Early morning jogging … in Oslo

I’ve written a few times how much I enjoy jogging mornings when I’m travelling. I’ve already written about early morning  jogging in New York, Durres, Albania, Agadir, Morocco, Vitorchiano, Italy and the Bahamas.

I had the nice chance to enjoy it again on a recent visit – to Oslo, Norway.

I was (extremely) lucky with the weather – frosty, but clear mornings – and this was a great jogging city.

Even if it’s small, Oslo gets pretty busy later mornings, so early mornings were a good time to enjoy the quiet streets of the city, minus the crowds.

I always find jogging a perfect way to get your bearings in a city and to start to feel a bit like a ‘local’. If it’s a work trip, as this was, it’s also a great way to clear one’s head and squeeze in some physical activity into what is bound to be a long and tiring day.

In Oslo, I was staying centrally, so first I jogged around Karl Johans Gate, Oslo’s main drag. I would pass the National Theatre where Ibsen’s plays were all performed (and where his statue graces the exterior), up to the Royal Palace, which, in wonderful Scandinavian fashion is open to the public to wander its grounds.

Next I would jog past the art deco town hall. I was told by Norwegians that their local nickname for it is the brown cheese that is one of their culinary specialties. This is the site where the annual Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. Then I would pass by the Nobel Prize Museum and head off along the water.

I loved it at that hour, with a light coating of ice and the ships so picturesque in that gentle early morning light. I was in town for the launch of a new marine research vessel – the Nansen – and so it also gave me the chance to jog by and admire it minus the crowds.

I would then jog across the quay, watching the boats coming in and all the activity seaside.

How cool is this? Hill training on the Oslo opera house roof. Leave it to the Norwegians to so ingeniously blend sport and culture. : )

Next came my favorite part of my Norwegian morning jogs, the Oslo opera house. I loved this modern opera house – completed in 2008. On this visit I didn’t have time to attend an opera (sadly, I missed Carmen), but I will most definitely be back to rectify this error.

The opera house is beautiful and the feature I loved most was the ramp/roof that you could run over and enjoy views over the city from up on top.

When I think back on those jogs, that was the part that really started my day off right.

After that, it was off past the main train station and the cathedral and through a strangely quiet Karl Johans Gate (it never replicated that silence during the day or night)  and back to my hotel.

An absolutely wonderful start to my day. Happy jogging in Oslo!