Hovedøya is the closest, just five minutes away. Here you will find the ruins of an old cistercian monastery, and also buildings and cannons from the time when the island was a part of the city’s defense. In a small cafe you can by simple sandwiches and a beer. The nature is wonderful, and you can have a long stroll. Most people come for the bathing during summer. 

Also for bathing: Gressholmen and especially Langøyene. Then there is Nakholmen, Lindøya and Bleikholmen – all islands with several cottages. Not so much for outsiders like you and me, but it is certainly possible to get off the boat to have a look, especially at Lindøya, where there is plenty of space.

More to come about the islands later on!

The ferry to Nesodden

There must be dozens of companies offering different cruise trips on the Oslo fjord, and by all means – it can be very pleasant. You will get some shrimps and a glass of cheap white wine (cheap only for the company, it will be quite expensive for you…)

But if you want to see the fjord, you can do it on your own. Just jump on the Nesodden ferry, leaving 32 minutes past every hour from Aker Brygge. It will cost you 50 kroner for the round trip, and you will be back in town after 53 minutes.

On board you can buy coffee and a ”lefse” (thin pancake of rolled dough, served buttered and folded). You will have a nice view of the fjord, and a very pleasant return to Oslo, which really is a town that should be approached from the sea.

Don’t bother to hop off the boat at Nesodden – there isn’t anyting to see there – unless you would like to go for a long walk along the coastal path.

This is the time to visit Oslo – from early May to end of August!

Lately, we have seen a few signs of recovery for the very idea of a bakery. You can even find bakeries that could be mistaken for at french boulangerie. Not many of them, of course – but have a try at Åpent Bakeri (yes, you are right, it means Open Bakery).  You will find the original one behind the Royal castle, in Incognito terrasse. They also have a few stores around the city, but this is the place to be for a pain-au-chocolat and a nice cup of coffee, and for the bread to bring home afterwards.

And, yes – the people in charge are French, of course.

Show map

Well, they would probably be Swedish (if they are friendly). Service isn’t in the genes of Norwegians, and young Norwegians tend to go for other opportunities. Lucky then, that many young Swedes, having trouble finding work back home, come to Oslo to work in restaurants, bars and shops.

I wouldn’t dare to give an explanation, but the fact is that Swedish waiters tend to be more friendly and clever, working with a smile on their face, and that they have become so popular among Norwegian employers that they are by far outnumbering Norwegians working in restaurants in Oslo these days.

Tjuvholmen is an important element in the ongoing process of dockland-to-city which is now the main prerequisite for every debate on the development of Oslo. Not one cultural institution or governmental office is located without discussing the possibility of placing it in the new Fjordbyen – at the waterfront. The new opera is already there, in Bjørvika – a new musem for Edvard Munch’s paintings and a new main library is soon to follow.

The Tjuvholmen area is already half way to conclusion, and has become very popular both among new residents and people using it for recreation. Renzo Piano’s building will be accompanied by a new park from where you can take a swim during summer – from 2012. Piano has made many spectacular buildings, among them the Pompidou Centre (Beaubourg) in Paris.

There are more than one, of course – but the place to go is The Dubliner in Rådhusgata 28. Since it  started up in 1996, The Dubliner  has established itself as the most authentic Irish pub in Oslo, serving beer and coffee from the green island to an ever growing audience of Norwegian and Irish/British expats. The people behind the bar are generally both friendly and native English speakers. Live music most weekdays (and Irish dance classes on Mondays!), and you can have a decent meal, too.

Vis større kart

The entrance is free, but you are of course expected to buy a drink or two. And don’t talk when they sing! Wait till they have finished singing…
Click for map

However, at Aker Brygge, paradoxically neighboured by some of the most expensive restaurants in town, you will find Rorbua. Here you are offered a ”today’s menu” for 125 kroner (14,5 Euro), coffee included. Fish is often on the menu.

The food comes in hearty portions, and the chef specialises in traditional Norwegian food. Service is excellent, even without any Swedish waiters.

Rorbua means the little cottage where fishermen up north used to stay during the fishing season, and the restaurant’s design is meant to be kind of fisherman’s rough style. That’s OK, as long as the food is better than what the fishermen usually had to eat in the old days.

Click for map

To start with: You can’t book a table. You will have to show up at the door. But it is not like the soup nazi, though – if it is crowded, you will in a friendly way be asked to wait in the bar at the other side of the entrance. When there is a free table, they will pick you up.  It may take some time, they’ve only got 23 chairs. It is worth waiting.

There is no menu. Or, there is in fact a list of ten dishes. Start at the top and work your way through. The whole lot will cost you 850 Norwegian kroner, a little more than 100 Euro, or you can make a deal with the waiter which ones to skip. All ten is a quite a challenge, believe me, but the food is delicious. And then there is the wine. Just bring it on.

Service is indeed informal. Don’t shout at the waitress, she would probably shout back. Don’t be shy if she cuddles your hair, or if the chef comes along and asks you to taste something new he has created, right out of the casserole. To put it simple: Do exactly as you are told.

The Palace Grill is one of the three elements in the same house. There is also the bar which  I’ve mentioned already, a little rough. Live music on Mondays. And then you have got ”Skaugum”, an outdoors bar in the backyard, open during a long summer.

There is a certain danger that the two bars are crowded with young aspiring people at the end of the week. Monday to Wednesday is recommended.
Click for map