Archives for “Shopping” tag

Aker Brygge is the area going along one arm of the Oslo Fjord, on the west side of the harbor. On its website it lists a bunch of shops, a cinema and restaurants situated all along the shore or inside the big shopping centers in the area.

But I heard it’s one of the priciest places for shopping so I’ve personally never been inside the mall. Instead, I walked along the shore, where stopping at one of the many boats that have been reorganized as restaurants/bars is an activity I enjoy a lot. It’s delightful to sit on a chair an see the water and seagulls 2-3 meters under, while enjoying a cold drink and some salmon.

Another cool thing about this area is that it is connected with the wide space in front of the City Hall and every weekend (if not every day) you get the chance to catch street performers or a bunch of tents hosting various exhibitions. The best ones are International food fairs where I was able to taste a wide variety of foods from most of the continents. At the ‘sea’ end of Aker Brygge, you find the newly built Astrup Fearnley ArtMuseum.

Plus this is the place from which you can catch boats and ferries. Sometimes, right next to the shopping center, there’s a small amusement park with few entertainments, but funny enough for a hot summer day and from where I had a nice view over the whole harbor when they had this huge wheel.

Every Saturday all year you can visit the flea market on Grønland. You can’t miss it, just look for the big crowd of people once you cross Akerselva from the city centre. For a long time this was kind of a “secret” marked that not many people knew about, but now people from all over town visit to see if they can find any cheap treasures.

You can stumble upon absolutely everything! Clothes, shoes, toys, stuff for your kitchen, cds, lamps, furniture, bags – whatever! You can also find used cell phones, cameras and computers and other electrical equipment. Some stands are there every Saturday, but the market is also open for whoever wants to rent a stand to sell their stuff.

Allthough the administration of the market is trying their best to control the vendors, be aware that scams may occur here. It´s recommended that you ask the seller for a receipt and also for identification if you buy used electrical equipment (this is to prevent trading of stolen goods). Despite this warning, remember that most of the sellers here are serious people just doing business!

If you want to shop some things from Oslo without using all your money – this is the place. And this is one of the few places in Oslo were you can bargain!

There is a documentary under production about this market called “the market’s chances” (by Safi Film), and you can find a small teaser for it on YouTube.

Enjoy the treasure hunt!

Birkelunden is one of the most used parks in Oslo. It is situated in a residential area in town consisting mainly of well-maintained apartment buildings from around the 1880s. Newer buildings are kept in the same style, and more than 100 apartment buildings and the park Birkelunden have been a protected area since 2006. The area is also known for a lively night-life, and there are a wide selection of restaurants and bars in the area.

The park itself is one of my favorite hang-outs during summer. It is a big square city park, with lots of benches to sit down, a fountain in the middle and a music pavilion. The park is often used during festivals and events.  

I love to meet up with friends here to chat and watch people. Well, for now the warm weather is just a dream – but this park is still a nice place to hang out! During weekends there are always a lot of people meeting up, drinking coffee and visiting the all-year-around Sunday market in the downer part of the park (with few exceptions, check their website). It is mainly a market for antique and second-hand ranging from kitchen equipment, clothes and jeweleries to furniture, but you will also find some people selling crafts and arts.

If you are up for more handcrafts and selected second-hand items you should also visit the market at Blå by Akerselva (check the Sunday market at Blå article).

This is Norway’s largest museum of cultural history with collections of objects from around the country and more than 150 buildings in the open air museum. It shows how locals used to live from 1500 until present, showing differences from region to region and from class to class.

The outdoor museum is simply spectacular and great to walk through in the summer. One of the main attractions is the Gol Stave Church (Gol Stavkirke) dating from 1200.

The indoor museum hosts various permanent and temporary art, crafts and cultural expositions all year long. Some of the most interesting I saw was the one around Easter time where you get to see how Easter is celebrated all over Norway, and the Sami culture is fascinating to see.

Since the museum tries very hard to reproduce many aspects of how people used to live, many of the houses – otherwise closed in the winter – are open during summertime for visitors and actors play the roles of inhabitants. They get dressed in national costumes and do the work specific for the area and age of the house, from farming to sewing, producing silver jewelry or pottery.

A small shop sells specialties with ‘old’ wrappings. And in another one of the houses, during summer, I tasted the traditional sweet ‘lefse’, warm with salty butter on top. Or you can catch a ride in a horse pulled carriage. For a list of activities, see here.

Litteraturhuset (The House of Literature) is one of my favorite, and most versatile spaces in Oslo. Sitting in the heart of downtown, behind the Royal Palace, Litteraturhuset serves as a bookstore, a cafe, a reading room, a forum for debates and lectures, and more. Litteraturhuset describes it’s purpose as to “communicate and promote interest in literature and reading as well as freedom of speech issues.”

I’ll describe my own reasons for taking a visit to give you a sense of some of the possibilities, but really this is a place you need to explore for yourself. I like to regularly check the event calendar to look for interesting book readings, debates, and films. Look here to see what’s happening during your time in Oslo. I’ve heard rumors that space at a talk by author Haruki Murakami filled up within minutes, so look often.

If you walk straight to the back of the ground floor, you’ll see a beautiful reading room with plenty of comfortable chairs. This is one of my favorite rooms in Oslo, so you may find me with an americano from the cafe, meeting a friend, or catching up on some reading. As we enter the summertime, it’s also really nice to grab a beer from the bar out front and just sit on the steps in the sunshine. And I haven’t even mentioned the book shop which carries titles in both English and Norwegian. I’m sure you’ll find your own reasons to stop by.