossini. The production was lively and humorous and easy to understand—a small screen at our seats followed the libretto translated into either Norwegian or English. (We chose, English, of course. Throughout Norway, at least in areas frequented by tourists, we found that almost everyone speaks English.) At intermission, as we stood on the balcony and gazed out the windows, the sun was just setting over the Oslo skyline.

At Henrik Ibsen's grave in the Memorial Cemetery.

On our second full day in Oslo we had arranged to meet an American friend who has lived in Oslo most of her life. It was wonderful to have a personal guide and insight on what it is like to live and raise a family in Norway. On the way to her apartment she took us through the Memorial Cemetery, a beautiful park-like area open to the public. It is the burial place of both ordinary citizens and Norwegian notables like Henrik Ibsen and Edgar Munch. 

Old Aker Church was built as a three-naved Romanesque style basilica.

From the cemetery we walked to the Gamle Aker Church, the oldest church in Oslo. It dates back to the 12^th Century and continues as an active congregation. The next day, on our visit to the Folk Museum in Bygdoy, we saw a 19th Century painting of the church. 

Our guide for our tour of the Folk Museum.

Our last full day in Oslo was devoted to a visit to the Folk Museum, a large park-like complex with museums and historical buildings from rural parts of Norway. Interpreters are dressed in traditional costumes. With a little imagination you almost feel as if you have taken a trip back in time. We took a one-hour English language tour that ended at the famous stave church, dating from the 13th century.

Stave Church at the Folk Museum. It is built entirely of wood.

We then wandered on our own, visiting a traditional farm kitchen, where young women in period clothes were baking lefse (a slightly sweet soft flat bread) on a griddle over hot coals. We bought two slices, served hot and slathered with melted butter. They were delicious!

The next morning we headed for the train station for the next part of our trip—a train ride over the mountains to Bergen. For a report of that journey and more about Oslo, see my post of May 27. We enjoyed our three days in Oslo, had beautiful sunny weather, made progress on adjusting to the time change, and felt we got a taste of the city. Someday we’ll have to go back and explore more.

At the Folk Museum with our two slices of freshly baked lefse.