Atlantica - 01.06.2006, Page 45

44 AT L A N T I CA
OSLOa
– gasp – I’m pregnant. No to all three. Bye takes her seat at the front of the
wheelbob, shuts the protective blue metal cage that encloses us, and grabs
hold of the steering handles. Her blonde ponytail hangs midway down her
back from beneath her grey helmet. She’s the only female four-man bobsled
pilot in Norway.
There was no start gun, no three-two-one-GO! My personal 2006 Winter-
In-Summer Olympic Games officially began with a push from behind.
My inclination is to keep my eyes closed, to feel the rush internally, but
the headwind is so fierce that I have no choice but to watch Bye deftly
maneuver our wheelbob up and around the steep walls. “You can tell when
a driver is still not very skilled based on where the black scuff marks are
on the walls,” she told me earlier as we watched a wheelbob roar around
Bukkerittet, curve number 13, one of the biggest curves on the course. Half
the marks were on the upper edge of the curve – assuring. “But you should
really see the tracks when they’re on the ice.”
Swooooooshhhhhh. We hammer the third, fourth, f ifth curves.
Tikatikatikatika sound the wheels. My body bends with the turn, slightly
resembling the feel of a tight slalom turn. The wheels keep rolling. I want to
slump into the posture of a 13-year-old during a boring dinner conversation,
but Bye’s words keep echoing: Sit up straight.
Behind me, my seatmate shouts a “wooooo hooooo!” My mumblings
are more of the ‘holy crap’ variety, as my hands grow increasingly white
from gripping the iron handles near my feet so tightly. The g-force I’m
WHILE YOU’RE IN OSLO
The heart of Oslo is very walkable, and the integrat-
ed public transportation system is efficient. Unless
you plan on exploring other parts of the country,
there’s no need to rent a car. Driving is far more
hassle than it’s worth thanks to an often-frustrating
bowl of unlabeled one-way and dead end streets.
The neighborhood Grünerløkka (often referred to
by locals as ‘Løkka’), is one of the city’s best-kept
secrets. Gone are the days of its downtrodden,
industrial feel; quaint boutiques and shaggy-haired
hipsters clad in skinny jeans and silkscreen hoodies
have moved in. You’ll be hard-pressed to find unsus-
pecting tourists armed with maps here. At least
not yet. Trendy sidewalk cafés spill into the street,
serving excellent bistro fare that won’t entirely bust
your wallet. For the city’s best – and most authentic
– burrito and tacos, don’t miss Mucho Mas (Thorvald
Meyers gate 36). The stylish TeaLounge serves light
meals, boozy drinks, and great coffee
(Thorvald Meyers gate 33b).
WE ALSO RECOMMEND:
• Checking out Edward Munch’s extensive
collection of work, and his most storied painting
The Scream, at the Munch Museum
(www.munch.museum.no, Tøyengata 53).
• Bringing a picnic lunch and strolling through
Frognerparken and Vigeland Park, where more
than 200 granite and bronze sculptures by Gustav
Vigeland, one of Norway’s most famous sculptors,
pepper the manicured lawns.
• Didn’t get enough in the simulator? Ski buffs – or
anyone who seeks a panoramic view of the city
– should head to the Holmenkollen Ski Jump, where
you can check out the excellent ski museum and
take an elevator to the top of the jumping tower
(www.skiforeningen.no).
Lillehammer.
042-48OsloAtl406.indd 44 23.6.2006 12:20:58