Norway
Vigeland Park is a huge park in which to stroll and browse the sculptures of Vigeland - both bronze and stone – which are overwhelming in their beauty and size. The children I was with were climbing all over the sculptures at the top of the stairs, near the monolith crawling with naked stone bodies! What a wonderful experience. Ideal in summer, but lovely in winter too.
Right in the centre of Oslo;
www.visitoslo.com/Vigeland-Sculpture-Park/
I took my two children (aged eight and 11) tobogganing and hired two large wooden sledges. It was great fun and very safe. The scenery is beautiful, but if you’re there in the winter, go early in the morning, as it gets dark very quickly.
The sledge path takes you down the mountain to the metro stop and you just get the train back up the mountain again, as many times as you want.
It’s about £4 for a day pass for the metro and train and about £7 to hire a sledge.
Take the local metro to the top of the toboggan run at Frognerseteren station; but remember go get off the metro briefly at Voksenkollen station to hire your sledges at the Tryvann Winter Park
www.visitoslo.com/
Theatre ship with bed and breakfast facilities and bar. Totally unexpected cross cultural place to stay. Tone Holmen, one of the owners, is a great cook and speaks perfect English and Spanish, the ambience is terrific and the price of a bed for the night is reasonable for Oslo. The beer isn't very expensive either. The fjord is usually calm and it's a delightful experience to sit and look out over the sea while enjoying a cool lager and listening to some Afro-Caribbean music. Very near the main shopping centre, kindly hosts and lovely views.
www.bedandbreakfast.com/norway/ms-innvik.html
Phone 47-22-382397
In winter, this is a favourite activity. Rent a luge at Frognerseteren (tube line 1), and follow the crowd. To get back to the top, jump back on the tube. A day pass is 45 kroner.
The park can be found in western Oslo, and has hundreds of statues by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, a man obsessed with the body and its relationship with nature. In summer, the kids will enjoy the nearby waterpark, in winter they can skate at the ice-rink.
Main entrance: Kirkeveien
This new centre has been set up on the new Oslo waterfront. The quality of the documentary movies - all nice and short - is excellent and the centre itself is a moving reminder of how we can each make a contribution to peace in this world.
P.B. 1894 Vika;
tel: 48 30 10 00;
email:post@nobelpeacecenter.org;
www.nobelpeacecenter.org
Public bikes are available from racks dotted around the city. You’ll need a chip-card to get access, available at the tourist offices at City Hall and the train station. A 24-hour pass sets you back a mere 60 kroner, though you’ll be asked to leave a 500 kroner deposit.
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