Let me enlighten you on a wonderful three night escapade to the capital of Norway, this was an adventure to explore the city and learn a bit about going north. We caught a fast train from Gothenburg to Oslo, and initial impressions of this city were amazing, many electric cars could be seen in the streets and the architectural vernacular was a perfect combination of Scandinavian modern with classic royal grandeur.
The layout of the city is on the banks of the fjord creatively named the Oslofjord and designed to make the most of the elegant main streets with the Royal Palace at the centre.
If you are interested in some of the history surrounding Oslo, the Castle will give you the best insight into some of the past lives of all the royal families, the photos below give you a sense of the Akershus Fortress built in the 13th century its architecture is very purposeful in its intent of protecting the city.
All through my schooling life I wanted to become an Architect, I studied it for two years at university and as such I couldn't help but make sure I set eyes upon the Oslo Opera House or Operahuset in Norwegian. Completed in 2007 the design was awarded the Mies Van Der Rohe prize in 2009. Unfortunately the photos on from my iPhone don't do this grand building justice, I highly recommend seeing it in person if you ever have the chance to travel to Oslo.
The building has a majestic aura surrounding it, everything about it is grandeur from the Italian marble and white granite pavers surrounding the structure, to the sweeping lines and grand oak interior of the building. The main stage seats nearly 1400 people and it is Norway's National Opera House (Den Norsk Operahuset) The building can be climbed by the public all year round and in the winter time the roof is covered in snow all the way down to the waters edge.
Whilst we were there we were lucky enough to see the Ballet Carmen you can read a bit about it here safe to say we had the best seats in the house too!
Each of the seats also have little screens with Norwegian and English language translation for accompaniment to the original language of the performance. The customer service team are brilliant and purchasing of tickets for tours or performances could not be easier from their website.
To see what the building looks like at its best have a look at some photos by Helene Bilet, Thomas Harrysson and Jiri Havran on the Architect's website Snøhetta I highly reccomend looking at some of their other work, it is truly incredible. Or for another great project see Tverrfjellhytta - Wild Reindeer Pavillion Have a look at their other projects and let me know your favourite.
Mine might be the Opera House Project in Busan, South Korea. yet another one for my list!
The next time I make it up to Norway I will be sure to see more of the Cities parks and Fjords, the City is incredible and I know it won't be too long before another adventure to the beautiful country again.
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