Paper Tiger

A few weeks back I was fortunate to take a short solo trip to Oslo. In the last five years, I have traveled far less than I used to (between the onset of the covid pandemic and then becoming a parent), and this was my first non-work-related trip by myself since…2021, at least? So it was genuinely a treat and a very welcome break.

I took the train down on a Monday and flew back on a Wednesday, so I had two nights and one full day in the city. The train ride down was lovely too. The train between Trondheim and Oslo takes about 6.5 to 7 hours, so I brought along my Hedgebind pullover (shared in progress here) and downloaded some videos and an audiobook on my phone, and managed to knit half the second sleeve on the way south.

Since my time in the city was limited I had just a few goals and I decided to keep my footprint pretty small: I knew I wanted to visit the new National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet), as well as my favorite bookstore in Norway (Tronsmo). Both are located in the city center, so I booked a hotel near the palace and for possibly the first time on an Oslo visit, I didn’t use public transit at all, I simply walked everywhere. I also made sure to squeeze in some time with friends I don’t get to see very often.

The new National Museum opened in 2022 and one of the reasons I was keen to finally see it was that the collection of the old Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (also known as Kunstindustrimuseet, not to be confused with the Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseet in Trondheim) was folded into the National Museum’s collection after the former closed its doors in 2016. I visited Oslo’s Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in 2014 and fell in love with it, so I was sad when I learned of its closing in 2016. The parts of that collection which are now on display at the National Museum are housed on the first floor, and it was really the highlight for me. The textile pieces are really a treat.

This staggering embroidered tablecloth from 1680 is one example. I didn’t take many photos at the museum itself; the first floor galleries in particular were quite dark and I only had my phone on me, which doesn’t make for great photos. But more shots of this tablecloth can be seen here at digitaltmuseum.no, including some detail shots that give you a better sense of what’s happening.

My friends and I also took a spin through the temporary exhibition New Nordic: Cuisine, Aesthetics, and Place which was very cool to see. I was able to experience a meal at Trondheim’s Credo (featured in the exhibition) a few years back, before they uprooted and moved to Oslo last year. But the New Nordic food movement is an interesting one that overlaps with some corners of the fiber community as well, particularly with regard to the local provenance of raw materials, following the seasons, and incorporating new approaches as well as tradition. It was an interesting exhibit.

I came away from Tronsmo with six new books, though admittedly some of them are pretty slim volumes. Five in English and one in Norwegian (Tronsmo’s mix of books in Norwegian, English, and other Scandinavian languages is part of what I love most about it). A glimpse at the table in my hotel kitchenette before I left:

I love traveling with my family, but I’m also looking forward to more solo trips in the future, because being able to dedicate that time to just myself (my interests, my needs, my whims) left me feeling more connected with myself as a person than I’ve felt for a very long time.