Hop On Kids – Oslo’s Magical Bus Adventure

Above the bus, you can now see Akershus Fortress towering over the entire city. It is one of the city's oldest and most historic sites. The fortress has guarded Oslo for over 700 years and has a long history with many exciting stories. I’ve heard that there are ghosts there, real ghosts! And some of the ghosts can be seen in broad daylight all year round! You can meet them too, but you have to get off the bus and visit the fortress. Have you seen real ghosts before?

Can you see the white building rising out of the sea in the innermost part of the bay? It is the Norwegian Opera and Ballet, and it is actually the only opera house in the world where you can walk on the roof. You can jump and dance ballet too, or sing opera if you want. Opera is like a play where they sing all the text, even when they talk together. The performances are usually very dramatic and the singers and ballet dancers have the most beautiful costumes you can imagine. Can you sing opera? I can!

Hello again! Did you know that Edvard Munch was a very famous artist from Norway? He painted a hugely famous painting called "The Scream". It is so special! In the painting you see a person screaming very loudly, and the background is full of strange colors and shapes. Munch painted it to show his feelings. Some say it's about being afraid of the unknown and being without family and friends. The picture actually hangs in the Edvard Munch museum behind the buildings facing the fjord. It's amazing how art can make us feel things, isn't it? Can you scream like the person in the picture?

Put on your life jacket! Just kidding, but we are actually driving over a river now. You can't see it, and you can't hear it, but it's there. It's called Akerselva, and it's probably the most beautiful river in the world. It flows under the road we are driving on now and continues out into the fjord. It runs almost through the entire city of Oslo and has been here for many thousands of years. Imagine that the river provided the city with food, power, and a way to transport timber that was sent to Europe. I like to walk along the river! It's so exciting to listen to all the sounds. Do you like rivers?

Then you can put on your swimming trunks and goggles! Now we are at Vaterland! Just kidding, but if you had been here a very, very long time ago, in 1624, this whole area was actually underwater and filled with Dutch boats loading timber. The people of Oslo needed more space and filled the sea with stones and gravel. Then they built houses, shops, and roads, but what should they call the new area? Someone suggested Vaterland since there was water and many boats from the Netherlands before. The Dutch word for water is "water," but it is pronounced "vater." And that's how the district got its name, Vaterland. Can you see any boats here from the Netherlands today?

Now we are passing the Oslo Cathedral, and it is big. Gigantic! In front of the church is a large square called Stortorget. This square and almost the entire area we are driving through now were built by the man you see in the statue in the middle of the square. That was King Christian IV, and he decided that Oslo should be named after him. Therefore, the city changed its name to Kristiania, and it was called that for over 300 years before it was renamed Oslo again. I read that Christian had 24 children! That’s a lot! I wonder if he remembered the names of all of them. What do you think?

Have you seen the tiger standing outside the train station in the city center? Did you know that people in Oslo call their city Tigerstaden, or tiger city? They think the city is a bit like the sly tiger, both attractive, pretty, and a bit scary and dangerous. I agree. I think the city is nice, but I wouldn't want to walk here alone without my mom or dad. What do you think? Is the city a bit like the tiger?

We are now soon driving around a part of Campus Oslo, where the first university in the city was located. A campus is an area with several school buildings, offices, dormitories, cafeterias, parks, libraries, and sports facilities for students and staff. I will study when I grow up, but I'm not quite sure what I want to be. Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?

We are now approaching the palace, or the Royal Palace, which is the home of Norway's royal family. Every day, you can see the guards marching and changing the guard outside the palace. At the top of the palace, you can see the King's flag waving in the wind when the King is in Norway. It is only taken down when he travels abroad. Every May 17th, the royal family stands on the balcony and greets all the children in Oslo who march past the palace with Norwegian flags and shout "hurrah!" May 17th is Norway's national day. Do you know the national day of any other countries?

Welcome to Karl Johan, Oslo's wonderful main street that runs from here where we are now all the way down to the train station, Oslo S, Central station. In many of the buildings along the street, you’ll find many of those who make decisions in Norway, like the Prime Minister and the King. And then there are the people in the streets, people in all kinds of clothes and all skin colors, and shops as far as the eye can see. If you're hungry, you can eat all the way, but you will probably gain many kilos, and that might not be so wise.

