New Year`s eve in Oslo can be stunning. It can be almost magical, even though you leave before the rockets. Since Norway lies so far north, the sunsets are awe-inspiring in the winter. With or without snow, perhaps even more without snow, when It`s dark around you.
On the harborside, where there are few cars, it’s quite relaxing to stroll around and look at the people and the various architecture, from the Akershus Castle to the Oslo Opera House. And everything in between.
The Opera House is a highly recommended place to visit. Both its exterior and interior is distinctive, and you can view it from different angles. Or watch the opera performance as well.
Due to the Gulf Stream, and the climate changes in general, the winter is often mild in the coastal parts of Norway. In Oslo, it`s not highly unusual to have almost no snow in the centrum, and perfect ski conditions on the hills. But the warmest temperature at the beginning of 2020 was measured on the west coast of Norway.
The newspapers reported it was 19 degrees Celsius in Sunndalsøra on Thursday 2 January 2020.
As you see, coastal Norway can be warm in the winter, and some climate experts predict that the temperatures will rise in the years to come. Only time will show. Anyway, this was a glimpse of Norway at the beginning of 2020.
TOM THOWSEN 