Oslo is situated at the very end of the Oslo Fjord, which

- though not as breathtaking as the more spectacular examples in the western part of Norway – is still singularly impressive. It often seems that all available light is delicately focussed on this narrow inlet of the sea, and painter Edvard Munch spent most of his life trying to capture this. Arriving in Oslo by sea is as magnificent an introduction to both the city and the country as one can find.

So with the fjord in front, hills on every side and a main river, Akerselva, cutting through its middle, Oslo is immediately close to nature, something of big comfort to its citizens. Not that they’re all outdoor junkies, but nature is omnipresent, within easy reach, a constant reassurance when the strain of urban living becomes too much since one can always escape. The city itself is, in the words of Dolly Parton, a “Coat Of Many Colors”, its boroughs changing from urban intensity to lazy village peace in just a few blocks, and its geography makes it a compact, intimate and easy space to navigate: nearly everything is within walking distance.

From: “Oslo - A Poor Man’s Connoisseur Guide to Happy Living in one of the Most Expensive Cities in the World"
Text by Larm