The City Hall is a monster. It was started in 1931 but not opened until 1950 because of the war. At frst sight it resembles something built in the Soviet Union or maybe even a power station.
It is popular with Norwegians but its main claim to fame for tourists is that it’s where the Nobel Peace Prizes are presented.
I am much more interested in the opera house. After a decade of political debate it was agreed to build it in 1999. It opened its doors in 2008. Now for more numbers: it cost 500 million euros, funded by the Norwegian tax payer: the main auditorium seats 1,400 and a studio, 400: the central chandelier in the main auditorium weighs 8 tonnes, has 8,000 bulbs and is made of Norwegian glass crystals.
It is built on the water, rising up from the sea in a wedge shape, earning it the nickname The Iceberg. The exterior is clad in unpolished Carrera marble, glass panels and aluminium for the sides of the fly tower. So far it seems to be wearing well and it is rather impressive to be able to walk up a slope onto a roof beside the tower.
Inside, the floors are of polished Carrera marble and the auditorium is in a drum-like structure lined on the outside with German oak. The auditorium itself it horseshoe shaped with lots more German oak and orange velour seats. The design is similar to Cardiff and Wexford. They were getting the sets ready for Don Giovanni. Everything is done in-house, so there are 600 permanent staff and a further 300 performers (orchestra, chorus, singers, dancers).
Tickets are inexpensive compared to Covent Garden and the New York Met. Top price 600 N Kr (less than £60) thanks to a 70% subsidy from the taxpayer. This is normal in Social Democrat Scandinavia.
Other impressions of Oslo are its smallness, its successful mixture of 19th century architecture with more modern buildings and its alarmingly high prices.
There is a Changing The Guard ceremony. I was fortunate to see a soldier’s magazine fly off his rifle as he presented arms. You’d have to wait outside Buckingham Palace a long time to see that happen.
On the south side of The Royal Palace is the Dronning-parken and there is a statue of Dronning Maud.
To be fair to the Oslo Opera House the photos look marginally better the other way up.
Also worth mentioning the excellent subtitling which allows you to select your own language on the little screen in front of each seat
Sadly my one effort to see an opera in Oslo was aborted by an unwilling Butterfly, who burst into tears on meeting Pinkerton and ran off stage without singing a note.
A great shame as the opera house was beautiful, especially the auditorium. Despite the eye watering drinks prices.
Visiting in the morning, we made do with a shared bottle of water. Everything in Norway is still expensive and specially alcohol. I am an enthusiastic adopter of the Norwegian “no tipping” policy. I don’t want to offend their social democrat principles.