Oslo — ALL in all, these are good times in this Scandinavian capital.
"The Scream," Norway's best-known painting -- stolen in 2004 -- is back home in the Munch Museum. In two weeks, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony will take place at City Hall. And thanks to oil, which was discovered in the North Sea in the 1970s, Norway projects a state budget surplus of $59 billion for next year.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday December 03, 2006 Home Edition Travel Part L Page 3 Features Desk 1 inches; 44 words Type of Material: Correction
Oslo: A photo caption accompanying a Nov. 26 Travel article about Norway's capital city identified a sculpture by Gustav Vigeland as "The Little Hothead." The sculpture of a child is among the 192 sculptures in Oslo's Vigeland Park but is not "The Little Hothead."
On a recent visit to Oslo, I found a vibrant city of interesting contradictions and surprises. For instance, it's a mistake to think of it as a homogenous city of blond, blue-eyed Nordics. Immigrants make up almost a quarter of its 540,000 population. The once-seedy area of Grunerlokka is being revitalized with ethnic markets and cafes. When I was there, about 100 Afghan refugees seeking asylum had pitched tents outside Oslo Cathedral, staging a hunger strike to protest deportation.
It's the capital of a socially progressive constitutional monarchy, and its people are devoted to its royal family, which is pretty progressive itself. In 2001, Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the throne, married Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, a single mother with a son born out of wedlock.
As oil spews kroner into the Norwegian economy, most Oslo residents enjoy an enviable quality of life in one of the world's most expensive cities.
Sticker shock may hit first on the $95-or-more cab ride from Gardermoen Airport to the city center. Still, I found ways to save. The Flytoget express train whisks passengers between the airport and the central station in 20 minutes for $25 each way. The widely available Oslo Pass, which saves money on museums and sightseeing tours, is useful because the city has plenty of art and history to mine.
Families flock to Vigeland Park, an 80-acre, in-city oasis with an outdoor museum of 192 granite and bronze sculptures by countryman Gustav Vigeland. The artist, who died in 1943, bequeathed his works to the city. The statues, with more than 600 life-sized nude figures of men, women and children, portray a range of emotions and stages of life. The most appealing is "The Little Hothead," a small boy throwing a tantrum.
I also made a point of visiting the Munch Museum, which had just reopened with added security following the heist of its star attraction two years ago. There, I picked up some pretty interesting information about Edvard Munch (pronounced Monk), a troubled soul who battled alcoholism, suffered a nervous breakdown and was shot in his left, palette-holding, hand during a lovers' quarrel.
