My Visual Travel Experience: Oslo

Till 2007, I had never been to Scandinavia, though I had lived in Europe for many years, and had visited the continent on many occasions. Between 2007 and 2008, I managed to visit Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki and Oslo. The fact that I worked with Nokia and my occasional meetings in Helsinki made it that much easier. I spent a couple of days in Oslo over a weekend before one such meeting in Helsinki. I enjoyed my visit immensely, though it was certainly a rushed visit - I had just 2 days, and even that didn't quite happen on account of a delayed flight! Nevertheless, I got a flavour of Oslo and what it had to offer.

Oslo is the capital of Norway and has a population of over 670,000. It was founded in 1040 AD. It became the capital of Norway in 1299 AD under the reign of Haakon V. From 1397 to 1523, and again from 1536 to 1814, Norway had a personal union with Denmark, and Oslo served as co-official capital. In 1814, Oslo became a real capital again when the union with Denmark was dissolved. There was a similar union with Sweden from 1814 to 1905. In 1624, large parts of the city were destroyed in a fire, and a new city was built by King Christian IV of Denmark, and named Christiana after him. In 1925, the city’s name was changed to Oslo. Today Oslo ranks very high in terms of quality of life, though it is one of the most expensive cities of the world. For travelers, there is a lot to see, and Oslo also hosts the annual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, held at Oslo City Hall.

The Royal Palace is the official residence of the King of Norway. It lies at one end of Karl Johans Gate. The construction was completed in 1849 and the palace was made for King Charles III (known locally as Karl Johan) as his Norwegian residence. He was the King of Sweden (known there as Charles XIV John) and the King of Norway, and his reign was from 1818 till his death in 1844. The palace later became the permanent royal residence of the monarch. King Haakon VII was the first monarch to permanently reside there.  King Haakon VII reigned from 1905 to 1957, King Olav V from 1957 to 1991, and King Harald V was crowned in 1991.

Royal Palace

Statue of Karl Johan,
Royal Palace

Statue of Queen Maud (wife of King Haakon V
and the daughter of King Edward VII of England), 
Royal Palace

Oslo City Hall was completed in 1950. The red brick building consists of two towers. The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is held here every December. The interior is full of well known paintings, sculptures and tapestries. The main hall shows paintings from the country’s history.

Oslo City Hall

Oslo City Hall,
Viewed from an angle

National Theater had its first performance in 1899. It is the country’s main theater for performing arts. Outside the theater, there are sculptures of prominent personalities from the field, including directors of the theater. 

National Theater

Statue of Bjornson,
National Theater

Statue of Ibsen,
National Theater

Karl Johans Gate is Oslo’s main street and is named after King Charles III John. The street connects Oslo Central Station to the Royal Palace. The National Theater and the Grand Hotel also lies on the street.

Karl Johans Gate

Grand Hotel is a prominent hotel located on Karl Johans Gate. The hotel opened in 1874. The annual Nobel Peace Prize banquet is hosted here, and the winner also stays here.

Grand Hotel

The National Gallery was originally situated in the Royal Palace but moved to its own building in 1882. The museum is famous for housing Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”.  It also has paintings by old masters like El Greco and Lucas Cranach the Elder, and impressionist artists like Renoir, Monet and Cezanne. Picasso is also featured.

National Gallery

Aksershus Slott is a medieval castle built in the 13th century to protect Oslo. Through its history, the castle has been used as a royal residence, military base, a prison, and the office of the Prime Minister. The castle has the mausoleum’s of many members of the royal family, including King Haakon V,  Queen Maud and King Olaf V.

Akershus Slott

Aker Brygge is a waterfront locality with shopping, dining and entertainment.

Aker Brygge

Vikings Ship Museum has the Oseberg Ship, which was excavated from the world’s largest ship burial. Other ships on display include the Gokstad Ship and the Tune Ship. The museum building was completed in 1957.  

Vikings Ship Museum

Oseberg Ship, Vikings Ship Museum

Norwegian Folk Museum was established in 1894. It is an open air museum with 150 buildings. The museum has the Gol Stave Church, rural buildings relocated from villages and rural areas, medieval buildings including farmhouses, recreations of shop and home interiors, and an open air stage with folk performances.

Gol Stave Church,
Norwegian Folk Museum

Open Air Performance,
Norwegian Folk Museum

Vigelandsparken, is a part of Frogner Park, a large public park. Vigelandsparken has sculptures by the famous Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943), completed between 1924 and 1943. The park has a total of 212 bronze and granite sculptures by him. The park features a 100 meter long bridge, with sculptures on both sides. The park’s other highlights include a bronze fountain, a 14 meter tall monolith, and the two famous sculptures of The Angry Boy and the Wheel of Life.

