Thursday, December 10, 2015
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Strolling along Østensjø Lake
With the warm weather finally returning to Oslo after a very long and dark winter, it's been nice to spend time exploring the further reaches of the city. Early summer is one of the best times to visit the forests and lakes on Oslo's edges. The new growth on the trees bathes the hills in stunning shades of emerald green, and the incredibly sunny days we've been having the past few weeks helps to highlight the beautiful colors.
If you are not ready to hike out into the backwoods of Nordmarka just yet, there is still plenty of nature to see closer to home. One such place is the beautiful Østensjø lake (Østensjøvannet) on the east side of town. Situated in the middle of Østensjø bydel, the lake stretches roughly 1.7km from north to south. There are paths, benches, and open grass areas along the entire shoreline, and a pleasant walk around the whole lake can be done in around 90 minutes.
If you are not ready to hike out into the backwoods of Nordmarka just yet, there is still plenty of nature to see closer to home. One such place is the beautiful Østensjø lake (Østensjøvannet) on the east side of town. Situated in the middle of Østensjø bydel, the lake stretches roughly 1.7km from north to south. There are paths, benches, and open grass areas along the entire shoreline, and a pleasant walk around the whole lake can be done in around 90 minutes.
The blue water and green surroundings of Østensjøvannet
The lake is especially well-known for its abundant avian life and is an important stop-over point for migrating birds. Over 200 species of birds have been seen on or near the lake, and any time you spend there will likely see you followed by numerous geese and ducks, all hoping for a handout.
The bridge at the southern end of the lake is a popular hangout spot for birds
Quite a number of geese can be seen at the water's edge. Don't get too close, they can be really territorial!
The local waterfowl gladly pose for pictures (in exchange for snacks, of course)
The lake received its name from the Østensjø farm. Likely established over 1,500 years ago, Østensjø was originally called "Austansjor" in old Norse, which means literally "east of the water", describing its location on the east shore of the lake. Throughout most of its history the farm was located in relative isolation from the rest of the city, but all that changed after World War II and the rapid growth of the outlying drabantbyens. Østensjøvannet was soon completely surrounded by newly-built homes, apartment complexes, shops, and roads, all of which severely effected the environmental quality of the lake. Faulty sewage pipes leaked waste into the water, and by the 1980s the lake was facing serious problems. In response the Østensjøvannet Nature Reserve was established in 1992, placing the lake and surrounding shoreline under strict environmental protection, and serious efforts were undertaken to improve the local ecology. This work has paid off, and today the lake is a beautiful place to spend a few hours. The friendly birds and pleasant playground make it very family friendly as well. The lake can be easily reached from downtown by taking the subway line 3 to Skøyenåsen or Oppsal stations near the north shore. A large car park provides parking at the south shore as well, if you want to drive.
The main path along the shore of Østensjøvannet, perfect for both running and pleasant strolls.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Seeing Stars in Oslo
I have never had so many opportunities to see American singers and comedians as I have in Oslo. The number of international acts making their way through Scandinavia just keep growing and growing. Perhaps even more importantly, those entertainers who came to Oslo in previous years are coming back for more - clearly they're impressed with their Norwegian fan base.
Before I lived here, the idea that Jerry Seinfeld or Ricky Gervais would bother to perform in Oslo would have stuck me as absolutely ludicrous (speaking of which, Ludacris has performed here as well). A lot of these big acts don't even make it Portland, a pretty good-sized city in the U.S., so why in the world would they bother to come all the way to Norway? What in the world could they possibly hope to find?
Well, one thing as it turns out is a good paycheck - tickets to last week's Gabriel Iglesias show went for around 550-600 kroner, or roughly $100, while in the U.S. his tickets are only $40-50. There were around 6,000 people packed into Oslo Spektrum to see him - I'll leave you to do the exact math, but it's clearly worth his while to come through here. Not to mention the fact that while so many other areas have had economic woes, during which entertainment spending is generally curtailed, Norway's economy has (so far) remained relatively stable and strong, meaning there are plenty of people able to pay those high prices.
