"Guide to Oslo" Oslo Favorite Tip by shiran_d

Favorite thing: Oslo has a spectacular setting at the head of a 110km (70-mile) long fjord. It is the oldest Scandinavian capital, founded by the 11th century Norwegian king, Harald Hådråda, who established it on the site of an earlier Viking settlement, in or around 1050.

Fondest memory: Our Fondest memoryies were firstly coming in to Oslo by sea, sailing up the fjord, where shrimpers and small sailing boats jostle with ferries and merchant ships, to where the city sprawls out from its compact centre around the quays to the flanks of the surrounding hills. Although it is not noted for grand architecture, Oslo’s history lives on in medieval buildings like the Akershus Slott, which stands across a park from the austere angular bulk of the 1930s-style Rådhus (City Hall). A highlight is the Slottet (Royal Palace), which elegantly dominates the view west along Karl Johans Gate past the Storting (Parliament).