38 World Traders and a guide dog went on a variety of airlines (from the UK, Athens and Monaco) to Oslo for The Master’s Weekend 15-18 May 2025. Our Master, Lars Andersen, grew up in Oslo, so wanted to show off the best of his home city. The weather turned out to be perfect for sightseeing with around 22 C max temperatures and constant sunshine and a gentle breeze.

On Thursday afternoon, we started the trip by visiting the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting. Kari Henriksen, MP for Arbeiderpartiet (Social Democrats/Labour) gave us a guided tour and answered a barrage of questions about the Norwegian democratic model. She was a wealth of political knowledge and just the talk to get us going for our trip.

That evening, we went to Engebret Cafe, the oldest restaurant in Oslo, in a building dating from 1760. The food was truly amazing especially the taste and presentation of the main course, Roast Halibut.

On Friday morning, our first stop was Kongsberg, a high-tech Norwegian company that specialises in marine and defence. Their rockets are protecting Washington DC and Kiev, amongst others. Caroline gave us a great overview of their activities, and another lengthy Q and A session followed. Never a shortage of questions from World Traders! Their office was situated in a state-of-the-art building overlooking the marina, in an area which was full of commercial offices.

We enjoyed lunch at Vaaghals restaurant, with its innovative food being cooked in the open kitchen in front of us, ending with the Master’s old friend, Christopher, giving us a brief overview of Norwegian fishing. The timing was perfect, just around the time of the recent announcement about the “fishing deal” with the EU.

The next step on the programme was the Munch Museum, where we were treated to a guided tour of the art and the architecture, including two versions of the Scream. We saw a wonderful selection of his many styles of painting. The building that houses the collection is in itself a work of art. We then had some time to explore the area, especially The Opera House, a modern building of great architectural interest, inside and out, and we were able to walk on the roof.

In the evening, we were picked up by launch and ferried over to Dyna Fyr, a former lighthouse turned restaurant. It really was an island! The food (another wonderful fish meal) and the unique location made it an unforgettable experience. It was a balmy night so we were able to enjoy drinks on the island between courses.

Saturday 17 May was the Norwegian National Day , and Oslo was filled with flags, children, bands and national costumes. We watched the children’s parade for a while, walked down with the crowds to see the Norwegian Royal Family on the Royal Castle balcony and the large groups of families and friends, all in jovial mood, in many different national costumes. A Norwegian style open sandwich lunch on the 21st floor of the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel gave us the best view of the city, and some went to listen to the student choir in the afternoon, and round town, savouring the festivities, and looking at the marvellous national costumes most Norwegians (except the Master) wore.

In the late afternoon, we went by bus through the Oslo suburbs and into the pine forest, to Frognerseteren restaurant, a wooden building protected by carved dragon heads, near Homenkollen where ski jumping takes place in winter. The dinner was a buffet full of Norwegian shellfish, fish, meats and cheeses. A real window on culinary Norway. We returned to Oslo around 8pm, and some people went to bars for a nightcap, whilst others had a lovely evening walk in the sunshine, with Kerry the guide -dog, round the middle of town.

The last day, Sunday, saw us at the National Museum for a guided tour. We saw another version of the Scream, viking art and national romanticism paintings among others. It gave us all a good feel for Norway, its history, and culture. Those who had time finished the trip with lunch at the museum and some then went back round the museum or to the nearby Peace Museum, until it was time to get to the airport.

Everyone had a great time – we always do on these trips – and we had been given a real snapshot of Norway, a country many people said they would like to return to. The trip was well organised, and it made it into a very relaxing, enjoyable and informative few days.