Oslo Is an Underrated Gem
It gives me a peaceful, easy feeling
Oslo has been one of my favorite unexpected delights. It wasn’t a destination we had talked about when we first started traveling. Chris suggested it when we were in Albania and, since there was a direct flight from Tirana, we went for it. I really didn’t know much, if anything, about Norway, but it’s been fabulous. Of course, the caveat is that we’ve been here in May and the weather has mostly been phenomenal. I’m sure I would’ve liked the Seattle area more if it had lovely weather the majority of the year. Alas, we know that’s not the case.
With that said, here’s some of what I’ve loved about being in Oslo:
It exudes a peaceful feeling because it’s next to the water and has low population density
It’s modern and clean
It has fantastic public transportation that’s easy to use
It’s surrounded by nature and people make the easy access to nature a daily part of their lives
While some things are written only in Norwegian, nearly everyone speaks flawless English
People don’t seem to be in a hurry; life feels balanced
The air is clean and fresh
While there’s some overall noise from vehicles, it’s not as noticeable as in other geographies because so many of them are electric
You can find a lot of international ingredients, including Mexican, Thai, and Japanese; they’re not cheap, but they’re available
The overarching theme for me is ease and calm. And after fast traveling around the world trying to make important decisions for the coming school year, ease and calm are exactly what I’ve needed. Some of my favorite outings have simply been going on walks around the area and soaking up all of the nature that’s right there; green spaces and walking/biking paths have clearly been prioritized by city planners. It really makes a huge difference for daily living.
The music from my IG Reels didn’t transfer to YouTube, so you can just hum your favorite tune/s or play this; it feels somewhat appropriate.
I know it’s tough to make friends in Norway, but if it were possible for us to live here, I might be willing to roll the dice on that simply because being here offers so much of what’s important to me. I’d have to test out a winter first, though, LOL.
What place in the world have you ended up really liking that you maybe didn’t expect to? What is it that made you like it so much?