Ziryan Mohieden
I visited Oslo on the final day of my trip. Have you ever heard the saying ‘last but not least’, well this wasn't the case in terms of Oslo. After an incredible week out in the Norwegian countryside filled with cliffs, mountains and glaciers, Oslo felt like an anti- climax. The city lacked energy, at the least. The city had friendly people, excellent social equality (very little homelessness unlike Dublin) and elegant architecture but the city lacked a certain buzz that you go on holidays for in the first place. I visited the city centre which for me felt lifeless for a saturday afternoon, I knew beforehand that Oslo had a small population of just over 500 thousand but even this was ridiculous. The city felt like it had been evacuated for thousand of years and only now were people beginning to relocate there.
After my brief walk through the city centre I visited the Utoya memorial centre, this establishment was built in memory of the people who were killed on the 22nd of July in Norway in a terrorist attack committed by a far right terrorist. The centre I felt was done with a lot more consideration and thought. I walked into a single room dedicated to all the victims who had lost their life, I read every single victims age and was shocked but also deeply saddened at how young some of them were, some were as young as 15 only making a few steps into their journey of life only to have it cut short. I read the timeline of the attack in the main hall, so much had gone wrong that day and I wondered if the police of Oslo should be held accountable for some of the deaths, what was particularly frustrating was the fact that the car registration of the vehicle that the perpetrator was driving had been reported to the police and had been spotted several times before reaching Utoya. Before leaving I read some of the accounts from the court case and I was fascinated by some of the accounts of survivors and the opening statement of the defending lawyer, I was mesmerized at how difficult a lawyer's job that they have to justify the atrocities committed that day.
I left the Utoya memorial centre and headed towards the Oslo Opera House. I was surprised at how popular fishing was to the capital city and little pollution there was around the banks. I saw many Arabic men fishing which my mother remarked as being a social and also a source of food for immigrants coming into the country. I was displeased at the cost of living here in Norway, every meal I’d been to the cost came to at least 150 Norwegian Krone which is about 15 pounds which corresponds to about €20. The Opera House I must say was impressive, the architecture was revolutionary but there was something missing, it was too quiet. There were no buskers or street life and the place felt empty for a main city attraction, having said this there were little Norwegian people there at all, mostly tourists which I particularly don't enjoy about a city.
Trolltunga and the Pulpit
After an exhausting 8 hour journey to the Norwegian countryside, I had arrived at the mountainous landscape of Stavanger. I stayed in a small town the equivalent of Limerick in Ireland I thought. The house I stayed in felt like an IKEA shopping centre, every bit of furniture seemed to fit in balance with the rest.
The first day, I set out for the Pulpit. I was informed before going that it is place in which a priest preaches therefore not only did it have scenic views but also a bit of history alongside it. The route was flat at first, just different planks of wood to walk across to avoid slipping into the swampy marshes below. The place seemed to be a huge attraction for tourists coming to Norway, however I felt this was a disadvantage. In my opinion too many tourists spoiled the reason I had gone to the Pulpit in the first place, I had came because of my love for wilderness and isolation, I live in a city so back home I get very little of this, but the vast amount of diverse tourists seemed to spoil the atmosphere.
It was a rainy couple of hours, steep, slippery steps sometimes made the mountain hard to scale. Every few minutes I stopped and absorbed my surroundings taking in the breathtaking views around me. Despite the rain, the view was still spectacular, the distant mountains and lakes seemed to lack any flaws like that of an animated film. When I arrived at the Pulpit, I was shocked at the lack of safety fences or railings. The sheer drop seemed endless and I was bewildered at how composed some people were, dangling their legs over the edge as if it was a local playground. I wondered if there ever had been any accidents and if Norway's tourism board would keep it quiet so that it wouldn’t discourage further tourists. After I took my desired photograph, I descended back towards the cottage. The descent as always was more difficult. I had to watch my step as my runners (unsuitable choice) slipped and slided down the granite rocks. But this was no where near the difficulty that Trolltunga was.
Trolltunga is basically a rock jutting over a valley, it beholds, in my opinion some of the most beautiful panoramic views in the world,and that is not an overstatement. However getting there is the real challenge. I was definitely more equipped for the twenty seven kilometre hike (there and back) then I was for the Pulpit. In comparison the Pulpit is a stroll in the park. The trek possesses paths at quite high gradients, which came as a challenge on my descent, the challenge that you must stay focused at every step, if you go down with too much pace you can fall and injure yourself, go down too slow night falls and makes your journey near impossible.
