Ian was expecting Oslo to be black and grey, hunkered down for the long, cold winters which rule Norway for all but three precious months of the year. I was expecting the reserved and unremarkable city I’d visited in 1971.

We were both spectacularly wrong. Perhaps it’s the fact that we’re visiting at the beginning of Summer when the Norwegians are still busting loose from the constraints of Winter, but it seems more than that.

Oslo is like a Nordic version of Canada’s Vancouver but even more sociable. Happily walking and talking together, everyone appears to be out enjoying themselves – in the parks, restaurants, shops, bars, and especially along the city’s spectacular urban waterfront. The restaurants and cafes are full to the brim with locals, not tourists – Oslo, it seems, is affluent. Ferries come and go constantly from the waterfront piers, and locals on little app-operated electric scooters zip silently everywhere at considerable speed, weaving effortlessly through both traffic and pedestrians without mishap.

And Oslo is full of gorgeous young people, with barely any botox, eyelash extensions, tatts or even make-up to be seen. Absolutely not necessary. These girls are just naturally lovely.

So, where’s all the well-documented Nordic reserve? Maybe we’ve just been lucky and seen Oslo on a couple of good days (yesterday’s weather was a bit iffy, but today was particularly gorgeous). Anyway, whatever the reason, we’ve enjoyed this city immensely.