Oslo didn’t disappoint. On the contrary I fell in love with its charm. The city is quirky which adds to its uniqueness. There were so many new and practical things that are way different to how we do things at home. Here is what I learned in Oslo. A list which is not complete and doesn’t claim to be. Any explanations are welcome. Yours, Pollybert
1.) There is always water on the table as soon as you sit down in a restaurant.
2.) They have unisex toilets.
3.) The parking lane is not next to the sidewalk but there is a bicycle lane in between. Makes sense in a way!
street, parking, bicycle, sidewalk @Oslo
4.) I saw little to no curtains on windows. Sometimes there were blinds. Why is that? To catch what little sun there is during winter?
5.) The rain drain goes over the sidewalk in small channels.
rain drain over sidewalk @Oslo
6.) Most restaurants which serve breakfast open only at 11am. Before it’s either bakeries or coffee-houses with lots of children.
7.) At the beginning of a block it tells you which numbers are on the block.
finding the right number easily @Oslo
8.) They sit outside as much as possible even in freezing weather (overhead heating).
outdoor seating in every weather @Oslo
9.) Can someone please explain what these pipes are for?
pipes coming out of the sidewalk @Oslo
10.) Strollers are just parked outside the kindergarten.
stroller parking @Oslo
11.) You can also park your dog! I have never seen that before.
there is also a meter for the dog parking @Oslo
12.) In times of mobile phones they do have an astonishing number of pay phones. They even get illuminated once it gets dark.
pay phone in the park @Oslo
13.) There is an ice cream brand called New Girlfriend, flavor “spicy deep throat”. Any information here would be welcome.
ice cream: weird brand, weirder flavor @Oslo
14.) Environment is written with a capital E in Norway. Plug your car right on the street!
electricity station @Oslo
15.) Norwegian heroes are not forgotten but get their picture put up on an airplane.
Norwegian hero Gunnar Sønsteby @Oslo
16.) You can buy yourself a health shot at any corner store.
with all natural ingredients @Oslo
17.) Oslo has a high number of coffee shop chains (e.g. Kaffebrenneriet, Godt Brød, Espresso House). There is almost never just one coffee-house but always more of them. Which is weird compared to Vienna where we like to support the small entrepreneurs.
18.) Viking blood is of course also visible in Oslo. While we dressed in down-coats most people just ran around in their fall jackets.
19.) Everyone pays by card. No one really used cash except us. Because if you have a fee on every transaction, you won’t mind standing out. And really, do you want to be like everyone else?
