I’m on vacation in Oslo, the city I have lived in for 12 years or so. It’s the typical cliche: I didn’t know how much I loved this city until I moved to Stavanger. I knew I loved the openness of this city, it’s wide streets and large buildings. Rooms opened by squares and small parks. But what makes Oslo, Oslo? As I wandered the streets and I encountered things that spoke to me – this is Oslo. It was art, art placed around the city. Some very public, some you have to notice. I like art that I find beautiful, that enhances my world. I didn’t even look for it, it came as I wandered and just kept my eyes open.
Ibsen is a famous Norwegian author, and I was walking towards the Ibsen museum when I found myself walking on quotes, shining in silver light. I was walking on the written word in the pavement. Beautiful words, wisdom, words that I somehow found applicable to my own life.
Translation: “I can’t!” or “I don’t know how!”
Translation: “I can’t stand it”
Translation: “with all these ties and considerations anymore…”
Translation: “I have to work myself”
Translation: “out to freedom”
I especially liked that a garbage truck arrived in the picture when the quote contains the words work and freedom.
Art comes in many forms, and it tells something of the society it’s part of.
Every Norwegian expat longs for Norwegian Milk chocolate from Freia (and salty licorice).
What I always notice in Oslo is the buildings. There are those but ugly buildings that I pass and don’t pay any notice. Then, there’s details, colors and you see the love in how the buildings are taken care of.
The colors of these three buildings works so perfectly next to each other.
This building is chock full of details, but they probably doesn’t come forward in this picture.
Then you have the beautiful building with TGI Fridays on Oslo’s main street. The colors of the building is the same as in the logo.
Frognerparken is the typical place for tourist to go because it’s a park with statues of naked people. It is also a place where the natives go to relax, work on their tan, barbeque and be with friends. It’s used a the way New Yorkers use Central Park.
I usually find (naked) people to be a boring subject, but I love everything where life comes forward.
Nobody will ever be able to juggle four babies like this guy, but this is how I feel most of the time dealing with work, my son and boyfriend and everything else that crops up. A combination of playing and drowning.
