Oslo, part 1

Oslo sem si že nekaj časa želela obiskati, pa se je vedno izšlo tako, da sem na koncu potovala kam drugam. Enkrat nekam, kjer je bilo bolj toplo, spet drugič nekam, kjer je bilo ceneje – nekako sem vedno našla izgovor in odločitve nikoli nisem obžalovala, je pa Oslo vedno pri meni zbujalo neko posebno zanimanje, in to še toliko bolj v času, ko sem eno leto živela v Kopenhagnu.

Oslo in Kopenhagen sta se mi vedno zdela skandinavska brata. Norveška in Danska sta bili več stoletij del istega kraljestva, iz česar sledi, da je njun jezik zelo podoben (če berem norveščino, s pomočjo danščine kar dobro razumem kontekst), kultura prav tako, obe državi za plačilo uporabljata krone, krona pa je tudi simbol kraljevih družin, ki še danes obstajata v obeh državah. Seveda pa sta se državi kasneje razvijali ločeno in tudi danes je, na primer, Danska del Evropske unije, medtem ko Norveška več prednosti vidi v tem, da je sama svoj mojster.

Ko sem potovala v Oslo, sem bila torej nekako po svoje prepričana, da potujem v drugi Kopenhagen, ki je eno izmed mojih ljubših mest. Malo sem se uštela pri tem prepričanju. Oslo se od Kopenhagna precej razlikuje, kakor se tudi Norveška od Danske. Narava in površje sta precej drugačna pa tudi arhitektura mestoma res ni skupna, kar pomeni, da je bil moj prvi vtis precej čuden. Zdelo se mi je, da so edine skupne točke krone, bližina morja in simpatične kavarne. Še jezik se mi je zdel precej manj simpatičen od danščine, ko sem ga slišala na ulicah.

Oslo ni najboljše mesto za kolesarjenje. Medtem ko je Kopenhagen ravno mesto (kakor je tudi cela država) in torej zelo prijazno za kolesarjenje, je Oslo valovito mesto. Po hribu gor, po hribu dol, pa spet gor in potem dol. In to včasih na zelo kratki razdalji. Oslo ima poleg metroja še tramvaj, kar da mestu posebno podobo. Hiške na obrobju Osla so bolj podobne tistim, ki sem jih videla na švedskem podeželju in spominjajo na vilo Čira Čara od Pike Nogavičke kot pa kopenhagenskim. Mesto diha drugače.

I have wished to visit Oslo for a while now, but it always somehow turned out I travelled somewhere else. Once somewhere warmer, another time somewhere cheaper – somehow I always found a reason to go somewhere else and I’ve never regretted such decision. Oslo has, nevertheless, always attracted me, and this was even more so during my year in Copenhagen.

I’ve always seen Oslo and Copenhagen as Scandinavian brothers. Norway and Denmark used to be part of the same kingdom for several centuries, and hence their languages are similar (if I read Norwegian, I can actually pretty well understand the context with the help of my Danish skills), as is the culture, both countries use crowns as their currency and the crown is also a symbol of the two royal families that still exist in both countries. The countries have, of course, evolved separately later on and even today, for instance, Denmark is part of the EU whereas Norway prefers to be on its own.

When I traveling to Oslo, I was therefore somehow sure I was traveling to a second Copenhagen, which is one of my favourite cities. I was a bit wrong however. Oslo is quite different from Copenhagen, and so is Norway from Denmark. The nature and landscape are pretty different and so is architecture, which means that my first impressions were quite strange. The only common points seemed to be crowns, the presence of the sea and the nice cafés. Even the language seemed less nice than Danish.

Oslo is not the best city for cyclers neither. While Copenhagen is a flat city (and so is Denmark as such) and therefore nice for cycling, is Oslo a complete opposite. Up the hill, down the hill, and up again and then down. And this sometimes on a very short distance. Apart from the metro, Oslo also has a tramway, which gives the city even another atmosphere. The little houses in the suburbs of Oslo are more similar to those I saw on the Swedish countryside and remind me more of the villa of Pippi Longstocking than anything Copenhagen-like. The city breathes differently.

Po prvem stiku z vsemi temi čisto nepričakovanimi zadevami pa sem Oslu dala novo priložnost. Prisilila sem se, da sem mesto nehala primerjati s Kopenhagnom in ga doživljati kot novo mesto. Takrat sem začela uživati.

Vreme je bilo čudovito, dnevi so postajali čedalje daljši in zemljevida kmalu nisem več potrebovala. Hej, Oslo!

After this first experience, nevertheless, I gave Oslo a second chance. I forced myself to stop comparing it to Copenhagen and experience it as another city. That was the point when I started enjoying it.

The weather was beautiful, the days were getting longer and longer, and soon I didn’t need the map anymore. Hej, Oslo!