Lovers Caressing,
Vigelandsparken

Lovers, Vigelandsparken

Mother and Child, Vigelandsparken

The Angry Boy, Vigelandsparken

Wheel of Life, Vigelandsparken

Fountain, Vigelandsparken

Girl with Reptile, Vigelandsparken

Sculpture of Gustav Vigeland, Vigelandsparken

My visit was rushed. Two days weren't quite enough to properly explore Oslo, but I did manage to cover the main sites. Like the other Scandinavian capitals, the city didn't disappoint one bit. It would be good to go back one day, spend more time in the city, and also visit other places in Norway like the Fjords up north near Bergen.

My Visual Travel Experience: Jaipur

The first time I got to visit Jaipur was way back in 1997. I was a Management Trainee in Britannia on my sales stint. The Area Sales Manager was Amir Aziz Shikalgar, the Sales Officer was Ravi Chand, and the Territory Sales In Charge was Ashish Sachar. Our distributor was Puroshottam of Capital Agencies, and our Carrying and Forwarding Agent was Sanjay Kapoor. I learned a lot from all these people, who were veterans in the sales and distribution trade compared to me. Later, in 2002, I went on to become Regional Sales Manager in Britannia and I got to visit the city a few more times. This time, I worked in Jaipur with people like the Area Sales Managers Atul Jain, Sudeep Goswami and Piyush Jain, and Sales Officers like Kamal Verma.

Whenever I could, I tried to take a few hours off or I tried to club my visits with a weekend, and I managed to see the city's various sites. Most recently, in 2013, I went there with nothing on my agenda other than sight seeing. In total, I've spent close to three weeks in this city, which is certainly one of India's most historical cities and has a sumptuous range of beautiful architecture and magnificent, colourful palaces and forts.

Jaipur is the capital of the western Indian state of Rajasthan, and has a population of over 3 million. It was founded in 1727 by Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amer, a village just 11 km away. In 1876, when the Albert, Prince of Wales, visited Jaipur, Sawai Ram Singh II painted the city in pink to welcome him. Even today, large parts of the historic city centre are pink in colour, and Jaipur is also referred to as the Pink City. 

During its relatively recent history, Jaipur’s various rulers have been Sawai Jai Singh II (1699-1743), Sawai Ishwari Singh (1743-1750), Sawai Madho Singh I (1750-1768), Sawai Prithvi Singh II (1768-1778), Sawai Pratap Singh (1778-1803), Sawai Jagat Singh (1803-1818), Mohan Singh (regent in 1818-1819), Sawai Jai Singh III (1819-1835), Sawai Ram Singh II (1835-1880), Sawai Madho Singh II (1880-1922) and Sawai Man Singh II (1922-1949). In 1947, India became Independent. In 1949, Jaipur and all other princely states merged into the union of India.

The City Palace has housed Jaipur’s rulers since the 18th century. A section of the palace is now a museum, called the Sawai Man Singh II Museum. The descendants of the royal family continue to reside at the.  Sawai Man Singh II was the last ruler to rule from City Palace. After Jaipur joined the Union of India, Sawai Man Singh II became he Governor of Rajasthan, and later the Ambassador to Spain. His third wife was Maharani Gayatri Devi, considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. Sawai Bhawani Singh took over in 1970 after Sawai Man Singh II’s death. He was the last titular Maharaja of Jaipur. Following his death in 2011, his grandson Padmanabh Singh was informally crowned Maharaja, though such titles were abolished in 1971.

Clock Tower, City Palace

Portrait of Sawai Man Singh II, City Palace

Tripolia Pol, City Palace

Chandra Mahal is where the royal family resides and this section of the palace is closed to the public. Chandra Mahal has seven floors, beautifully decorated.

Chandra Mahal, City Palace

Diwan I Khas, or Hall of Private Audience, boasts of 2 large silver urns, which are the world’s largest silver objects. When Madho Singh II visited London in 1901, sacred water from the Ganga was carried for him in these urns. Each urn is 1.6 meters tall, weighs 340 kg, and  has a capacity of 4,000 litres. The hall’s ceiling has some grand chandeliers.

Diwan I Khas, City Palace

Chandelier at Diwan I Khas, City Palace

 The palace's Pritam Niwas Chowk has 4 beautifully painted doorways.

Entrance to Pritam Niwas Chowk,
City Palace

Lotus Gate at Pritam Niwas Chowk,
City Palace

Peacock Gate at Pritam Niwas Chowk,
City Palace

Mubarak Mahal was built in 1900 by Madho Singh II to welcome guests to the palace. It now has the costume and textile gallery.  

Mubarak Mahal, City Palace

In the 18th century, Sawai Jai Singh II built five observatories spread across different towns. The one in Jaipur is the largest, the other ones being in Delhi, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi. Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar was completed in 1734, just opposite City Palace. It  has 16 astronomical instruments to tell the time, determine the position of stars, planets etc.