The Palace Park Now you need to pay attention. Can you see the little cozy house up on the hill? It's called Grotten, or a cave. You might think it's a house for scary monsters, ghosts, or spirits, but you'd be wrong. Actually, the world's best writers live there, such as the Nobel Prize winner, Jon Fosse. Behind the house lies the beautiful Palace Park, which surrounds our King's palace. Inside the park, there are fountains, benches, and sculptures. Some people walk, others jog, and some sit on a blanket having a picnic. I like to climb trees. Do you?

Do you like shopping? Now we drive on Bogstadveien, which is one of Oslo's most popular shopping streets and probably Norway's longest. Here you can buy everything you can dream of, and then some. The street is also known for its pleasant Christmas markets and events throughout the year and a perfect place for a day trip with friends or family. I want peace on earth, but we can't buy that in Bogstadveien. What do you want?

Attention! You have now arrived at Majorstua, and here we must behave nicely. An actual major lived here who gave the area its name. He built a small house called a "stue," and since he was a major, his house was called Majorstua. Later, houses were built around the major's house, and eventually, it became a large district in Oslo. I wonder how one greets a major? Do you know?

Peekaboo! Are you still there? Now we are coming to a fantastic place called Vigeland Park, where there are over 200 sculptures of strange people and angry boys. The angriest boy is called "Sinnataggen," - or The angry lad, but no one is afraid of him. He's just a sculpture, and as you know, sculptures can't talk or move. The man who made all the sculptures wasn't angry but very kind. His name was Gustav Vigeland, and he gave all the sculptures to the city and the park. I like sculptures! I try to understand what they are supposed to represent and what they are thinking about. Do you?

We are soon approaching Bygdøy, one of Oslo's finest areas, known for its exciting museums and beautiful beaches. Here you will find the Norwegian Folk Museum, the Fram Museum, and the Kon-Tiki Museum. I like museums. They tell many stories from the old days. Dad says I need to learn from the past to understand the future. I think it means I have to learn from what has happened before so we can make things even better in the future. I like hearing about life in the old days. Do you?

Bygdøy Alle We are now driving through Bygdøy Alle, which was one of the finer streets in Oslo in the old days. Fine people want fine trees, so they planted 230 of these beautiful and special trees that we see out of the window right now, called chestnut trees. They are more common in Southern Europe and can live for almost 300 years. The tree is known for its beautiful blossoms. I like nuts, but not nuts from these trees. They are actually poisonous!

Norwegian Folk Museum Hello again! Now we are coming to Norway! Yes, I know we are in Norway, but now we are coming to a museum that shows Norway's ancient history over thousands of years. At the Norwegian Folk Museum, you can learn about how people lived in the old days, what they ate, how they slept, cooked, and even how they pooped! Mom has told me that they didn't have toilets inside their houses in the old days. How did they go to the toilet then? Do you know how?

Ship ahoy! Did you know that Norway might be the best boat builders in the world? And not only that! Norwegians are also some of the toughest people on the sea and they just love to discover new places. Just think of the Vikings! At these museums, you can learn about Thor Heyerdahl, Roald Amundsen, and several other famous Norwegian explorers, and you can see the boats they used on their incredibly exciting expeditions around the world. By the way, you can shout "Ship ahoy!" if you want to talk to someone on another boat.

Now we are approaching Filipstad, Aker Brygge, and Tjuvholmen. Every day, a boat goes to Germany from here, and in fact, boats have been going from here to the whole world as long as there have been boats. Boats were also built here, big boats as tall as houses, but they stopped doing that a long time ago. Now there are shops, restaurants, and apartments in the old factory buildings. I read that thieves in Oslo used to bury their loot at the very edge of the islet facing the fjord, and afterward, the islet was named after the thieves, or Tjuvholmen. Dad says there are many buried treasures there! I want to go out and look for buried treasures. Do you want to come along?