Another one reason, though (and probably the most important one) are the fans here. Norwegians are more plugged in to American culture than any other ground of people that I know, and that's including people in other English-speaking countries (you heard me, Canada). American music, movies, and TV shows are pervasive here, and the lack of dubbing means Norwegians are completely familiar with American-style English and all its associated humor. Last year when well-known comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham was here he stopped a couple times during the show just to see if people were following his jokes, clearly surprised that everyone spoke and understood English so well. He seemed even more surprised that people here were so familiar with his material.
I went with a country-loving Norwegian family member to a Brad Paisley concert a few weeks ago at Oslo Spektrum, and the passion of the fans was on display there as well. Paisley commented that he liked coming to Norway (it was his second time, I believe) because, as he said "you guys are real fans. Y'all don't just know the popular songs, you know all my songs". This was humorously brought home to him when, during the requests portion, a fan asked for the song "Toothbrush", only to have Paisley forget half the lyrics and turn to the audience to help him finish, a task they were more than up to.
Before I lived here, the idea that Jerry Seinfeld or Ricky Gervais would bother to perform in Oslo would have stuck me as absolutely ludicrous (speaking of which, Ludacris has performed here as well). A lot of these big acts don't even make it Portland, a pretty good-sized city in the U.S., so why in the world would they bother to come all the way to Norway? What in the world could they possibly hope to find?
Well, one thing as it turns out is a good paycheck - tickets to last week's Gabriel Iglesias show went for around 550-600 kroner, or roughly $100, while in the U.S. his tickets are only $40-50. There were around 6,000 people packed into Oslo Spektrum to see him - I'll leave you to do the exact math, but it's clearly worth his while to come through here. Not to mention the fact that while so many other areas have had economic woes, during which entertainment spending is generally curtailed, Norway's economy has (so far) remained relatively stable and strong, meaning there are plenty of people able to pay those high prices.
Another one reason, though (and probably the most important one) are the fans here. Norwegians are more plugged in to American culture than any other ground of people that I know, and that's including people in other English-speaking countries (you heard me, Canada). American music, movies, and TV shows are pervasive here, and the lack of dubbing means Norwegians are completely familiar with American-style English and all its associated humor. Last year when well-known comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham was here he stopped a couple times during the show just to see if people were following his jokes, clearly surprised that everyone spoke and understood English so well. He seemed even more surprised that people here were so familiar with his material.
I went with a country-loving Norwegian family member to a Brad Paisley concert a few weeks ago at Oslo Spektrum, and the passion of the fans was on display there as well. Paisley commented that he liked coming to Norway (it was his second time, I believe) because, as he said "you guys are real fans. Y'all don't just know the popular songs, you know all my songs". This was humorously brought home to him when, during the requests portion, a fan asked for the song "Toothbrush", only to have Paisley forget half the lyrics and turn to the audience to help him finish, a task they were more than up to.
Brad Paisley preforming at Oslo Spektrum, as documented by my crappy iPhone camera
The intensity of Norwegian fans was most obvious when Justin Bieber came to town last May and the passionate (crazed?) fans nearly shut the city down. The first ten minutes of this video shows how even Bieber's crew was completely surprised by the unexpected hordes of screaming teens.
All these shows and concerts make being an American expat in Oslo that much easier. Even if you're not going to the shows yourself, that fact that the options are there, and that so many people are so familiar with American pop culture, makes it that much easier and comfortable to live here and find common ground in tastes and interests with Norwegians.
If you're not seeing at least a few shows, though, then you're missing out - especially with the comedians. They all have something to say about Norway, and you'll often hear off-the-cuff routines specifically about Oslo that you'll never see on YouTube. Out of all the shows I've been to, my personal favorite was Jeff Dunham and Walter, where for 30+ minutes grumpy old Walter shared his decidedly unimpressed thoughts on "all those cold naked people" at Vigeland Park.
"I was in the pool!"
To see who's coming to Oslo and to buy tickets check out billettservice.no. Most of the major non-Norwegian acts are at Oslo Spektrum or Telenor Arena.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
The Old Border Stones
I recently moved from downtown Oslo out to Nydalen, which involved a lot of driving back-and-forth along Geitmyrsveien in the St. Hanshaugen area. After several long red lights the intersection of Geitmyrsveien and Ring 2, I noticed a small stone wedged at the bottom of a light pole, with something carved on the face. Finally I stopped and walked over to take a look at the thing.
