Thanks a lot for the contribution of the awesome photo material and nicely written article by Frank Hofmann:
Norway is a rich country where prosperity and quality of life are tangible and visible. The neighbourhood Frogner is the best example of this. Noble and sublime is the central district of Oslo. For us it was the starting point of our ventures in the city and a very good choice. In Frogner we resided and rented for seven days. This had many advantages and good reasons and this choice was really well made in retrospect. Accommodation and flights were in themselves very cheap compared to the cost of living in the city. This was probably a pure stroke of luck in the run-up to the event.
Oslo is one of the ten most expensive destinations in the world when it comes to transport, accommodation and meals. This is a shortcoming with regard to the travel stay in this city. Oslo is really expensive. Expensive as hell! Did I already mention it? So again: Yes, it’s fucking expensive! Enough small change is a prerequisite, because 150 euros a day are gone very quickly. Sometimes you can’t look that fast. The money is just gone. Poof and gone. The money was just there some hours ago, now it´s gone? Unbelievable!.
Although any small amount can be paid by card, as is common in Scandinavia, the prices are salted. As salty as the sea that washes around the fjord and its small islands. Small amounts start at 2.50 euros for a drink in the supermarket. You should be aware of this. The prices are particularly evident in the „frozen pizza“ and „beer“ index in the supermarkets. For a six-pack of standard beer and a frozen pizza, you easily get rid of 27 euros, if you want to use this as a guideline. And then you have breakfast first. Something like that. In Germany’s supermarkets, you get away with ten euros. For buying food and eating out in Norway, you would spends practically three times the costs compared to Germany. And they don´t even have Browers. Well, hello?!?!
I use this as a guideline, because the „BIG MAC- Index“ does not pull with me and I visit Mc Donalds very rarely. Investing money takes some time and thought beforehand, because it is definitely worthwhile to invest in sustainable things or to plan ventures that do not require money, and the city offers more than enough of that. So that you are not completely bankrupt when your visit to Oslo is over. You have to be aware of this fact before you set off on your trip to Oslo. Apart from that everything is decadent top class, especially here in Frogner.
Oslo is the most expensive city in the world when it comes to beer. Here half a litre of beer costs about 8 euros in restaurants. Makes your eyes watery and you start to cry for the Brouwers! But you have to get over it, it´s not there and it is like it is. And therefore it is advisable to pack a lot of beer in the „DUTY FREE“ at the airport. Just pack as much as you can, you will see and understand later. Just an advice. Beacuse there the beer costs at least only four euros. That’s a rough place for beer drinkers.
Furthermore it is extremely useful to have a weekly ticket for buses, trains and ferries via the transport company „RUTER“ for approx. 43 euro. This means that all destinations can be reached easily, as the infrastructure in Oslo is very well developed. I always find eating out abroad important and indispensable. Here you can get delicious meals vary inbetween situations, somewhere self-catering, while shopping at the market, at the mall or while eating extensively out in restaurants. The food is fantastic! Prerequisites are a kitchen in the accommodation, cooking experience and clarity. So to give you possibilities to cook for yourself. And should it happen that you blow up the kitchen in the accommodation, no worries, you are completely fucked financially then.
Frogner is a district with an extraordinary amount of charm, centrally located and within 45 minutes everything in the city is easily accessible, which I would like to recommend when visiting the place. The district is dominated by villas and very beautiful houses. A real looker. Pretty decadent stuff! To feel good, it’s just about to happen. Here one magnificent building follows the next. Clean, neat and tidy. Magnificent and sublime, the giants are enthroned in the district, like princes of times past. For this reason alone Frogner is worth seeing. Frogner has many nice cafés where it is relaxed and friendly. The quarter invites you to linger and stroll. But the best is yet to come.
Some more arttractions you should not miss. One is definitely the „Frognerpark“ and the nice sensations oft he stone sculptures of „VIGELAND“ can be admired also in the district Frogner. It also costs no entrance fee and can be visited free of charge. Very cool! Excellent! If I had only been able to afford it with an entrance fee, I would have been able to do without beer. Still no Brouwers. Nightmare and a narrow ridge with a hard balancing act. I probably would have given up beer for that, at least fort he visiting time. (are you crazy? of course I would never give up Brouwers!) But we went in, and it was very nice! We spent at least one hour every day in the park and on the grounds, although the schedule included many excursions and activities. The big advantage in summer was that the nights were light for a long time and it never got really dark, which makes the park attractive even and especially in the evenings.
The „VIGELAND“ complex forms part of the park and refers to the art installation with the stone sculptures. The facility is just beautiful and unique in this world. 212 stone and bronze sculptures created by the Norwegian sculptor GUSTAV VIGELAND between 1907 and 1942 can be observerd at that place by the visitors. This park and the artwork was right around the corner where we stayed and for me, it was really one of the highlights! I had to gaze at this marvellous piece several times. The entire complex is a monumental collection of figures made of natural stone and bronze. Numerous sculptures symbolize the cycle of life. From the embryo to the toddler to adults and the elderly, numerous life cycles are depicted in the form of male and female sculptures.
The probably most famous figure is the „SINNATAGGEN“, a child stamping his foot angrily. The little stubborn one. Maybe while the „SINNATAGEN“ was designed somebody told him the price for an ice cream. That is to assume, as sour as it is, the ice cream was probably really too expensive. The little screamer. But above that every single figure is admirable.The fountain complex of bronze figures and „THE MONOLITTS“, a 17m high column with 121 figures, attract a great many visitors to the park every year. In summer, the park is also quite popular with locals and tourists thanks to its green areas and a swimming pool. It is also interesting that all the figures are naked. No figure wears clothes and that was somehow a red thread for us that ran through Frogner. All the naked old men… that subject will be taken up again later in the article about the Fjordseln and Bygdoy. 
In terms of street art, districts such as Toyen or Gronland in Oslo dominate. Frogner seems to be classically more down-to-earth. Nevertheless, Frogner also has in addition to the „VIGELAND“ facilities a really hot spot of „THE LONDON POLICE“ (London, UK / Amsterdam, NET) in the Frognerveien2. In 2011, the artwork consisting of friendly, funny police men in the „LADS“ character was designed and brought to the wall by the „POLICEMEN“. The MURAL is available in blue, black and white. The „LADS“ are drawn on a large scale and in clear shapes. Precise lines are a clear stylistic element that is particularly characteristic of CHAZ BARRISSON. Without the aid of aids, he draws freehand circles. BOB GIBSON is an expert in portraits and architectural illustrations. The combination of stylistic devices creates exciting, imaginative worlds. Otherwise, new „POLICEMS“ come and go into the project again and again.
The project „THE LONDON POLICE“ was created in 1998 when many English people came to Amsterdam and helped to revive and shape this metropolis of street art. The project has been in existence for more than 20 years and is made up of an artist collective that combines art with travel. „THE LONDON POLICE“ is represented in over 35 countries with murals. They are considered pioneers of the global street art movement and THE LONDON POLICE“ is still active, travelling around the world and spreading the „LADS“ with love and passion.
INFOTHEK
Vigiland Sculpture Park: https://www.visitoslo.com/en/product/?tlp=2983043&name=Vigeland-Sculpture-Park
Public Transport Ruter: https://ruter.no/en/buying-tickets
The London Police: http://www.thelondonpolice.com
Author & Photographer: Frank Hofmann & Sarah Eva Neth
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