Our visit to Oslo was rather short, we arrived in the evening (in the rain) and left early in the morning. But we did enjoy our visit, we had a glimpse of the city as we walked from the station up to our pension. We were a bit zonked so enjoyed sushi in bed for dinner ! Cochs Pensione is in an old interesting building. Our room was on the fourth floor so we walked up a beautiful old stairway while the rooms were modern and functional. Good shared bathrooms.
In the morning the weather was fine and we enjoyed our walk down the hill. We walked through the grounds of the palace, no fences or barricades and past this magnificent tiger in front of the main station
Aby parked herself with the bags against a wall at the station and Dee went shopping for snacks. More interesting pastries to eat, so much to choose from, so I asked the young lady to give me a mixed bag of what are the most popular and what she thinks are best.
“The tiger in front of Oslo Central Station is one of Oslo’s most photographed “inhabitants” and one of the first things that meets a visitor arriving at Oslo Central Station.
When Oslo celebrated its 1000-year anniversary in 2000, Eiendomsspar wanted to give the city a gift. Oslo wanted a tiger, and that’s what they got: a 4.5-metre bronze tiger made by Elena Engelsen.
Why a tiger?
The reason Oslo wanted a tiger, is the city’s nickname Tigerstaden (“The Tiger City”), which most Norwegians are familiar with. The name was probably first used by Norwegian poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. His poem “Sidste Sang” from 1870 describes a fight between a horse and a tiger; the tiger representing the dangerous city and the horse the safe countryside.
Since then Oslo has been known as “The Tiger City”, but these days it is not necessarily meant as a negative thing. “The Tiger City” can be an exciting and happening place rather than dangerous.