Oslo Homenkollen
The Holmenkollen Ski Jump Arena is the single most visited tourist attraction in Norway. In 1892 the first ski jump competition took place at Holmenkollen. Since then ski jumping has become a big tradition in Oslo. The Holmenkollen Ski festival hosts competitions in ski jumping and cross-country skiing and attracts thousands of spectators everyday. To experience the importance of such outdoor winter sport events for the Norwegian society we organized a trip to the ski festival from the 10th to the 13th of March. The plan was to camp outside in designated camping areas close to the cross-country racing track. In order to learn more about the Norwegian culture we intended to visit the Vikingskipshuset, the Frammuseum and the Kon-Tiki museum, additionally to attending the sports events around and in the ski arena.
Five of us arrived at the camping area around one o’clock on the 10th. The others of our group had taken the bus in the morning and would arrive about an hour later. We reserved an area big enough to set up all our tents for the group. Although it was quite warm the area was snowed in and we had to dig some snow away in order a have a level ground for our tents. A lot of people had already set up their tents and the area was covered with big tipis and ovens. Soon after us the other members of the group arrived and helped us with setting up our camping site. 
When we finished we had to change our original plan. The museums would close very soon and we had no chance to visit the museums. Instead we decided to go sightseeing in the city of Oslo. I had never been to Oslo and enjoyed the opportunity of discovering the city. We split up in to smaller groups to walk through the streets.
When we returned to the camp it was already dark. The campsite had changed strongly. There were lights and music everywhere. People were enjoying themselves and were dancing to the music and drinking together. At many campsites people gathered around a fire and some started playing instruments or sang together.
When we first heard about the campsite we had not expected something like this. Other visitors told us that they have been coming here for more than ten years. This showed that the ski festival is not only about the event itself but also about the experience of camping in the nature and spending time together. We enjoyed the atmosphere during the night.
The following day we wanted to watch the competitions in and around the ski jump. We found a location to watch the men’s 50 km race in cross-country skiing. After that we went into the ski jump arena and watched the team competition. The atmosphere was amazing and the spectators celebrated each jumper. Especially many polish people were attending the competitions. Our seat neighbours put great effort into convincing us of their team.
When we returned to our campsite most of the tents around us were already gone. The area looked like a mess and volunteers had already started to clean. This night was much more quiet. Only few campers were left. At some fireplaces you could still hear people singing songs together.
The next day we left the area and decided to visit the museums. At first we went into the Kon-Tiki Museum. It was about Thor Heyerdahl, one of the most famous Norwegian discoverers who wanted to prove that it was possible for ancient cultures to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. The other museum we visited was the Frammuseum. It is about the three most famous Norwegian polar explorers and researchers, Nansen, Sverdrup and Amundsen.
Especially Amundsen was interesting for us, because we had discussed him in class and he and his achievements seemed to have had an important impact an the Norwegian friluftsliv. Especially his great strength in organizing and planning of his expeditions was of great interest to me.
The Holmenkollen weekend was definitely a different sort of trip in comparison to our usual studies. However it allowed us a great view into the Norwegian way of life and their culture