• Norway & Scandinavia,  Traveling

    Oslo: Nesbo, Munch, Music, Opera & More

    Last year, a devastating earthquake shook Oslo. Built only a decade prior, the Opera House was one of the many buildings seriously damaged by the seismic activity. As the Norwegian capital’s skyline collapsed like a house of cards, only the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel stood tall. Also known as Oslo Plaza, this is not only the tallest building in the city, but also the second tallest in Norway (Trondheim’s Tyholttårnet is the tallest in the country). It is also where an elderly assassin positioned himself on 17 May 2000 in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Norway’s Crown Prince on the Norwegian Constitution Day.     Gladly, life in the Scandinavian…

  • Norway & Scandinavia,  Reading

    Crime & Fjords: 9 Scandinavian writers you should read

    As a child, I read all Agatha Christie novels during my summer holidays. When I moved to the UK, I read them all over again, but in English. Up until recently, I used to mostly read whilst on holidays, either on the go or on the beach. However, since I moved to London and started commuting on the train, I have also been reading on my way to and from work. I am ever so thankful to the Scandinavian crime writers for providing me with plenty of material. I still wonder how it happens and the Nordic countries score high on happiness with murder rates being so high, or is this…