It turns out that this is an old border stone demarcating the 1878 boundary between Christiania and Aker herred (read more about herreds here). Aker herred was basically the area surrounding Christiania, and its boundaries correspond with the modern borders of Oslo, stretching from the Lysaker River in the west to Groruddalen in the east, and from the northern reaches of Nordmarka down to the southern edge of Nordstrand. Aker herred was traditionally the farmland for the city, providing food and supplies for the urban residents and, most importantly, the garrison at Akershus Fortress. The massive expansion of the city in the 1800s meant more land had been taken away from the herred for Christiania, and over the 19th century more and more of the farms and løkke, or pastures, became developed urban areas (which is why so many areas of the city have "løkke" in their name).
To get a sense of the city's expansion, take a look at two maps: First, this map depicts the city's limited size in 1830, while this 1860 map (split into two images on the city archive's website) shows the massive growth that had occurred over just 30 years, especially to the north. As this tide of outward expansion continued, it was decided in 1878 to set up a series of markers clearly indicating where the city stopped and the herred began. 81 stones were placed on the border, with a "K" on one side for Christiania (which was sometimes spelled "Kristiania") and an "A" on the other for Aker herred. The stones were numbered as well - the one I came across, as you can see, is #70.
Some of these stones can still be seen today, often in their original location. There are a few good guides for finding them, though they are all in Norwegian. First check out lokalhistoriewiki.no for their entry on the stones (this Norwegian-language website is an amazing resource in general for information about Oslo and Norwegian history, and in terms of public wiki sites it often surpasses the information available on the Norwegian Wikipedia). Second, go to this page for a detailed list of each of the 81 stones and their current status today.
In 1948 Aker herred was completely absorbed into Oslo, giving the city its present size and shape. The inconspicuous stones are now all firmly within the city, and are often slightly hidden, like the #70 stone above, in small corners where they're easily overlooked. A walk along the old border, looking for the stones along the way, would make for a great day hike around the city, and I hope it's something I can find time to do before the snow sets in...
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| The front side of the stone | The back side |
It turns out that this is an old border stone demarcating the 1878 boundary between Christiania and Aker herred (read more about herreds here). Aker herred was basically the area surrounding Christiania, and its boundaries correspond with the modern borders of Oslo, stretching from the Lysaker River in the west to Groruddalen in the east, and from the northern reaches of Nordmarka down to the southern edge of Nordstrand. Aker herred was traditionally the farmland for the city, providing food and supplies for the urban residents and, most importantly, the garrison at Akershus Fortress. The massive expansion of the city in the 1800s meant more land had been taken away from the herred for Christiania, and over the 19th century more and more of the farms and løkke, or pastures, became developed urban areas (which is why so many areas of the city have "løkke" in their name).
To get a sense of the city's expansion, take a look at two maps: First, this map depicts the city's limited size in 1830, while this 1860 map (split into two images on the city archive's website) shows the massive growth that had occurred over just 30 years, especially to the north. As this tide of outward expansion continued, it was decided in 1878 to set up a series of markers clearly indicating where the city stopped and the herred began. 81 stones were placed on the border, with a "K" on one side for Christiania (which was sometimes spelled "Kristiania") and an "A" on the other for Aker herred. The stones were numbered as well - the one I came across, as you can see, is #70.
Some of these stones can still be seen today, often in their original location. There are a few good guides for finding them, though they are all in Norwegian. First check out lokalhistoriewiki.no for their entry on the stones (this Norwegian-language website is an amazing resource in general for information about Oslo and Norwegian history, and in terms of public wiki sites it often surpasses the information available on the Norwegian Wikipedia). Second, go to this page for a detailed list of each of the 81 stones and their current status today.
In 1948 Aker herred was completely absorbed into Oslo, giving the city its present size and shape. The inconspicuous stones are now all firmly within the city, and are often slightly hidden, like the #70 stone above, in small corners where they're easily overlooked. A walk along the old border, looking for the stones along the way, would make for a great day hike around the city, and I hope it's something I can find time to do before the snow sets in...
The sun's setting earlier every day...
With that in mind, be sure to enjoy the fall foliage and crisp days while they last, and have a good høstferie!
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