My Personal Visit: A letter from Oslo Norway |
I stayed in Ankar Hotel, located at the center of the city; even though, its location is not one of the nice places; but Oslo in general is well known for its beauty and as the most expensive city in the world. Before my departure from Virginia, I made hotel reservation from the internet and Ankar Hotel was the least expensive -- it is $90 a night; the room and the bed are small, the hotel is old and toilet and bath are in a same place with curtain in between them; but it is clean. In America, with this price, you will get a four or five star hotel.
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My friend Ahmed and his family were my host and I'm grateful for all their hospitality and despite all the assistance, it was easy to meet the Somali Diaspora in Norway -- a majority of them live in the capital and in the center. The first day, before I left my hotel, from my 10th floor room, I saw a dozen Somali women, some with children, covered from head to toe with Jilbaab strolling the street beneath my hotel window.
For the first time, as I ventured outside my hotel, I walked in the nearby streets and came over an area, named "Gronland", mainly frequented by young Somali men, who most of the time habitually stand at corners of the street, perhaps waiting for the stimulant Khat. While looking for foreign currency exchange, I stopped by to speak with three young Somalis in their early twenties in this area, they told me that they don't have work and they spend their time moving around the streets.
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On the second day, I went to a Somali restaurant (Waaberi) and ordered rice and steak -- it was two years ago when I last visited a Somali restaurant in Columbus - Ohio; in Virginia, we don't have Somali businesses that cater to the community. At midday, the restaurant was packed with group of men from Duhur prayer. I spoke with "Hassan", sitting on my right side and after introducing myself to him, he began asking me how life is in America, I told him that Somalis in America work hard and some of them work 80 hours a week, I noted the opportunities and challenges we face in America; but he was adamant in his belief that he is better off here in
Norway with all the social safety net and he doesn't like to live in America.
On my third day, Ahmed took me to a Somali religious gathering from all over Scandinavia and England. Over a 1000 Somali women, men and children from different places were among the participants. in the meeting, I met a prominent Somali doctor, whom I have not seen for over 18 years; we exchanged greeting and old memories and he asked me the purpose of my visit; he mentioned that in the past years, he saw men from America looking for brides and if I'm one of them, he is willing to help and he said "he has 8 young Somali women ready for good marriage" -- finally, I thanked him for the information and help.
During the weekdays, my host Ahmed goes back to his work and was not available for me; so I have to fend for myself. Inside my room with my laptop, I searched tourist attraction in Oslo Norway, I found three top tourist destinations, a famous park with sculptures, an expensive shopping center located near the ocean front and the famous street Karl Johans Gate. This is how I managed my time for the rest of my visit in Oslo:-
Aker Brygge:
Fourth day, I spent 5 hours on this waterfront , it has old workshops located beneath the town hall and have been converted into what is one of Oslo's most popular shopping and nightlife areas. There are places to eat and shop, art galleries, theatres, and a regular cinema. A walk along the seafront was a great way I spent that afternoon. In addition to Oslo's harbor in this vicinity , I was able to take part of three hours boat trip to classic Oslo Fjord sightseeing. I passed through bays and through a maze of islands with small summer houses. Along the way, we saw the famous akerhus Fortress and Norway's resistance Museum.
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Frogner park:
Fifth day: I visited Frogner Park . This is Norway's most popular tourist attraction, famous for 200 sculptures by Norwegian sculptor, Gustav Vigeland. The park's outdoor cafes and restaurants were full of people.. There was a playground and children were allowed to climb on the sculptures. I took some pictures and had a fine and quiet afternoon. In Frogner Park, I also visited the Oslo City Museum and through Oslo's long history, this is the place to increase your knowledge about Norway's capital. The museum presents models, objects and photos that together paint a comprehensive image of city development, commercial and cultural activities and street life.
Karl Johans Gate:
Sixth day: I spent three hours in this attraction --This is Oslo's main street, a pedestrian area, leading from the central station to the palace. The street was named after the Swedish King Karl Johan, who as a consequence of the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark in 1814 had to cede the territory of Norway to the Swedish king, Karl Johan. My day ended eating food at the open front of one of the nice restaurants in this famous street. took some more pictures.
I plan to end my trip to Norway tomorrow and on my way back to the USA, I will stay overnight in London to see my sisters and brothers. If any of your readers is interested in visiting Oslo-Norway, they can contact me and I will be more than happy to provide them
further information.
Abdisalam M Garjex
Ashburn -Virginia
Email: amabdulle@hotmail.com
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