My visit to Oslo, Norway | Travel blog
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After arriving in Oslo late last night, I drove four hours to get to the nearest scenic Norwegian fjord: Sognefjorden, known as the largest and deepest fjord in Norway! I stopped in Lærdal before driving to Sogndal, the home of the fjord. I took an evening cruise to see the fjord and glaciers that have made Norway famous. The National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations lists Norway’s fjords as one of the top-rated vacation spots in the world, and the view alone makes such a title worthwhile. I learned from my tour guide that many fjords have coral reefs, home to several species of fish, plankton, and sea anemones. What’s more, the Norwegian Parliament voted that from 2026 onwards, only zero-emission electric ferries will be allowed to travel the fjords of west Norway—the fjords which are most visited by tourists. Norway is testing both hybrid and fully-electric vessels in order to reduce the emissions impact of fjords and the areas around them.
After my two days admiring the scenic fjord and exploring the surrounding villages, I returned to Oslo. I had done some research before my trip and found several environmentally-conscious hotels in Oslo: many of which source their food ethically, implement renewable energy, and use sustainable products or amenities.
I checked into the hotel and visited Grünerløkka, a borough of Oslo, and spent much of the day shopping! I looked for sustainable clothing options and found several thrift and vintage stores that repurposed or resold used clothing like PAST, Fretex, and Vintage Wear. My focus on sustainability continued when I was looking for lunch options and found the app Too Good to Go, which aims to reduce food waste by offering portions of food that restaurants would otherwise throw away, at a great price! With this app, I grabbed sandwiches for lunch from a local bakery and even picked up some groceries for later.
That afternoon, I learned about a European effort to offset the climate impact of deforestation, known as CityTree benches. These benches are vertical gardens that can absorb the same amount of pollution as 275 trees! Not only do the benches help to cleanse the air, they also provide pollution data, air temperature, water quality, and soil humidity data to the city. With both solar panels and water collection areas to ensure self-sustainability, these benches are a major step to combatting urban air pollution.
The next day, I visited one of the most famous sculpture parks in the world, the Vigeland park, which is always open and free to visit. This open-air park showcases hundreds of works by notable sculptor Gustav Vigeland, and I was able to admire these incredible artworks during a leisurely stroll through the park alongside some of the local flora.
After such an exciting few days in Oslo, I still look forward to learning more about what the city and its ecosystem have to offer! I can’t wait to continue exploring Oslo, and I hope many of the city’s environmental efforts will inspire similar changes in other major cities.
Image credits:
By Geir Hval (www.MacWhale.eu) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128627987
Sources:
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/norway/articles/app-wants-oslos-restaurants-stop-wasting-food/
https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-go/eastern-norway/oslo/
https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/how-oslo-learned-to-fight-climate-change
https://www.dezeen.com/2018/03/21/moss-covered-citytree-bench-combats-urban-pollution-london-uk/
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/fjord/
