Oslo can be dark in the the winter months, but the spring and summer months are marked by an outpouring of activity. Vegard Giskehaug for The National
Oslo can be dark in the the winter months, but the spring and summer months are marked by an outpouring of activity. Vegard Giskehaug for The National
Oslo can be dark in the the winter months, but the spring and summer months are marked by an outpouring of activity. Vegard Giskehaug for The National
Oslo can be dark in the the winter months, but the spring and summer months are marked by an outpouring of activity. Vegard Giskehaug for The National

Not everyone gets a prize for visiting Oslo


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Q&A: Beware the house-full signs

Is it a good place to stay? Any hotelier wondering where their next customer is coming from might want to look at opening up in Oslo. In early June, there is not a hotel bed for love nor money to be had. Various excuses were given as to why the city was full: Norwegian Wood, a music festival, was due to start; conferences; the weather; but none of these washed. There just are not enough hotels in the city.

What's the food like? Think fish. When you eat herring for breakfast, whether in mustard, dill or fennel sauce, you can understand why the Vikings went marauding. They were in search of croissants.

And the natives? The locals are friendly and all speak very good English, often with no trace of an accent. They do get a bit lively in the evenings, but that is only to be expected. They are very straightforward, honest and uncomplicated.

It is not just Nobel prize-winning laureates who might want to travel to Oslo, the capital of Norway. While the city can be dark and gloomy in the winter months, which last from October to April, the short spring and summer months are marked by an outpouring of activity that gives the place tremendous charm.

Like many things in Scandinavia, the city works well. The public transport connections are fast and efficient. From the airport you can find yourself in a high-speed train that whisks you to the central station. From there tram and bus links take you all over the city.

Rather like the residents of the UAE, Norwegians like their shopping centres, probably for the same reason: they create a pleasant environment that is not affected by either searing sun or bucketing rain or snow. Oslo is not a cheap place to shop, but it's convenient.

Aker Brygge is the newest shopping centre, built on the site of an old ship building yard and featuring a range of shops and restaurants, a cinema and a harbour. You can't beat a shopping centre with a harbour.

You can get a boat from the harbour to the Oslo Opera House, the city's iconic new building that was completed only in 2008. A blend of marble, glass and granite, it rises from the water like a volcanic island. It's the largest building constructed in Norway for more than 700 years, when Nidaros Cathedral was completed in Tronheim. It is popular during the day as a place to visit - it's probably the only opera house in the world that allows you to walk on its roof - and as home to the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet it puts on a variety of modern and traditional shows, but thanks to the city's small population, there were still tickets available for Peter Grimes on the day.

The business district is easy to access and well served by trams. Taxis are also readily available but are quite expensive. Etihad Airways flies there via Paris or London.

Top 5: Things to see in Oslo

1 Opera House

2 Statue of Sir Winston Churchill

3 Viking Ship Museum

4 Munch Museum

5 Holmenkollen

The Quote: I want to travel. Maybe I'll end up living in Norway, making cakes. Eva Green, actress

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Bullet%20Train
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SPEC SHEET

Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass

CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU

Memory: 4GB

Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD

Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio

Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video

Platform: Android 11

Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics

Durability: IP52

Biometrics: Face unlock

Price: Dh849

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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

Investors: A15 and self-funded 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:

Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')

Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)

Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')

Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')

SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)

AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)

Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)

Sunday

Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)

Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)

Roma v Brescia (6pm)

Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)

Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)

Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)

Monday

SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYango%20Deli%20Tech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERetail%20SaaS%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf%20funded%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
McLaren GT specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed

Power: 620bhp

Torque: 630Nm

Price: Dh875,000

On sale: now

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

MATCH INFO:

Second Test

Pakistan v Australia, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am​​ daily​​​​​ at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Entrance is free

Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

THE BIO

Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude

Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE

Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally

Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.