Starting from outside Oslo's main train station, Barcode is a new architecture zone where some 10,000 people work. The area was returned to the people in 2000 when the harbour was moved. The revised city plan was approved in 2003, envisoning a series of narrow buildings, with the 12 that make up the district today being spaced to make the area look like a barcode.
While many of those building are nice and interesting, there are too many cutting-edge buildings in this area. I know that couldn't be prevented, but still, the built environment seems a little inorganic and impersonal.
Meaning "thief island", Tjuvholmen is a modern architecture district designed by some 20 architects, similar to Barcode. While it looks mostly residential, there are also many restaurants and offices, as well as lots of waterfront promenades to keep the area lively.
If you have watched the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on television, you will recognize the interior here. The Radhuset opened in 1950 as the new City Hall and to celebrate Oslo's 900th birthday. Interiors are lavishly decorated with modernist works and you can join a guided tour to hear more about them.
Not sure how to take these portraits if I were them. I would be upset at this portrayal.
Norway has one of the world's highest cost of living. Supermarket prices are already over the roof. I already tried to avoid eating in restaurants but instead cook my meals at my BnB. I was tempted to microwave something pre-made, but these prices scared me a bit.
At the time of my visit, the exchange rate was about USD 1 = NOK 8.
A box of orange juice would cost USD 5.
Yogurt wasn't that much cheaper.
So with the cost of living at these levels, I need to invest more in the stock market.
Oslo's main train station has both a historic building and a more modern extension attached to it.