Living Vicariously

Things have not slowed down for us at all on our second day in town.
Heading out for a walk around Gamla Stan, the cobblestone paved old town, we noticed that the main road passing the palace was blocked off, but didn’t pay it much thought as we wandered around, browsing through the touristy shops. By the time we reached the palace, a crowd had gathered, and we noticed that the Chilean flag was flying along with the Swedish flag. Just as we joined the crowd, the royal mounted guard started to ride by. We then caught a glimpse of the Swedish King and Chilean president, in a horse drawn carriage. 

  
We managed to get tickets for tonight’s exclusive SBS party at the Södra Teatern with another up close and personal performance by Dami, dressed in a gorgeous black sequinned jumpsuit. We managed to stand in a great spot, right at the front near the stage. Once again, she impressed us with her amazing voice and down to earth attitude. She is really having a great time with all the craziness around Eurovision. Her husband and mother were also proudly watching and taking photos on their smartphones. 

  
It was also really exciting to see Julia Zemiro again! We haven’t seen Sam Pang or Julia since Malmö, and really didn’t expect to see either of them on a broadcast night. She hung around for a while for interviews with some of the international media present, so I couldn’t resist asking for a quick selfie, while her publicist was frantically trying to wrap things up, but she is pretty generous for the fans. 

   
 Once again the weather was amazing, and the theatre has a lovely outdoor patio with a view across the water to other Stockholm islands, so we lingered for a while, catching up with the guys I met last year in Vienna and meeting new people from Australia and beyond. My vintage map of Australia earrings – acquired back in the 80s, were a great talking point. As one of the guys mentioned, this is what Eurovision is really all about, connecting with people from around the world.

  
What an amazing day so far; and we still have to get to our first Eurovision event, Semi Final 1!

So, let’s get on to what this trip is really all about – Eurovision!
Having arrived late last night, today was our first day of the Stockholm Eurovision experience! Eurovision Village is the central, and public hub for Eurovision in the host city. Stockholm has selected a beautiful park in the centre of the city, Kungsträdgården, for the Village. With all the lovely hot weather we’re having here at the moment – today reached 24 degrees C – the spring flowers were blooming, and the locals were all out enjoying the sun. The park is already lined with restaurants, so with the added food stands, screens and stages and sponsorship stalls, it’s an attractive venue to wander around and spend some time in. And all the Eurovision merchandise is available, although it wasn’t ready to go from midday, when the Village opened. My favourite was the sponsored Osram lighting stall, which had a Eurovision karaoke. With so many great songs to choose from, I eventually selected Euphoria, props – a Swedish flag and feathered necklace – and sang and danced for the few seconds of music, while the stall holders blew bubbles! What a great start to the day, it certainly woke me up! Videos are then delivered via email. 

  
The nearby NK department store dressed their windows with displays representing the Swedish winners of Eurovision, from ABBA to Måns, so we crossed at the musical crossing – it doesn’t just beep, it plays Euphoria – to reminisce about previous winning songs.

  
Wandering back to our hotel, we dropped in to the Euroclub, opposite the Royal Palace, for a traditional Swedish lunch of meatballs. 

  
We then found that the Swedish entrant, 17 year old Frans, was appearing in 1/2 an hour, and we had seats directly above the stage, with a perfect view! He seemed fairly overwhelmed by the whole experience, but excited to be starting his musical career with so much support. 

  
After getting all dressed up, we returned to the Euroclub, as we managed to get ourselves on to the guest list for the Australian embassy party, hosted by the Australian Ambassador to Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Estonia. And kindly sponsored by Lindeman wines. Dami Im performed two songs live, accompanying herself on the keyboard. She really seemed to be grateful for the opportunity and very humbled by the whole experience of representing Australia in Eurovision. It was great to hear the power in her voice in the live performance, and the really stripped back versions of Bridge Over Troubled Water and her Eurovision song – Sound of Silence. I stood behind the Korean ambassador during the performance, hoping to get in shot for the SBS coverage.

   
   
The party was also our first opportunity to catch up with some of the Australian fans I met last year in Vienna, and to meet some of the people behind the Facebook posts in the Australian Eurovision discussion groups, and the hopefully soon to be official Australian Eurovision fan club.  

What trip to Oslo would be complete without a visit to the Viking Ship Museum? 
The Båtservice ferry cost a bargain 60K return when purchased at the hut on the docks, and traveling across in the little wooden boat is part of the fun, with the opportunity to see Oslo from the water. Bygdøy, the museums island, is actually connected to the land but it’s much mare atmospheric to get there by boat than by bus. Once over at Bygdøy, it’s a hike straight uphill to the Viking Ship Museum, past some glamorous houses.

  
The Oseberg and Gokstad ship finds are two of the most important and impressive archaeological finds in Norway. As a kid poring over books on the Vikings, with poor black and white photographs of the ship finds, I dreamed of going to Oslo to finally see these things for myself. It’s amazing to think that these ships, although significantly restored, were in use during the Viking era. While practical, they are also incredibly beautiful, with the simple, clean lines that are still evident in Scandinavian design today. The detail in the richly carved wagon, sleighs and other goods is just incredible! I think that the wagon, with its cat carvings, is my favourite. I could just imagine sitting up In that, with my trusty horse pulling me around. Slowly. On bumpy wooden wheels. 

  
The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History is right next door, so I head there for a quick bite to eat before looking around. The main part of the museum is outdoors. In the summer, people in traditional dress practice various traditional arts and crafts in the buildings, but in early May, the buildings are just open for visitors to have a look. 

