Oslo Ice Bar

Oslo Ice Bar

http://www.icebaroslo.no/

   So on the evening of my 30th birthday I went to the ice bar in Oslo. Apparently I have to do something interesting and unique for that birthday or else I'm just not cool. (no honestly, someone told me that). So reservations made for 9pm, I walked into the gift store part of the store. The entrance fee is 160nok. 

  A little bit further in they have walls of capes with gloves attached, there is also a set of very hearty looking boots. Capes on and I suddenly look like an Eskimo. Well a very poncho-y Eskimo. The double set of airtight door later we walk into the room that is -5 degrees. We have a reservation, they always start on the hour and last for 45 mins. After the 45 mins, they kick you out. 

Theme for this year is "The Nautilus"

    Maelstrom- Bunches of something, tasting cinnamony and like Christmas. The more you drink, the more the lip of the cup conforms to you and eventually you have a curved lip impression in the cup. Yes the cups are ice. Holding onto them takes two hands just to make sure it doesn't drop.

   It's cold but between the cape and gloves it's not unpleasant at all. After ordering a maelstrom the bartender takes one of the square glasses and hands it to me.

The square there is the menu, it's made out of plastic.

All the chairs are also made out of ice, although there are seats on top of it to keep you from sliding off of it, or leaving too much of an impression. The tentacles also come out of the walls.

The tables too had bits of bubbles on top, and other imperfections to keep your glass from sliding around as it does on any smooth surfaced ice. We were told that the ice was brought from a river in northern Norway.

               All of the carvings are inside the walls, or inside pillars. It looks like they cut a section off and carved inside then put it back. It is extremely impressive. I was a fan of the jellyfish.

         One overbearing question in my mind was why only 45 minutes? So I made sure to ask the bartender before I left.
         You can only stay around for 45 minutes because:

1. The drink mixes freeze.
2. The bartender freezes.
3. While you are inside alcohol doesn't effect you very quickly. Once you step outside and resume normal warmth, it strikes. The bartender told me that it happens quite often that people walk outside and five minutes later are very smashed. All the alcohol hits at once. So in order to keep the patrons safe, they make sure that you don't give yourself alcohol poisoning by accident.

     It was quite interesting. Since they change the theme every year, it wouldn't be unpleasant to just check it out once a year. Not sure I'd go more often than that, it was certainly pretty interesting though.

    Lots of pics here, next up 1Q84 review.