In order to complete Trolltunga, you need to be well equipped. In Norway summer is just a word, I began my trek wearing mountain boots (purchased the day before) which in my opinion are well overpriced and I would certainly recommend buying them for a cheaper price in Dublin before your flight. I wore shorts presuming that I would warm up if I was walking for several hours in mid- July, however I was wrong the bittering cold only got worse as my altitude got greater and greater, about halfway through my journey I stopped by a lake for food. My legs had gone purple and my body was shivering uncontrollably, thankfully the Norwegian people are friendly and felt pity on me and lent me a pair of thermal leggings which are perfect as they are light, flexible and insulate heat. If I’m not making myself clear do not wear shorts on trek surrounded by sleet covered glaciers, even if it’s summer.
To keep warm you also need to be well fed. I packed mostly foods that stored a vast amount of energy such as energy bars, dates and bananas, I also brought with me a flask containing hot coffee to keep warm. The food lasted me the trek, I felt tired at some points but music in my earphones and the excitement of witnessing this pinnacle of nature kept me motivated.
There have been mixed reviews about the Trolltunga site itself, some say it's overrated and others say it's overwhelming. In my opinion, the rock or as Norwegians know it by ‘the troll's tongue’ was disappointing the rock looks longer, steeper and smoother on Google Images and brochures in comparison to when you see it for yourself. However the view itself was magnificent, the deep blue colour of the lake contrasting with grey of the cliffs was spectacular. The faraway glaciers in sight also reminded me just how high up I was. Like The Pulpit there was no safety fences and if people went to close to the edge they risked the chance of slipping and falling a seven-hundred meter sheer drop. I stayed well away from the edge as heights is one of my main fears. In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this sight for people visiting this region of Norway.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe that Norway is an excellent travel destination. I would certainly recommend the countryside and in addition if you ar not keen on the trek and scaling cliffs and glaciers, there are also flatter and shorter walks along the lake in deep woods. Although I wasn’t that fond of the urban setting of Oslo, I still believe Trolltunga and The Pulpit are must see locations. It is not your stereotypical lie on the beach in the sweltering heat kind of holiday but could still be a perfect location for a week off in October or February.
I visited Oslo on the final day of my trip. Have you ever heard the saying ‘last but not least’, well this wasn't the case in terms of Oslo. After an incredible week out in the Norwegian countryside filled with cliffs, mountains and glaciers, Oslo felt like an anti- climax. The city lacked energy, at the least. The city had friendly people, excellent social equality (very little homelessness unlike Dublin) and elegant architecture but the city lacked a certain buzz that you go on holidays for in the first place. I visited the city centre which for me felt lifeless for a saturday afternoon, I knew beforehand that Oslo had a small population of just over 500 thousand but even this was ridiculous. The city felt like it had been evacuated for thousand of years and only now were people beginning to relocate there.
After my brief walk through the city centre I visited the Utoya memorial centre, this establishment was built in memory of the people who were killed on the 22nd of July in Norway in a terrorist attack committed by a far right terrorist. The centre I felt was done with a lot more consideration and thought. I walked into a single room dedicated to all the victims who had lost their life, I read every single victims age and was shocked but also deeply saddened at how young some of them were, some were as young as 15 only making a few steps into their journey of life only to have it cut short. I read the timeline of the attack in the main hall, so much had gone wrong that day and I wondered if the police of Oslo should be held accountable for some of the deaths, what was particularly frustrating was the fact that the car registration of the vehicle that the perpetrator was driving had been reported to the police and had been spotted several times before reaching Utoya. Before leaving I read some of the accounts from the court case and I was fascinated by some of the accounts of survivors and the opening statement of the defending lawyer, I was mesmerized at how difficult a lawyer's job that they have to justify the atrocities committed that day.
I left the Utoya memorial centre and headed towards the Oslo Opera House. I was surprised at how popular fishing was to the capital city and little pollution there was around the banks. I saw many Arabic men fishing which my mother remarked as being a social and also a source of food for immigrants coming into the country. I was displeased at the cost of living here in Norway, every meal I’d been to the cost came to at least 150 Norwegian Krone which is about 15 pounds which corresponds to about €20. The Opera House I must say was impressive, the architecture was revolutionary but there was something missing, it was too quiet. There were no buskers or street life and the place felt empty for a main city attraction, having said this there were little Norwegian people there at all, mostly tourists which I particularly don't enjoy about a city.