 
The jewel in the crown for this collection is the stave church. Made of wood in the Middle Ages, there few stave churches left in Norway, with many burned or destroyed over time as fashions changed. The stave church preserved in this collection features the typical ornately carved doorway panels, with a mix of Christian and mythological symbols, just to be sure. This one seems to feature kings and dragons. Peering through the door, the gold painted altar is just visible through the darkness – the building has no windows. I take a walk around the verandah – because I can. Outside, an excited Japanese visitor explains to me that the building has striking similarities to old Japanese buildings. Interesting.

The rest of the collection are mainly farmhouses and storage sheds from various ages and different parts of the country. It is amazing to think that anyone could survive in this climate in these simple wooden huts. You would think that one bad winter could have wiped out the population! 

I went to inspect the indoor exhibitions at 3pm, thinking that I could probably have a quick look around for 30 minutes or so, as the museum closed at 4pm, but apparently these close a full hour before closing time. I did manage to see the exhibition on the Sami, which provides a good background on the history and culture of the people who invented skiing.

Back on the ‘mainland’, I walked around to the Oslo Opera House, not to see a show but to climb on the roof. This is a fairly new building, opened in 2008. I don’t know whether it was the intention of the architects, but the roof slopes down to the ground, inviting people to climb up to inspect the view from the top, and lots of people do! Including a group running up and down on a boot camp training session.

   
 
There is a lot of construction going on in this area, too, with more water view apartments going up in front and new office blocks, nicknamed the ‘barcode’ behind. 

Climbing up was one thing, but looking back down the slope, right down to the bottom, is a little challenging for someone who is afraid of heights, so I kept to the stairs, taking them one at a time to get back down! I have a strange habit of continually forgetting just how afraid of heights I am until I am at the top of something. Usually while on holiday.

Heading south from pretty much anywhere along Karl Johan’s Gate (that’s to your left when facing Slottsparken) takes you down to the top of the Oslo Fjord.
At the moment, there’s so much construction going on that it’s impossible to walk straight down, but after detouring and weaving around building sites, I get there eventually. Oslo – it will be great when it’s finished! 
This is a place where new Oslo meets the old. Around to the right is the Aker Brygge. This is the upmarket, cosmopolitan area of town with expensive shops, bars, restaurants and a few cafes by the harbour side. A promenade allows you to walk all the way to the aerodynamic Astrup Fearnley museum of modern art. Beyond this are some very exclusive apartment buildings with views of the fjord and its islands. 

  
Unfortunately, the only cafe with lots of seating by the harbour is a Starbucks! That was not the vibe I was looking for, so I picked up a pecan pastry from the nearby Narvesen supermarket and a ridiculously expensive – but great – coffee from local chain Joe and the Juice – at least they’re Danish – and sat by the harbour to eat it. I was just relaxing and enjoying the view when a seagull grabbed the pastry from my hand! And the seagulls are big over here!  

  
Around the other side of the harbour is the medieval Akershus Castle and fortress. While building commenced in 1299, many of the present buildings are newer (1600s and 1700s). However, it is still a very atmospheric place to wander around while the sun shines. It is free to walk around the grounds, but there is a charge for entry to the interesting museums on site or for tours. Despite its historical significance, part of the complex is still used as a military base, so entry to different sections can be restricted at times. 

   
 The area in the middle is a large public space with statues, and flowers and fountains in the summer – the Town Hall Square. The Town Hall itself is an incredibly ugly brick building, which was started in the 30s but not inaugurated until 1950 as WWII paused construction. It’s a shame they didn’t rethink the design, but I guess it was pretty state of the art for mid-century. The public and private ferries to the museum island and fjord cruises all leave from this part of the harbour.

It’s easy to slip in to the pace of a town that seems to move along at a walking pace. Nothing seems rushed in Oslo, but then there are no frustrating and unnecessary delays either. Everything just happens in its turn. 
From the airport, it’s easy to catch the express bus or train to the centre of Oslo. The airport express train has a credit card swipe and go facility that’s even simple for a jet lagged Australian who has just spent the past 20 or so hours on a plane to use. 
The Oslo Tourist Information Centre is located in the newly renovated old Central Station, so the first time visitor can pick up a map and information on the sights before heading out in to town. The renovation has turned a formerly seedy location into one of Oslo’s happening venues with upmarket bars and trendy restaurants. 
Oslo is an easy city to walk around. The walk along the main street, Karl Johan’s Gate, from Central Station to the Royal Palace in Slottsparken can apparently be done in a brisk 10 minutes. However, as this shopping strip is lined with a great selection of Scandinavian clothing stores, including the legendary Moods of Norway, it always seems to take me a lot longer. The walk also passes other notable buildings, such as Parliament and the National Theatre. United Bakeries is another location that’s difficult to pass by. With great espresso coffee, fresh buttery pastries and good quality sandwiches, it’s well worth fighting with the locals for a table. 

  
The Slottsparken Is completely open to the public. There are no high fences around the palace, just a couple of fresh-faced young King’s Guards in the traditional black hat with its feathery plume. We managed to catch the changing of the guard, with guards appearing from a small building nearby.  

  
The return walk along Kristian IV Gate / Grensen, parallel to the main street, passes some interesting homewares and handcraft stores, along with the Black Cat coffee and tea shop, particularly known for its local tea blends, which come in really cool tins. My favourite is the French Earl Grey.