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Story by Yvonne Yorke
Photography by Yvonne Yorke and courtesy of Grand Hotel, Oslo.
I'm standing in Oslo's City Hall looking up, way up, at the 70-ft high room filled with colorful murals and frescoes depicting Norwegian history and Viking mythology. It's December 10, and every year, on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, the most prestigious award in the world - the Nobel Peace Prize - is presented. The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to grant the 2009 award to President Barack Obama for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”. Obama is only the third sitting U.S. president to receive this honor, following Woodrow Wilson in 1919 and Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. Looking around before the ceremony, I see the hall filling up with dignitaries, VIP guests such as Will and Jada Pinkett Smith who are in Oslo to co-host the Nobel concert, as well as international media and TV crews before the arrival of the Norwegian royal family.
While not everyone can attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, there are numerous options for those who fancy a Nobel-themed trip or to walk in the footsteps of a Nobel Laureate. One of them is to dine on a Nobel menu. The evening of the ceremony, there is a black-tie Nobel banquet held at the Grand Hotel Oslo for the Peace Prize recipient and his family and attended by the Norwegian royals and the Nobel concert hosts and artists. Starting the following night (December 11), guests can host their own Nobel dinner with the same 5-course menu on special Nobel tableware that was served at the actual banquet. The dinner costs NOK 850 (approx. US$120) per person with table service and Nobel menu cards as mementos, or NOK1850 ($265) inclusive of wines (sorry, king and queen not included). There is a minimum requirement of six people and one-week advance notice. If this year's menu doesn't appeal, you can also choose from any one of the previous Nobel banquets.
Of course, you can also opt to stay at the Grand Hotel www.grand.no (Karl Johans Gate 31, NO-0159 Oslo, tel: +47 23 21 20 00, email: reservations-grand@rica.no), where the Peace Prize recipient stays each year in the Ibsen suite (named after the famed Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen). The Laureate traditionally makes a balcony appearance from the hotel's Nobel suite before the banquet, and waves to the crowd below who has gathered to offer their congratulations. If you’re lucky enough to be able to book this suite, you can practice your own waving from the balcony.
Since I was staying at the hotel the same time as the Nobel Laureate, obviously the Ibsen Suite was not available, so I chose the interesting alternative of staying at the Grand’s Ladies Floor. Geared for the female business traveler, this floor has 13 individually designed rooms reflecting the tastes of Norway's most celebrated women such as actresses and Olympic athletes. My room, enchantingly named the “Snowprincess’ Room”, was designed by Norwegian freestyle mogul skier Kari Traa, and resembles a winter wonderland with silver wallpaper painted with trees, chandeliers with crystal drops reminiscent of icicles, and a white fur bed throw and fur cushions. Other whimsical and imaginative room offerings include “Writers Corner”, “The Butterfly Room”, “Prêt a Porter”, and “1001 Night”. Not that only women are allowed on this floor judging by its popularity with honeymooners.
After your Nobel dinner, how about going to the Nobel Peace Prize concert? Hosted by the Norwegian Nobel Committee each year on December 11, the  concert brings together top international artists to pay tribute to the Nobel Laureate. The ticket prices start from NOK550 (approx. US$78) and goes on sale in October for the 2010 concert. For information and bookings: nobelpeaceprize.org/concert/index.php
For a great overview of the Nobel festivities and the history of the peace prize, I highly recommend stopping in at the Nobel Peace Center (www.nobelpeacecenter.org), conveniently located next to the Oslo waterfront and City Hall where the ceremony is held. Housed in an old train station, the center has exhibitions, films and interactive displays of all the Peace Prize laureates and their achievements.
Over in Stockholm, also on December 10 each year, the Nobel prizes for Literature, Physics, Chemistry and Medicine are awarded - as stipulated in the will of Swedish-born inventor and industrialist, Alfred Nobel. (The Nobel Prize in Economics was added to the list of prizes in 1968). The ceremony in Stockholm's Concert Hall is filled with pomp and circumstances as the entire Swedish royal family attends with the Queen and princesses resplendent in ball gowns, glittering jewels and tiaras. King Carl XVI Gustav personally hands out each of the Nobel medals to the laureates. That evening, an elaborate Nobel banquet is held in the Blue Room at City Hall, followed by dancing in the Gold Room. You can see these rooms on a guided tour of City Hall.
 While few will ever receive an invitation to the actual Nobel banquet, many can dine on their own Nobel Prize dinner at the City Hall Cellar restaurant (tel: 46-8 506 322 00, www.stadshuskallaren.se), served on the same Swedish china and glassware specially designed for the Nobel banquets. The three-course dinner with wines is SEK 1450 (approx. US$175 per person), and with advance notice, guests can choose from Nobel menus dating all the way back to 1901.
The best way to start your immersion in the Nobel experience is to visit the Nobel  Museum, located in Stockholm's Old Town - Gamla Stan (tel: +46 8-534 818 00, www.nobelmuseet.se). Exhibits I found interesting include a copy of Alfred Nobel's will, his life story and personal belongings, some of the 355 patents he owned, as well as all the Nobel prize medals for each category.
Whether in Stockholm or Oslo, there are many opportunities for travelers to experience life like a Nobel Prize winner.
For further information, visit www.stockholmtown.com or www.visitoslo.com.
SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) flies direct from New York JFK to Stockholm, and from New York JFK to Oslo via Copenhagen. www.flysas.com
© February 2010 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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