Laghu Samrat Yantra, Jantar Mantar

Hawa Mahal, also called the Palace of Winds, dates back to 1799. It was built by Sawai Pratap Singh. The interesting building has windows, balconies and screens. It is bright pink in colour. The idea behind the building was to allow the women of the harem to watch street processions without being seen themselves.

Hawa Mahal

Amber Fort was built by Man Singh I in 1592. It was built on the remains of an 11th century fort. In the 17th century, Jai Singh I added to the fort. In 1727, the capital moved from Amber to Jaipur. Amber Fort lies up on a hill. One can either go up by vehicle, or one can go up on elephant back along a pathway. One enters through Ganesh Pol, an impressive gateway with a painting of Lord Ganesh. Highlights of Amber Fort include Sheesh Mahal (a hall with numerous tiny mirrors; when a candle is light, the hall looks like a starlit sky), Jas Mandir (a hall with latticed windows and a floral ceiling) and the Shila Devi Temple.

Amber Fort

Ganesh Pol, Amber Fort

Interior of Jas Mandir, Amber Fort

Floral Design at Jas Mandir, Amber Fort

City Museum, also called the Government Central Museum (earlier Albert Hall), was commissioned by Sawai Ram Singh II to commemorate the visit by Albert, Prince of Wales, in 1876. It was built in Indo Saracenic style. The grand building lies in the middle of Ram Niwas Gardens. The museum has a wide array of objects on display, including metal ware, Jaipur glazed pottery, sculptures, Mughal and Rajasthani miniature paintings, a famous Persian carpet, and even an Egyptian mummy.

City Museum

Durga Statue, City Museum

Jaipur Blue Pottery, City Museum

Porcelain Jug, City Museum

Buddha Painting, City Museum

Jal Mandir, or Water Palace, was built by Madho Singh I in the middle of the 18th century. The structure consists of a terrace garden with towers on all corners, and lies in the middle of a lake, Man Sagar. One can spot a wide variety of water birds there.  

Jal Mandir

Jaigarh Fort lies on a hill overlooking Amber Fort. It was built in 1726 by Sawai Jai Singh II to protect Amber Fort. The fort houses one of the world’s largest cannons.

Jaigarh Fort

Tripolia Bazaar lies just outside City Palace, and is a vibrant, colourful market. Johari Bazaar, another popular market, lies parallel to it. Bapu Bazaar in the same area is famous for its Rajasthani quilts, among numerous other items sold there.

Tripolia Bazaar

Hanuman Mandir, Johari Bazaar

Quilt, Bapu Bazaar

Sanghaneri Gate is one of the gateways into the old city. It’s where Johari Bazaar starts from its intersection with Mirza Ismail Road.

Sanghaneri Gate

Rambagh Palace was built in 1835 as a small pavilion for Ram Singh II’s wet nurse. It later became a hunting lodge. Madho Singh II made it into a royal playground for different sports activities. In 1933, it became the residence of Man Singh II. In 1949, when Rajasthan became a state in the Indian Union, it became the residence of the Head of State. In 1957, it became a hotel and is now one of India’s most luxurious and opulent hotels. Ram Vilas is another one of the city’s luxury hotels, run by the Oberoi Group. Rajputana Sheraton, run by the Sheraton Group, is yet another high end hotel.

Rambagh Palace

Mughal Garden, Rambagh Palace

Jaipur is known for its folk music and dances. Shows can be seen at the City Palace, and at Chokhi Dhani, a recreation of a traditional Rajasthani village, with folk performances, camel rides and traditional Rajasthani vegetarian food.

Folk Performance

For food, one is spoiled for choice in Jaipur. The high end hotels like Rambagh Palace, Raj Vilas and Rajputana Sheraton offer a variety of restaurants cutting across cuisines. On MI Road, three favourites are Niros (with its continental cuisine), Copper Chimney (with its India food) and Handi (with its North Indian tandoori food). Laxmi Mishtan Bhandar (or LMB) is famous for its traditional North India vegetarian food as well as its sweets. In Chokhi Dhani, one can get to experience traditional Rajasthani vegetarian food.

In my opinion, Jaipur is one of India's most colourful and interesting cities to visit. Its proximity to Delhi makes it easily accessible. The City Palace and Amber Fort are two of the grandest and most magnificent palaces in the country. Rambagh Palace has luxuries that are hard for any hotel to compete with. The sights and sounds of the buzzing bazaars of the old city have that old world charm that take one back in time by a couple of centuries. Yes, parts of it could certainly be cleaner, but Jaipur is certainly a fascinating city and its strong culture, its great food options and its friendly people only add to what the city has to offer in terms of its stupendous architecture.