Damstredet, Telthusbakken, and Aker Brygg

Great breakfast at the hotel Thon Terminus, then some work and onto the old area of Oslo known as Damstredet and Telthusbakken.

We found not much, a few streets among the large old modern buildings, mostly wooden, some brick and clapboard. Then, within five minutes of walking, we left that part of town behind. From there, onto Oslo's oldest edifice, the Akershus. It was difficult to know where the original fortress was located along the rambling stone and brick buildings as we entered it. The Akershus was built 1300 years ago and the fortress sits on a promontory that provided a beautiful view of Oslo's broad bay, smooth and silvery under the low, autumn sun. It was filled with towering cruise ships, ferries and scores of small sailing ships.

We walked down from the heights to the docks into an area clearly favored by locals and towards Aker Brygg Lake. The throngs seem to swarm here out of the pavement, filling the harbor and its restaurants with patrons. Hundreds lined up at food trucks or ferry excursions that would take them among the local islands. As we walked the quay, I heard Turkish, Arabic, English, Spanish, Norwegian, and German. Norway’s demographics, and Oslo’s in particular, have been changing fast and we could see it all around us.

Later, we spent our last evening in Oslo with Esther van Hulson and her husband, Stian. Esther and I had found one another on Linked In a few years earlier. I have become a fan of her beautiful artwork, and she apparently found my writing of passing interest. When Esther saw we were heading to Oslo, she suggested we have dinner, and so we did. Esther's artwork is superb. Stian is a pilot who works for the Norwegian Air Force. Esther grew up in the Netherlands, but Stian (an old Viking name that means wanderer or fleet of foot) is a native Norwegian. They were a delight and a font of travel information including our planned trip to Svalbard, the northernmost settlement in the world. When I mentioned the island, Esther took my arm at dinner. “When you get to Svalbard, you must take the polar bears very seriously.” she said. Stian explained that polar bears sometimes roam the small town and it can be dangerous. “The polar bears will eat you. When we were there, a local man who was camping in his tent was killed. They go for the fatty part of the body.” Essentially it was death by disembowelment.

I looked alarmed. “Not a good way to go,” I said. Every car door and home must always be unlocked so that anyone who is being attacked by a bear can quickly find a way to safety.

We kept this in mind as we prepared to head the next day to Norway's west coast and its second largest city - Bergen.

Oslo Recommendations

If you’re heading to Oslo, consider one of these excellent recommendations. See all of our Norwegian Recommendations here.