Trolltunga and the Pulpit
After an exhausting 8 hour journey to the Norwegian countryside, I had arrived at the mountainous landscape of Stavanger. I stayed in a small town the equivalent of Limerick in Ireland I thought. The house I stayed in felt like an IKEA shopping centre, every bit of furniture seemed to fit in balance with the rest.
The first day, I set out for the Pulpit. I was informed before going that it is place in which a priest preaches therefore not only did it have scenic views but also a bit of history alongside it. The route was flat at first, just different planks of wood to walk across to avoid slipping into the swampy marshes below. The place seemed to be a huge attraction for tourists coming to Norway, however I felt this was a disadvantage. In my opinion too many tourists spoiled the reason I had gone to the Pulpit in the first place, I had came because of my love for wilderness and isolation, I live in a city so back home I get very little of this, but the vast amount of diverse tourists seemed to spoil the atmosphere.
It was a rainy couple of hours, steep, slippery steps sometimes made the mountain hard to scale. Every few minutes I stopped and absorbed my surroundings taking in the breathtaking views around me. Despite the rain, the view was still spectacular, the distant mountains and lakes seemed to lack any flaws like that of an animated film. When I arrived at the Pulpit, I was shocked at the lack of safety fences or railings. The sheer drop seemed endless and I was bewildered at how composed some people were, dangling their legs over the edge as if it was a local playground. I wondered if there ever had been any accidents and if Norway's tourism board would keep it quiet so that it wouldn’t discourage further tourists. After I took my desired photograph, I descended back towards the cottage. The descent as always was more difficult. I had to watch my step as my runners (unsuitable choice) slipped and slided down the granite rocks. But this was no where near the difficulty that Trolltunga was.
Trolltunga is basically a rock jutting over a valley, it beholds, in my opinion some of the most beautiful panoramic views in the world,and that is not an overstatement. However getting there is the real challenge. I was definitely more equipped for the twenty seven kilometre hike (there and back) then I was for the Pulpit. In comparison the Pulpit is a stroll in the park. The trek possesses paths at quite high gradients, which came as a challenge on my descent, the challenge that you must stay focused at every step, if you go down with too much pace you can fall and injure yourself, go down too slow night falls and makes your journey near impossible.
In order to complete Trolltunga, you need to be well equipped. In Norway summer is just a word, I began my trek wearing mountain boots (purchased the day before) which in my opinion are well overpriced and I would certainly recommend buying them for a cheaper price in Dublin before your flight. I wore shorts presuming that I would warm up if I was walking for several hours in mid- July, however I was wrong the bittering cold only got worse as my altitude got greater and greater, about halfway through my journey I stopped by a lake for food. My legs had gone purple and my body was shivering uncontrollably, thankfully the Norwegian people are friendly and felt pity on me and lent me a pair of thermal leggings which are perfect as they are light, flexible and insulate heat. If I’m not making myself clear do not wear shorts on trek surrounded by sleet covered glaciers, even if it’s summer.
To keep warm you also need to be well fed. I packed mostly foods that stored a vast amount of energy such as energy bars, dates and bananas, I also brought with me a flask containing hot coffee to keep warm. The food lasted me the trek, I felt tired at some points but music in my earphones and the excitement of witnessing this pinnacle of nature kept me motivated.
There have been mixed reviews about the Trolltunga site itself, some say it's overrated and others say it's overwhelming. In my opinion, the rock or as Norwegians know it by ‘the troll's tongue’ was disappointing the rock looks longer, steeper and smoother on Google Images and brochures in comparison to when you see it for yourself. However the view itself was magnificent, the deep blue colour of the lake contrasting with grey of the cliffs was spectacular. The faraway glaciers in sight also reminded me just how high up I was. Like The Pulpit there was no safety fences and if people went to close to the edge they risked the chance of slipping and falling a seven-hundred meter sheer drop. I stayed well away from the edge as heights is one of my main fears. In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this sight for people visiting this region of Norway.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe that Norway is an excellent travel destination. I would certainly recommend the countryside and in addition if you ar not keen on the trek and scaling cliffs and glaciers, there are also flatter and shorter walks along the lake in deep woods. Although I wasn’t that fond of the urban setting of Oslo, I still believe Trolltunga and The Pulpit are must see locations. It is not your stereotypical lie on the beach in the sweltering heat kind of holiday but could still be a perfect location for a week off in October or February.