Oslo, capital of Norway, and home to 475000 people was founded by Harald Hadråde in the
eleventh century. It is surrounded by mountains and lies at the head of a 70 mile long fjord.
Oslo became a major trading centre for Germany and Central Europe.
There are a number architectural styles in evidence; including the mediaeval Akershus Slott
which is opposite the Rådhus, which was built in the 1930.s. North Sea oil has provided an
injection of capital. This has contributed to further developments such as; Aker Brygge, a
glass fronted shopping centre built into the old warehouses along the quay, and the modern
skyscrapers near the main railway station.

An Entire City, .Rat Faced.
My first visit to Oslo took place in May 1996, and coincided with their National Day. This is
the day that Norwegians celebrate their liberation from their Scandinavian neighbours in
1905, and is an exceptionally jolly public holiday. I asked the receptionist at my hotel what
the normal format for National Day was. She said that during the morning people would
watch the parades, then promenade through the parks and along the harbour. The remainder
of the day and evening would be spent in the numerous bars and restaurants.
I decided to take a stroll into the centre of town to watch the day unfold. It seemed to me that
the entire population of Oslo had taken to the streets. Every building was festooned with the
Norwegian flag, many citizens wore their national costume and parades accompanied by
military bands wound their way through the main streets of the capital. In short, it was one
enormous street party. The bars and restaurants were heaving, standing room only; if you
were lucky enough to be able to get through the doors, getting to the bar to buy a drink was an
even more daunting task. I decided to head towards the outskirts of town where it seemed a
little quieter, and found a pleasant bar which was not too full. I partook of a few beers and
vodkas, in order to fully participate in the day.s events. I then decided to wander back into
town to see if things had eased up. No way, the crowds, now fuelled by liberal quantities of
schnapps were in a very jolly and lively mood. I have never seen the entire population of a
town totally inebriated before; singing, dancing, sounding off compressed air horns and
letting off rockets, with no particular thought as to the direction, or trajectory. The bars were
even more crowded, if that was at all possible! I decided that as it would be clearly impossible
to fight my way into the overflowing bars I would wander back to my hotel, and settle down
in their restaurant.
The next day, Oslo resembled a ghost town; the flirtation with Bacchus had taken its toll. I
will say one thing, the Norwegians certainly know how to party. One or two hardy souls
braved the air, as they gently tried to ease themselves into the day. However, the remainder
stayed .abed..
 

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