Heading to Oslo for three nights we repeatedly heard how expensive it was going to be. Travelling with two kids in tow and no major desire to break the bank we researched. One hotel that came up in a search for hotels with breakfast included was the Clarion Hotel Bastion. Also included was all day tea and coffee, afternoon cake and an evening meal. We booked it and it was great. The location was superb, a few minutes walk from Central Station and the Opera House. The family room was lovely, the boys got their own room decked out in a jungle theme including huggable orangoutangs and a bag of treats. The buffets were great too with a selection of good food including healthy options. We had goulash, spaghetti bolognese and roast chicken and vegetables.
It was late when we arrived the first evening and the rain had arrived too. We had dinner and went for a short walk around our neighbourhood.
Next morning after breakfast we went to the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet House for our pre booked English tour at 1pm. The tour started in the lobby where it was pointed out to us that we were in fact standing on a piece of art….the floor! The white marble Italian tiles had been created into a jigsaw pattern by the artist, each one bearing a number as to where it was to be placed and then imported from Italy. The white floor was a continuation of the outside and roof of the building, designed to look like a glacier. The cold look of the white was to replicate snow and then the wooden oak interior resembled a tree which was welcoming people in from the cold into the embrace of the theatre.
The design was fluid with no straight lines. The wooden staircase wound smoothly up to the seating sections where the doors were out of view to add to the mystery and allure of the show. Inside the auditorium the oak had been treated to darken the colour, the seats were a burnt orange colour to represent fire and each seat had a little screen where subtitles for the operas could be displayed. As we listened to the tour guide we watched the stagehands prepare the setting for the show ‘Madame Butterfly’ that was to be performed later that evening. Even though they spoke quietly on the stage the acoustics allowed their voices to be carried to the back of the theatre.
After seeing front of stage, we were then taken to see where all the work went on behind the scenes. First stop was the costume department. We saw racks and racks of clothes, loads of accessories like sunglasses, tutus being made and shoes being adapted for the show. There were sewing machines and ironing boards as far as the eye could see. Next we went backstage to see where the stagehands organized all the backdrops and props. The building was four floors high with ballet rooms on the top floor and orchestra rooms on the lower lever where instruments could be carried easily to the pit without the use of stairs of lifts. It was built in a circle with lots of light coming through the centre. The outside walls were designed to represent the local textile industry and looked like weaving patterns.
The tour was very informative and enjoyable. A highlight of our Oslo trip. The next day we returned to walk on the roof and enjoy some great views of the harbour and the city.
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