Christmas time in Oslo, as in most European cities, begins in early December with city decorations, lights and Christmas fairs (Julemarked).
Christmas tents and stalls are placed on bigger squares like Youngstorget but the most visited fair in Oslo is the one between the National Theater and the Parliament Building, where a mini skating ring is also set up.
The big Christmas market, Jul i Vinterland, on Skipersuppa near the Grand Hotel was opened last weekend, on 17th of November and it will remain open until 30th December. The market is open daily from 10am to 8pm during the week and from 10am til 9pm on the weekends.
The fair offers everything from winter accessories, to all kinds of workshops for kids, ice skating, riding the Ferris wheel or a visit to Santa Claus.
The food offer this year, as well as last is nothing comparing to Zagreb advent (heads down to the best Christmas market in Europe) but there’s always something for the hungry bellies like different kinds of sausages (frankfurter, curry sausage, bratwurst or traditional Christmas sausage julepølse. This year we opted for the moose burger. Not the best burger we had, but it was edible 🙂
But the dessert on the other hand was way better than the main course. We tried both spanish type of sweet pastry churros as well as some asian bubble waffles. It seems when it comes to Norwegian cuisine it’s best to stay with salmon or some cheeses. They did won a gold medal in the World cheese awards this year 🙂
If you’re thinking of getting something warm there’s a selection of warm drinks such as tee, coffee, hot cocoa or gløgg (Scandinavian version of “mulled wine”).
All in all, when not overcrowded, Christmas markets are a nice break from everyday activities and interesting way to spend your free time. With your friends, lovers or families.
ADVENT U OSLU
Blagdansko vrijeme u Oslu, kao i u većini europskih gradova, počinje ukrasima, lampicama i božićnim sajmovima početkom prosinca. Božićni šatori i kućice postavljaju se, uglavnom, na veće trgove kao Youngstorget gdje se nalazi manji market, no najposjećeniji je onaj (veliki) između Nacionalnog kazališta i zgrade Parlamenta, gdje se trenutno nalazi mini klizalište.
Veliki božićni sajam pod nazivom Jul i Vinterland otvoren je prošli vikend, 17. studenog i trajat će do 30. prosinca. Vrata su otvorena od 10 ujutro do 8 na večer, vikendom do 21h.
Organizatori sajma, i ovaj put, dali su si truda, pa se na sajmu može kupit sve i svašta od zimskog asesorajza, posjetiti Djeda Mraza, poslušati njegove pomoćnike kako pričaju bajke djeci, provozati se na Božićnoj zvijezdi (Julestjernen) ili izraditi neki unikatni poklon na jednoj od dječjih radionica.
Što se tiče ponude hrane, Norvežani nisu nešto maštoviti kao Zagrepčani (kapa dolje, ali gastro ponuda na Zgb adventu je nešto prebolesno), pa su u ponudi isključivo pečene kobasice s nešto kečapa i pečenog luka te njoki sa sirom. Ja sam se nabrusila na burger od losa koji ima osnovnu cijenu i ponudu (pecivo, meso, salata i umak), a za dodatnih 15 kruna dobijete luk i gljive, za još dodatnih 15 kruna sir, a za još dodatnih 15 slaninu.
Meni su oči suvijek veće od dupeta, pa sam tako uzela sve, naravno. I odmah požalila. Burger je bio ok, ali slanina žilava i nedovoljno pečena. Mislim, kad pečeš slaninu pečeš ju dok ne zagori, tj dok ne pucka pod zubima. A jel tako?
Slatka ponuda je daleko bolja. I slađa. Hvala anđelima!
Smultringer (male krofnice), španjolski churros, učećerene jabuke i bademi ili azijski vafli s brdom dodataka samo su dio ponude. Kojoj nismo mogli odoljeti!
Generalno, sajam je super zabavan za turiste ili za kratko druženje (jer zima je 🙂 ) s najdražima uz pokoju čašu kuhanog vina ili pive i čoko churrose.
