Page 4 - 2003 SVALBARD, NORWAY

ourselves to notice much more than the neat farms and the red

barns along the way. However, our friendly guide did tell us that
Norway is almost 60% mountainous and only 4% arable land.

Forests cover significant portions of the land as well.

Our guide to the city tour was Margareth and she spoke good
English with a decidedly British accent. She was a small woman
with gray hair who was very enthusiastic about Norway and its

history. By now the sun had won the battle with the clouds and
everything was bathed in glorious northern light. The city was

vibrant in its glow and the so-pale Norwegians were everywhere
enjoying their parks and pedestrian streets, many in quite

abbreviated outfits. People watching in the parks was fascinating
since there were so many types of dress to be seen as well as a

surprising ethnic variety: the white breads, several black folks, and
Pakistanis who have been here for several years after having
immigrated to find jobs. Norway has welcomed them and their

families so many have stayed and made their homes here. Don’t
know yet why we saw so many black children in the parks.

Oslo appears to be a quite livable city, with plenty of walking

space, lots of trees and parks, many pedestrian streets and lanes.
The architecture is different enough to merit its own Norwegian

designation, since it seemed unlike Swedish or Danish or Icelandic,
except in its multicolor houses and castles. Most of the housing is
wooden, though the official and royal buildings are stone or brick.

Flowers are obviously much loved here and flourish everywhere.

A Wee Bit Of History

We learned a little Norwegian history from Margareth--chiefly that
Oslo was founded in 1000 AD and burned 17 times before the
th
core of the present city was built in the 16 century. For three
hundred years, Oslo was called Christiania in honor of the Danish