On Top of Oslo

In the Sculpture Garden I met an Oslo local who, after I had taken a picture for him, told me where I needed to head once I left the sculpture garden. I claimed that I had never seen anything so amazing as the garden. He told me that Oslo may not have much, but what it did have was spectacular. Pulling out a map, he directed me to what would be my final stop for the day.

Though it may not be that big a secret for those familiar with Oslo, it is also not the most obviously place to come across. I've not seen it mentioned on any travel sites, nor is it listed as something worth doing in my travel guide. Nor those created by Oslo city.

Trusting this man clad in all his bike gear, zipping through the park, I followed his instructions and ended up on top of Oslo itself. From this vantage point it became easy to see why it is regarded as such a wonderful city. It is like Toronto, if Toronto were built in the Muskokas.

Gazing out over the city, I could hardly believe that such a place so near to the downtown existed. 300 meters above my previous location everything was put in a new, and – perhaps proper – perspective.

There were houses, and homes with roofs made of grass. I'd only ever seen these as a novelty is a Canada colonization exhibit. Here, I thought they would have been for novelty as well. However, the more I saw, the more I doubted this. Though I still remain unaware as to the purpose of it - it definitely made me aware that I was currently "the other" and what I found strange was just another part of everyday life for those living here.

Oslo truly is a fantastic city.