| Featured City: oslo | Oslo, located to the north of Oslo Fjord, is the capital as well as the largest city of the Kingdom of Norway, and now it is listed among the top 10 largest capitals in the world judging by area. Being built in 1048, it has developed from a trading port of no more than 3000 residents to an international city today. Oslo, which is originally comprehended as "God's valley", actually means "a vacancy in the forest" in Norwegian.
Oslo is surrounded all by bushes, big and small lakes, and various marshes. Only 1/3 of its area has been developed into living area, with the other 2/3 laying its natural conditions. It is also one of the biggest processing as well as export bases of fur coats in the world, thus gains its name as "the Fur City". Moreover, situated in a high latitudes area with an annual average temperature of only 5.9 degree C, Oslo is also called "the Capital of Skiing".
There are too many places in Oslo to visit, yet, one could never overlook its marked construction----Det Kongelige Slott, the palace of Norway. It was built in the 19th century; with a bronze statue of ancient king Karl Johans standing in front of the palace. The Karl Johans Gate is a famous street connecting Oslo Railway Station and the palace. Domkirke (great church) and Stortinget (Congress Hall) are along this street.
If you are not interested in politics and wish to find some natural beauties, head for Bygdoy----a small island separated from Oslo by a river. There are five museums on this island, two of which are most famous. One is Norsk Folkemuseum, called "the First Field Museum", presents more than 170 old wooden huts, churches and cottages of Norway, among which a 1200-year-old Stave styled church is the most striking one. Viking Ship Museum meets all your curiosity of the legendary ancient pirates. Three Vikings buried with former Norwegian Queens are presented in this museum.
There are more than 50 hotels of three-star or up. Average fee of these hotels is $150-200. Although some hotels offer top service, they do not ask for high price. Among the above 50 hotels, Scandic ¨Chovik Hotel and Radisson SAS Park Hotel give a considerably high discount. For a single occupancy, you may need $80-100 per night. Besides, as Oslo is larger than other European cities, it would be a bit further to drive to the hotels from the airport. So get ready for it.
Youth hostels spread all over this city: along the Karl Johans Gate, or near the Holmenkollen skiing court. These hostels are cheap and comfortable; you can say they are pretty good choices----except for one thing: they open from middle June to August only. As for other months of the year, you may check for temp information published privately on the Internet.
Besides unique touring sites, Oslo is also decorated with colors of culture. May 17th is Norway's Constitution Day. On that day, Oslo citizens will be dressed in traditional clothes and parade along Karl Johans Gate. Every August, music lovers would crowd here joining the Oslo International Jazz Festival. If you are coming in October, you may be lucky enough to see Ultima Contemporary Music Festival.
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