Michi Photostory

Sharing my Oslo blog posts for reference. 

We were able to save money during our Oslo trip because we did not purchase Oslo Pass. We just visited the FREE ADMISSION tourist attractions that were open during Holy Week. In addition, we also saved money on transportation because we explored Oslo city on foot. We stayed at Cochs Pensjonat which is just 20 minutes walk from the center and about 2km walk from Oslo Central Station. 

Our third day in Oslo fell on Good Friday so the majority of the tourist spots, shops, and restaurants were already closed. Good thing that there are still tourist spots that we can visit like Frogner Park and Vigeland Sculpture Park which is open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. 

According to Google maps, the park is about 4 minutes away by car and 35 minutes walk from Cochs Pensjonat. We started our walking tour after breakfast and we just kept on walking until we reach Frogner Park. This is the largest park and popular recreational area in Oslo central and it also houses the famous Vigeland Sculpture Park and Vigeland Museum. 

Frogner Park has the biggest collection of roses in Norway, it has a total of 14,000 plants of 150 different species but we visited during the early Spring so we did not see any flowers. The park is big so you can go here for a walk, run, play or picnic. There is a cafe, restaurant, playground, stadium, and open-air pool but we were not able to visit those places anymore because we focused our energy on Vigeland. 

Vigeland is one of the top tourist attractions in Norway so it seems that our Oslo trip is not complete if we haven’t visited the largest sculpture park by a single artist in the world. Gustav Vigeland is an acclaimed Norwegian sculptor who was very involved in designing, planning, and creating this park but unfortunately, he was not able to witness the completion of the outdoor park because he died already.

This park houses his 212 sculptures that are made of granite, bronze, and wrought iron. Among the statues, the following are famous so don’t forget to look for these statues. 

The Angry Boy (Sinnataggen) 

The Monolith (Monolitten) 

The Wheel of Life (Livshjulet) 

This is the Bridge where you can see 58 bronze sculptures of children, women, and men of different ages. These are some of the first sculptures that were positioned in the park with the theme of play, lust, energy, and vitalism. Among the 58, you can find the iconic little ”Angry Boy” or Sinnataggen.

Vigeland’s Fountain was supposed to be placed at Eidsvolls plass in front of the Parliament but it became part of Frogner Park. This is the fountain but there was no water during our visit.

The six giant men holding a large basin can be interpreted as six different men struggling with the burden of life. You can also see human trees “tree of life” around the fountain. It represents the relationship of man to nature and the different stages of human life from childhood to old age. 

From afar, you can already see the Monolith which is located at the highest point of Vigeland Park. This sculpture is carved out of one stone block from Iddlefjord Norway and measures 17 meters above the ground. This is 14 years of hard work. 

The sculpture shows 121 human figures clinging and floating together. There are women, men, and children of different ages. The sculpture can be interpreted as our longing for spirituality. 

The Wheel of Life is a 3 meters statue of intertwined people. It represents the vicious cycle of human life.

The home of Gustav Vigeland turned into Vigeland Museum, this is where you can see his almost complete collections, the story behind the park, and how the sculptures were made. There is an entrance fee for this so we did not visit the museum anymore.

Aside from the sculptures at the park, you can also see other Vigeland’s work in other parts of Norway and even Sweden. Three of his monuments can be found near the Royal Palace: The Abel Monument, Camilla Collett and Rikard Nordraak. In Trondheim, Norway, there are 44 sculptures that he created for Nidaros Cathedral. 

Read: Day Trip in Trondheim Norway 

After exploring the park, off we went to Oslo city center so we can eat our lunch and to check other tourist spots that we missed. We stopped by at Oslo Rådhus or Oslo City Hall, which was opened in the year 1950. 

We already visited the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm, Sweden but there is also Nobel Peace Center in Oslo Norway. We did not visit this anymore but this showcases the work of Alfred Nobel and Nobel Peace Prize winners. There are also exhibitions related to war, peace, and human rights. 

Read: Day 4 in Stockholm Sweden 

Aker Brygge Wharf is popular for pop-up events, shopping, and a variety of restaurants. From exciting street foods, traditional Norwegian cuisines, and other world-class gourmet restaurants with great views of the Oslo fjord. 

There are a lot of people in this area so it took us a while to look for a restaurant. We ate at Asian Box, this restaurant offers Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, and Korean with a crossover to French cuisines. 

Lorry is just in front of Cochs Pensjonat so I always see this restaurant but I had no idea that this is one of the most popular and mythical restaurants in Oslo with a history dating back to 1880. This restaurant serves traditional and international menus in generous portions. Too bad, we were not able to try their menu because this was the end of our Scandinavian trip. 

And we need to finish all the food and drinks that we bought at the grocery so we don't have to bring those stuff. The following day, my husband went back to the Philippines while my son and I travel to Trondheim with my mom.