Destination Norway- I

Finally, two and a half years of hard work and planning and a grueling, 15 month long Antarctica trip finally paid off. I was to present 2 papers at the biggest ever polar research conference, the International Polar Year Conference at Oslo, Norway. I reached Oslo on 6th June 2010. After getting foreign exchange and inquiring about the various modes of transport available to the main city, I settled for the Oslo suburban train (tog in Norsk). The best options were the Airport express train (Flytoget) and the Airport express bus (Flybuss). But both these would drill a hole in my pocket. So I reached the Oslo central railway station, and then took a connecting train to Grefsen, the area where I was to stay. The journey from airport to the city centre was a pleasant one. The train interiors were heated, and plush with cushioned seats. The conductors were well mannered, smartly dressed and very helpful. The train passed through the outskirts of the city, giving me a glimpse of the countryside. There were rolling expanses of lush green grass with neat houses and pretty gardens dotting the scene. There was not a shade of brown to be seen anywhere.Grefsen was a tiny station, with not a soul in sight to guide me to my hotel. Luckily, I found signboards all along the way. My hotel was a pleasant walk from the Grefsen station.

Suburban Train

The air was chilly, crisp and very clean. The ground was wet because of recent rains. The youth hostel was located just above a vast meadow lined all around by coniferous trees. It was a pleasant sight. I checked into my room, settled down and then went out to explore the area a bit. The hostel staff guided me. They were extremely hospitable, polite and helpful people. I purchased a 24 hour multimodal transport pass and went out. It was summer time and days at those latitudes were long. So I could be out till late at night. In fact, there was no period of complete darkness at all. It was dusk at midnight; then again the day began to break. My Antarctica camera was my constant companion. I decided to explore the riverside. It was 4:30 pm. The sun was shining bright. I was told that this was a rarity in Norway, and so its an ideal day to explore the riverside, that divided Oslo into two. All of Oslo would be there. So off I went. It was a pleasant walk through the narrow streets of Oslo, overrun by tram lines. I asked for directions at every step, till I reached a small stream. I walked along it, hoping to reach the river. When I didn't, I asked for directions again. The person informed me with a smirk that I was in fact walking along the river all this while. This, I thought, was THE river????? What an apology…. Back home in India, we called this a nullah. Anyways, I walked along it. The 'river' notwithstanding, the walk along a riverside was indeed very refreshing. There was a lot of greenery all along, people sunbathing, enjoying the barbecue and beer or wine. There were a lot of people running, cycling, roller skating, skateboarding, orsimply walking. This was what I later discovered was a daily routine in the life of Oslo residents. They were very sporty people. They liked to be physically active. So inspite of rains, people could be seen wearing raincoats and jogging or cycling. Kids could be seen playing soccer. Lots of people were driving with their personal boats lugging behind. During the winters, everyone was skiing. Coming back to the riverside….. I reached the Oslo central station. It was 6 pm.The Oslo central was the transport hub of the city. It was a huge complex where all modes of transport converged. All buses, trams and railway lines passed through that complex. It also housed numerous fast food joints, departmental stores, foreign exchange counters and post office. I explored it a bit. The public transport system in Oslo was impressive.

It consisted of the bus (buss in Norsk), tram (trikk), suburban train (tog), metro (t- bane) and the ferry to the museum area in Bygdoy. The tickets were common to all these modes with the rates too being similar. What was striking was that the interiors of all these modes were similar too. They were all quite comfortable, heated, clean and plush. The streets of Oslo were quite narrow. Finally, I took a tram back, picked up a pizza for dinner and retired for the night after chatting up with people of other nationalities at the Youth Hostel.